Privacy Policy

Stow is a live map of what's happening nearby, made by Slow Range LLC ("Stow", "we", "us"). This policy covers the Stow app for iPhone and the website at stowmap.com. It explains what we collect, why, who helps us process it, how long we keep it, and the choices you have.

The short version: we collect what Stow needs to work. We don't sell your personal information, we don't share it for advertising, and we don't track you across other companies' apps or websites.

What we collect and why

In the app

• Email address. The email address you sign up with, or the one Sign in with Apple shares (which may be an Apple private relay address). Used for: creating and signing in to your account; account recovery. Kept while you have an account. Deleted when you delete your account.
• Name and profile. Your name, username, profile photo and bio. Your profile is visible to other Stow users. Used for: showing your profile to other users; app functionality. Kept while you have an account. Deleted when you delete your account.
• User ID. An account identifier that Stow assigns when you sign up. Used for: app functionality. Kept while you have an account. Deleted when you delete your account.
• Photos. Photos you choose to attach to a post or use as your profile photo. Stow only receives the photos you pick; it cannot see the rest of your library. Used for: showing your posts and profile; app functionality. Kept while you have an account. Deleted when you delete your account.
• Precise location. Your device location while you use the app, if you allow it, to center the map on you and to place a private post. The location stored with a post comes from the address you enter, the location saved in the photo, or your device location. Used for: showing what's nearby; placing your posts on the map. Locations saved with your posts are kept until you delete the post or your account. We do not keep a history of where you have been.
• Posts and activity. Listings and postcards you create, upvotes, the people you follow and who follow you, friend requests and notifications. Public posts are visible to everyone on Stow; private postcards are visible only to you. Used for: app functionality. Kept while you have an account. Deleted when you delete your account.

On stowmap.com

• Waitlist sign-ups. Your email address, once you confirm through the link we email you. Used for: telling you when Stow is available to you. Kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove it. If you never confirm, you aren't added to the waitlist.
• Site analytics. Aggregate page views and performance measurements from Vercel Web Analytics and Speed Insights. They set no cookies and do not identify you across sites. Used for: understanding which pages are useful; keeping the site fast. Kept in aggregate form under Vercel's retention periods.
• Server logs. When you visit stowmap.com, our host records technical details such as your IP address, browser and the page requested. Used for: operating and securing the site. Kept for up to 30 days under Vercel's log retention.

How we collect it

• From you, when you create an account, edit your profile, post, upvote or follow someone.
• From your device, with your permission. Stow asks for location access only while you're using the app. It receives only the photos you pick, never the rest of your library.
• From Apple, if you use Sign in with Apple: the name and email address Apple shares. You can choose to hide your email, in which case Apple gives us a private relay address.
• Automatically on stowmap.com: server logs and cookieless analytics, described above.

Location

Stow doesn't access your location in the background. You can turn location access off at any time in iOS Settings, under Privacy & Security, Location Services, Stow. The map still works without it; it just won't center on you.

A public post shows its location to everyone on Stow. Think before posting a place that reveals where you live. For a private postcard, Stow can read the location and time saved in the photo you pick, to place it on your map.

What other people can see

• Your profile (name, username, profile photo, bio and follower counts) is visible to other Stow users.
• Public posts, including their photos and locations, are visible to everyone who uses Stow.
• Private postcards are visible only to you.
• Your email address is never shown to other users.

Who processes your information

We use these service providers to run Stow. They process information on our behalf, only for the purposes described here.

• Supabase: Database, file storage and account sign-in for the app. Supabase's privacy policy
• Apple: Sign in with Apple, if you choose it, and app distribution through the App Store. Apple's privacy policy
• Resend: Sends waitlist confirmation emails and stores the waitlist. Resend's privacy policy
• Vercel: Hosts stowmap.com and provides cookieless site analytics. Vercel's privacy policy
• OpenAI: Processes publicly available information about events and places to help draft listings. It receives no information about app users.. OpenAI's privacy policy
• Google Workspace: Hosts our email, including messages you send to our support, privacy and legal addresses. Google Workspace's privacy policy

We may also disclose information when the law requires it, to protect the safety of our users or the public, or as part of a merger or sale of the business, in which case this policy continues to apply to it.

Information from public sources

Stow's listings describe events and places. To find them, we collect publicly available information such as event pages, venue websites, public newsletters and public social media posts from businesses and organizers. This can include the names or handles of the businesses, organizers and public accounts behind them.

We use OpenAI to process this public information and help draft listings. No information about Stow app users is sent to OpenAI or to any other AI provider.

If a listing includes information about you and you'd like it corrected or removed, email privacy@stowmap.com.

How long we keep it

• Account information is kept while you have an account and deleted when you delete it.
• Waitlist sign-ups are kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove them.
• Server logs and analytics are kept for the periods set by our host, Vercel.
• Emails you send us are kept as long as we need them to help you and to keep a record of the request.
• Copies can remain in daily encrypted backups for up to 7 days until they are overwritten.

Deleting your account

You can delete your account in the app at any time. The steps are on our Delete your account page. Deleting your account permanently removes your profile, posts, postcards, photos, upvotes, follows, friend requests, notifications and sign-in account. A record of listings you created stays in an internal archive of removed listings, with your account unlinked from it.

Your choices and rights

• See or correct your information. Most of it is in the app, where you can edit your profile. To get a copy of everything we hold about you, email privacy@stowmap.com.
• Delete it. Delete your account in the app, or email privacy@stowmap.com if you can't sign in.
• Withdraw consent. Turn off location access in iOS Settings, unsubscribe from waitlist emails with the link in any email, or delete your account.
• Global Privacy Control. We honor GPC signals. We don't sell personal information or share it for advertising, so there is nothing more to opt out of, and we treat a GPC signal as that request.
• Do Not Track. Stow doesn't track you across other sites, so a browser's Do Not Track signal doesn't change how stowmap.com behaves.

Depending on where you live, you may have other rights over your information. Email privacy@stowmap.com and we'll respond within the time the law requires. We won't treat you differently for exercising them.

Cookies

stowmap.com doesn't use cookies for analytics or advertising. If we ever add them, we'll ask first and update this policy.

Children and teens

Stow is not for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has given us information, email privacy@stowmap.com and we'll delete it.

For users under 18, we collect only what is needed to provide Stow, and we never sell their information or use it for advertising. We don't currently ask for your age or date of birth.

Security

We protect your information with encryption in transit, access controls and database rules that limit each account to its own data. No system is perfectly secure. If a breach affects your information, we'll notify you as the law requires.

Where information is processed

Stow is operated from the United States. Stow's database is hosted in the United States (Virginia). Our service providers may also process information in other countries where they operate.

Changes to this policy

When we change this policy, we'll post the new version here with a new version number and effective date. If a change materially affects how we use information you've already given us, we'll tell you in the app or by email before it takes effect.

Contact

Questions or requests about privacy: privacy@stowmap.com.