At LaneQuest ("we," "us," or "our"), we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application and platform services (collectively, the "Service").

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

1. Information We Collect

We collect information to provide a personalized, engaging, and secure social experience.

A. Information You Provide to Us

Account Information: When you sign up, you provide us with data such as your username, password, email address, name, and profile picture.

User Content: We collect the photos, videos, captions, comments, likes, and direct messages (DMs) that you upload or transmit through the platform.

Communications: If you contact our support team, we collect the information you provide during that interaction.

B. Information Collected Automatically

Usage Data: We collect information about how you interact with the Service, such as the profiles you view, the posts you like, search queries, and the time, frequency, and duration of your activities.

Device Information: We collect data from and about the devices you use to access the App, including your IP address, device model, operating system, unique device identifiers, and mobile network information.

Metadata: Photos and videos often contain embedded metadata (such as EXIF data), which can reveal the location, date, and time a photo was taken. We process this metadata when you upload content.

C. Information from Third Parties (If Applicable)

Social Logins: If you choose to log in using a third-party service (like Apple or Google), they provide us with basic profile information authorized by you (such as your name and email).

D. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use essential first-party cookies and similar technologies to operate the Service. These include session cookies that keep you signed in, and security cookies used for authentication (such as CSRF protection and OAuth sign-in with Google or Apple).

We do not currently use non-essential cookies for advertising, marketing, or third-party analytics on our websites or apps. Some preferences (for example, onboarding or UI settings) may be stored in your browser's local storage rather than as cookies.

When you use third-party services we rely on—such as Google or Apple for sign-in, or Stripe for payments—those providers may set their own cookies on their websites. Those cookies are governed by the providers' privacy policies, not by LaneQuest.

If we introduce non-essential cookies or tracking technologies in the future, we will update this policy and, where required by law, seek your consent before using them.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To Provide and Maintain the Service: To display your feed, host your images/videos, deliver your direct messages, and ensure the app runs smoothly.

To Personalize Your Experience: We use algorithmic personalization to analyze your interactions (likes, views, follows) to recommend content, creators, and topics you might enjoy on your explore page or feed.

To Connect You with Friends: If you choose to grant us permission, we may use your contact list to help you find people you know on the App.

Safety and Security: To detect, prevent, and address spam, abuse, intellectual property violations, or harmful activity on the platform.

3. How Your Information is Shared

Because LaneQuest is a social platform, your data is shared in the following ways:

Public Profiles: If your account is set to Public, your profile information, photos, videos, follower lists, and comments are visible to anyone, including people off the App (such as through search engines).

Private Profiles: If your account is set to Private, your posts and videos are only visible to users you have explicitly approved as followers. However, your username and profile picture remain public.

Direct Messages: Content sent via Direct Messages is private and only shared with the specified recipient(s).

Service Providers: We share data with third-party vendors who provide infrastructure services (e.g., cloud hosting, image/video storage, and payment processing).

Legal Obligations: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or government agency).

4. Your Privacy Controls and Choices

We believe you should have control over your data. You can manage your privacy using the following tools in your app settings:

Account Privacy: Toggle between a Public or Private account at any time.

Content Deletion: You can delete individual photos, videos, or comments. Once deleted, they are removed from active production systems (though residual backups may take up to 90 days to completely clear).

Blocking and Restricting: You can block accounts to prevent them from interacting with your profile, viewing your content, or sending you direct messages.

Device Permissions: You can revoke the App's access to your device's camera, photo library, contacts, or notification services via your mobile device settings.

5. Data Security and Retention

Security: We use appropriate technical and organizational security measures (including encryption for data in transit and at rest) to protect your personal data against unauthorized access or disclosure.

Retention: We retain your account data and content for as long as your account is active, or as long as necessary to provide the Service. If you request account deletion, we will securely delete or anonymize your data within 30 days, unless we are legally required to keep it.

6. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If we discover that a child under 13 has provided us with personal data, we will delete it immediately from our servers.

7. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to—and maintained on—computers located outside of your state, province, or country, where privacy laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction. By using the app, you consent to the transfer of your data to our primary hosting servers located worldwide.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date, or by sending a push notification or email within the App.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact our Data Protection Office at:

Email: support@lanequest.com