Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 25, 2026

At Dine With Me, we take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you use our mobile application and website (collectively, the "Platform"). By using the Platform, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of information when you use Dine With Me:

• Account Information: name, display name, email address, and password (stored as a secure hash) when you create an account.
• Profile Information: avatar photo, bio, and food preferences you choose to add to your profile.
• Competition Data: competitions you create or join, including titles, descriptions, categories, dates, locations, scores, ratings, and history.
• Location Data: with your permission, we collect device GPS location to help you find nearby competitions and chef lessons. You can disable location access at any time through your device settings.
• Camera & Photos: with your permission, we access your camera and photo library for profile photos and ID verification. Photos are stored securely via Supabase Storage.
• Communications: messages sent through our in-app real-time chat feature, powered by Supabase Realtime.
• Payment Information: competition entry fees and chef lesson payments are processed by Stripe. We do not store your credit card numbers, bank account details, or other sensitive financial data on our servers. Stripe is PCI-DSS compliant.
• Push Notification Tokens: we store Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) device tokens to deliver push notifications to your device. You can disable push notifications in your device settings.
• Usage Data: we collect anonymous usage analytics through Google Analytics, including pages visited, features used, and general interaction patterns. This data is not linked to your personal identity.

2. Third-Party Login Services

Dine With Me allows you to sign in using third-party authentication providers, including Google and Facebook. When you choose to log in through these services, we may receive the following information from your third-party account:

• Facebook Login: your public profile information (name, profile picture) and email address, as permitted by your Facebook privacy settings.
• Google Login: your name, email address, and profile picture associated with your Google account.

We only use this information to create and manage your Dine With Me account. We do not post to your social media accounts or access your contacts, friends list, or any other data beyond what is listed above. You can revoke our access at any time through your Facebook or Google account settings.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage your account.
• Enable you to create, join, and participate in dinner competitions.
• Calculate and display ratings, rankings, and competition results.
• Process competition entry fees, prize payouts, and chef lesson payments via Stripe.
• Facilitate real-time communication between competition participants.
• Send push notifications about competition updates, invitations, and results via Firebase Cloud Messaging.
• Send transactional emails (competition invites, payment confirmations, account updates) via Resend.
• Display competition and chef lesson locations on maps via Google Maps.
• Improve and optimize the platform experience using anonymous analytics.

4. Data Storage & Security

Your data is stored securely using Supabase, a trusted cloud infrastructure provider that hosts our PostgreSQL database, authentication system, real-time messaging, and file storage. We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS) for all communications.
• Row-level security (RLS) policies on all database tables.
• Secure authentication with bcrypt-hashed passwords via Supabase Auth.
• PCI-DSS compliant payment processing through Stripe (no card data touches our servers).
• Regular security reviews of our infrastructure.

5. Third-Party Services & Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We share data with the following trusted service providers solely to operate the Platform:

• Supabase (supabase.com) — Authentication, PostgreSQL database, real-time messaging, and file storage.
• Stripe (stripe.com) — Payment processing for competition entry fees, chef lesson bookings, and winner payouts. PCI-DSS compliant.
• Firebase Cloud Messaging (firebase.google.com) — Push notification delivery to iOS and Android devices.
• Resend (resend.com) — Transactional email delivery (competition invites, payment confirmations, account notifications).
• Google Analytics (analytics.google.com) — Anonymous usage analytics to improve the platform. No personally identifiable information is shared.
• Google Maps (maps.google.com) — Displaying competition and chef lesson locations on maps.
• Google Fonts (fonts.google.com) — Loading the Poppins web font. Google may collect anonymized usage data.
• Font Awesome (fontawesome.com) — Icon library served via CDN.
• Pexels (pexels.com) — Free stock photos used for competition cover images.

We may also disclose information if required by law or to protect the rights and safety of our users.

Competition titles, descriptions, and participant ratings are visible to other users as part of the platform's core functionality.

6. Cookies & Local Storage

We use cookies and browser local storage for essential platform functionality, such as keeping you signed in, remembering your preferences, and anonymous analytics. For more details, please see our Cookie Policy.

7. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete information in your profile.
• Delete your account and associated data.
• Export your data in a portable format.
• Withdraw consent for optional data processing (location, camera, push notifications) at any time through your device settings.
• Opt out of analytics tracking by disabling cookies in your browser settings.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the email below.

8. Data Deletion

You can delete your account and all associated data at any time from Settings > Delete Account within the Dine With Me app. When you delete your account:

• Your profile information, competition history, ratings, chat messages, and all personal data will be permanently deleted within 30 days.
• If you signed up using Facebook or Google, deleting your Dine With Me account will remove all data we received from those services.
• Some anonymized data may be retained for legal compliance and fraud prevention purposes.
• This action is irreversible and cannot be undone.

You can also request data deletion by contacting us at privacy@dinewithme.org. We will process your request within 30 days.

9. Children's Privacy

Dine With Me is not intended for users under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child under 16, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

10. International Data Transfers

Your data may be processed and stored in countries outside of your own, including the United States, where our service providers (Supabase, Stripe, Firebase, Google) operate. By using the Platform, you consent to the transfer of your data to these countries. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting the updated policy on our platform with a revised "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Platform after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at:

Email: privacy@dinewithme.org

Website: https://www.dinewithme.org