Hush - Privacy Policy

Updated and Effective 24th May 2024

Introduction

Hush (“Hush,” the “Company,” “we,” and “us”) is committed to maintaining a safe and trustworthy private community and we understand that privacy and confidentiality are of the utmost importance to our members, applicants, attendees, and other users (“you”). Your privacy is a top priority in everything that we do and every feature that we develop. To that end, the policy set forth below (the “Privacy Policy”) reflects our commitment to protecting your privacy and describes the information we collect, how that information may be used, and with whom it may be shared. We have attempted to describe the policy in plain language, limiting legal and technical jargon where possible. By using our application (the “App”), certain features thereof, or related services, including, but not limited to, those related to RSVPing and/or attending events which are advertised, featured, hosted or otherwise disseminated through the App (collectively, the “Service”), you are agreeing to be bound by the terms described herein. This Privacy Policy applies to all use by you of the Service. We encourage you to read this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use carefully and contact us at contact@hushapp.com with any questions you may have.

We will occasionally update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in the law, our data collection and use practices, the features of our Service, or advances in technology. When we make changes, we will revise the “updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy, which will be posted at https://hushapp.com/privacy. We encourage you to regularly check for the most recent version, as your continued use of the Service following the posting of changes to this Privacy Policy will mean you consent to and acceptance thereof. If you do not consent to such changes you can terminate your account at any time as described in our Terms of Use.

Collecting Information

Information You Provide in Connection with Membership

In order to apply for membership to the App, you will be asked to begin an application using certain credentials such as your Instagram handle, contact information, and phone contacts, among other things. Upon doing so, you authorize us to access information from your Instagram account, such as your username, profile picture, biography, website, list of followers, list of people you follow, and number of pictures, as well as your phone contacts. This information is used to verify your identity and to evaluate your real-world connection to our existing members, among other things. You will also be asked to allow us to collect your geographical location information and you may respond to such request by allowing us to collect location information at all times, only while you are using the App or not at all. Further, you may be asked if you would like to display your specific location to other users. The disclosure of your location to other users is not required for you to use the Service and may be enabled or disabled by you at any time through the App settings. In addition, we may collect and store any personal information you provide in connection with your application while using our Service, which may include identifying information such as your name, Instagram handle, email address, date of birth, gender, hometown, city of residence, telephone number, phone contacts, and listed friends currently using the App. In connection with your use of the Service, you may also provide us images, song selections, a biographical description, information about your gender, and preferences for recommendations and connections. Some of the information that you provide may be considered “special” or “sensitive” in certain jurisdictions. By choosing to provide this information, you consent to our processing of it. Any information you provide may be viewable by other users of the Service. If you communicate with other users within the Service, you provide us the content of your conversation. Should you contact us with an inquiry, we may collect the content of that correspondence or interaction. You may change your personal information (other than your date of birth) at any time within the App settings.

Information Other Users Provide

In addition to the information that you choose to provide to us, other users may provide information about you as they use the Service if, for instance, they contact us about you or you are a contact in their phone.

Information Collected Automatically

In addition to the information you provide, certain information will be automatically collected as you use the Service, including, but not limited to, the operating system used by your device, your device type and ID, your IP address, how and how often you interact with other users, and your access times. If you grant us permission to use location services, we will automatically collect data regarding your geographical location at all times or while the App is actively running, depending on the permission that you grant us. Note that even if you do not grant us permission to use location services, we may collect data regarding your city, state, and general location (not your exact location) through your IP address.

Third Party Websites

In the event you access a third-party website through our in-app browser, such third-party websites may independently solicit and collect information from you. You should consult the privacy statements available on such websites as their policies are beyond our control.

Financial Information

As we exclusively accept payment through third party services such as Apple and Stripe, we will never ask for your credit card information and your financial details are, and will remain, secured by and subject to the applicable third party’s security and privacy policies.

