Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Linkverse ("we," "our," or "us"), operated by Linkverse Global LLC. We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application (available on iOS and Android), website (linkyglobal.com), and related services (collectively, the "Service").

By using the Service, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in this policy. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use the Service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

• Account Information: Name, email address, username, password, phone number, and profile photo
• Profile Data: Bio, display name, user type (Link/DJ/Artist/Promoter/Venue/Creative/Vendor), and profile customizations
• Payment Information: Payment details processed securely through third-party providers (Stripe, PayPal, Apple In-App Purchase). We do not store complete credit card or bank account numbers.
• Identity Verification: Government-issued ID for Gold Star verification (KYC), processed securely and not stored after verification
• Content: Posts, stories, comments, messages, photos, videos, audio recordings, and other content you create or share
• Communications: Support tickets, feedback, and booking/dub request messages
• Event Data: Events you create, attend, or interact with

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Device Information: Device type, operating system, unique device identifiers, and app version
• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, time spent in the app, and interaction patterns
• Location Data: Approximate location (with your permission) for event discovery and nearby features. We only collect location when you explicitly grant permission, and you can revoke it at any time through your device settings.
• Transaction History: Coin purchases, tips sent/received, marketplace transactions, and wallet activity
• Log Data: IP address, browser type, access times, and referring URLs
• Push Notification Tokens: Device tokens for sending push notifications (with your opt-in consent)

2.3 Information from Third-Party Services

• Social Sign-In: If you sign in with Google or Apple, we receive your name and email from those services. We do not access your contacts or social graphs from these providers.
• Payment Providers: Transaction confirmation and status from Stripe, PayPal, and Apple

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve the Service
• Process transactions including coin purchases, tips, marketplace sales, and withdrawals
• Send transaction confirmations, receipts, and notifications
• Personalize your experience and recommend content, events, and creatives
• Facilitate communication between users (chat, booking requests, event invitations)
• Verify identity for Gold Star verification and fraud prevention
• Send service-related communications (security alerts, account updates, feature announcements)
• Ensure platform safety, detect abuse, and prevent fraudulent activity
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service
• Analyze usage patterns to improve features and fix issues
• Deliver push notifications you have opted into (event reminders, tip received, messages)

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• Service Providers: Third-party companies that help us operate our platform, including:
  • Stripe and PayPal (payment processing)
  • Apple (In-App Purchase processing on iOS)
  • Twilio (SMS verification)
  • LiveKit (live audio streaming infrastructure)
  • Unosend/Mailgun (transactional email delivery)
  • Cloud hosting and database services
• Other Users: Your public profile information, posts, stories, tips (display name and amount), and marketplace listings are visible to other users according to your privacy settings
• Event Organizers: When you attend events or purchase tickets, organizers may see your name, user type, and attendance status
• Legal Requirements: When required by law, subpoena, or court order, or to protect our rights, safety, or property
• Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as a business asset

We do not sell your personal information to third parties for advertising or marketing purposes.

We do not use your data for targeted advertising. We do not share your data with data brokers.

5. Payment Information

All payment transactions are processed through secure third-party payment providers:

• Stripe: Handles credit/debit card payments. Card details are sent directly to Stripe and never touch our servers. Stripe is PCI DSS Level 1 certified.
• PayPal: Handles PayPal account payments. Transactions are verified server-side with PayPal's API.
• Apple In-App Purchase: On iOS, coin purchases are processed through Apple's payment system. Receipts are validated server-side with Apple.

We store transaction records (amounts, dates, types) for your transaction history and accounting purposes. Virtual currency (Linkverse Coins) has no real-world monetary value outside the platform and is non-refundable except as described in our Terms of Service.

6. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information, including:

• HTTPS/TLS encryption for all data in transit
• Encrypted database connections and data at rest
• Secure session management with HTTP-only cookies
• Bcrypt password hashing (we never store plaintext passwords)
• Two-factor authentication (SMS or email) for added account security
• WebAuthn biometric authentication support
• Regular security monitoring and access controls
• Rate limiting and abuse detection on all API endpoints

While we strive to protect your information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We encourage you to use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication.

7. Your Rights and Choices

You have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information through your profile settings
• Deletion: Delete your account and associated data through app settings or by contacting support
• Portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format
• Marketing Opt-Out: Opt out of promotional communications via notification settings
• Location Control: Enable or disable location sharing through your device settings
• Push Notifications: Manage push notification preferences in app settings or device settings
• Camera and Microphone: Control access to camera and microphone through device permissions

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@linkyglobal.com or use the in-app settings.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information according to the following guidelines:

• Account Data: Retained for as long as your account is active. Upon account deletion, we remove your personal data within 30 days, except as required by law.
• Transaction Records: Retained for 7 years for legal, tax, and accounting compliance
• Content (Posts, Stories, Messages): Retained while your account is active. Stories expire automatically after their set duration. Deleted content is purged within 30 days.
• Support Communications: Retained for 2 years after resolution
• Log and Analytics Data: Retained for up to 12 months in aggregate/anonymized form
• Identity Verification Documents: Not stored after verification is complete

9. Children's Privacy

Linkverse is not intended for users under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If we learn that we have collected information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe a minor is using our Service, please contact us immediately.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence, including the United States where our servers are hosted. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with applicable privacy laws, including the use of encrypted connections and secure data centers.

11. Third-Party SDKs and Services

Our application integrates the following third-party services, each with their own privacy policies:

• Stripe (payment processing) — stripe.com/privacy
• PayPal (payment processing) — paypal.com/privacy
• Apple (In-App Purchases, Sign In with Apple) — apple.com/privacy
• Google (OAuth sign-in) — policies.google.com/privacy
• Twilio (SMS verification) — twilio.com/privacy
• LiveKit (live audio streaming) — livekit.io/privacy

12. Tracking and Analytics

Linkverse does not use third-party advertising trackers or sell data for ad targeting. We do not participate in cross-app tracking. We collect basic usage analytics (page views, feature usage) solely to improve the Service. On iOS, we comply with Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework and do not track users across other apps or websites.

13. Cookies and Local Storage

Our web application uses essential cookies for authentication and session management. We use browser local storage to save your preferences (such as dark/light mode and notification settings). We do not use cookies for advertising or cross-site tracking.

14. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect and how it is used
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
• Non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes through the app or via email. The "Last updated" date at the top of this policy indicates when it was last revised. Your continued use of Linkverse after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

16. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: