Privacy Policy

1. Eligibility

IVY is intended only for individuals who are at least 18 years old.

The Platform is not directed to children under 18, and IVY does not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 18.

If we learn that an account was created in violation of this policy, we may suspend or delete the account and associated information.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of information.

A. Account and Verification Information

When you create an account, we may collect:

• your institutional email address;
• your name and profile information;
• institutional affiliation information;
• authentication credentials;
• account preferences and settings;
• and other information you voluntarily provide.

We may use institutional email domains or other verification methods to confirm eligibility and campus affiliation.

B. User Content

We collect information and content you submit to the Platform, including:

• posts;
• comments;
• listings;
• reviews;
• event submissions;
• polls;
• messages;
• reports;
• housing-related submissions;
• lost & found content;
• and content submitted through anonymous or pseudonymous features.

Content you submit may be visible to other users depending on the feature and your settings.

C. Communications and Reports

We may collect information when you:

• communicate with IVY;
• submit reports or appeals;
• contact support;
• participate in surveys;
• or communicate with other users through the Platform.

D. Usage, Device, and Log Information

We and our service providers may automatically collect certain technical and usage information, including:

• IP address;
• device identifiers;
• browser type;
• operating system;
• app version;
• session activity;
• timestamps;
• referring URLs;
• crash reports;
• interaction data;
• and general diagnostic or analytics information.

This information may be collected through logs, cookies, SDKs, local storage, or similar technologies.

E. Location Information

We may infer general location information from:

• IP addresses;
• institutional affiliation;
• or device-level regional information.

IVY does not currently require continuous precise geolocation access to use core Platform functionality.

3. Campus Isolation and Identity

IVY is designed as a campus-specific platform.

We may use institutional affiliation information to:

• organize content;
• restrict interactions;
• enforce campus segmentation;
• and maintain Platform integrity.

Certain Platform activity may be associated with your verified profile information or institutional identity.

IVY does not guarantee that content, interactions, or communications will remain anonymous, pseudonymous, or inaccessible to IVY.

4. Anonymous Features and The Vault

IVY may provide anonymous or pseudonymous posting features, including The Vault.

Content submitted through anonymous features may not display your identity to other users. However:

• IVY may retain account association and related metadata;
• anonymous activity may be reviewed internally;
• and information relating to anonymous activity may be accessed, preserved, used, or disclosed where reasonably necessary.

IVY may review or disclose information relating to anonymous activity to:

• enforce our Terms or policies;
• investigate misconduct or safety concerns;
• respond to user reports;
• comply with legal obligations or lawful requests;
• protect the rights, safety, or security of users or third parties;
• detect fraud, abuse, spam, or platform manipulation;
• or prevent imminent harm.

IVY reserves the right to restrict, suspend, or remove access to anonymous features at any time.

5. Direct Messages and Communications

IVY stores messages and related metadata transmitted through the Platform.

IVY does not routinely monitor private communications for content purposes. However, IVY and its service providers may access, review, preserve, or disclose message content or metadata where reasonably necessary to:

• investigate reports or violations;
• detect spam, fraud, abuse, or security threats;
• enforce our Terms and policies;
• comply with legal obligations;
• respond to emergencies;
• or protect users, IVY, or third parties.

Users should not expect absolute privacy or security with respect to information transmitted through the Platform.

6. How We Use Information

We may use information for purposes including:

• providing, operating, and maintaining the Platform;
• verifying eligibility and institutional affiliation;
• enabling campus-specific functionality;
• authenticating users;
• personalizing user experience;
• facilitating communication and interaction;
• moderating content and enforcing policies;
• detecting fraud, abuse, harassment, spam, or unauthorized activity;
• improving Platform functionality, safety, and performance;
• conducting analytics and diagnostics;
• communicating with users;
• complying with legal obligations;
• enforcing legal rights;
• and protecting the safety, integrity, and security of the Platform and its users.

We may aggregate or de-identify information and use it for lawful business purposes.

7. How We Share Information

IVY does not sell personal information in exchange for monetary compensation.

We may disclose information:

• to service providers, contractors, and infrastructure vendors supporting the Platform;
• to vendors providing hosting, authentication, moderation, analytics, communications, storage, security, or operational services;
• to affiliates or entities involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, restructuring, or sale of assets;
• where required by law, regulation, subpoena, court order, or legal process;
• to investigate or address suspected fraud, abuse, harassment, threats, or unlawful conduct;
• to protect the rights, safety, property, or security of IVY, users, or third parties;
• or with your consent or direction.

Infrastructure and operational providers may include services such as:

• Supabase;
• Vercel;
• Expo;
• analytics providers;
• communications providers;
• cloud hosting providers;
• and security vendors.

These providers may process information on our behalf subject to contractual or operational safeguards.

8. Data Retention

IVY retains information for as long as reasonably necessary for purposes including:

• operating the Platform;
• maintaining security and integrity;
• complying with legal obligations;
• resolving disputes;
• investigating misconduct;
• enforcing agreements;
• preventing fraud or abuse;
• and maintaining operational or backup records.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and applicable legal, operational, or safety considerations.

Users may request account deletion by contacting:

team@getivy.app

Deletion requests may require identity verification.

IVY may retain certain information following deletion requests where reasonably necessary for:

• legal compliance;
• dispute resolution;
• fraud prevention;
• safety or moderation purposes;
• enforcement of agreements;
• backup or archival processes;
• or protection of the Platform and its users.

Residual copies of information may persist temporarily in backups, logs, caches, or archival systems.

9. Security

IVY uses administrative, technical, organizational, and physical safeguards designed to protect information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, misuse, or destruction.

However:

• no system can be guaranteed completely secure;
• no method of transmission or storage is entirely risk-free;
• and IVY cannot guarantee absolute security, availability, or confidentiality.

Users are responsible for maintaining the security of their account credentials and devices.

10. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your jurisdiction and applicable law, you may have rights to:

• access certain information;
• request correction of inaccurate information;
• request deletion of certain information;
• object to or restrict certain processing activities;
• or manage certain communication preferences.

IVY may request additional information to verify identity before responding to requests.

Certain rights may be limited by law, legitimate business needs, security concerns, or the rights of other users.

Privacy-related requests may be submitted to:

team@getivy.app

11. Third-Party Services and Links

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites, integrations, or services.

IVY is not responsible for the privacy, security, content, or practices of third parties.

Your interactions with third-party services are governed by their own terms and policies.

12. International Users

IVY is operated from the United States.

By using the Platform, you understand that information may be transferred to, stored in, or processed in the United States or other jurisdictions where IVY or its service providers operate.

Those jurisdictions may have different data protection laws than your location of residence.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

IVY may modify this Privacy Policy at any time.

Material changes may be communicated through the Platform, email, or other reasonable methods.

Your continued use of the Platform after updated policies become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

14. Contact

Questions, concerns, or privacy-related requests may be directed to:

team@getivy.app