Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 1, 2026

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 discovery and eligibility platform that connects verified University of Chicago students with limited-time deals at independent local restaurants. Pool does not process payments. When you use a deal, you pay the restaurant directly at its own register. By signing up for 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:

  • Account and Profile Information: When you sign in with your Google account, we collect your name and email address. We use your University of Chicago email to verify that you are an eligible student. If you provide a phone number as part of your account or profile setup, we may collect that as well. This lets us create your Pool account, confirm your university affiliation, and maintain a reliable way to contact you about your use of the service.
  • Deal Claims and Redemptions: When you browse and claim deals, we record which deals you have claimed and redeemed. We use this to show you your own claims, to enforce eligibility and any per-student limits a restaurant sets, and to help restaurants understand, in aggregate, how a deal performed. Pool does not track or collect your real-time GPS location from your device.
  • Friends and Referrals: If you add friends or use an invite or referral code, we record those connections and referral activity so we can power the friends features, show relevant activity, and credit referrals.
  • Messages and Reviews (User-Generated Content): If you send messages to friends or leave a review or rating of a deal, we collect and store that content so the relevant features work. This information is considered user-generated content and is stored securely in our database.
  • 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 deal updates or friend activity alerts. You can opt out of notifications anytime via your device settings.

We do not collect financial or payment data. Because Pool does not process payments, we never see or store your card, bank account, or other payment information. You pay restaurants directly, outside of Pool. We also do not collect government IDs or precise device location. Pool is designed to use the 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, which is showing you deals you are eligible for, letting you claim and redeem them, and enabling the friends features. For example, we use your University of Chicago email to confirm eligibility and your claim history to manage per-student deal limits.
  • Friends and Referrals: We use your friend connections and referral activity to let you connect with other students, see relevant activity, and receive any referral rewards you earn.
  • Notifications: We send push notifications to inform you of important updates, such as new deals or friend activity. These are only sent with your consent.
  • Service Communications: We may use email addresses, phone numbers, and other contact information you provide during sign-up or account setup to send important service-related communications about the Pool application and platform. These communications may include product changes, feature updates, maintenance notices, policy updates, security alerts, or other operational announcements necessary to keep you informed about the service.
  • Account Management and Authentication: We use your Google sign-in credentials (name and 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 how deals perform) may be analyzed to improve Pool's features and fix issues. For example, understanding which deals students redeem most can help us and participating restaurants offer better deals.
  • Safety and Enforcement: We may review user reports or 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 and abuse, including abuse of deals.
  • 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: If you use the friends features, certain limited information is shared with other students you connect with, such as your name and that you are on Pool. Friends may also see relevant activity you choose to share and any content you post. We do not disclose your email address or 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. Your personal data (accounts, deal claims, 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 to collect crash reports or usage statistics. Any such service is 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 Participating Restaurants: Pool does not share your personal contact information with restaurants. When you redeem a deal, you interact with the restaurant in person and pay it directly, so Pool is not involved in that transaction and shares no payment or financial information (we do not have any). We may share aggregated, de-identified information about how a deal performed, such as how many students redeemed it, so a restaurant can decide whether to run more deals. This aggregated information does not identify you.
  • 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 (for example, 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, deal claim history, friend connections, and any content you posted so that the service functions properly. This allows you to view past claims 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 deal claims 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 claim 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 legal, tax, or investigative requirements, or to resolve disputes. If Pool has suspended or terminated your account for violations (such as deal abuse or 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 would 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, email, or other contact information you have provided to us 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.
  • 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. We are dedicated to protecting your privacy and helping UChicago students find good deals around Hyde Park.