Elsa Privacy Policy
Effective Date: May 13, 2026
Last Updated: May 13, 2026
Elsa ("we," "us," "our") makes a social nightlife app for iPhone. This policy explains what we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have.
If anything below is unclear, email us at privacy@whereiselsa.com.
1. What We Collect
We only collect data you give us or that the app needs to work.
Information you provide
- Name — for your profile and so friends recognize you.
- Email address — for sign-in and important account notifications.
- Phone number — for sign-in (one-time SMS code) and so friends can find you on Elsa.
- Profile photo — optional. Stored as your avatar.
- Plans you create— venue, time, who's invited, your RSVP.
Information collected automatically
- Precise location — only while the app is in use, and only if you grant permission. Used to show you on the map and surface nearby venues and friends. You can revoke this in iOS Settings at any time.
- Contacts — only if you grant permission. Phone numbers from your address book are sent to our servers, hashed, and matched against existing Elsa users so we can suggest friends. We do not store your contacts after matching.
- App usage— screens viewed, taps, and feature interactions, so we can understand what works and fix what doesn't.
- Device identifiers — a unique anonymous ID generated for your install, used to attribute analytics events to your account after you sign in. We do not use the iOS Advertising Identifier (IDFA).
- Crash and performance data — to diagnose problems.
What we don't collect
- We don't track you across other companies' apps or websites.
- We don't sell your personal information.
- We don't show ads.
- We don't access your camera roll, microphone, or health data.
2. How We Use Your Information
- To run the app: sign you in, show your plans and friends, place you on the map.
- To match you with friends: comparing hashed phone numbers from your contacts against other users.
- To send notifications: RSVPs, plan updates, friend activity. You can disable these in iOS Settings.
- To improve Elsa: aggregated analytics so we can see which features matter and which to remove.
- To keep Elsa safe: investigating reports of abuse and enforcing our Community Guidelines.
3. Who We Share It With
We share data only with the third parties below, and only to operate the app:
| Service | What they receive | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mixpanel | App events, your user ID, name, email | Product analytics and customer support lookups. Mixpanel acts as our data processor and is contractually prohibited from using this data for its own purposes, for advertising, or for resale. |
| Mapbox | Coarse location during map use | Render maps |
| Stripe | Payment details (only if you pay for something) | Process payments |
| Apple Push Notification Service | Push tokens, notification content | Deliver notifications |
| Cloud hosting providers | All app data, encrypted in transit and at rest | Run our backend |
We do not sell your information to anyone. We do not share your information with advertisers.
We may disclose information if required by law (subpoena, court order) or to protect the safety of users.
4. How Long We Keep It
- Account data — until you delete your account.
- Plans and messages — retained while your account is active.
- Contact match data — discarded immediately after matching.
- Analytics — up to 24 months, then aggregated and anonymized.
- Backups — purged within 30 days of deletion.
5. Your Rights
You can:
- Access your data — request a copy by emailing privacy@whereiselsa.com.
- Correct your data — edit your name, email, phone, or photo in the app at any time.
- Delete your account — go to Settings → Delete Account. This permanently removes your profile, plans, and personal data within 30 days. Some records may be retained longer where required by law.
- Revoke permissions — Location, Contacts, and Notifications can be revoked in iOS Settings → Elsa.
- Opt out of analytics — go to Settings → Privacy → Disable Analytics.
If you're in the EU/UK, you also have rights under GDPR including data portability and the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.
If you're in California, you have rights under CCPA including the right to know, delete, and not be discriminated against for exercising your rights. We do not sell personal information.
6. Children
Elsa is not intended for users under 17. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 17. If you believe a child has provided information to us, email privacy@whereiselsa.com and we'll delete it.
7. Security
We use industry-standard encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your data and will notify you if a breach affects you, as required by law.
8. International Users
Elsa is operated from the United States. If you use the app from outside the U.S., your data is transferred to and stored in the U.S. By using Elsa, you consent to this transfer.
9. Changes to This Policy
We'll update this page when our practices change. If the changes are material, we'll notify you in the app or by email before they take effect. The "Last Updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision.
10. Contact Us
Questions, requests, or concerns:
Email: privacy@whereiselsa.com
Mail: Maxwell Social, Inc., 135 Watts Street, New York, NY 10013