1. Introduction
forkd ("forkd," "we," "us," or "our") operates the forkd mobile application (the "App"), a restaurant discovery service built around local, verified reviews. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. By creating an account or using the App, you agree to the practices described here.
If you have questions about this policy, contact us at hello@getforkd.io.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Account Information
When you create a forkd account, we collect your display name, email address, password (stored in encrypted/hashed form via our authentication provider), and the zip code you provide during sign-up.
2.2 Location Information
With your permission, we collect precise GPS location from your device. We use this to:
- Show your distance to restaurants and sort results by proximity
- Detect when you're near a restaurant you've saved or reviewed, so we can suggest a check-in
- Fall back to a default city-center location if you decline to share location
Location access is foreground-only — we do not track your location when the App is closed or running in the background.
2.3 Zip Code & "Local Lens"
Your zip code is used to determine whether your reviews count as "local" for a given restaurant. This is core to forkd's Local Lens feature, which separates locally-sourced review scores from broader, tourist-inclusive averages. Your exact zip code is not displayed publicly; it is used only to calculate aggregate local-vs-overall scoring.
2.4 User Content
We collect the content you create in the App, including:
- Ratings and reviews (Taste, Ambience, Value, and "would you return" responses)
- Notes and tags you attach to restaurants
- Lists you create (Eatlists), including their names and visibility settings (Public, Private, Shared)
- Photos you upload, if and when that feature is available
- Your @handle and any profile information you choose to add
2.5 Social & Activity Information
If you follow other users or are followed, we store that relationship (the "follow graph") and use it to power the Activity feed and friend-based recommendations (e.g., "Taste Twins"). Depending on your privacy settings, other users may be able to see your reviews, lists, and activity.
2.6 Usage & Device Information
We automatically collect certain technical information, such as device type, operating system, app version, crash logs, and general usage patterns (e.g., which screens you visit), to help us fix bugs and improve the App.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information described above to:
- Operate and personalize the App (feeds, recommendations, distance sorting, taste matching)
- Calculate and display Local Lens scores
- Enable check-ins and location-based suggestions
- Facilitate the social features (follows, activity feed, invites)
- Communicate with you (account confirmation, password resets, product updates, support)
- Maintain the integrity of reviews (detecting fake accounts, spam, or manipulated ratings)
- Diagnose technical problems and improve app performance
- Comply with legal obligations
4. How We Share Information
We do not sell your personal information, and we never accept payment to alter, suppress, or reorder reviews. We share information only in the following circumstances:
- Service providers: companies that host our infrastructure and provide core functionality (for example, our database and authentication provider, our email delivery provider, and mapping/places data providers), bound by confidentiality and data-processing obligations
- Other users: content you mark Public (reviews, public Eatlists, profile handle) is visible to other users or, where applicable, the public; content marked Private or Shared is limited to the audience you choose
- Legal & safety: if required by law, subpoena, or legal process, or if necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of forkd, our users, or the public
- Business transfers: if forkd is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, user information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Policy
5. Your Choices & Rights
You can:
- Edit or delete your reviews, notes, and lists at any time within the App
- Control the visibility of your Eatlists (Public / Private / Shared) and, where offered, your default review visibility
- Revoke location permission at any time in your device settings; the App will fall back to a default location
- Delete your account from Settings → Delete Account. Deleting your account deactivates it immediately, signs you out, and schedules your content for removal from other users' views. Some information may be retained as described in Section 6.
Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under applicable law — for example, the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you, the right to request deletion, and the right to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information (forkd does not sell personal information as defined under these laws). To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@getforkd.io.
6. Data Retention
We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the App. When you delete your account, we deactivate it immediately and remove your content from other users' views; some data may be retained for a limited period afterward for fraud prevention, legal compliance, dispute resolution, or backup purposes, after which it is deleted or fully anonymized.
7. Data Security
We use reasonable technical and organizational safeguards to protect your information, including encrypted network transport, row-level access controls on our database, and restricted access to production systems and API keys. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. No security system is impenetrable, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information. In the event of a data breach that affects your rights, we will notify affected users as required by applicable law.
8. Children's Privacy
The App is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected information from a child under 13, we will delete it promptly. Contact hello@getforkd.io if you believe a child has provided us with information.
9. International Users
Your information is stored and processed in the United States. If you are located outside the United States, your information will be transferred to and processed in the U.S., which may have different privacy protections than your home country.
forkd does not currently direct the App to European Union or United Kingdom users. If this changes, we will update this Policy to describe the legal bases on which we process personal information and the additional rights available to EU/UK residents before accepting registrations from those regions.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you through the App or by email before the changes take effect. Continued use of the App after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.
11. Contact Us
forkd
Email: hello@getforkd.io
Website: getforkd.io