Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) describes how Equiti Ventures LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, doing business as BayKaar (“BayKaar,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), collects, uses, shares, and protects personal information obtained through the BayKaar website located at baykaar.ai, the BayKaar mobile application for iOS and Android (the “App”), and any related applications, services, or platforms (collectively, the “Service”). By accessing or using the Service, you (“User,” “you,” or “your”) consent to the practices described in this Policy. If you do not agree with this Policy, you must discontinue use of the Service immediately.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with applicable data protection laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) where applicable, and other relevant federal and state privacy regulations.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you register, create a profile, or use the Service, we may collect:

• Account Information: Name, email address, password, display name, and profile photograph.
• Profile Information: Professional headline, biography, professional status, location (city, state, country), date of birth, LinkedIn URL, website URL, GitHub URL, phone number, and professional history (titles, companies, industries, years of experience).
• Profile Photos: Images you upload as your profile avatar, which are stored in our cloud storage infrastructure.
• Content You Create: Discussion posts, forum threads, circle messages, event details, calendar entries, important dates, agent configurations, direct messages, and any other content you voluntarily submit to the Service.
• Watercooler Data: Location check-ins (place name, address, and geographic coordinates), hangout listings, activity proposals, social posts and replies, warm introduction requests and responses, and saved places.
• Wisdom Exchange Data: Offerings, requests, session details, reviews, and ratings related to knowledge-sharing sessions with other members.
• Busy Minds Data: Trivia quiz answers, game progress (Sudoku, crossword, word search), puzzle completion data, scores, streaks, and leaderboard rankings.
• Imported Data: Contact information imported from LinkedIn CSV exports, vCard (.vcf) files, or other sources, which may include names, email addresses, phone numbers, birthdays, company names, and job titles of your contacts.
• Communication Data: Direct messages between members, group messages in circles, feedback, support inquiries, and other communications you send through the Service.
• Payment Information: If and when subscription services are offered, billing information may be collected and processed by our third-party payment processor (e.g., Stripe). We do not directly store credit card numbers.

2.2 Information Collected Through Third-Party Authentication

When you sign in using third-party authentication providers (e.g., Google, LinkedIn, Slack), we receive certain profile information from these providers, which may include your name, email address, profile picture, and other publicly available profile data. The information we receive depends on the provider's policies and your privacy settings with that provider.

2.3 Information Collected Automatically

We automatically collect certain information when you use the Service:

• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, interactions with content, search queries, timestamps, and session duration.
• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, device identifiers, device model, app version, IP address, and screen resolution.
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies, local storage, and similar technologies for authentication, preferences, and analytics. See Section 9 for more details.
• Log Data: Server logs that record requests made to our servers, including IP addresses, request timestamps, and referrer URLs.
• Mobile-Specific Data: When using the mobile App, we may collect device identifiers, push notification tokens, app crash data, and performance metrics.

2.4 Precise Geolocation Data

With your explicit permission, we collect precise geolocation data (GPS coordinates) from your device. This data is used for:

• Watercooler Check-ins: Recording your location when you check in to a place, finding nearby hangouts, activities, and other members.
• Event Discovery: Showing nearby events and community activities.
• Member Discovery: Helping you find and connect with nearby community members (subject to their privacy settings).

You may revoke location permissions at any time through your device settings. Revoking location access will limit certain features of the Service but will not affect core functionality. We do not track your location in the background; location data is collected only when you actively use location-based features.

2.5 Information From Third-Party Sources

We may receive information from third-party sources, including:

• Public profile data from LinkedIn or other professional networking platforms when you choose to import your profile.
• News articles and industry content from public RSS feeds and news aggregators, curated for community relevance.
• Job opportunity listings from public job search APIs and career platforms.
• External event listings from public event APIs and community calendars.
• Book information from public book databases for book club features.
• Analytics data from third-party analytics providers.

