Privacy Policy

Effective date: July 15, 2026 · Last updated: July 15, 2026

Let's Gather ("Let's Gather", "we", "us") operates the Let's Gather mobile application and website, which help people discover and join local community events across Canada. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we protect it, and the choices you have. We comply with British Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) and Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

1. Information we collect

Information you give us

• Account details — your name, email address, and phone number when you create an account.
• Profile information — an optional photo, your neighborhood or city, languages you speak, communities you identify with, and interests. You choose what to add; everything except your first name and city is optional.
• Event activity — events you create, RSVP to, save, rate, or comment on, and messages you send in event group chats.
• Verification selfie — if you become an organizer, a one-time selfie used solely to verify you are a real person (see section 5).
• Support messages — anything you send us when you contact support or report a user.

Information collected automatically

• Approximate location — used to show nearby events (see section 4).
• Device and usage data — device type, operating system, app version, language setting, crash logs, and how you use app features. We use this to keep the app working and improve it.

2. How we use your information

We use…	To…
Account & profile details	Create your account, show your public profile to other members, and personalize event suggestions.
Approximate location	Show events, communities, and the live map near you, sorted nearest-first.
Event activity	Run RSVPs, group chats, host ratings, and reminders for events you joined.
Verification selfie	Confirm organizers are real people, once, before their first event.
Device & usage data	Fix crashes, prevent abuse and spam, and improve features.
Email / push notifications	Send RSVP confirmations, event changes, and safety notices. Marketing messages are optional and separate — you can opt out anytime.

We only use your information for these purposes, or for purposes a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances. If we ever need it for something new, we will ask you first.

3. Consent

By creating an account you consent to the collection and use of your information as described here. Where we need sensitive permissions — your device location, camera, or photo library — the app asks you separately, and you can decline or withdraw permission at any time in your device settings. You may withdraw consent for any collection or use of your information by contacting us or deleting your account, subject to legal or contractual restrictions, and we will explain the consequences (for example, the app cannot show nearby events without any location signal).

4. Location information

• We use your location only while you use the app, to show nearby events and the live map. We do not track your location in the background.
• You can choose approximate location only, or deny location entirely and browse by city instead.
• Your exact location is never shown to other users. Other members only ever see the city or neighborhood you put on your profile.

5. Identity verification (selfie check)

Before hosting a first event, organizers complete a one-time selfie check so attendees can trust that hosts are real people. The selfie is used solely for this verification, is never shown to other users, is not used to train any system, and is permanently deleted within 30 days of verification. Only the resulting "verified" badge is kept. This check is required only for organizers — attending events never requires a selfie.

6. When we share information

• With other members — your public profile (first name, photo if added, city, languages, communities, host record) and your RSVP status on events you join are visible to other members. Your email, phone number, and exact location are never shown.
• Service providers — we use a small number of providers for hosting, push notifications, email delivery, maps, and crash reporting. They may only process data on our instructions, and are bound by contract to protect it.
• Safety and legal — we may disclose information if required by law, or where necessary to investigate a safety report, prevent harm, or protect our legal rights.
• Business transfer — if Let's Gather is acquired or merged, your information may transfer as part of that transaction; this policy would continue to apply and we would notify you.

We never sell, rent, or trade personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers or data brokers.

7. How long we keep it

• Account and profile data — for as long as your account is active.
• Verification selfies — deleted within 30 days of verification.
• Event chats and RSVPs — while the event and your account exist.
• Safety reports — up to 2 years, so patterns of abuse can be identified.
• After account deletion — data is deleted or anonymized within 30 days, except the minimum we must keep to meet legal obligations or resolve open safety investigations, which is then deleted when no longer needed.

8. Deleting your account & data

9. Your rights

Under BC PIPA and PIPEDA you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you and learn how it has been used and disclosed;
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
• Withdraw consent to collection, use, or disclosure (subject to legal or contractual restrictions);
• Delete your account and personal information (section 8);
• Complain — first to us, and if you're not satisfied, to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (OIPC) or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

To exercise any of these rights, email [email protected]. We respond within 30 days and will not charge a fee for reasonable requests.

10. How we protect it

All data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest. Access to personal information is limited to staff who need it to operate the service, under confidentiality obligations. We review our safeguards regularly and will notify you and the appropriate privacy commissioner without unreasonable delay if a breach creates a real risk of significant harm.

11. Where your data is stored

Our servers are hosted in Canada where possible; some service providers may process data in the United States. Where information is processed outside Canada, it may be subject to the laws of that jurisdiction, and we require providers to protect it to a comparable standard by contract. Contact us for more information about our providers' locations.

12. Children

Let's Gather accounts are for people 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. Children are welcome at family-friendly events, but only as guests of their parent or guardian — they never have their own profile, and we ask hosts and members not to post photos of children without a guardian's consent. If you believe a minor has created an account, contact us and we will delete it. See also our Child Safety Standards.

13. Changes to this policy

If we make material changes, we will notify you in the app and by email before they take effect, and update the dates at the top of this page. Continued use of Let's Gather after changes take effect means you accept the updated policy.

14. Contact us

Our Privacy Officer is responsible for our compliance with PIPA and PIPEDA and will respond to questions, access requests, and complaints within 30 days.