Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

MealMob ("MealMob," "we," "us," or "our") operates the MealMob platform, including the website at mealmob.app and any associated mobile or web applications (collectively, the "Service"). MealMob is a group meal planning and prep coordination platform that helps groups organize shared cooking sessions.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard information about you when you use our Service. Please read it carefully. By using MealMob, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly

• Account information: When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, and a username you choose. Your username will be visible to others on the platform.
• Profile preferences: Dietary restrictions, food allergies, dislikes, cooking skill level, and time availability you voluntarily provide to improve recipe suggestions.
• Craving and session data: The food cravings you input, the recipes you vote on, and your ratings of past cooking sessions.
• Grocery and billing data: Grocery receipt totals entered for bill splitting. We do not collect or store any payment card numbers, bank details, or financial account credentials — bill splitting is handled via links to third-party services (Venmo, PayPal).
• Communications: Messages you send us through the contact form or by email.

Information collected automatically

• Usage data: Pages visited, features used, buttons clicked, session duration, and similar interaction data.
• Device and browser data: Browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen resolution, and time zone.
• IP address: Used to infer approximate geographic location (country/region level only) and for security purposes.
• Cookies and similar technologies: See Section 5 for full details.

Information we do not collect

We do not collect payment card details, social security numbers, government ID numbers, precise GPS location, or sensitive personal information beyond the dietary and food preference data you explicitly choose to provide.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and operate the Service — create and manage your account, run group sessions, generate AI-powered recipe suggestions, and process bill-splitting calculations.
• Personalize your experience — remember your dietary preferences and cooking history so the AI can make better suggestions over time.
• Enable group features — share relevant profile information with the group members you cook with (see Section 4).
• Run competitive features — track achievements, update leaderboard standings, and award badges when those features become available.
• Communicate with you — send service-related emails (account confirmation, session reminders, waitlist updates). We do not send marketing emails without your explicit opt-in.
• Improve the Service — analyze usage patterns to understand how features are being used and where improvements can be made.
• Ensure security — detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorized access.
• Comply with legal obligations — respond to lawful requests from authorities where required.

We do not use your data to serve you advertisements, and we do not build advertising profiles from your activity.

4. Information We Share

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

With your group members (your "mob")

When you create a group or accept an invitation to join one, your name and email address will be shared with the other members of that group to facilitate coordination — so everyone knows who's in the mob. You control who you invite; we share only with the people you or your group organizer include.

On public leaderboards

If you participate in competitive features (Mob vs Mob challenges, achievement tracking, leaderboards), your username and achievement data will be visible to all MealMob users on public leaderboard pages. Your real name and email address are never displayed on public leaderboards — only your chosen username and your stats.

With our service providers

We work with a small number of trusted third-party providers to operate MealMob. These providers may have access to your information only to perform specific functions on our behalf and are contractually obligated not to use it for any other purpose:

• Database and infrastructure: We use secure cloud database services to store your account and session data.
• CRM system: We may store your name and email address in a secure customer relationship management (CRM) system to help manage communications with users, respond to support inquiries, and send service updates. This data is not used for advertising or sold to third parties.
• Analytics: We may use privacy-focused analytics tools to understand how the Service is used in aggregate. These tools do not track you across other websites.

For legal reasons

We may disclose your information if we believe in good faith that doing so is necessary to comply with applicable law, a court order, or a valid legal process; to protect the rights, property, or safety of MealMob, our users, or the public; or to investigate potential violations of our Terms of Use.

Business transfers

If MealMob is acquired by or merges with another company, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email or prominent notice on our website before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

MealMob uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — and similar technologies to keep the Service running, remember your preferences, and understand how people use the platform. Here's what we use and why:

What we do not use cookies for

We do not use advertising cookies, third-party tracking pixels, or any technology designed to track your activity across other websites or apps. There are no social media tracking widgets embedded in MealMob.

Managing cookies

You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse new cookies, delete existing cookies, and be notified when new cookies are set. Note that disabling strictly necessary cookies will prevent you from using MealMob's authenticated features. For more information on managing cookies, visit allaboutcookies.org.

Do Not Track

Some browsers send a "Do Not Track" signal. MealMob does not currently respond to DNT signals at the browser level, but we do not engage in cross-site tracking regardless.

6. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored on secure cloud infrastructure with encryption at rest and in transit (TLS/HTTPS). We apply industry-standard security practices including access controls, authentication requirements, and regular security reviews.

Your data may be stored and processed in the United States or other countries where our service providers operate. By using MealMob, you consent to the transfer of your information to these locations, which may have different data protection laws than your country of residence.

While we take reasonable measures to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, and you use the Service at your own risk.

If we become aware of a security breach that affects your personal data, we will notify you in accordance with applicable law.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. Specifically:

• Account data: Retained for the life of your account. When you delete your account, your personal information (name, email, preferences) is deleted within 30 days.
• Session and cooking history: Retained with your account. Deleting your account removes this data within 30 days.
• Leaderboard data: Your username and achievement history associated with your account will be removed when your account is deleted. Aggregate statistics (e.g., "1,200 mobs have completed challenges") may be retained in anonymized form.
• Communications: Support emails and contact form submissions are retained for up to 24 months for service improvement and legal compliance purposes.
• Backup copies: Encrypted backup copies may persist for up to 90 days after deletion before being purged from backup systems.

Some data may be retained longer if required by law or to resolve disputes.

8. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Deletion: Request that we delete your personal information. You can also delete your account directly through your account settings.
• Portability: Request an export of your data in a machine-readable format.
• Opt out of communications: Unsubscribe from non-essential emails at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email we send.
• Withdraw consent: Where we rely on your consent to process your data, you may withdraw that consent at any time (though this won't affect processing already done).

To exercise any of these rights, email us at our contact form with the subject line "Privacy Request." We will respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling your request.

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to know, the right to delete, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information (though we do not sell your data).

9. Children's Privacy

MealMob is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at our contact form and we will delete that information promptly.

Users between the ages of 13 and 18 should use MealMob only with parental or guardian consent.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
• Notify registered users by email at least 14 days before the changes take effect.
• In some cases, ask for your renewed consent if the changes significantly affect how we use your data.

Your continued use of MealMob after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please reach out:

• Email: our contact form
• Website: mealmob.app

We take privacy inquiries seriously and will respond to all requests within 30 days.