3. Use of Artificial Intelligence

BayKaar utilizes artificial intelligence (“AI”) technologies, including large language models provided by third-party AI providers (including but not limited to Anthropic and OpenAI), throughout the Service. By using the Service, you acknowledge and consent to the use of AI in connection with your data. Specifically:

• Content Moderation: AI may be used to evaluate user-generated content for appropriateness, quality, and compliance with community guidelines.
• Summarization and Analysis: AI may summarize discussions, generate content recommendations, and analyze text to extract insights.
• Job Matching and Recommendations: AI analyzes job opportunities to classify seniority levels, role types, and quality scores, and matches them against your profile information to provide personalized recommendations.
• Profile Assistance: AI may assist in generating professional headlines, biographies, and other profile content based on information you provide.
• AI Agents: You may create and interact with AI-powered agents that perform tasks such as research, writing, and news analysis on your behalf.
• AI Assistant: The BayKaar Assistant uses AI to answer questions, perform web searches, and synthesize information.
• Wisdom Exchange Matching: AI may be used to match knowledge seekers with knowledge providers based on skills, interests, and expertise areas.
• Trivia and Educational Content: AI may generate or assist in curating trivia questions, discussion prompts, and educational content for the Busy Minds features.
• Watercooler Features: AI may generate warm introduction suggestions, match activity participants, and provide conversation prompts.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS REGARDING AI:

• AI-generated content, recommendations, and analyses are provided “as is” and may contain errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or biased outputs. BayKaar and Equiti Ventures LLC make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of AI-generated outputs.
• AI-generated job recommendations, career advice, and professional suggestions do not constitute professional career counseling, financial advice, legal advice, or any other form of professional advice.
• You are solely responsible for independently verifying any AI-generated content, recommendations, or analyses before relying on or acting upon them.
• Your data may be processed by third-party AI providers (such as Anthropic and OpenAI) in accordance with their respective privacy policies and terms of service. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these providers.
• BayKaar and Equiti Ventures LLC shall not be held liable for any decisions, actions, or outcomes arising from your reliance on AI-generated content or recommendations.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To provide, maintain, and improve the Service, including the web application and mobile App.
• To create and manage your account.
• To personalize your experience, including content recommendations, job matching, event suggestions, and member suggestions.
• To facilitate community interactions, including discussions, circles, events, connections, direct messages, and Watercooler features.
• To power location-based features, including Watercooler check-ins, nearby hangout and activity discovery, and warm introductions.
• To facilitate the Wisdom Exchange, including matching knowledge seekers with providers, scheduling sessions, and processing reviews.
• To operate Busy Minds features, including trivia quizzes, puzzles, book club discussions, and leaderboards.
• To process AI-powered features as described in Section 3.
• To send transactional communications (e.g., account verification, password resets, invitation notifications, connection requests).
• To send push notifications on mobile devices (with your consent) for messages, connection requests, event reminders, and community activity.
• To send promotional communications (with your consent, where required by law).
• To moderate content and enforce our Terms of Service and community guidelines.
• To detect, prevent, and address technical issues, fraud, and security threats.
• To comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests from public authorities.
• To analyze usage patterns and improve the Service through aggregated and anonymized data.
• To facilitate gamification features, including reputation points, badges, streaks, leaderboards, and membership tiers.
• To manage important date reminders and calendar integrations.

5. How We Share Your Information

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• With Other Users: Your profile information, discussion posts, and other content you make public or share within circles is visible to other members of the Service. You control the visibility of your content through your privacy settings.
• Watercooler Visibility: When you check in to a location via the Watercooler, your check-in information (place name, general area) may be visible to other nearby members or the broader community based on the visibility setting you choose (public, connections only, or private). Hangout listings and activity proposals you create are visible to other members as configured.
• Wisdom Exchange: When you create offerings or requests on the Wisdom Exchange, certain profile information and offering/request details are visible to other members to facilitate matching and session scheduling.
• With Service Providers: We share information with third-party service providers that assist in operating the Service, including cloud hosting (Vercel, Supabase), AI providers (Anthropic, OpenAI), email services (Resend), payment processing (Stripe), file storage (Supabase Storage), and analytics providers.
• With AI Providers: As described in Section 3, your content may be processed by third-party AI providers for the purpose of delivering AI-powered features. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data.
• For Legal Compliance: We may disclose information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.
• In Business Transfers: If Equiti Ventures LLC or BayKaar is involved in a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change.
• With Your Consent: We may share your information with third parties when you provide explicit consent to do so.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We do not share your personal information for third-party advertising purposes.

6. User-Generated Content and Imported Data

You are solely responsible for any content you post, upload, import, or otherwise make available through the Service, including but not limited to profile information, discussion posts, forum threads, circle messages, direct messages, Watercooler check-ins, Watercooler posts, hangout listings, activity proposals, Wisdom Exchange offerings and reviews, imported contacts, and any other user-generated content (“User Content”).

