Privacy Policy

At DeBands, we take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our service.

Please read this privacy policy carefully. By using DeBands, you consent to the data practices described in this policy.

We collect information to provide and improve our services. The types of information we collect include:

Personal Information

• Account Data: Name, email address, and password when you create an account
• Profile Data: Profile picture, bio, social links, and other information you choose to share
• Communication Data: Messages or feedback you send to us

Automatically Collected Information

Data Type	Purpose
IP Address	Security, fraud prevention, and approximate location
Device Type	Optimize service for your device
Browser Information	Ensure compatibility and troubleshoot issues
Operating System	Provide appropriate features and updates
Access Times	Security monitoring and analytics
Pages Visited	Improve user experience and service
Referral Source	Understand how users find our service

Where a tap happened: when you are signed in and tap a DeBand, we record the approximate city it happened in so you can see where you met people on your Connections page. The DeBand's owner only sees that city if you turn on "Show where I tap DeBands" in your privacy settings, which is off unless you choose it; turning it off hides your past taps from them again. On the web the city is estimated from your IP address using a database stored on our own servers, so your IP address is not sent to anyone for this. In the app, it comes from your device's location only if you allow location access, and is turned into a city name using OpenStreetMap's Nominatim service. We do not record a location for taps made without an account. IP Geolocation by DB-IP, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• Service Delivery: To provide, maintain, and improve our services
• Account Management: To create and manage your account
• Communication: To send you updates, security alerts, and support messages
• Security: To detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, and security issues
• Analytics: To understand how users interact with our service and improve it
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws and regulations
• Personalization: To customize your experience and provide relevant content

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

• With Your Consent: When you explicitly agree to share information
• Public Profile: Information you choose to make public on your profile
• Service Providers: With trusted third parties who assist in operating our service
• Legal Requirements: When required by law or to protect our rights
• Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets

We implement appropriate security measures to protect your information:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest
• Regular security assessments and updates
• Access controls and authentication
• Secure session management
• Monitoring for suspicious activity

However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

If you provide your mobile phone number and opt in to SMS notifications during registration or in your Notification Settings, DeBands will send you transactional text messages related to your account. This includes verification codes, password reset confirmations, password change alerts, security notifications, and admin platform alerts. Messages are transactional only — we do not send marketing or promotional SMS.

• Program name: DeBands Account Notifications
• Message frequency: Recurring and varies based on your account activity (typically a few messages per month)
• Cost: Message and data rates may apply, charged by your wireless carrier
• Opt-in: You opt in by entering your mobile number and checking the SMS consent box on the registration form, or by enabling SMS notifications in your account settings. SMS consent is not a condition of creating an account or purchasing any product.
• Help: Reply HELP to any message for assistance, or email support@debands.xyz
• Opt-out: Reply STOP to any message at any time, or disable SMS notifications in your account’s Notification Settings page

We share phone numbers only with our SMS delivery provider (Twilio) for the limited purpose of sending you the messages you have requested. Twilio acts as a service provider and is contractually restricted from using this information for any other purpose.

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Keep you signed in
• Remember your preferences
• Understand how you use our service
• Improve our service based on usage patterns

You can control cookies through your browser settings, but some features may not work properly without them.

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. We may retain certain information as required by law or for legitimate business purposes.

When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.

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

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate data
• Deletion: Request deletion of your data
• Export: Request your data in a portable format
• Objection: Object to certain processing of your data

To exercise these rights, please contact us at the email below.

DeBands is not intended for children under 13 years of age. 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 immediately.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.