Welcome to My Cosy Place (along with our connected services, such as MCP Messenger and Aftercup, collectively referred to as the "Service", "we", "us", or "our"). We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our web application and use our services. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the Service.

1. Information We Collect

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you register on the Service, express an interest in obtaining information about us or our products and services, or when you participate in activities on the Service (such as posting messages or participating in chats).

A. Information You Provide to Us

• Account Information: Email address, username, display name, and password.
• Profile Information: Profile pictures, biography/bio, and any other details you choose to add to your public profile.
• User Content: Posts, photos, videos, comments, likes, and interactions you share on the platform.
• Communications: Messages sent via direct or group chats (MCP Messenger). Note: While chats are private between participants, they are stored securely on our servers and may be reviewed by administrators if reported for violating our terms.

B. Location Information

We may request access or permission to track location-based information from your mobile device or browser, either continuously or while you are using our Service, to provide location-based services. Specifically, we collect location data when you choose to "Pin a Location" or search for places using our map integration to attach a location to your posts.

C. Information Collected Automatically

When you access the Service, we and our third-party service providers (such as Google Firebase) may automatically collect certain information about your device and usage, including:

• Log and Usage Data: Service-related, diagnostic, usage, and performance information our servers automatically collect.
• Device Data: Information about your computer, phone, or tablet, such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, and device identifiers.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information collected via our Service for a variety of business purposes described below:

• To Facilitate Account Creation and Logon Process: To manage user registration, authentication, and secure access to your account.
• To Provide and Maintain the Service: To display your posts, connect you with other users, deliver messages, and load location maps.
• To Manage User Accounts: To allow you to edit your profile, switch accounts, and delete your data.
• To Protect Our Services: To monitor for fraudulent activity, investigate user reports (via the Report Chat/User feature), and enforce our terms and conditions.
• To Improve the Platform: To analyze usage trends and improve the overall user experience.

3. How We Share Your Information

We only share information with your consent, to comply with laws, to provide you with services, to protect your rights, or to fulfill business obligations.

• Publicly Shared Information: Any information you choose to make public—such as your display name, username, profile picture, bio, followers, and public posts (including attached locations and media)—will be visible to other users of the Service.
• Shared within Chats: Your messages, display name, and profile picture will be shared with the specific users you invite to direct messages or group chats.
• Third-Party Service Providers: We use third-party services to power our platform, which act as data processors. These include:
  • Google Firebase: For database hosting, user authentication, and data storage.
  • OpenStreetMap / Leaflet: For rendering maps and providing location search functionalities.
• Legal Obligations: We may disclose your information where we are legally required to do so in order to comply with applicable law, governmental requests, a judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process.

4. Data Retention and Security

We use Google Firebase to store and secure your data. We have implemented appropriate technical and organizational security measures designed to protect the security of any personal information we process.

However, despite our safeguards and efforts to secure your information, no electronic transmission over the Internet or information storage technology can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Therefore, transmission of personal information to and from our Service is at your own risk. You are responsible for keeping your password strictly confidential.

We will only keep your personal information for as long as it is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. If you delete your account, your profile, posts, and associated data will be permanently deleted from our active database.

5. Your Privacy Rights and Choices

Depending on your geographic location (such as the European Economic Area under the GDPR), you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:

• Access and Update: You can review and change your personal information at any time by logging into your account settings and editing your profile.
• Data Deletion: You can delete your account entirely through the "Edit Profile" screen. This action is permanent and will remove your posts and profile data.
• Opting Out of Location Data: You can choose not to grant location access to the web app via your browser or device settings, and you can manually type location names instead of using GPS pinpointing.

6. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not directed to, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from, children under the age of 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, we will take steps to delete such information. If you become aware that a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.

7. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated "Effective Date" and the updated version will be effective as soon as it is accessible. We encourage you to review this privacy policy frequently to be informed of how we are protecting your information.

8. Contact Us

If you have questions or comments about this policy, or if you would like to exercise your data rights, you may contact the administrators of My Cosy Place.