Kinfolk ("we", "us", "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. By creating an account or using the app, you consent to the practices described here.

1. Information We Collect

Account information: your name, email address, and password (stored securely and never in plain text).
Profile information: avatar, bio, profession, skills, location, HBCU affiliation, and notification preferences you choose to add.
Content you post: posts, comments, reactions, reviews, messages, group and cipher room contributions, study room insights, and marketplace listings.
Activity data: interactions such as likes, saves, event RSVPs, trivia scores, Kinfolk Credit transactions, and reports you submit.
Device & usage data: approximate location (only when you use the "Find Nearby Businesses" feature), app interactions, and crash logs to improve stability.

2. How We Use Your Information

To create and maintain your account and authenticate you.
To display your profile and content to other members according to your privacy settings.
To connect you with other members through messages, groups, study rooms, cipher rooms, and multiplayer trivia.
To operate the Village Economy, including earning and redeeming Kinfolk Credits.
To facilitate peer-to-peer marketplace transactions between members (Kinfolk does not process payments and never stores payment details).
To send service emails such as invitations, password resets, and notifications you have opted into.
To enforce community guidelines, investigate reports, and prevent abuse.

3. What We Do Not Do

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.
We do not share your data for cross-context advertising.
We do not store your credit card, bank, or payment app credentials. Premium subscriptions are processed by our payment provider, Wix Payments (branded as "Base44 Payments"), which handles checkout and stores payment details securely on its own systems.

4. Data Retention & Deletion

Your information is retained while your account is active. You can permanently delete your account at any time from My Account → Danger Zone. Account deletion is irrevocable and removes your profile, posts, listings, and personal data within a reasonable period, except where retention is required by law or to investigate fraud.

5. Sharing & Public Content

Content you post to the Feed, Groups, Study Rooms, Cipher Rooms, or Marketplace is visible to other members of Kinfolk. Do not share sensitive personal information publicly. Direct messages are only visible to the participants in that thread.

6. Push Notifications

With your permission, Kinfolk may send push notifications to your device to let you know about messages, event reminders, and other activity in the app. You can turn push notifications on or off at any time in your device's system settings, and you can manage in-app notification preferences from My Account.

7. Artificial Intelligence Features

Kinfolk uses AI-powered features such as magazine cover generation, the Kinfolk Mentor assistant, AI-assisted post help, scholarship and business search, and usage insights. When you use these features, the text or images you provide may be sent to our AI providers for processing. We do not use your personal content to train third-party AI models. AI-generated content may be inaccurate; always review it before relying on it.

8. Third-Party Services

Kinfolk may integrate with third-party tools for authentication (e.g., Google sign-in), email delivery, maps, and web search. These services have their own privacy policies. We share only the minimum information needed to provide the feature.

9. Children's Privacy

Kinfolk is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a minor under 13 has registered, contact us at afrokoding@gmail.com and we will delete the account.

10. Your Rights

Access, correct, or update your profile at any time from My Account.
Request export or deletion of your data.
Opt out of non-essential communications via notification preferences.

11. Security

We use industry-standard safeguards to protect your information. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, but we work to protect your data using authentication, encryption in transit, and access controls.

12. Changes to This Policy

If we update this Privacy Policy, we will revise the effective date at the top of this page and notify you in the app for material changes.

13. Contact

For privacy questions, data requests, or support, contact Kinfolk at afrokoding@gmail.com or through the in-app Bug Report tool. Our support team responds to inquiries as promptly as possible.