Privacy Policy
How we collect, use, protect, and share your information — written in plain language, because you deserve to understand it
Effective Date:
Our Privacy Commitments
Sidekick is different than other apps
We believe your personal data belongs to you. Here are four commitments we confidently make about how we handle your information:
🔒
Your Data Stays on Sidekick
We collect personal information only to power the Sidekick experience. We don’t sell your data, and we don’t share it with advertisers or data brokers.
🙈
Your Contact Info Is Private
We will never share your last name, email address, or phone number with other users, community admins, partner organizations, or any third party.
🚫
No Cross-App Tracking
We don’t follow you around the internet. No tracking pixels, no third-party ad SDKs, no purchasing data from brokers. We only know what you tell us and how you use our app.
📊
Admins Get Aggregated Data Only
Community and event admins can see their members’ first names, last initials, and profiles — but we share analytics only in aggregated form. No individual tracking data is shared.
1. Information We Collect
We collect information in three ways: what you give us directly, what we observe from your use of the app, and limited technical data from your device.
Information You Provide
When you create an account and use Sidekick, you may provide:
- Account information: Your first name, last name, email address, phone number, date of birth, and gender.
- Profile information: Your bio, profile photo, city or neighborhood, and any other details you choose to share on your profile.
- Interests and preferences: The interests you select (from 2,500+ options across 10 categories), personal filters (such as language, personality type, or situation), and any Kickit suggestions you create.
- Content you create: Messages, posts, community descriptions, event listings, and other content you submit through the app.
- Communications with us: Emails or messages you send to our support team.
Information We Collect Automatically
When you use Sidekick, we automatically collect:
- Usage data: How you interact with the app — features you use, pages you visit, communities you join, events you browse, and how often you use the app.
- Device information: Device type, operating system, app version, and general device identifiers needed to deliver the service.
- Approximate location: If you grant permission, we may use your general location to show you nearby communities, events, and users. We do not track your precise or continuous location.
What this means in plain language: We only collect what we need to make Sidekick work for you. If you select 47 interests and join 3 communities, we use that information to connect you with the right people and activities — not to build an advertising profile.
2. Information We Do Not Collect
This section is just as important as the one above. Sidekick is the anti-social-media app, and our data practices reflect that.
- No cross-app tracking. We do not track your activity on other apps, websites, or platforms. We have no interest in what you do outside of Sidekick.
- No third-party advertising SDKs. We do not embed ad-tech software in our app. There are no hidden trackers reporting your behavior to advertisers.
- No tracking pixels. We do not use invisible tracking pixels in the app or in our emails to monitor your activity.
- No data purchases. We do not buy data about you from data brokers, social media platforms, or any other source.
- No biometric data. We do not collect fingerprints, facial recognition data, voice prints, or any biometric identifiers.
- No financial information. Any subscription or other payments are processed by third-party payment processors (such as Apple, Google, or Shopify). We do not see or store your credit card number, bank account, or financial details.
What this means in plain language: If you use Sidekick to find a hiking group and then browse hiking boots on Amazon, we have absolutely no idea — and we want to keep it that way.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your information for one primary purpose: to power the Sidekick experience. Specifically, we use it to:
- Operate and improve the app: Create and maintain your account, display your profile, process your interest selections, and deliver the matching, community, event, and messaging features of Sidekick.
- Connect you with others: Match you with potential friends, communities, events, and Kickits based on your interests and preferences.
- Communicate with you: Send you notifications about messages, friend requests, community activity, and event updates. We may also send service-related emails about your account.
- Ensure safety and enforce our Terms: Monitor for violations of our Terms of Service, investigate reports of misconduct, and take action to protect our users and community.
- Analyze and improve: Understand how people use Sidekick in aggregate so we can make the app better. For example, knowing that 60% of users browse events on weekends helps us prioritize event discovery features.
- Comply with legal obligations: Respond to lawful requests from law enforcement or regulatory authorities when required by applicable law.
What we will never do: We will never use your personal information to serve you targeted advertisements, sell to data brokers, or build a profile for third-party marketing purposes.
4. How We Share Your Information
We share your information only in the limited circumstances described below. We do not sell your personal data. We do not share it with advertisers.
Service Providers
We work with a small number of trusted service providers who help us operate Sidekick — for example, cloud hosting (such as Vercel), email delivery, and analytics tools. These providers may have access to personal information (including last names, email addresses, and phone numbers) solely to perform services on our behalf. They are contractually prohibited from using your data for any other purpose.
