Privacy Policy

HotSpot Technologies ("we," "us," or "our") operates the HotSpot mobile application (the "App"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our App.

By using HotSpot, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Account Information

When you create an account, we collect:

• Email address
• Username
• Password (stored securely via Firebase Authentication)
• Profile picture
• Gender (optional, used only to personalize your experience)

If you sign in using Google or Apple, we receive your name and email address from those services.

1.2 Location Information

With your permission, we collect your device's precise location only while you are actively using the App to:

• Show nearby bars on the map
• Enable location-based features
• Verify bar attendance for submissions

We do not collect location data in the background. You can disable location access in your device settings at any time.

1.3 User-Generated Content

We collect content you create, including:

• Bar ratings and reviews
• Cover charge, wait time, and crowd information submissions
• Comments and replies on posts
• Photos and videos uploaded to posts
• GIFs selected via the Giphy integration
• Post captions
• Friend connections and friend requests

1.4 Activity Information

We automatically collect:

• Bar attendance records
• App usage patterns
• Submission history and achievement progress
• Leaderboard participation data
• Last active timestamp
• Tier and rank progression (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, Amethyst)
• Game points from in-app mini-games
• Organization and group membership data
• Blocked user list (stored in your account)
• Hidden post preferences (stored locally on your device)
• Terms of Service acceptance status and timestamp

1.5 Device Information

We collect:

• Push notification tokens (for sending notifications)
• Device type and operating system
• App version

1.6 Payment Information

If you make purchases or receive payouts through the App, we collect:

• Saved credit or debit card details (card brand, last 4 digits, and expiration date) stored securely via Stripe
• Transaction history, including voucher purchases, event ticket purchases, and tips
• Service fee information associated with purchases
• Tax amounts and tax calculation identifiers for event ticket purchases
• Voucher redemption status and history (purchased, redeemed, expired)
• Points awarded from purchases and submissions
• First-time visitor status at participating bars

For bar accounts receiving payouts, we also collect Stripe Connect financial data, including payout history and revenue information. Your full credit or debit card number is never stored by HotSpot — it is handled entirely by Stripe.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide and maintain the App
• Display bar information and community-submitted data
• Enable social features (friends, comments, likes)
• Send push notifications about activity relevant to you
• Calculate achievements and leaderboard rankings
• Moderate content to prevent objectionable, harmful, or inappropriate material
• Respond to support requests
• Improve the App and develop new features
• Process payments and purchases, including vouchers and event tickets
• Facilitate bar payouts via Stripe Connect
• Provide live activity updates on your device (e.g., voucher status via iOS Live Activities)
• Enable organization and group features
• Enforce our Terms of Service

We do not use your data to track you across other companies' apps or websites for advertising purposes.

3. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate the App:

3.1 Firebase (Google)

We use Firebase for authentication, database storage, file storage, push notifications, and analytics.Firebase's privacy policy

3.2 OpenAI

We use OpenAI's moderation services to review user-generated content (text and images) for policy compliance. Content is sent to OpenAI solely for moderation purposes.OpenAI's privacy policy

3.3 Mapbox

We use Mapbox to display interactive maps. Mapbox may collect anonymized usage data to improve their services. Mapbox does not collect your location in the background.Mapbox's privacy policy

3.4 Resend

We use Resend to send transactional emails (support tickets, user feedback, leaderboard notifications).Resend's privacy policy

3.5 Google Sign-In & Apple Sign-In

If you use these authentication methods, those providers process your sign-in data according to their respective privacy policies.

3.6 Stripe

We use Stripe for payment processing, secure card storage, and Stripe Connect to facilitate payouts to bar accounts. We also use Stripe Tax to calculate and collect applicable sales tax on event ticket purchases. Stripe processes your payment information directly; we do not store your full card number.Stripe's privacy policy

3.7 Giphy

We use the Giphy SDK to allow you to search and select GIFs for use in posts and comments. Giphy may collect usage data when you interact with the GIF search feature.Giphy's privacy policy

4. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal information.

We may share your information:

• With other users: Your username, profile picture, ratings, comments, and public activity are visible to other users
• With service providers: As described in Section 3, to operate the App
• With bar owners and venues: Purchase activity, voucher redemptions, tips, and first-time visitor status are shared with the specific bar where the transaction occurred
• With payment processors: Card and transaction data is shared with Stripe to process your payments securely
• With tax authorities: Tax-related transaction data for event ticket purchases may be reported to applicable tax authorities as required by law, facilitated through Stripe Tax
• For legal reasons: If required by law or to protect our rights, safety, or property
• In a business transfer: If we merge with or are acquired by another company

5. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. Payment and transaction records are retained as required by applicable financial and tax regulations.

If you delete your account, we delete your profile picture, support tickets, and Firebase Authentication record, and remove all friend connections. Ratings, reviews, comments, and submissions are anonymized and attributed to "Deleted User" rather than deleted, to preserve the integrity of community data. Leaderboard and achievement records may be retained in anonymized form for historical purposes.

6. Your Rights and Choices

6.1 Account Deletion

You can delete your account at any time by going to Settings > Delete Account within the App. This will remove your profile and personal information.

6.2 Location Access

You can enable or disable location access in your device settings.

6.3 Push Notifications

You can disable push notifications in your device settings.

6.4 Profile Visibility and Safety Controls

You can control your visibility and safety through privacy settings in the App, including:

• Show attended bars to friends
• Show your name on leaderboards
• Show your name on reviews
• Show your name on comments
• Block users to prevent their content from appearing in your feed and comments
• Hide individual posts or comments from your view
• Manage blocked users and hidden posts in Settings > Privacy

6.5 Data Access

To request a copy of your data or ask questions about your information, contact us at team@hotspotbars.com.

7. California Residents (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell your data)
• Non-discrimination for exercising your rights

To exercise these rights, contact us at team@hotspotbars.com.

8. European Users (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area, you have rights including:

• Access to your personal data
• Correction of inaccurate data
• Erasure of your data
• Restriction of processing
• Data portability
• Objection to processing

Our legal basis for processing is your consent (for optional features like location) and legitimate interests (for core app functionality).

To exercise these rights, contact us at team@hotspotbars.com.

9. Children's Privacy

HotSpot is intended for users who are 18 years of age or older. Users under 21 may access the App but cannot purchase or redeem alcohol-related vouchers or attend age-restricted events. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If we learn we have collected information from someone under 18, we will delete it promptly.

10. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including encryption in transit (TLS/HTTPS) and at rest. We also use Firebase App Check to help protect our API endpoints from abuse and unauthorized access. However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the new policy in the App and updating the "Last Updated" date.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us at:

Email: team@hotspotbars.com

Website: https://hotspotbars.com

HotSpot Technologies