Privacy Policy

This policy explains what information In The Block ("we", "us") collects when you use the In The Block mobile app and website, how we use it, and the choices you have. If you have questions, email us at hello@intheblock.app.

Information you give us

• Account details. Your name, email address, and password when you sign up with email. Passwords are handled by our authentication provider and are never visible to us.
• Phone number. We text you a verification code once, when you sign up, to confirm the number is yours. Each number can belong to only one account. We use your number only for account security and to prevent duplicate accounts.
• Google or Apple sign-in. If you sign in with Google or Apple, we receive your name and email address from them. Apple may give us a private relay email instead of your real one.
• Profile. An optional profile photo, your neighborhood or borough, and your notification preferences.
• Community notes and reports. Tips you post on a business page are public and show your name. Votes on notes and reports you file about inaccurate deals are stored with your account.

Information we collect when you use the app

• Location. With your permission, we use your device's precise location while the app is open to show deals near you and to sort them by distance. When you redeem a deal, we record your location and your distance from the business to confirm you're there. We do not collect your location in the background.
• Your home area. If you share your location, we save the neighborhood or borough it falls in, not your coordinates, so we can show deals there when location is off and send notifications about the right area. If you're outside the cities we serve, we record the name of your city so we know where people want us next.
• Activity. The deals and places you save, and the deals you redeem, including the time of each redemption.
• How you use the app. Which deals you see and open, which places you view or tap on the map, taps on directions, call, or website, what you search for, the filters you pick, which notifications you open, and how far you get through sign-up. If you browse without an account, or before you finish signing up, this is tied to a random ID stored on your device instead of an account.
• Technical information. Our service providers automatically log basic technical data, such as IP address, device type, and app version, to keep the service running and secure.
• Push notification token. If you allow notifications, your device gets a push token from Apple or Google, delivered through Firebase Cloud Messaging. We store it with your account so we can send the notifications you turned on, along with when we last notified you so we can limit how often you hear from us.

We measure app usage with our own systems. We do not use third-party advertising or analytics tools, we do not track you across other companies' apps or websites, and we do not sell your personal information.

How we use your information

• To create and secure your account, including SMS verification.
• To show deals near you and in the neighborhoods or boroughs you choose.
• To verify and record deal redemptions.
• To save your favorite deals and places and to send notifications you turn on.
• To display community notes and review deal reports so listings stay accurate.
• To understand how the app is used and improve it, for example which deals people open and where sign-up gets stuck.
• To prevent fraud and abuse, such as faked locations or repeated redemptions.
• To respond to you when you contact us.

How we share information

We share information only in these cases:

• Service providers. We use Google Firebase to run our authentication, database, servers, file storage, and SMS verification. Google and Apple process information when you use their sign-in. Maps are provided by your device's map service. These providers handle data on our behalf under their own privacy terms.
• Other users. Community notes you post, and the name shown with them, are visible to anyone using the app.
• Businesses. We do not give your personal information to the bars and restaurants listed in the app. If we share redemption statistics with them, it will be in aggregate form that doesn't identify you.
• Legal reasons. When required by law, or to protect the rights and safety of our users, the public, or In The Block.
• Business transfers. If In The Block is involved in a merger or sale, your information may transfer as part of that transaction under this policy.

Your choices

• Location and notifications. You can turn these off at any time in your device settings. The app still works without location, but nearby sorting and redemption won't.
• Which notifications you get. In the app under Profile, Settings, you choose which kinds you want: new deals nearby, updates about places you saved, and a weekly digest. We send at most one notification a day and three a week, and none between 10pm and 9am Eastern Time.
• Profile. You can edit your name, photo, and neighborhood in the app.
• Deleting your account. You can delete your account at any time in the app under Profile, Settings, Delete account. This immediately deletes your profile, photo, saved places, redemption history, usage history, and deal reports, and removes your name from any community notes you posted. You can also email hello@intheblock.app from the address on your account and we will delete it within 30 days.
• Access. To get a copy of your data, email hello@intheblock.app from the address on your account.

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights, such as the right to know, correct, or delete your information. Email us to make a request and we will respond as required by law. We will not treat you differently for exercising these rights.

How long we keep information

We keep your information while your account is open. Detailed records of how you use the app are deleted after 90 days; after that we keep only daily totals that don't identify anyone. When you delete your account in the app, your personal information is deleted right away. Community notes you posted stay visible so conversations still make sense, but they show "Former member" and are no longer linked to you. Our service providers may keep backups for a short period before they are overwritten.

Security

We verify your phone number when you sign up and use industry-standard safeguards provided by our infrastructure. No system is perfectly secure, so please keep your password and phone secure and tell us if you notice anything suspicious.

Age requirement

In The Block is for people 21 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone younger. If you believe someone under 21 has an account, email us and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we will update the effective date above. If the changes are significant, we will tell you in the app before they take effect.

Contact

Questions or requests about your privacy: hello@intheblock.app.