Other Users
Certain information you provide is visible to other Sidekick users as part of the app experience. Your profile — including your first name, last initial, profile photo, bio, city, and selected interests and Particulars — may be visible to other users. You control what you put in your profile. We will never display your last name, email address, or phone number to other users.
Community, Event, and Kickit Admins
Admins of Sidekick communities, events, and Kickits can see the first name and last initial of their members, and can view their members’ profiles (the same profile information visible to other users). We also provide admins with aggregated analytics — such as member counts, activity trends, and engagement statistics — to help them manage their communities. Admins never receive your full last name, email address, phone number, or individual-level tracking data.
Partner Organizations
When Sidekick partners with organizations (such as recreation departments, arts venues, or community groups), we may share aggregated, de-identified statistics about community activity — for example, the number of users who joined a partner-affiliated community. We never share individual user data with partner organizations.
Legal Requirements
We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Sidekick, our users, or the public.
Business Transfers
If Sidekick is involved in a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, or sale of assets, your personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change and any choices you may have regarding your information.
5. What Community Admins Can See
Because Sidekick is built around communities, events, and Kickits, admin visibility is an important topic. Here’s exactly what admins can and cannot see:
Information
Visible to Admin?
Details
First name & last
initial
Yes
Admins can see the first name and last initial of members in their community.
Member profile
Yes
Admins can view a member’s profile — the same information visible to any other user.
Aggregated analytics
Yes
Total member count, general activity levels, engagement trends — presented in aggregate.
Full last name
No
Never shared with admins.
Email address
No
Never shared with admins.
Phone number
No
Never shared with admins.
Individual usage data
No
We do not share individual-level tracking or behavior data with anyone.
6. What Other Users Can See
Sidekick is a social platform, and certain information is visible to others by design. Here’s what other users can see:
- Your profile: First name, last initial, profile photo, bio, city or neighborhood, and the interests and (by default) any Particulars you’ve selected. However, you can choose to hide some or all of your Particulars from general viewing using the privacy settings within the app.
- Your community memberships: By default, other users can see which communities you belong to. However, you can choose to hide your membership in any community using the privacy settings within the app.
- Your posts and messages: Content you share in community posts or direct messages is visible to the intended recipients.
- Your events and Kickits: If you create or attend an event or a Kickit, it may be visible to other users based on interest matching and proximity.
Other users cannot see your last name, email address, phone number, precise location, personal filters (unless you choose to make them visible), or any usage data.
A note on admin visibility: Every community, Kickit, and event on Sidekick must have a non-anonymous human admin. If you create or administer a community, Kickit, or event, your first name and last initial will always be visible to members — even if you have otherwise chosen to hide your membership. This ensures accountability and trust within every Sidekick group.
7. Event Data from Public Sources
To help our users discover things to do in their community, Sidekick may collect publicly available information about events from the internet — such as event names, dates, times, locations, and descriptions posted on public event listings, venue websites, and community calendars.
This information is already publicly available and does not include any personal data about Sidekick users. We display this information within the app to enrich the Sidekick experience and help users find activities they might enjoy.
8. Cookies & Tracking Technologies
When you visit our website (sidekick.online) or online store (shop.sidekick.online), we use a limited number of cookies to keep the site working properly. These include:
- Essential cookies: Required for basic site functionality, such as keeping you logged in and remembering your preferences.
- Analytics cookies: We may use privacy-respecting analytics tools to understand general traffic patterns on our website. We do not use Google Analytics or any tool that shares your data with third-party advertisers.
Within the Sidekick mobile app, we do not use cookies. We do not use tracking pixels, third-party advertising SDKs, or any cross-app tracking technologies.
What this means in plain language: Our cookie usage is minimal and functional. We are not tracking you across the internet.
9. Data Retention
We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with the Sidekick service and any applicable legal requirements. If you delete your account, we will delete or de-identify your personal data within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal, regulatory, or safety reasons (for example, to enforce a ban on a user who violated our Terms of Service).
Usage data that has been aggregated and de-identified (so that it no longer identifies you) may be retained indefinitely for analytics and product-improvement purposes.
10. Data Security
We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement commercially reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect it against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or alteration. These measures include encryption of data in transit and at rest, access controls, and regular security reviews.
