Privacy Policy

Your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your information when you use themerlinproject.io or any associated mobile application.

1. Who We Are

The Merlin Project is operated by TMP4Cats LLC, an Ohio limited liability company. This policy applies to all information collected through themerlinproject.io and any associated mobile application.

2. Information We Collect

Account Information:

• First and last name
• Email address
• Password (stored as a one-way hash — we never store your plain-text password)

Profile and Location:

• City, street, block, and neighborhood as entered in your profile
• Latitude and longitude derived from your registered address for proximity features

User-Submitted Content:

• Cat profiles including names, descriptions, photos, and characteristics
• Community board posts (lost, found, injured, or roaming cats)
• Colony cat sightings
• Messages sent through the platform

Optional Contact Information:

• Phone number (stored privately, never publicly displayed)

Subscription and Payment:

• Payments are processed by Stripe — we do not store your card details
• We store your Stripe customer ID and subscription status only

Technical Information:

• Session data necessary to keep you logged in
• Basic usage information to operate and improve the platform

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Create and manage your account
• Display cat profiles and community reports
• Sort and surface content by proximity to your location
• Enable private messaging between users
• Process payments for optional subscription tiers
• Send transactional emails including account verification, new message notifications, and board post follow-up reminders
• Send periodic account check-in emails approximately every 90 days
• Monitor and prevent misuse or abuse of the platform
• Comply with applicable legal obligations

4. Location Data

• Your registered address is used for proximity-based sorting of community content
• Precise location coordinates are not shared with other users
• General location (such as neighborhood or street) is visible in profiles and posts only as you choose to enter it
• GPS location, when used for map features, is accessed only in the moment and is not stored on our servers

5. How Messaging Works

Merlin uses a private in-platform messaging system so users can communicate without exposing personal contact details.

• Email addresses and phone numbers are never publicly displayed
• Messages are delivered through our system without sharing your contact details with the other party
• Phone numbers are only visible to authenticated users in cases where the poster has explicitly enabled contact sharing

6. Automated Emails

We send the following types of emails:

• Account verification emails when you register or change your email
• New message notifications when another user contacts you through the platform
• Board post follow-up reminders at 7 and 30 days after posting
• Periodic account check-in emails approximately every 90 days

Transactional emails are essential to the operation of the platform and cannot be opted out of while you maintain an active account.

7. Sharing of Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information.

We may share information only in the following cases:

• With service providers who help us operate the platform, who are contractually required to protect your data
• To comply with applicable law or a valid legal process
• To protect the safety, rights, or property of TMP4Cats LLC, our users, or the public
• In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets — in which case users will be notified

8. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate the platform:

• Supabase — database
• Render — hosting
• Stripe — payment processing
• Resend — email delivery
• Mapbox — mapping and location features
• Supabase Storage — photo storage

Each of these services has its own privacy practices. We encourage you to review their policies.

9. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, we remove your personal information within a reasonable timeframe, except where retention is required by law.

Cat profiles, board posts, and sightings you submitted may remain on the platform with your personal information removed.

10. Security

We use HTTPS, one-way password hashing, and session-based authentication to protect your information.

No system is completely secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at hello@themerlinproject.io.

11. Children's Privacy

The Merlin Project is not intended for use by anyone under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If we discover that we have collected information from a minor, we will delete it promptly.

12. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@themerlinproject.io.

13. Disclaimer of Affiliation

The Merlin Project is an independent community platform. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any local, state, or federal government entity.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy at any time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email or through an in-platform notification. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of the platform after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

15. Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

TMP4Cats LLC
hello@themerlinproject.io