Privacy Policy

Yaluwo ("we," "our," or "the platform") is a university-first social network for international students. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you use Yaluwo.

By creating an account, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

Account Information (Required)

• University email address (via Google Sign-In)
• Username
• Home/origin country
• University name, city, and country

Profile Information (Optional)

• Display name
• Major/minor and degree level
• Graduation year
• Bio and interests
• Social media links (LinkedIn, GitHub, Instagram, etc.)
• Profile picture

Usage Data

• Messages sent through the platform
• Connection requests and their status
• Community group chat messages
• Reports and moderation interactions

• Authenticate your identity and verify your university affiliation
• Display your profile to other verified students (based on your visibility settings)
• Enable messaging and connection features
• Place you in the correct country community
• Compute friendship edges for the Yaluwo globe (aggregated, country-level only)
• Enforce moderation and safety policies
• Send in-app notifications about connection requests and messages

• We do not sell your personal data to third parties
• We do not use your data for targeted advertising
• We do not share your information with your university unless required by law or in response to a credible safety threat
• We do not track your precise geographic location
• We do not use your data to train AI models

Yaluwo separates profile visibility (what people see after finding you) from search discoverability (how people find you).

• Your username and home country are always visible as your public identity
• You control which optional fields (name, major, university, bio, social links) are visible
• You control whether you appear in search results by country, university, or interests
• Blocked users cannot see your profile or find you in search

• Data is stored securely using Supabase (PostgreSQL with row-level security)
• All connections use HTTPS encryption in transit
• Authentication is handled via Google OAuth 2.0
• Profile pictures and message attachments are stored in private storage buckets with signed URLs
• Row-level security policies ensure users can only access their own data and data shared with them

• Your account data is retained as long as your account is active
• Deactivated accounts enter a 30-day grace period before permanent deletion may occur
• Messages are retained for both participants unless individually deleted
• Reports and moderation logs are retained for platform safety

You have the right to:

• View and edit your profile information at any time
• Control your visibility and discoverability settings
• Deactivate your account (which hides your profile and can be reversed within 30 days)
• Block any user from interacting with you
• Request a copy of your data by contacting us
• Request permanent deletion of your account and associated data

Yaluwo uses the following third-party services:

• Google OAuth — for authentication (subject to Google's Privacy Policy)
• Supabase — for database, authentication, and file storage
• Vercel — for hosting and deployment

We do not share your personal data with any other third-party services.

Yaluwo is designed for university students and is not intended for individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 16.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Continued use of Yaluwo after changes constitutes acceptance.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, contact us at:

yaluwo.app@gmail.com