However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
11. Your Rights & Choices
Regardless of where you live, we believe you should have meaningful control over your personal data. You may:
- Access your data: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Correct your data: Update or correct inaccurate information in your profile or account settings at any time.
- Delete your data: Request that we delete your personal data. You can delete your account directly within the app, or contact us and we’ll process your request within 30 days.
- Export your data: Request a portable copy of your data in a commonly used format.
- Opt out of marketing emails: Unsubscribe from promotional emails at any time using the link in the email. Service-related communications (such as security alerts or account updates) are not optional.
- Manage device permissions: Control whether Sidekick can access your location, camera, or photo library through your device settings at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected] or use the in-app settings. We’ll respond to all requests within 30 days.
12. Children’s Privacy
Sidekick is designed for adults aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 18. If we learn that we have collected personal data from a minor, we’ll delete it promptly.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided personal information to Sidekick, please contact us at [email protected] and we’ll take immediate steps to remove the information.
13. International Data Transfers
Sidekick is based in Eugene, Oregon, United States. If you access Sidekick from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may be different than those in your country of residence.
By using Sidekick, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and the processing of your data as described in this Privacy Policy. We take appropriate safeguards to ensure your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Policy.
14. California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)
If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) give you specific rights regarding your personal information.
Your California Rights
- Right to know: You can request that we disclose what personal information we have collected, used, disclosed, and sold about you in the preceding 12 months.
- Right to delete: You can request that we delete personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions.
- Right to correct: You can request that we correct inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
- Right to opt out of sale or sharing: You have the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. However, Sidekick does not sell your personal information and does not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
- Right to limit use of sensitive personal information: You can direct us to limit the use of your sensitive personal information to purposes necessary to provide the service.
- Right to non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.
Categories of Personal Information We Collect
CCPA Category
Collected?
Sold?
A. Identifiers (name, email, phone)
Yes
No
MemberB. Customer Records (name, address, phone)profile
Yes
No
C. Protected Characteristics (age, gender)
Yes
No
D. Commercial Information
No
No
E. Biometric Information
No
No
F. Internet / Network Activity
Yes
No
G. Geolocation (approximate only)
Yes
No
H. Sensory Data
No
No
I. Professional / Employment Info
No
No
J. Education Information
No
No
K. Inferences from Personal Info
Yes
No
L. Sensitive Personal Information
Yes
No
Notice the “Sold?” column: Every single row says “No.” We do not sell any category of personal information, as the term is defined under the CCPA/CPRA, nor as the term is commonly understood.
How to Exercise Your California Rights
To submit a request, contact us at [email protected]. We will verify your identity and respond within 45 days. You may also designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf.
15. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable local laws provide you with additional rights regarding your personal data.
Legal Basis for Processing
We process your personal data on the following legal bases:
- Consent: You have given us consent to process your personal data for specific purposes (for example, when you opt in to location sharing).
- Contract performance: Processing is necessary to provide you with the Sidekick service as described in our Terms of Service.
- Legitimate interests: Processing is necessary for our legitimate interests (such as improving the app, ensuring safety, and preventing fraud), provided these interests are not overridden by your rights.
- Legal obligation: Processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation.
Your GDPR Rights
- Access, correct, delete, or port your personal data.
- Object to or restrict certain processing of your data.
- Withdraw consent at any time (without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing).
- Lodge a complaint with your local Data Protection Authority.
Data Controller
The data controller for your personal data is Sidekick Enterprises, Inc., 480 Alexander Loop, Apt 3307, Eugene, OR 97401, United States. For data protection inquiries, contact us at [email protected].
16. Third-Party Links
Sidekick may contain links to third-party websites, apps, or services that are not operated by us. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly encourage you to review the privacy policy of every site you visit.
We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.
17. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we’ll notify you by posting a link to the updated policy within the app and, where appropriate, by sending you an email notification before the changes take effect.
The “Effective Date” at the top of this page indicates when this Policy was last revised. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.
18. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, we want to hear from you.
Purpose
Contact
General privacy questions or data rights requests
Report bad behavior or safety concerns
Suggest a new interest category
Report a bug or technical issue
General inquiries
Sidekick Enterprises, Inc.
480 Alexander Loop, Apt 3307
Eugene, OR 97401
United States
Phone: 541.510.4556
Questions about your privacy?
We believe in transparency · If anything in this policy is unclear, reach out and we’ll be happy to explain it in language you understand