• You represent and warrant that you have all necessary rights and permissions to share any data you upload or import, including contact information of third parties.
• When importing contacts (from LinkedIn CSV, vCard files, or other sources), you represent that you have the legal right to share this information and that such sharing complies with all applicable laws and the privacy expectations of the individuals whose data is being imported.
• BayKaar and Equiti Ventures LLC are not responsible for the accuracy, legality, or appropriateness of any User Content.
• User Content may be moderated by AI and/or human moderators. Content that violates our community guidelines may be removed or restricted without notice.
• You acknowledge that User Content shared publicly or within circles may be viewed, copied, or shared by other users, and BayKaar cannot control how other users may use content you make available.
• Photos and images you upload (including profile avatars) are stored on our cloud infrastructure and may be cached by content delivery networks for performance purposes.

7. Third-Party Content and External Links

The Service aggregates and displays content from third-party sources to enhance the community experience. This includes:

• News Articles: Headlines, summaries, and links to news articles sourced from public RSS feeds and news aggregators. BayKaar does not host or republish the full text of third-party articles; we provide links to original sources.
• Job Listings: Job opportunity listings sourced from third-party APIs and public job boards. We do not verify, endorse, or guarantee the accuracy, legitimacy, or availability of any job listing.
• External Events: Event listings sourced from public event APIs and community calendars. We do not control or endorse third-party events.
• Book Recommendations: Book information sourced from public book databases for the Book Club feature.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, accuracy, or availability of any third-party websites, services, or resources linked from the Service. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services before interacting with them. Clicking a link to a third-party website or service is at your own risk.

8. Data Retention

8.1 Retention During Active Membership

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. Specifically:

• Account and profile data are retained for the duration of your membership.
• User-generated content (posts, threads, messages, check-ins) is retained for the duration of your membership.
• Direct messages are retained for the duration of both participants' accounts.
• Watercooler check-in data is retained for the duration of your membership.
• Wisdom Exchange session data and reviews are retained for the duration of both participants' accounts.
• Game and trivia data (scores, streaks, puzzle progress) is retained for the duration of your membership.
• Job opportunity data is retained for up to 14 days and then automatically purged.
• AI interaction logs (usage, token counts, costs) are retained for up to 12 months for service improvement and billing purposes.
• Audit logs and moderation records are retained for up to 24 months for compliance and safety purposes.
• Profile photos are retained until replaced or deleted by the user, or upon account deletion.
• Push notification tokens are retained while your account is active and deleted upon account deletion or when you revoke notification permissions.
• We may retain certain aggregated or anonymized data indefinitely for analytics and service improvement.

8.2 Retention Following Account Deletion

You have the right to delete your account at any time through the Settings section of the Service or by contacting us at privacy@baykaar.ai. Upon account deletion:

• Your profile will be immediately deactivated and removed from public view.
• Your personal data will be retained in a secure, archived state for a period of up to twelve (12) months following deletion. During this period, your data will not be publicly accessible, will not be used for marketing purposes, and will not be shared with third parties except as required by law. This retention is necessary for:
  • Compliance with applicable legal and regulatory obligations
  • Fraud prevention, security enforcement, and ban-evasion detection
  • Resolution of disputes, claims, or legal proceedings
  • Responding to valid legal process, subpoenas, or law enforcement requests
  • Maintaining audit trails for content moderation and platform safety
• After the twelve (12) month retention period, your personal data will be permanently and irreversibly deleted from all of our systems, databases, and backups.
• You may request expedited deletion prior to the expiration of the retention period by contacting privacy@baykaar.ai. We will evaluate such requests in accordance with applicable law and may not be able to fulfill them where retention is required for legal compliance, fraud prevention, or pending disputes.

8.3 Exceptions to Deletion

The following data may persist after permanent deletion:

• Anonymized Community Content: Content you contributed to community discussions, forum threads, and circles may be retained in anonymized or de-identified form (with your name and identifying information removed) to preserve the integrity of community conversations.
• Aggregated Data: Data that has been aggregated or anonymized such that it can no longer reasonably identify you may be retained indefinitely for analytics and service improvement.
• Legal Holds: Data subject to an active legal hold, litigation preservation obligation, or pending legal proceeding may be retained beyond the standard retention period until the matter is resolved.

9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use the following types of cookies and similar technologies:

• Essential Cookies: Required for authentication and session management. These cannot be disabled without impairing the functionality of the Service.
• Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences and settings.
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the Service so we can improve it.

