Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy describes how Hangouts ("the App," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and protects personal information when users access or interact with our services.
1. Information We Collect
We collect the following categories of information to operate and enhance our services:
- Personal Information: First and last name, email address, and username.
- Location Data: Precise real-time location when you enable “Share my location” for an event, including location collected in the background while the App is closed or not in use, location used to suggest local businesses nearby, and location coordinates associated with content you choose to post.
- User Content: Images, captions, and location tags you upload to the Explore Page.
- Friends' Data: First and last names, email addresses, and usernames of contacts you choose to connect with.
2. Use of Information
Collected information is used to:
- Enable user interactions and friend visibility features.
- Facilitate optional real-time location, route, distance, and ETA sharing within events, including while the App is closed or not in use, and support the Explore Page posting feature.
- Suggest local businesses near your location.
- Display usernames and shared content to your selected audience (Friends or Everyone).
- Maintain, improve, and personalize the App's functionality and user experience.
- Ensure security, integrity, and reliability of services.
3. Information Sharing and Visibility
We provide different levels of visibility depending on how you use the App:
- Usernames: Your username is publicly visible to all users of the App.
- Event Participation: First and last names are visible only to participants within the same event.
- Location Sharing: When you opt in for an event, your real-time location, route, distance, and ETA are shared only with invited attendees of that event. Sharing stops when you turn off “Share my location.”
- Explore Page Posts: If you share to "Friends Only," your image, username, and the hangout location are visible only to your confirmed friends. If you share to "Everyone," your image, username, and the hangout location are visible to all users of the Hangouts App.
Hangouts does not sell, rent, or commercially share personal information with third parties.
4. Explore Page Content Guidelines
Users are expected to contribute to a safe community. When sharing images and locations:
- Ensure you have permission from others appearing in your photos.
- Avoid sharing images that reveal sensitive private locations (e.g., your home address).
- All content must comply with our Terms of Service regarding prohibited or harmful material.
5. Data Security
Appropriate technical and organizational measures are implemented to protect personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. While these measures meet industry standards, no system is completely secure, and users acknowledge inherent risks in transmitting data electronically.
6. User Controls and Data Management
Users maintain control over their data through the following:
- Toggle Sharing: Enable or disable real-time location sharing at any time. Disabling it stops foreground and background location sharing for that event.
- Post Management: Users can delete their Explore Page posts at any time, which removes the image and associated location data from the feed.
- Account Updates: Update or delete personal information within account settings.
- Data Deletion: Request permanent data deletion in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
7. Children's Privacy
The App is not directed toward individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If such data is inadvertently collected, it will be promptly deleted upon discovery.
8. Policy Updates
This Privacy Policy may be updated periodically to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, regulatory, or operational reasons. Updates will be communicated by revising the "Effective Date" above. Continued use of the App constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.