Dear Sister Society
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Privacy Policy

Effective 2026-11-07

This Privacy Policy explains how Dear Sister Society ("Dear Sister," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and shares information when you use the Dear Sister website, mobile app, and related services (the "Service"). It is part of our Terms of Service.

The short version: we collect what we need to run a community and a marketplace. We do not sell your personal information, we do not use it for targeted advertising, and we do not use precise location tracking.

1. Information you give us

  • Account information: your email address, password (stored securely by our authentication provider — we never see it in plain text), display name, city, and the interests you choose. If you sign in with Google or Apple, we receive your name and email address from that service.
  • Profile and community content: your profile photo, posts and photos you share, events you post, posts you save, members you follow, and listings you create. Posts, events, listings, your display name, and your profile photo are visible to other members; saved posts and who you follow are private to you.
  • Marketplace purchases: when you buy an item, you pay the maker directly: Stripe collects your payment details on the maker's own Stripe account, so the maker and Stripe receive your payment and contact details under their own policies. We do not receive or store full card numbers. We receive order information from Stripe — such as your name, shipping address, the item, and the amount paid — to record the order and show the maker where to ship it. You need to be signed in to buy, and we link the order to your account so it appears under Profile → Purchases.
  • Order messages: if you buy or sell in the Marketplace, you and the other person can message each other about that order. Only the two of you can see these messages; we store them to provide the feature, and our team may review a message that is reported to us or when needed to keep the community safe or comply with the law. If you delete your account, messages you sent stay visible to the other person without your name.
  • Business accounts: if you apply for a business account, we collect your organization's name, category, city, website or Instagram, description, and billing status. Payment details go directly to Stripe.
  • Friends of the Society event analytics: when you view an event from a Friend of the Society (one of our approved club and business accounts) or tap its RSVP link, we record that (at most once per day per event) so they can see totals. They see only counts — never who viewed or clicked.
  • Kindred Spirits (optional): if you turn on "open to new friends," signed-in members in your city can see your first name, profile photo, interests, and the short bio you write. If you add a contact detail (such as your Instagram, email, or phone number), we show it only to members whose friend request you accept, or who accept yours. You can turn this off at any time, which hides your profile.
  • Snail Mail Sisters (optional pen pals): if you join, members who are open to pen pals can see your first name, country, intro, interests, languages, how often you write, and the kinds of mail you like to send — and your city only if you choose to show it. They never see your last name or mailing address from your profile. When you match with a pen pal, the two of you can exchange short notes in the app. If you add a mailing address, we store it privately and show it to a pen pal only after you choose to share it with that pen pal, you have each sent a note, both accounts are at least 7 days old, and neither of you has blocked the other. Your pen pal may live in another country. We also record the city, country, and dates of letters you mark as sent or arrived, which you and your pen pal can see. Notes that mention money or payment apps are automatically flagged for our team to review.
  • Event tickets: when you buy a ticket, Stripe processes the payment as above. We record the event, the number of tickets, and the amount, and we share your display name with the event's Host so they know who is coming.
  • Seller and host Stripe accounts: if you sell or host paid events, you connect your own Stripe account; Stripe collects your identity, tax, and bank details directly. We receive only whether your account can accept payments, never your bank account or tax ID numbers.
  • Reports, blocks, and messages to us: reports you file about content or members, members you block, and anything you send to hello@dearsistersociety.com.
  • Legal records: which version of our Terms of Service and Seller & Host Agreement you accepted, and when.

2. Information collected automatically

  • Technical information: your IP address, browser or device type, app version, and the pages you request, which our hosting providers process to deliver and secure the Service.
  • Error reports: if something breaks, technical details about the error (such as the error message and the page it happened on) may be sent to our development platform so we can fix it.
  • Location: we do not collect precise (GPS) location. "Friends Nearby" and event matching use the city you enter.
  • Cookies and local storage: we use these to keep you signed in and to remember your preferences. We do not use advertising cookies or cross-site tracking.

3. How we use information

We use information to:

  • create and manage your account and show your content to the community;
  • personalize what you see, such as members and events in your city that match your interests, and pen pals who share your interests;
  • record marketplace orders and event tickets, and process Friends of the Society billing;
  • keep the community safe — reviewing reports, enforcing our Terms, and preventing fraud and abuse;
  • communicate with you about your account, orders, and changes to our policies;
  • maintain, secure, debug, and improve the Service; and
  • comply with legal obligations and protect our rights.

4. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We share information only:

  • With other members, as described above — for example, your posts, display name, and listings.
  • Between pen pals: when you choose to share your mailing address with a pen pal, as described above. Your pen pal stops seeing it in the app as soon as you stop sharing it, delete it, end the match, or either of you blocks the other — but we cannot take back a copy your pen pal has already written down or used to send you mail.
  • Between buyers and makers: when you buy, the maker receives your name and shipping address so they can ship your order. When you sell, buyers see your maker name and listings.
  • With service providers who operate the Service on our behalf, under obligations to protect it: Lovable (hosting, database, authentication, and error reporting), Stripe (payments, including payments made to sellers' and hosts' own Stripe accounts, and subscription billing), and Google and Apple (sign-in, if you choose them, and app distribution).
  • Where information is stored: your information is stored and processed in the United States, wherever you live.
  • For legal reasons: to comply with law, legal process, or government requests; to enforce our Terms; or to protect the safety, rights, or property of our members, the public, or Dear Sister.
  • In a business transfer: if Dear Sister is reorganized (for example, into a limited liability company), merged, or sold, information may transfer to the successor, which will remain bound by this Policy.

5. How long we keep information

We keep your account information and content for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, your profile, content, uploaded photos, and any pen pal mailing address are deleted immediately, and any remaining personal information is deleted or de-identified within 30 days, except: content other members have already saved or shared may remain; records we must keep for tax, accounting, or legal reasons (such as order and payout records) are kept as long as the law requires; and backups are overwritten on a rolling basis.

6. Your choices and rights

  • Access and correction: you can view and update most of your profile information in the app.
  • Pen pal address: you can stop sharing your mailing address with a pen pal, or delete it entirely, at any time in Snail Mail Sisters.
  • Deletion: you can permanently delete your account at any time in the app, under Profile → Delete account, or by emailing hello@dearsistersociety.com from the email address on your account.
  • Copy of your data: you can ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
  • Blocking and visibility: you can block members, and you control what you post.
  • Emails: you can opt out of non-essential emails at any time. We will still send messages about your account, orders, and legal updates.

We will respond to requests within 45 days and will not discriminate against you for making one. We may need to verify your identity first.

California residents: you have the right to ask what personal information we have shared with third parties for their direct marketing purposes in the past year. We do not share personal information for third parties' direct marketing. Our Service does not respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals, because we do not track you across other websites.

If you live in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland:

  • Who is responsible for your information: Dear Sister Society (contact details in Section 11) is the controller of your personal information.
  • Why we may use it (legal bases): to provide the Service you asked for, such as your account, posts, messages, orders and tickets (*contract*); to keep the community safe, prevent fraud and abuse, and improve the Service (*legitimate interests*); where you choose to share something optional, such as a contact detail on Kindred Spirits or your mailing address on Snail Mail Sisters (*consent*, which you can withdraw at any time); and to keep records the law requires, such as tax records (*legal obligation*).
  • Your rights: you can ask to access, correct or delete your information, to restrict or object to how we use it, to receive a copy in a portable format, and to withdraw consent. Email hello@dearsistersociety.com; we will respond within one month. You can also complain to your local data protection authority.
  • Transfers to the United States: we are based in the United States, and our service providers store and process information there. Where the law requires it, we rely on safeguards such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses (and the UK equivalent) for these transfers.

7. Security

We use reasonable safeguards — including encryption in transit, access controls, and private storage for uploaded photos — to protect your information. No system is perfectly secure, so please use a strong, unique password and tell us right away at hello@dearsistersociety.com if you think your account has been compromised.

8. Adults only

The Service is for people 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.

9. Sensitive information

Please do not post sensitive personal information — such as health, mental-health, financial, or government ID details — in posts, events, or listings. Anything you post publicly can be seen by other members.

10. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy. If we make material changes, we will notify you in the app or by email before they take effect. The "Effective" date at the top shows when this Policy was last updated.

11. Contact

Dear Sister Society
hello@dearsistersociety.com
1106 2nd St
Ste 103 #721
Encinitas, CA 92024