Privacy Policy
Last Updated: May 27, 2026
Porchside is operated by Kinward, Inc. ("Porchside," "we," "us," or "our"). We are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use the Porchside mobile application and related services (the "Service").
1. Information We Collect
Information You Provide: Account information including your name, email address, password, and phone number (used for account verification and, where you opt in, as a sign-in method); profile information including your photo, bio, neighborhood, and vibe preferences; date of birth (used to determine your age bracket); activity preferences and interests; activity listings you create; messages sent through in-app chat; ratings and reviews you submit; payment and transaction information; and any other information you choose to provide. Identity Verification Data: If you choose to use our optional selfie verification feature, we temporarily collect a selfie photo for the sole purpose of comparing it to your profile photo using facial recognition technology. This image is processed by Amazon Web Services (AWS) Rekognition and is deleted immediately after the verification is complete. We do not store biometric templates or facial geometry data. We retain only a verification status (verified or not) and a numerical similarity score on your profile. See our Biometric Data Policy for more detail. Phone Verification Data: When you verify your phone number, or sign in via SMS where supported, we send a one-time verification code to the phone number you provide. This is delivered through our SMS provider, Twilio. Your phone number and the verification status (verified or not) are retained on your profile. Twilio retains delivery metadata under its own terms and privacy policy. Your phone number is not displayed to other users and is not shared with hosts or attendees. By providing your phone number, you consent to receive transactional SMS messages from Porchside related to verification and, where applicable, sign-in. Standard message and data rates may apply. Contacts You Choose to Share: If you opt in to our find-friends feature, the app reads the contacts in your device address book to help you find people you already know who use Porchside. Phone numbers are converted into irreversible cryptographic hashes on your device, and only those hashes (not your contacts' names or raw phone numbers) are sent to us for matching. You can decline this feature and can disable contacts access at any time in your device settings. Safety Contacts: If you use our safety features to share your plans, you may provide the name and phone number of a person you choose as a safety contact. You are responsible for having that person's permission to share their information with us. We use it only to enable the safety feature you requested. Location Data: We collect the general area you provide through your neighborhood or zip-code selection. With your permission, we use your device's location while you use the app to show distances to activities, and we record your location when you choose to check in to an activity so its participants can confirm attendance. You can control location permissions through your device settings; some features may not work without them. Information Collected Automatically: Device information (device type, operating system, unique device identifiers); usage data (features used, actions taken, time spent); push notification tokens; error and crash reports collected via Sentry, which may include device information, stack traces, and account identifiers such as your user ID and email address; and log data (IP address, browser type, access times). Information From Third Parties: Authentication data from sign-in providers and payment processing data from payment providers.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use your information to provide, operate, and improve the Service; create and manage your account; personalize the activities and hosts shown in your feed; process transactions and ticket payments; send notifications about activity updates, messages, and reminders; enforce our Terms of Service and protect user safety; analyze usage patterns to improve the Service; diagnose errors and improve app stability; communicate with you about updates, promotions, and support; and comply with legal obligations.
3. Personalization and Recommendations
Porchside personalizes the activities and hosts shown in your feed based on signals you provide and your activity on the Service. The personalization considers your selected interests and activity categories, location and neighborhood, availability preferences, the activities you have viewed or saved, your prior attendance and host history, and aggregate ratings. Personalization is applied to the ranking of activities shown in your feed; it does not pair users with one another. You can influence what you see by updating your interests, vibe, neighborhood, and other profile information at any time.