Cookies and Other Similar Data Collection Technologies

We may use cookies and similar technologies to recognize you and/or your device. This may be done to, among other reasons, authenticate you, remember your preferences and settings, analyze usage trends, and allow you access to certain features of the App. Some devices and web browsers have a “Do Not Track” (“DNT”) feature signaling that a user does not want to have his or her online activity tracked. Not all devices and browsers offer a DNT option and DNT signals are not yet uniform, so, for this reason, Hush, like many companies, does not currently respond to DNT signals.

Data Controller Information

The Company is responsible for the maintenance and safeguarding of your information under this Privacy Policy. The Company can be reached at contact@hushapp.com and will promptly respond to all inquiries regarding your data.

Sharing and Use of Information

The personal information that you provide is used only in connection with the Service. We will never sell your personal information to any third party and we do not disclose your personal information to any third party without your permission; provided, however, that we use information internally and with select third-party analytics services to improve and operate the Service, as described below.

Information Shared with Other Users

When you register as a user of the Service, your App profile will be viewable by other users of the Service. Such other users will be able to view information you have provided to us directly or through Instagram, such as your Instagram username, photos you upload, your first name, your age, city of residence, hometown, your biography, and information you have in common with the person viewing your profile, such as mutually followed Instagram accounts. A mutual “like” by you and another user enables you to chat with that person through the Service. Should you engage in a conversation through our Service via text chat, status post, or video chat, that user with whom you are communicating will see the content of that interaction. By submitting an application to Hush, you are giving the App access to your Instagram profile through the use of Instagram’s API. However, the Instagram information automatically available to users of the App will not exceed the information otherwise accessible through your Instagram profile. Therefore, a “private” Instagram user profile will still be private; only the content you choose to share with Hush users will be visible. If you are not a member of the App but RSVP to an event using our Events service, whether upon receiving a text message invitation or otherwise, your name and phone number may be made available to other users of the Service.

Waitlisted Applicants

Only other users whose applications have been accepted will be able to see your App profile. Applicants who have been waitlisted will have no way to know or see that you are a member of the Hush community just as users cannot see which applicants have been waitlisted.

Use of Information By Hush

We may use information that we collect about you to, among other things, (i) create and manage your account, (ii) manage events, RSVP lists, and otherwise operate and improve the Events feature, (iii) deliver and improve the Service, including developing new features, (iv) facilitate and monitor use, content, and interactions among users, (v) perform research, analysis, and analytics internally or by using a third party service such as Google Analytics, (vi) manage our business, (vii) communicate with you, and (viii) enforce or exercise rights under our Terms of Use. Information that we disclose to Google Analytics is subject to Google's privacy terms.

Service Providers; Promotional Partners

We may share non-personal, non-identifiable information with third parties that perform services on our behalf or that provide promotional benefits to you as a Hush member. These service providers and promotional partners may have access to such non-personal, non-identifiable information needed to perform their functions but are not permitted to share or use such information for any other purposes.

Other Situations

We may disclose your information in connection with (i) certain legal matters and to ensure legal compliance, (ii) a subpoena or similar investigative demand, a court order, or a request for cooperation from a law enforcement or other government agency, (iii) a significant corporate transaction, such as the sale of our business or its assets, or (iv) your consent or request that we do so.

Aggregated and Non-Personal Information

In addition to the uses of your personal information referenced above, we may also use and share aggregated and non-personal information with third parties for marketing, advertising, research, or similar purposes.

Retention

We retain your personal information for the duration of your use of the Service and for a period of time thereafter in order to comply with legal obligations. Following that period, we will delete your personal information in a secure manner.

Security

We take security seriously and use industry-standard measures to protect the personal information that we collect. However, no system is perfect, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information.

Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will delete such information as quickly as possible.

Your Rights and Choices

You have the right to access, update, or delete your personal information at any time by logging into your account and going to the settings page. If you have any questions about your personal information or our privacy practices, please contact us at contact@hushapp.com.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at contact@hushapp.com.

By using our Service, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.