Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Hogu (“we”, “us”, or “our”) collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal information when you use the Hogu mobile application. We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with applicable data protection law, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

1. Data We Collect

Account information: Your name, email address, and authentication credentials when you register via email, Google, or Apple.

Profile information: Profile photo, biography, languages spoken, interests, lifestyle preferences, and resident country — as provided by you.

Discovery preferences: The city or area you choose for event discovery. We do not collect your precise GPS location.

Event activity: Events you create, join, save, or attend, including your role as host or guest.

Safety data: Users you block or report, and the content of reports you submit for moderation.

Push notification tokens: Device tokens used to send you notifications if you grant permission.

Technical data: Device type, operating system, app version, and anonymised usage logs needed to operate and improve the App.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use your data to:

• Create and manage your account
• Display your profile to other users for social discovery
• Match you with relevant events and people in your chosen area
• Send notifications about events and activity (if enabled)
• Enforce our community standards and investigate reports
• Improve the App’s features, performance, and safety
• Comply with legal obligations

Our legal basis for processing is your consent (for optional data and notifications), contract performance (to operate your account), legitimate interests (platform safety and improvement), and legal obligation where applicable.

3. Third-Party Services

Hogu uses the following third-party services that may process your data:

Google Firebase — authentication, database, file storage, and cloud functions. Data is stored in the EU (Google Cloud region europe-west6, Zürich, Switzerland). Google’s privacy policy.

Apple Sign In / Google Sign In — if you choose to sign in with Apple or Google, those providers’ privacy policies also apply.

Expo — push notification delivery. Expo’s privacy policy.

We do not sell your personal data to any third party, and we do not use your data for advertising.

4. Data Sharing

Your profile information (name, photo, bio, languages, interests) is visible to other Hogu users for the purpose of social discovery. Event details you create are visible to users in your discovery area.

We do not share your personal data with third parties except:

• Service providers listed above, to operate the platform
• When required by law or to protect the safety of users or the public
• In the event of a merger or acquisition, where you will be notified

5. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, your profile, hosted events, saved events, circle connections, profile photo, and push tokens are permanently deleted. Some anonymised moderation records may be retained for safety purposes as permitted by law.

6. Your Rights (GDPR)

If you are in the EU or EEA, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Delete your account and data (available in Settings → Delete account)
• Restrict or object to certain processing
• Data portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Withdraw consent at any time for consent-based processing
• Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@hogu.io. We will respond within 30 days.

7. Children’s Privacy

Hogu is intended for users aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has created an account, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

8. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including encrypted data transmission, secure cloud infrastructure, and access controls. No system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as Hogu develops. We will notify you of material changes through the App. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact & Data Controller

For privacy questions, data requests, or complaints:

Email: support@hogu.io

You also have the right to contact your national data protection supervisory authority if you believe your rights have not been upheld.