Privacy Policy

Last updated: November 26, 2025

Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how Pool ("Pool," "we," or "us") collects, uses, and shares information when you use our mobile application and related services. Pool is a platform that connects University of Chicago students for shared rides via third-party rideshare services (e.g. Uber or Lyft). By using Pool, you agree to the data practices described in this Policy. We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with applicable U.S. laws and app store requirements in how we handle your personal information.

Information We Collect

We only collect the information needed to provide and improve the Pool service:

  • Profile Information: When you sign in with your Google account, we collect your name and email address. This lets us create your Pool user account and verify your university affiliation.
  • Trip Details: When you use Pool to find ride matches, you provide trip information such as your desired pickup location, destination (e.g. airport), and time preferences. We collect and store these user-entered trip details to match you with other students heading the same way. (Note: Pool does not track or collect your real-time GPS location from your device.)
  • Messages (User-Generated Content): If you participate in group chats with matched riders, we collect and store the messages and content you send within the app. This information is considered user-generated content and is stored securely in our database to facilitate communication among the ride group.
  • Device and Usage Data: Like many apps, we gather basic technical information when you use Pool. This includes device identifiers, operating system, IP address, and app usage logs (such as access times and features used). We use this data to maintain the service and ensure performance and security.
  • Notifications Data: If you enable push notifications, we may collect a device token to send you ride match updates or chat message alerts. You can opt out of notifications anytime via your device settings.

We do not collect any sensitive personal data such as financial information, government IDs, or precise location data from your device. Pool is designed to use minimal personal data necessary for its functionality.

How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

  • Providing the Service: Your information is primarily used to operate Pool's core functionality – matching you with other students for shared rides and enabling communication. For example, we use your trip details to find suitable matches and your name (and possibly University affiliation) to identify you to your matched co-riders.
  • Facilitating Communication: We use the chat messages and contact info to allow you to communicate with your ride group. For instance, your name and messages will be visible to others in your matched group so you can coordinate meetups and ride details.
  • Notifications: We send push notifications to inform you of important updates, such as a new ride match or messages from your group. These are only sent with your consent to keep you updated on ride arrangements.
  • Account Management and Authentication: We use your Google sign-in credentials (name/email) to log you into Pool securely and to prevent unauthorized access.
  • Service Improvement: Aggregated, non-identifiable usage data (like overall app usage trends or feature performance) may be analyzed to improve Pool's features and fix issues. For example, understanding how often users successfully find matches can help us enhance the matching algorithm.
  • Safety and Enforcement: We may review user reports or message content if needed to investigate violations of our Terms of Service or to keep the Pool community safe. Information may be used to enforce our community guidelines, resolve disputes between users, or prevent fraud/abuse.
  • Legal Compliance: If required, we will use or disclose information to comply with legal obligations. For example, we may retain certain data if necessary to meet regulatory requirements or respond to lawful requests (subpoenas, court orders), or to protect our rights and the rights of others.

We do not use your personal information for any advertising or marketing purposes, and we do not sell your personal data to third parties. All data usage is solely to serve you and improve the Pool experience.

How We Share Your Information

We value your privacy and only share personal information in limited circumstances:

  • With Other Pool Users: When you are matched in a ride group, certain information is shared with the other student(s) in that group to facilitate the shared ride. This includes your name (as provided in your profile) and relevant trip details (such as pickup location or time window). Other riders will also see any messages or content you post in the group chat. We do not disclose your email address or any unrelated personal data to other users.
  • With Service Providers: We use reputable third-party service providers to support our app's operations. These providers only access information as needed to perform services on our behalf, under strict confidentiality obligations. For example:
    • We use Amazon Web Services (AWS) to host Pool's backend and databases. All your personal data (accounts, trips, messages) is stored on AWS secure servers in the United States. AWS acts as our data processor and is contractually obligated to protect your data.
    • For push notifications, we utilize platform notification services (Apple Push Notification Service for iOS, and Firebase Cloud Messaging for Android). These services use device tokens (not personally identifying) to deliver notifications.
    • We may use analytics or error-tracking services (if implemented) to collect crash reports or usage statistics. Any such service would be configured to avoid or minimize personal data collection.
  • With Google (for Sign-In): Pool integrates Google Sign-In to authenticate users. When you use Google Sign-In, you are subject to Google's privacy policy and terms. Google shares your name, email, and basic profile information with Pool upon your consent. We do not share any of your Pool usage data back to Google beyond the initial sign-in verification.
  • With Rideshare Services: Importantly, Pool does not automatically share your personal information with third-party rideshare companies. Once you are matched, it is up to you and your co-rider to arrange a ride via Uber, Lyft, or another service outside the Pool app. You will provide any necessary information to those services directly. (Pool may offer deep links to these apps for convenience, but any information you provide to request a ride goes directly to the rideshare provider, not through Pool.)
  • For Legal Reasons: We may disclose information if we believe it is reasonably necessary to comply with a law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request (for example, responding to a valid subpoena). We may also share data to enforce our Terms of Service or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Pool, our users, or others. This could include sharing information with university officials or law enforcement if serious incidents are reported.
  • Business Transfers: In the unlikely event that Pool is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, user information may be transferred to the successor entity. If that happens, we will ensure the new owner continues to honor the privacy commitments made in this Policy, and we will notify you (e.g. via in-app notice or email) of any change in data handling.

