FindU Privacy Policy

1.1 Personal Information You Provide

• Contact Information: Full name, email, phone number, physical address
• Educational Information: High school details, GPA, test scores (SAT/ACT), class rank, AP courses, extracurricular activities
• Financial Information: Household income range, financial aid needs (optional)
• Demographics: Ethnicity, gender, first-generation status (optional)
• College Preferences: School size, location, majors, campus culture preferences

Note: We do not sell your contact information to third-party marketers.

1.2 Social Features

• User Discovery: Basic information (name and profile picture) is visible to other users for the purpose of finding and connecting with friends and family
• Connections: You can connect with friends and family members who also use FindU by sending and accepting connection requests
• Shared Content: College lists and preferences visible to your approved connections
• Profile Information: Full profile information visible to your approved connections
• Communication: Messages or comments you send to friends and family through the app

Note: All connections require mutual acceptance - you must send a request and the other person must accept it. Only your name and profile picture are visible before connection approval.

1.3 Information Collected Automatically

• Usage Data: Pages viewed, features used, time spent in app, match scores generated
• Device Information: Device type, operating system, app version, IP address, unique identifiers
• Authentication Data: Basic profile info from Google/Apple sign-in (name, email) used solely for account creation

1.4 Collection Methods

• Direct Input: Information you provide during registration and profile setup
• Automatic Collection: Technical and usage data collected as you use the app
• Social Interactions: Content you share with friends and family connections

2.1 Core App Services

• Create personalized college matches and recommendations
• Provide search and filtering functionality
• Generate compatibility scores based on your preferences
• Enable connection requests with friends and family members (requires mutual acceptance)
• Allow approved connections to view your profile information and college preferences
• Provide safety tools including blocking and reporting functionality
• Send operational communications (account updates, security alerts)
• Provide customer support and investigate reported issues
• Improve our services and develop new features

2.2 Optional College Connections

You control whether colleges can access your information. In your settings, you can choose:

• "Allow colleges to connect with me" - Colleges can view your profile and contact you
• "Do not allow college connections" - Your profile remains private

2.3 Marketing Communications

With your consent, we may send you:

• Information about new college matches
• Scholarship opportunities
• Educational events and resources

You can opt out of these communications at any time in your settings.

3.1 With Friends and Family

Before connection: Your name and profile picture are visible to other users so they can identify and connect with people they know.

After connection approval: Approved connections can see:

• Your full profile information (name, school, graduation year, etc.)
• Your college preferences and lists
• Messages and comments you send to them

Safety controls:

• Block users: You can block any user to prevent them from seeing your name and profile picture or sending you connection requests
• Report users: You can report inappropriate behavior, and we will investigate and take appropriate action
• Remove connections: You can remove connections at any time, which immediately restricts their access to your full information

3.2 College Connections (Your Choice)

Only when you opt in: If you select "Allow colleges to connect with me," we may share your profile information with partner colleges, including:

• Academic information and test scores
• Demographic information (if provided)
• College preferences and interests
• Indication that you've viewed or shown interest in their school

You control this: You can change this setting at any time. Data already shared cannot be recalled, but no new sharing will occur.

3.3 Service Providers

We share necessary information with trusted vendors who help us operate the app:

• Cloud storage providers (Supabase on AWS)
• Analytics services
• Customer support tools

These providers can only use your data as instructed by us and must maintain confidentiality.

3.4 Aggregated Data

We may share anonymized, aggregated statistics with colleges or researchers (e.g., "30% of users are interested in STEM fields"). This data cannot identify individual users.

3.5 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information when required by law, court order, or to protect safety and rights.

3.6 Business Transfers

If FindU is acquired or merged, your data may transfer to the new owner under the same privacy protections.

4.1 College Partnerships

Colleges may pay for premium listings, featured placement, or to access aggregated insights about user interests.

4.2 Lead Generation

When you opt to connect with colleges, we may receive compensation for qualified leads. This does not affect which colleges are recommended to you.

5.1 Security Measures

• All data is encrypted in transit and at rest
• Access limited to authorized personnel only
• Regular security monitoring and updates
• Hosted on secure AWS infrastructure through Supabase

5.2 Data Retention

• We keep your data as long as your account is active
• You can delete your account at any time (takes up to 30 days to process)

6.1 Account Controls

• College Connections: Turn on/off college access to your profile
• Social Connections: Manage your friend and family connections, send/accept/remove connection requests
• Safety Tools: Block users or report inappropriate behavior
• Profile Management: Update or correct your information anytime
• Communication Preferences: Control what emails/notifications you receive
• Account Deletion: Delete your account and data

6.2 Legal Rights

Depending on your location, you may have additional rights to:

• Access your personal data
• Correct inaccurate information
• Delete your data
• Restrict how your data is used
• Opt out of data sales (where applicable)

To exercise these rights, contact us at joinfindu@gmail.com. We'll verify your identity and respond within 30 days.

7.1 California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

• Right to know what personal information we collect and how it's used
• Right to delete personal information
• Right to opt out of sale of personal information
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights

7.2 Other State Privacy Laws

If you're a resident of Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Virginia, or other states with comprehensive privacy laws, you may have similar rights. Contact us for more information.