Privacy Policy

Welcome to sideq.! Your privacy matters to us. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, when we share it, and the controls you have over your information.

1. Information We Collect

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect:

• Your phone number for verification
• Your username and display name
• Your date of birth
• Your email address (optional)
• Your Apple ID (if you sign in with Apple)

Profile Information

You can optionally provide:

• A profile picture
• A biography
• Account privacy settings (public or private account)

Content You Share

When using sideq., you may share:

• Photos and videos for quest submissions
• Captions and comments
• Direct messages (text, images, videos, and voice messages)
• Reactions and interactions (likes and caps)
• Quests you create and send to friends

Social and Activity Information

We collect information about your social interactions, including:

• Your followers and who you follow
• Follow requests (for private accounts)
• Users you have blocked
• Referral information (if you were invited by another user)
• Bookmarked content
• Your streak history and achievements
• Message read receipts and conversation participants

Automatically Collected Information

We automatically collect:

• Device information (type, operating system, unique device identifiers)
• Device tokens for push notifications
• Log data (IP address, access times, app features used)
• Usage information (how you interact with quests and content)
• Video view data (which submissions you have viewed)
• Notification preferences

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve sideq.
• Create and manage your account
• Deliver daily quests and enable content sharing
• Connect you with friends and other users
• Send push notifications about quests, friend activity, messages, achievements, and updates
• Track your streaks and award achievements
• Process referrals and connect you with users who invited you
• Enable direct messaging and group conversations
• Display content in your feed and discovery sections
• Generate leaderboards and rankings
• Ensure safety and security of our platform
• Process and review reports of inappropriate content or behavior
• Analyze usage patterns to improve user experience
• Comply with legal obligations

3. Information Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information with:

Other Users

Your profile information, quest submissions, and content are visible to your followers and other users based on your privacy settings. If your account is private, only approved followers can see your content.

Service Providers

We work with third-party companies that help us operate our service:

• Cloud Storage - We use Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Cloudflare to store your media files (photos, videos, voice messages)
• Push Notifications - We use Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) to deliver push notifications to your device
• Authentication - If you sign in with Apple, Apple processes your authentication
• Error Monitoring - We use error tracking services to identify and fix issues

Legal Requirements

We may disclose information when required by law, to protect rights and safety, or to enforce our terms.

4. Push Notifications

With your permission, we send push notifications for:

• New followers and follow requests
• Quest assignments and completions
• Comments and reactions on your content
• New messages
• Achievement unlocks
• When users you invited join sideq.

You can manage your notification preferences in the app settings at any time.

5. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services. When you delete your account:

• Your profile, quest submissions, and content will be removed from public view
• Your messages in conversations will be deleted
• Some information may be retained for legal compliance (up to 2 years)
• Anonymized data may be kept for analytics purposes

6. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

• Access - Request a copy of your personal data
• Rectification - Correct inaccurate information
• Deletion - Request deletion of your data
• Portability - Receive your data in a portable format
• Objection - Object to certain processing activities
• Withdrawal - Withdraw consent at any time

You can exercise many of these rights directly in the app settings, including deleting your account. You can also contact us to exercise your rights.

7. Children's Privacy

sideq. is not intended for children under 13 years old. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately.

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction, including:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest
• Secure password hashing
• Token-based authentication for API access
• Regular security reviews

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure.

9. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own, including the United States where our cloud infrastructure providers operate. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including GDPR.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy in the app and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of sideq. after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

[email protected]

HK MEDIA GmbH
Kirchenstraße 10
25335 Elmshorn
Germany