Rest assured, we do not sell personal information and we do not share your data with advertisers or unrelated third parties for their own use. Any sharing that occurs is solely to provide or improve the Pool service, or for legal compliance. We remain responsible for how our service providers handle your information and we ensure they meet high standards of data protection.

Data Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement industry-standard measures to protect it. For example, all communication between the Pool app and our servers is encrypted via HTTPS, preventing eavesdropping. Personal data stored in our databases (including messages) is protected by access controls and, where applicable, encryption at rest. We regularly update our software and employ firewalls and monitoring to guard against security threats.

However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security. Factors beyond our control (such as hardware failures, unauthorized entry, or zero-day software vulnerabilities) may compromise data security. In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you and the appropriate authorities as required by law. By using Pool, you understand that there is some risk inherent in transmitting information over the internet, but we work hard to mitigate these risks.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy, unless a longer retention is required or permitted by law. In practice:

  • Active Accounts: For as long as you maintain an active Pool account, we will keep your profile information, trip history, and chat content so that the service functions properly. This allows you to view past matches or conversations and reuse saved settings.
  • Account Deletion: If you choose to delete your Pool account (see "Your Rights" below for how to delete), we will remove or anonymize personal data associated with your account from our live databases. This includes your profile information and any trip details or messages not needed for legal compliance. Your account will no longer be accessible once deletion is processed. Please note: deletion is permanent and will erase your matches and message history from the app.
  • Backup and Legal Retention: Even after you delete your account, we may retain certain limited information in backup systems or archives for a short period until those are overwritten, and longer if required for legal obligations. For example, we might retain records if necessary to comply with financial, tax, or investigative requirements, or to resolve disputes. If Pool has suspended or terminated your account for violations (e.g. unsafe behavior), we may retain a record of your email or device ID to prevent you from circumventing a ban. We will only keep such data as long as reasonably necessary for these purposes and in accordance with applicable law.

In summary, when your data is no longer needed, we will securely delete or de-identify it. We follow App Store and Google Play guidelines requiring full deletion of user data upon account deletion, except where retention is required by law.

Your Rights and Choices

You have rights regarding your personal information and choices in how it is used:

  • Access and Update Your Info: You can review and update certain profile information by logging into Pool. For example, if your name or email changes, you can update those by re-linking your Google account or contacting us. If you'd like a copy of the personal data we have about you, you may request it by contacting Pool support (see Contact Us below). We will provide this information as required by applicable law.
  • Account Deletion: You have the right to delete your Pool account and associated personal data at any time. We have made this easy to do directly within the app, in compliance with Apple App Store and Google Play requirements. In the Pool app, go to your account settings and choose the "Delete Account" option. This will initiate permanent deletion of your account and personal data from our systems (after confirming your intent). Deleting your account will remove your profile and stop all collection of your data by Pool. We will also disassociate or delete any remaining data that is not legally required to keep, as described in Data Retention above. (If you have any trouble using the in-app deletion or have questions, you can also request account deletion by contacting us at our support email.)
  • Push Notifications: If you previously consented to notifications but no longer wish to receive them, you can turn off Pool notifications anytime in your device's settings (for example, in iOS Settings > Notifications > Pool). The app will respect your device notification preferences. Important service announcements may still be delivered via in-app alerts or email if necessary, but we do not send marketing notifications.
  • California Privacy Rights: If you are a California resident, state law (including the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the CPRA) provides you specific rights regarding your personal information. These include the "Right to Know" what personal information we collect, use, and disclose, and the "Right to Delete" personal information we have collected about you. Pool extends these rights to you: You may request that we disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have about you, as well as the purposes and third parties to whom it is disclosed. You may also request that we delete the personal information we have collected about you (subject to the exceptions allowed by law). To exercise these rights, please contact us at our support email with the subject "California Privacy Request" and detail your request. We will verify your identity and respond within the timeframe required by law (typically within 45 days). We will not discriminate against you for exercising any privacy rights (meaning we won't deny you the Service or provide different quality of service for making a request).
  • Do Not Sell or Share: Pool does not sell personal information, and we do not share your data for targeted advertising, so there is no need to opt out of sale of data. If this ever changes, we will update this Policy and provide a means to opt-out as required by law.
  • Other State Privacy Rights: If you are a resident of certain other states (such as Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, or Utah after their respective privacy laws take effect), you may have similar rights to access or delete personal data. Pool will honor valid requests from users in any U.S. state consistent with applicable privacy laws.

Children's Privacy

Pool is intended for use by college students and adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 13. If you are under 13, please do not use Pool or provide any information about yourself to us. Pool is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly allow such individuals to register. In addition, per our Terms of Service, you must be at least 18 years old (or the age of legal majority in your jurisdiction) to use Pool. If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child under 13, we will promptly delete that data from our records. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 has provided personal information to Pool, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we update the Policy, we will change the "Last Updated" date at the top. For significant changes, we will also provide a prominent notice either within the app or on our website, and/or notify you via email, so that you have the opportunity to review the revised terms. We encourage you to periodically review this Policy for the latest information on our privacy practices. Your continued use of Pool after any changes signifies your acceptance of the updated Policy. If you do not agree to any changes, you should stop using the app and delete your account.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact us at support@uchicagopool.com. You may also reach us by mail at: Pool App Support, 5461 S University Ave, 60615 Chicago, IL (address for correspondence). We will be happy to assist you and will respond as promptly as possible.

By signing up or using Pool, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. Thank you for trusting Pool with your shared-ride experience. We are dedicated to protecting your privacy and creating a safe community for students to connect and carpool!