CloseOnes Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains what information CircleRootTech LLC ("we," "us") collects through the CloseOnes app and website (the "App"), how we use and protect it, how long we keep it, and the choices you have. It is part of our Terms of Use. You accept both together when you create your account.
The short version:
- We collect only what the App needs to work: your phone number, your name, and what you choose to add.
- We do not sell your information, show ads, use tracking or analytics tools, or send your content to any AI service.
- Bridges (your private notes about people) is visible only to you. The people you write about are never told.
- You can delete your account and data at any time, and it is erased right away.
- If you do not sign in for 2 years, we delete your account and data.
- Everything is stored with Google Firebase in the United States.
1. Information we collect
1.1 Information you give us
| Information | Why we need it | Who can see it |
|---|---|---|
| Phone number | To sign you in with a text code; it is also your account ID, and it lets friends add you to circles. | You and people who add you to a circle. A signed-in user who already knows your exact number can look you up to add you, and sees only your name. Nobody can browse or list accounts. |
| Name | To show you to the people in your circles. | You, people in your circles, and signed-in users who look you up by your exact phone number. |
| Email address (optional) | If you add one in your profile. | You. If someone added you to a circle before October 2026, your email may also be stored with that circle so they can email you. |
| Social handles (optional: Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook) | So people in your circle can find you on other apps. | People in your circles. (Technically, a signed-in user who knows your account ID can read your name and handles; they cannot list accounts.) |
| Circles and members (names and phone numbers of people you add) | To run your circles. | You. Each person you add can see they are in your circle. |
| Mood check-ins (for example, "I'm good," "Having a hard time") | To let the people you choose know how you are. | You and the people you send them to. We treat these as sensitive (see Section 5). |
| Questions, answers, daily answers, reactions | To share with your circles. | You and the people you choose. An answer to someone's question is visible only to you and the person who asked. |
| Hype poll votes | To deliver anonymous compliments. | The person you pick sees the compliment but never who sent it. Your vote record is visible only to you. |
| Invites (a friend's phone number, if you invite someone who isn't on CloseOnes) | To add them to your circle when they join. | You. The invite is sent from your own Messages app, not by us. |
| Bridges (names or nicknames of people, how you describe things with them, private notes, optional warm-up step, reminder setting) | To give you a private space to think about people you've drifted from. | Only you. Our security rules block every other account, including other users and the people you write about. |
1.2 Information collected automatically
- Push notification token (if you allow notifications), so we can send notifications to your phone.
- Records of your acceptance of these terms (version, date, and time).
- When you last used the App (recorded at most once a day), so we can delete accounts after 2 years without use.
- Basic technical logs kept by our service providers when the App talks to their servers (for example, time of a request and error messages).
We do not use advertising IDs, analytics or tracking tools, cookies in the App, or your location.
1.3 Information stored only on your phone
Some settings stay on your device and never reach our servers: reminder schedules (including when each Bridges reminder should next appear), notification preferences, and similar app settings. Deleting the App or your account removes them.
1.4 Your contacts
If you choose a friend from your phone's contacts, the App reads your contacts on your phone so you can pick someone. We never upload your address book. Only the name and phone number of the person you pick are saved, as part of your circle.
1.5 Information about people who don't use CloseOnes
Your circles, invites, and Bridges may include names, phone numbers, or notes about people who have not signed up or agreed to anything. Bridges entries are visible only to you and are never shared with, or revealed to, the people you write about, even if they use CloseOnes. An invited person's phone number is kept only until they join or you cancel the invite, and is deleted if you delete your account. People who add or invite someone must confirm that person is 18 or older and agreed to have their contact details shared (Terms of Use, Section 5.9).
If you don't use CloseOnes and believe your name or phone number was added, email thecircleroottechllc@gmail.com with the phone number in question. After confirming the request comes from that number (for example, by a text code), we will delete or permanently scramble (anonymize) that number and any name stored with it in circles and invites, usually within 30 days. Bridges entries are private to their author and are not shared with anyone; we will also remove your number or name from any Bridges entry we can match to it.
2. How we use information
We use information only to:
- create and secure your account and sign you in;
- run the features you use: circles, check-ins, questions, reactions, hype polls, Bridges, reminders, and notifications;
- deliver the notifications you allow (for example, that someone in your circle checked in);
- keep the App safe, enforce our Terms, and prevent abuse;
- comply with the law.
We do not sell or rent your information, use it for advertising or marketing to you, build advertising profiles, or use your content to train AI models. Message starters are written by us and stored in the App; nothing you type is sent to an AI service.
3. Who we share information with
We share information only in these cases:
3.1 With the people you choose. Check-ins, answers, reactions, your name, and your social handles go to the people in your circles, as described in Section 1.1. Bridges content is never shared.
3.2 With service providers who run the App for us, under their own security and privacy terms:
| Provider | What they do | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Google (Firebase / Google Cloud) | Stores the App's data, runs sign-in and server functions | All data stored by the App |
| Twilio | Sends sign-in verification codes by text, and the inactive-account notices described in Section 4 | Your phone number, and the notice text |
| Expo (expo.dev) | Relays push notifications to Apple | Your push token and the notification text (which can include a friend's name and a short message such as a check-in) |
| Apple | Delivers notifications; processes any App Store purchases | Push token and notification content; purchase details (handled by Apple) |
| RevenueCat | Manages in-app subscriptions, if offered | Your phone number (used as your account ID) and purchase status. CloseOnes has no paid features right now, so no purchase information exists. |
3.3 Law enforcement and legal requests. We value your privacy and do not voluntarily share your personal data with government or law enforcement. We may disclose information if we believe in good faith that it is reasonably necessary to comply with valid legal process under United States law:
- Our standards: we require a valid administrative, grand jury, or trial subpoena to release basic account records (your phone number, profile name, and account creation date), and a judge-signed search warrant or court order before releasing any content, including circles, mood check-ins, answers, or Bridges.
