Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 22, 2026

1. Who we are

RideLink is a community map for e-bike riders, built and operated as an independent project. Contact: app.ridelink@gmail.com.

2. What we collect

• Anonymous device ID. A random string is generated in your browser the first time you visit and stored in localStorage. It's how the map knows which markers are yours. We never tie it to a real-world identity.
• Location. If you allow it, we use your phone/browser's geolocation to center the map and let you drop pins. On the website, coordinates are stored only on markers you create.
• Shared location (mobile app, only if you turn it on). The app asks before sharing anything. If you turn on Share my location, your position while the app is open is shared with your mutual friends (people you follow who follow you back) and with members of communities you're in. If you join a live rideout, the riders in that rideout see your live position until you leave. Nothing is shared or stored until you agree, and live positions never appear on the public website map.
• Age range (mobile app). Where the law requires it, such as in Texas, the app asks Google Play or Apple for the age range they hold for your account (for example 13-15, 16-17 or 18+) and whether a parent approved the latest version. We never receive your date of birth.
• Your activity. Markers you create (rideouts, police reports), optional 3-letter rider names, optional rideout times/destinations, multiplayer session links you generate, friend requests, and messages you send. We never store your real name.
• Settings preferences. Theme, time format, map-visibility window, and similar choices are stored in your browser's localStorage and never sent anywhere.
• App account (mobile). The RideLink mobile app uses an email address and password to create your account so your profile and posts persist across devices. The web demo stays anonymous (device ID only).
• Push notification token. If you enable notifications in the mobile app, your device's push token is stored so we can deliver alerts — for example when someone @-mentions you in a community, or a rideout starts. You can turn notifications off (including @-mentions specifically) in Settings.
• Advertising data. Content pages on the website may load Google AdSense, and the mobile app may use Google AdMob. Google may process cookies, device identifiers, IP address, browser/app information, and ad interaction data depending on your device and Google settings.
• Aggregate logs. Our database provider may keep request logs for reliability and abuse prevention.

3. What we don't collect

• No real names and no phone numbers. The mobile app uses your email only to sign you in and secure your account — it's never sold or used for ads; the web demo collects no email at all.
• No background location — we only read your spot when the app is open and you've allowed it.
• No RideLink-built advertising profile of you. We don't fingerprint you across sites, and we don't sell your RideLink account or map data.

4. How we use it

• To show you, and other riders, where rideouts and police sightings are happening near you.
• To let multiplayer-rideout joiners see the host's pin and connect to it.
• To let friends see your last spot on the website map (only if you're sharing — see Map Visibility).
• In the mobile app, to show mutual friends and members of your communities where you are while the app is open, only if you turned on Share my location, and to show riders in a live rideout you joined where each other are.
• To apply protections for younger riders based on the age range from your app store (see Children).
• To moderate posted content using an AI safety filter (see "Moderation" below).
• To send you notifications you've opted into — such as a community @-mention or a rideout starting. You can opt out per-type in Settings.
• For basic analytics on whether the app is working (uptime, error counts) — not on individual users.

5. Sharing & processors

• Supabase hosts our database and real-time sync.
• CARTO & OpenStreetMap serve the map tiles.
• Netlify hosts the website.
• Google AdSense / Google AdMob may serve ads on content/feed surfaces and process ad-related identifiers under Google's advertising policies.
• Local image moderation. Images attached to feed posts may be downloaded to RideLink's privately operated moderation computer and checked by a local Ollama vision model. Post text is not sent to that model, and RideLink does not send content to OpenAI for moderation.
• We don't sell your data, and we don't share it for cross-context targeted advertising.

6. Retention

Map markers automatically expire: police reports 30 minutes after they are made or last confirmed by another rider (sooner if riders mark them "not there"), rideouts after 24 hours; expired markers are deleted automatically. Live positions in a rideout are deleted when the rideout ends, at most 24 hours after you joined. In the mobile app, only your latest shared position is kept, and it is erased as soon as you turn Share my location off. The age range from your app store is kept with your account until you delete it. Messages persist until you delete them or request account deletion where available. When an image post is removed by local moderation, an encrypted recovery snapshot is kept until a founder or moderator confirms the removal or restores the post. You can clear your website device ID at any time by clearing site data in your browser. Mobile app account deletion instructions are available on our Data Deletion page.

7. Map visibility (friends)

If you add friends, you can choose whether they see your last spot on the map: always, for a few hours, or never (hidden). The control lives in the Friends panel's gear icon. Your choice applies before anyone is shown your location.

In the mobile app, Settings > Share my location turns sharing on or off, or pauses it for 3 or 24 hours. Sharing is off until you say yes on the one-time "Before you ride" screen, and the app reminds you from time to time while it is on. People you have blocked, and people who have blocked you, never see your location.

8. Moderation

New feed-post images, direct-chat images, and community-chat images may be checked after sending by a local vision model running on RideLink's privately operated computer. The model does not inspect captions, message text, stories, comments, or feedback-board text. An image classified as unsafe may be removed automatically, its author is notified, and founders or moderators can review the decision and restore the encrypted recovery copy. Automated decisions can be wrong, so human review remains available.

9. Children

RideLink isn't directed at children under 13 and we don't knowingly collect data from them. If you believe a child has used the app, email us and we'll delete what we can identify.

In the mobile app, if your app store reports that you are under 13, the account can't be used. If it reports that you are under 18, your location is shared only with mutual friends (never with other community members) and you can't join live rideouts. If a parent has declined the latest version, the app asks them to approve it first.

10. Your rights

You can clear website data tied to your browser by clearing site data, or request account-linked app deletion using the Data Deletion page. If you're a Texas resident, see Do Not Sell My Personal Information for your rights under the Texas Data Privacy & Security Act (TDPSA).

11. Security

Connections to our database are encrypted (HTTPS/TLS). Because RideLink uses no traditional account/password, your "identity" lives in your browser — please keep your device locked.

12. Changes

If we change this policy in a meaningful way, we'll update the date at the top and announce it in the app's changelog.

13. Contact

Questions, deletion requests, or privacy concerns: app.ridelink@gmail.com.