Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly

• Account information: name, email address, password, and optional profile photo when you register.
• Taste Profile: food preferences, dietary restrictions, cuisine preferences, and flavor preferences you enter to personalize your experience.
• Dish content: photos, ratings (UltyScore — Flavor, Craft, Vibe), written truths, and vouches you submit for dishes.
• Social content: dining invites, friend connections, circle memberships, poll votes, trivia attempts, and chat messages.
• Payment information (restaurant operators only): subscription billing details processed securely by Stripe. We do not store full card numbers.

Information collected automatically

• Location: precise or approximate location when you grant permission, used to show nearby restaurants and dishes.
• Device information: device model, operating system version, app version, and unique device identifiers.
• Usage data: screens viewed, features used, taps, search queries, and session duration to improve the app.
• Push notification tokens: to deliver in-app notifications you have enabled.
• Check-in and visit data: restaurant check-ins and vouch stake activity (visit date, time window, party size) when you use those features.

Information from third parties

• Apple Sign-In: name and email provided by Apple if you choose that sign-in method.
• Referrals: if a friend refers you, we associate your account with the referring user for reward attribution.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and improve the UltyConnect app, Dish Radar feed, UltyMatch dish recommendations, and UltyGenome taste-compatibility features.
• Personalize your experience based on your Taste Profile and activity history.
• Operate the UltyCoins virtual currency system, including awarding coins for qualifying actions and processing Rewards Marketplace redemptions.
• Facilitate social features: dining invites, friend matching (UltyTwin), circles, polls, trivia, and chats.
• Send push notifications you have enabled, including reminders, streaks, social activity, and vouch-stake follow-ups.
• Provide restaurant operators with anonymized and aggregated demand analytics (visit intent, peak hours, dish performance).
• Process restaurant subscription billing via Stripe.
• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and violations of our Terms of Service.
• Comply with applicable laws and respond to legal requests.

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share data only in these circumstances:

With other users

Your public profile (display name, profile photo, UltyScore contributions, badges) is visible to other UltyConnect users. Dish truths, vouches, and ratings you submit are attributed to your profile unless you have set your account to private.

With restaurant operators

Restaurants can see aggregated, non-personally-identifiable demand signals (number of pending vouch stakes per slot, visit time-window distribution) to help them plan staffing and promotions. They do not receive your name, email, or device information.

With service providers

We use third-party vendors who process data on our behalf under confidentiality obligations. See Section 4 for the full list.

For legal reasons

We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or to protect the rights and safety of UltyConnect, our users, or the public.

Business transfers

If UltyConnect is involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will provide notice before such a transfer.

4. Third-Party Services

Each provider has their own privacy policy governing their use of data.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. If you delete your account:

• Your profile, Taste Profile, and social content are removed within 30 days.
• Dish truths and ratings may be retained in anonymized form to preserve community data integrity.
• UltyCoins transaction records are retained for 7 years for financial record-keeping purposes.
• Restaurant subscription billing records are retained as required by applicable law.

6. Your Rights and Choices

Access and correction

You can view and update most of your personal information at any time in the app under Settings > Edit Profile.

Data deletion

You can delete your account from Settings > Account > Delete Account. For additional data deletion requests, email privacy@ultyconnect.com.

Location

You can disable location access at any time in your device's Settings. The app continues to work without location, but nearby restaurant results will be limited.

Push notifications

You can manage push notification preferences in Settings > Notification Settings or through your device's Settings app.

California residents (CCPA)

California residents have the right to know what personal information we collect, request deletion, and opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information. To exercise your rights, contact privacy@ultyconnect.com.

EEA / UK residents (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, you have rights to access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability, and objection. Contact us at privacy@ultyconnect.com to exercise these rights.

7. Children's Privacy

UltyConnect is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us at privacy@ultyconnect.com and we will delete it promptly.

8. Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including:

• Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS)
• Encrypted data storage at rest
• JWT-based authentication with token expiration
• Role-based access controls limiting data access to authorized personnel

No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at security@ultyconnect.com.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you via in-app notification or email at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of UltyConnect after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

The current version is always available at ultyconnect.com/privacy.

10. Contact Us