- User notification: unless a court order prohibits it, our policy is to notify you before disclosing your information, so you can object or seek legal protection.
- Emergencies: we may disclose information without delay if we believe in good faith it's needed to prevent an immediate threat of death or serious physical injury.
- Full policy: see our separate Law Enforcement Request Policy.
3.4 Business transfers. If CircleRootTech is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, information may be transferred, and this Policy will continue to protect it.
We do not otherwise share your information.
4. How long we keep information
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| While your account is active | We keep your information so the App works. |
| You delete your account (Profile → Delete Account) | Your account and data are permanently erased right away: your profile, Bridges and private notes, circles, check-ins and reactions you sent or received, questions and answers, daily answers, invites, hype poll records, your place in other people's circles, and your sign-in record. This cannot be undone. |
| No use of the App for 2 years | We permanently delete your account and data in the same way. We try to tell you about 30 days ahead and again about 7 days ahead, by text and push notification. Opening the App before the deletion date keeps your account. |
| You delete a single item (for example, a Bridge) | It is erased right away. |
| Residual copies | We do not keep backups of the App's data. Deleted information may remain in Google's systems for a limited time as part of Google's own deletion process before it is permanently removed. |
| Copies outside CloseOnes | Messages you send through other apps (such as Messages), screenshots, or anything people in your circle saved or shared outside the App are not under our control and are not deleted by us. |
| Legal holds | If the law requires us to keep specific information (for example, for a legal claim), we keep only that information, only as long as required. |
5. Sensitive information
Mood check-ins (for example, "Having a hard time") and Bridges notes can reveal how you feel or details of your relationships and well-being. We treat this information as sensitive:
- it is used only to provide the feature you chose;
- it is shared only with the people you choose (check-ins) or no one (Bridges);
- it is never used for advertising, sold, or sent to AI services;
- you can delete it at any time.
CloseOnes is not a health care provider, and we do not monitor check-ins or respond to them. See Sections 3 and 4 of our Terms of Use. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (US) or call 911.
Consumer health data. Mood check-ins are consumer health data under Washington's My Health My Data Act and similar laws in Nevada and Connecticut. Our separate Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy explains what we collect, why, who receives it, and your rights. We ask for your separate, explicit consent before your first mood check-in, and you can withdraw it at any time in the App.
6. How we protect information
- Where it's stored: Google Firebase (Cloud Firestore), in Google's United States multi-region (nam5).
- Encryption: Google encrypts data in transit (on its way between your phone and Google) and at rest (while stored).
- Access rules: Our database security rules limit each piece of data to the people who should see it. For example, only you can read your Bridges, and only you can change your own profile. We test these rules automatically before changing them.
- Who can access the systems: Administrative access to our Firebase project is limited to the founder, using an account protected by two-step verification. No one else has access.
- Secrets: Service passwords and keys are kept out of the App.
No system is perfectly secure. We cannot guarantee that information will never be accessed, disclosed, changed, or destroyed by a breach of our safeguards. If a breach affects your personal information, we will notify you and authorities as required by law.
7. Your choices and rights
- See and edit your profile in the App at any time.
- Delete any Bridge, or your whole account, in the App.
- Turn off notifications and reminders in the App or your phone's settings.
- Ask us for a copy of your information, to correct it, or to delete it by emailing thecircleroottechllc@gmail.com. We will verify the request comes from the account owner (for example, by text code to your number) and respond within 30 days, or as required by law.
State privacy rights. Depending on where you live (for example, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah, and other states), you may have the right to know, access, correct, delete, and receive a copy of your personal information, and to opt out of the sale or "sharing" of personal information or targeted advertising. We do not sell or share personal information for targeted advertising. You can use these rights by emailing us. We will not discriminate against you for using them. You may use an authorized agent where the law allows. Even where these laws don't yet apply to a company of our size, we honor these requests for everyone.
8. Children
CloseOnes is only for adults 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If we learn we have, we will delete it. If you believe a child is using CloseOnes, contact us.
9. International users
CloseOnes is operated from the United States and is offered only in the United States. Your information is stored and processed in the United States. The App is not directed to anyone outside the United States.
10. Changes to this Policy
If we make a material change, we will ask you to review and accept the updated Policy in the App before you continue. The effective date and version above show which Policy is current.
11. How Bridges privacy works, in plain terms
- Bridges entries live in a part of the database only you can open. Other users, including the people you write about, cannot read them, list them, or learn they exist.
- The person you add is never notified, even if they use CloseOnes.
- Bridges reminders never show a name on your lock screen.
- Deleting a Bridge, or your account, erases it right away.
12. Contact us
CircleRootTech LLC
Email: thecircleroottechllc@gmail.com
Mailing address: 7533 S Center View Ct, Ste N, West Jordan, UT 84084, USA
Website: https://maribella83.github.io/closeness-website/