InLoop Privacy Policy

InLoop ("we", "us", "our") operates the InLoop mobile app, a community and marketplace app for migrants and newcomers to Australia. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have.

Information we collect

Account information. If you sign up with email, we collect your email address and a password (handled securely by Firebase Authentication - we never see or store your password in plain text). If you sign in with Google or Facebook, we receive your name, email address, and profile photo from that provider.

Profile information you provide. Display name, profile photo (chosen from your device's photo library), a short bio, your general location (suburb/city level, not precise GPS), visa subclass, workplace, education, and hometown. All of these are optional and shown to other users according to your privacy settings.

Content you create. Posts (text and photos), marketplace listings (photos, price, description, general location), comments, and community posts.

Messages. Chat messages you send to other InLoop users through the app.

Location information. InLoop uses the general location you select for your profile or a marketplace listing (e.g. a suburb) to power features like "listings near me." We do not access your device's GPS or precise location, and we do not track your location in the background.

Photos. When you choose to add a profile photo or a photo to a post or listing, InLoop opens your device's photo library so you can pick one. InLoop does not access your camera directly and cannot see any other photos on your device.

Device push notification token. A unique identifier used only to deliver notifications to your device (new messages, friend requests, community activity). It is not used for advertising or tracking.

Usage information. Your connections/friends list, communities you join, items you save, and posts you like or share.

InLoop does not collect your phone number, does not access your device's camera directly, and does not use third-party advertising or analytics trackers.

How we use your information

• To operate InLoop's core features: your feed, marketplace, chat, and communities.
• To power location-based marketplace search using your general (suburb-level) location.
• To send you push notifications about messages, friend requests, and community activity.
• To review reported content and enforce our community and marketplace safety standards.
• To maintain, secure, and improve the app.

How your information is shared

• Other users. Your public profile information, posts, and marketplace listings are visible to other InLoop users according to your privacy settings. Chat messages are visible only to the people in that conversation.
• Service providers. InLoop is built on Firebase (Google Cloud), which hosts our database, authentication, storage, and notification delivery. If you sign in with Google or Facebook, those companies process your data according to their own privacy policies.
• We do not sell your personal information to third parties, and we do not use third-party advertising networks or tracking SDKs.
• We may disclose information if required by law, or to protect the safety of our users.

Data security

Your data is protected by Firebase security rules that restrict access based on account ownership, and data is encrypted in transit. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, but we work to protect your information using industry-standard practices.

Your choices and rights

• You can view and edit your profile information at any time in the app.
• You can control who sees individual posts, block other users, and report content that violates our standards.
• Account and data deletion: You can delete your account yourself in the app at Settings › Account › Delete account. Deletion runs immediately and is permanent: it removes your profile, private account details, posts, marketplace listings including jobs and housing, events you created, carpool trips you offered, comments and replies (including anonymous ones), likes, connections and connection requests, community memberships, saved items, notifications, your activity records, push notification tokens and uploaded files, and then deletes your sign-in record so the account can no longer be used. There is no recovery period. If you no longer have the app installed, you can request deletion by email instead and we will complete verified requests within 30 days. Some items are deliberately retained - messages you sent to other people, communities you created (ownership passes to an administrator), and reports others made about your content. See how to delete your account for the full detail.

Data retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active. If you request deletion, we remove your account data except where retention is required for legal, safety, or fraud-prevention purposes.

Children's privacy

InLoop is not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will remove it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We'll update the "Last updated" date above when we do. Continued use of InLoop after changes means you accept the updated policy.