4. Categories of Personal Information We Collect
For purposes of U.S. state privacy laws, the categories of personal information we collect include: identifiers (such as name, email address, phone number, and device identifiers); account and profile information; age and date of birth; precise geolocation when you enable it or check in to an activity; biometric information when you use selfie verification; commercial and transaction information (such as tickets purchased and payment records); internet and device activity (such as usage and log data); content you create (such as messages, listings, photos, and reviews); and inferences drawn from this information to personalize your feed. We collect these from you directly, automatically through your use of the Service, and from service providers such as our payment processor and sign-in providers. We use them for the business purposes described in this Policy, including providing and securing the Service, processing payments, personalization, safety and fraud prevention, communications, and legal compliance. We may disclose these categories to the service providers listed below and as needed for safety, legal, or business-transfer purposes. We do not sell your personal information and do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
5. How We Share Your Information
With Other Users: Your profile information (name, photo, bio, neighborhood, interests) is visible to other users. Your ratings are aggregated and visible on your profile. Messages you send through in-app chat are visible to the recipients of those messages. Your selfie verification status (verified or not) is visible to other users; your selfie photo and similarity score are not. With Service Providers: We share information with third-party providers who help us operate the Service, including cloud hosting and database (Supabase), payment processing (Stripe), phone verification and SMS delivery (Twilio), facial recognition for identity verification (Amazon Web Services Rekognition), error and crash reporting (Sentry), push notification delivery (Expo), and analytics. For Safety and Legal Compliance: We may disclose information if required by law, in response to legal process, to protect user safety, to prevent fraud, or to enforce our Terms. Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, user information may be transferred to the acquiring entity. We do NOT sell your personal information to third parties. We do NOT share your information with advertisers. We do NOT provide your contact information (email, phone) to other users unless you explicitly choose to share it.
6. Payment Information
When you reserve a seat at a paid activity, payment information (card details, billing address, transaction amount, and any related identifiers) is collected and processed by our payment processor, Stripe. Porchside does not store full card numbers or full payment credentials on our servers. We retain only the references and metadata that Stripe returns to us, including a customer identifier, a payment method identifier, the brand and last four digits of your card, the card expiration month and year, and the transaction record. Stripe processes payment data under its own terms and privacy policy, available at stripe.com/privacy. We retain transaction records for as long as required for tax, accounting, refund, and dispute-resolution purposes, including to satisfy our obligations under applicable law. Hosts who receive payouts through the Service complete onboarding directly with Stripe Connect; payout-related identification information collected during onboarding is held by Stripe, not by Porchside.
7. Location Information
Porchside uses location information in three ways. First, we use the general area derived from your zip code or neighborhood selection to personalize your feed and show nearby activities; this is approximate and based on a zip-code area rather than your exact position. Second, with your permission, we use your device's current location while you are using the app to display distances to activities; this is not stored on our servers. Third, when you choose to check in to an activity, we record your device location at that moment so the activity's participants can confirm attendance. We do not track your location in the background, and we do not use geofencing or continuous location tracking. You can turn off location permissions at any time in your device settings.
8. Contacts and Address Book
If you choose to use our find-friends feature, the app accesses your device address book to help you connect with people you already know. To protect privacy, phone numbers are transformed into irreversible cryptographic hashes on your device before anything is sent to us, and we use those hashes only to identify matches among existing users. We do not upload or store your contacts' names, and we do not contact the people in your address book on your behalf. This feature is optional, and you can disable contacts access at any time in your device settings.
9. Sensitive Personal Information
Some information we collect is considered sensitive under certain U.S. state privacy laws, including your precise geolocation (when you enable it or check in) and your biometric information (when you use selfie verification). We collect and use sensitive personal information only for the limited purposes of providing the features you request, verifying identity, ensuring safety, and complying with law. We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information to infer characteristics about you, and we do not sell it or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. Where applicable law gives you the right to limit the use of sensitive personal information, you may exercise it as described in the State Privacy Rights section, and you can also stop most sensitive-data collection by not using the optional features or by disabling the related device permissions.
10. Data Retention
We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. Selfie images submitted for identity verification are deleted immediately after processing and are not retained. When you delete your account, we promptly remove your profile from public view and anonymize your profile information, and we permanently delete your remaining personal information within 30 days, except for limited information we are required or permitted to keep, such as transaction records retained for tax, accounting, and legal-compliance purposes, and records retained to prevent fraud, enforce our Terms, resolve disputes, or comply with legal obligations. We may also keep de-identified or aggregated information, which can no longer be linked to you, for analytics. You can request deletion of your data at any time through the app or by contacting support@porchside.co.
11. Data Security
We implement industry-standard security measures including encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest, secure authentication with hashed passwords, multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts, role-based access controls, and regular security reviews. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure.
