Privacy Policy

Village, Inc. — A Florida Benefit Corporation

Introduction

Village, Inc. ("Village," "we," "us," or "our") operates the Village mobile application and website (collectively, the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you use our Service, including our waitlist, website, and mobile application.

We are committed to protecting your privacy. Village was built for people in vulnerable moments — and we treat your data with the same care we treat our members.

By using our Service, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide Directly

When you interact with Village, we may collect the following:

Waitlist and Account Registration:

Name
Email address
City or zip code
Password (encrypted, never stored in plain text)

Profile Information:

Display name
Age or date of birth
Bio or personal description
Life chapter selections (e.g., "recently retired," "new in town," "caregiver")
Connection preferences (e.g., "companionship," "someone to listen," "chosen family")
Profile photo (optional)

Activity Within the App:

Circles joined and created
Messages sent and received
Send a Coffee transactions
Birthday Rescue participations
Seat at My Table invitations and RSVPs
Recipes shared in Nana's Kitchen
Open Door availability status

Communications:

Messages you send to other members
Reports you submit about other members
Customer support inquiries
Survey responses

Information Collected Automatically

When you use the Service, we may automatically collect:

Device type, operating system, and browser type
IP address
General location (city-level, derived from IP address)
App usage data (features used, time spent, pages viewed)
Crash reports and performance data

Information We Do NOT Collect

Social Security numbers
Financial account numbers (payment processing is handled by third-party providers)
Health or medical records
Biometric data
Precise GPS location (we use city-level location only)
Contacts or address book data from your device

How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

To provide and operate the Service: Creating your account, matching you with people in your area and life chapter, facilitating connections, and enabling features like Send a Coffee, Birthday Rescue, and Seat at My Table.
To communicate with you: Sending waitlist updates, welcome emails, feature announcements, and responding to your inquiries.
To ensure safety: Verifying identities, detecting and preventing fraud, enforcing our Community Guidelines, and responding to reports of inappropriate behavior.
To improve the Service: Understanding how members use Village, identifying bugs, and developing new features.
To measure impact: Generating aggregate, anonymized statistics about community activity (meals shared, coffees sent, birthdays rescued) for internal reporting and sponsor impact reports. These reports never include personally identifiable information.

How We Share Your Information

We Do NOT Sell Your Data

Village does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. Ever. This is a core principle of our company and our Benefit Corporation charter.

What Other Members Can See

Other Village members may see:

Your display name
Your profile photo (if provided)
Your bio and life chapter selections
Your city or general area (not your specific address)
Your Open Door status
Messages you send them directly
Your participation in Circles, Seat at My Table, and other shared features

Other Village members cannot see:

Your email address
Your exact location or address
Your age or date of birth
Your activity with other members
Your reports or blocks

Service Providers

We share limited information with third-party service providers who help us operate the Service:

Supabase — Database hosting and authentication
Stripe — Payment processing for Send a Coffee transactions (Stripe receives payment information directly; we do not store credit card numbers)
Kit (ConvertKit) or Mailchimp — Email communications
Vercel or similar — Website and app hosting
Analytics providers — Aggregate, anonymized usage data

These providers are bound by their own privacy policies and data processing agreements and may only use your information to provide services to Village.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government request, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to:

Comply with legal obligations
Protect the rights, property, or safety of Village, our members, or the public
Detect, prevent, or address fraud, security, or technical issues

Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information, including:

Encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest
Password hashing (passwords are never stored in plain text)
Role-based access controls for internal systems
Regular security reviews

No method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within 30 days, except as required by law or necessary for legitimate business purposes (such as resolving disputes or enforcing our agreements).

Waitlist information is retained until you unsubscribe or until the waitlist is no longer active.

Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Correction: Request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Deletion: Request that we delete your personal information.
Opt-out of communications: Unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the link in any email, or by contacting us directly.
Data portability: Request your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the information provided below. We will respond within 30 days.

California Residents

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to request deletion, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. Village does not sell personal information.

Florida Residents

If you are a Florida resident, you may have additional rights under the Florida Digital Bill of Rights, including the right to access, correct, and delete your personal information.

Children's Privacy

Village is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we learn that we have collected information from a child under 18, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.

Third-Party Links

The Service may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated policy on our website and updating the "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

Village, Inc.
Zoe Soppeland, Founder
Email: hello@village.app
Phone: 661-341-7688
Tampa, Florida

Village, Inc. is a Florida Benefit Corporation with the stated public benefit purpose of reducing loneliness and social isolation by building technology that connects people to companionship, belonging, and chosen family in their local area.

See also our community guidelines and disclaimer and terms of service.