12. Your Privacy Rights and Choices
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access the personal information we hold about you, to receive a copy in a portable format, to correct inaccurate information, to delete your personal information, to opt out of certain processing, to limit the use of sensitive personal information, and to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent. You will not be discriminated against for exercising these rights. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@porchside.co or use the in-app settings. We will verify your request using the information associated with your account before responding, and we will respond within the time required by applicable law. You may use an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf where the law allows.
13. State Privacy Rights and Appeals
California: Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended, you have the rights described above, including the right to know, delete, correct, and opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. We do not sell your personal information and do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We provide a notice of the categories we collect at or before the point of collection, as set out in this Policy. Where you use our website, we honor recognized opt-out preference signals such as the Global Privacy Control. Texas, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Oregon, Montana, and other states: If you are a resident of a state with a comprehensive consumer privacy law, you have the rights described above, including the right to access, correct, delete, and obtain a copy of your personal data, and to opt out of targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, and certain profiling. We do not sell personal data or use it for targeted advertising. Appeals: If we deny a privacy-rights request, you may appeal by replying to our response or by contacting support@porchside.co with the subject line "Privacy Appeal." We will respond within the time required by applicable law and explain our decision. If your appeal is denied, you may contact your state attorney general. Nevada: Nevada residents may submit a request to opt out of the sale of certain personal information by contacting support@porchside.co. We do not sell personal information as defined by Nevada law.
14. Automated Decision-Making and Profiling
We use automated processing to personalize the activities and hosts shown in your feed and to compute trust and reliability signals used for safety and to determine eligibility for certain features. We may also use automated tools to detect fraud, abuse, and violations of our Terms, which can result in account restrictions or suspension. We do not use these processes to make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about you without a means of human review. Where applicable law gives you the right to opt out of certain profiling, you may contact us at support@porchside.co.
15. Biometric Information
If you choose to use the optional selfie verification feature, you may be subject to biometric privacy laws, including the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), the Texas Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act, and Washington law. We obtain your consent before processing, and we process your selfie solely to compare it against your profile photo to confirm it is you. The comparison is performed by Amazon Web Services Rekognition. Your selfie image is deleted immediately after the comparison is complete, and we retain only a verification status and a numerical similarity score. We do not store facial-geometry templates, we do not sell or otherwise profit from biometric information, and we do not disclose it except to the service provider performing the comparison or as required by law. Our retention and destruction schedule is as follows: selfie images are destroyed immediately upon completion of the verification, and the verification status and score are deleted when you reset verification, when you delete your account, or when the purpose for which they were collected has been satisfied, and in any event within the period required by applicable law. You may use the Service without using selfie verification. See our Biometric Data Policy for more detail.
16. Push Notifications
We send push notifications for activity updates, new messages, reminders, and important account alerts. You can disable push notifications through your device settings at any time.
17. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies that are necessary for the site to function, such as keeping you signed in and maintaining your session, and a limited set of analytics technologies to understand and improve how the site is used. We do not use cookies for cross-context behavioral advertising, and we do not allow third-party advertising trackers on our site. You can control or block cookies through your browser settings, although some features, including sign-in, may not work without them. Where required, we honor recognized opt-out preference signals such as the Global Privacy Control. Our mobile app does not use third-party advertising trackers. See our Cookie Policy for more detail.
18. Data Breach Notification
We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your information. In the event of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and the appropriate authorities as required by applicable state and federal breach-notification laws, and we will describe the steps we are taking in response.
19. Children's Privacy
Porchside is intended only for adults aged 18 and older and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. We use the date of birth provided during onboarding to prevent minors from completing registration. If a registration is started but the age requirement is not met, we delete the associated sign-up information. If we learn that we have collected information from a person under 18, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a minor has provided us information, contact support@porchside.co.
20. International Users
The Service is operated from the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States.
21. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes through the app or via email. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
22. Contact Us
For questions about this Privacy Policy or to exercise your privacy rights, contact us at support@porchside.co. Kinward, Inc. Austin, Texas