The mobile App uses secure local storage (iOS Keychain / Android Keystore) to store authentication tokens. The App does not use advertising trackers or third-party analytics SDKs that track you across other apps.

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies may prevent you from using the Service.

10. Data Security

We implement industry-standard technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit (TLS/HTTPS) and at rest.
• Row-Level Security (RLS) policies in our database to ensure users can only access their own data.
• JWT-based authentication with secure, HTTP-only session cookies (web) and encrypted secure storage (mobile).
• Rate limiting to prevent abuse.
• Secure file storage with access controls for uploaded files (e.g., profile photos).
• Regular security reviews and updates.

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. You acknowledge and accept this inherent risk.

11. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate personal information.
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
• Portability: Request your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
• Opt-Out: Opt out of promotional communications by following the unsubscribe instructions in those messages.
• Restrict Processing: Request that we limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
• Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.
• Location Permissions: You can revoke location access at any time through your device settings.
• Push Notifications: You can disable push notifications through your device settings or the App's notification preferences.
• Camera and Photo Library: You can revoke camera and photo library permissions through your device settings at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@baykaar.ai. We will respond to your request within 30 days (or such shorter period as required by applicable law).

Account Deletion

You have the right to delete your account at any time using the account deletion feature in Settings, or by contacting privacy@baykaar.ai. Upon deletion, your profile is immediately deactivated and removed from public view. Personal data is retained in a secure, archived state for up to twelve (12) months for legal compliance, fraud prevention, and dispute resolution purposes, after which it is permanently deleted. See Section 8.2 for full details. You may request expedited deletion by contacting us directly.

California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the CCPA and CPRA, including the right to know what personal information we collect, the categories of sources from which it is collected, the business purpose for collecting it, the categories of third parties with whom we share it, and the right to opt out of the sale of your personal information. As stated above, we do not sell your personal information.

Right to Delete: You have the right to request deletion of your personal information. You may exercise this right through the in-app account deletion feature or by contacting us at privacy@baykaar.ai. Pursuant to CCPA §1798.105(d) and CPRA regulations, we may retain personal information as necessary to: (i) complete the transaction for which it was collected; (ii) detect security incidents or protect against fraudulent or illegal activity; (iii) exercise or defend legal claims; (iv) comply with a legal obligation; or (v) otherwise use your personal information internally in a lawful manner compatible with the context in which you provided it. Our twelve (12) month post-deletion retention period is maintained for these purposes. After the retention period, your data is permanently deleted.

European Economic Area (GDPR)

If you are located in the EEA, our legal basis for processing your personal information includes your consent, the performance of a contract (providing the Service), our legitimate interests (improving the Service, preventing fraud), and compliance with legal obligations. You have the right to withdraw consent at any time, lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority, and request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal data.

Right to Erasure (Article 17): You may request erasure of your personal data at any time. Upon account deletion, we retain your data for up to twelve (12) months based on the following lawful grounds under GDPR Article 17(3): (a) compliance with a legal obligation under EU or Member State law; (b) establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims; and (c) reasons of public interest. You may contact us at privacy@baykaar.ai to request expedited erasure, and we will evaluate your request in accordance with Article 17 and applicable supervisory guidance.

12. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@baykaar.ai.

13. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States or other countries where our service providers operate. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from those in your jurisdiction. By using the Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and other countries as described in this Policy. Where required by law, we implement appropriate safeguards (such as Standard Contractual Clauses) to protect your data during international transfers.

14. Mobile Application Privacy

In addition to the data practices described above, the following apply specifically to the mobile App:

• Device Permissions: The App may request access to your camera (for profile photos), photo library (for profile photos), location services (for Watercooler features), and push notifications. Each permission is requested separately and can be revoked through your device settings at any time.
• Local Storage: Authentication tokens are stored securely using the iOS Keychain or Android Keystore. No sensitive data is stored in unencrypted local storage.
• Background Activity: The App does not access your location, camera, microphone, or other device sensors in the background.
• App Analytics: We may collect crash reports and performance data to improve the App experience. This data does not include your personal content.
• App Store Data: Your download and purchase history with the App is subject to Apple's and Google's respective privacy policies.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated Policy on the Service, updating the “Last Updated” date, and where required, sending a notification via email or the App. Your continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Policy.

16. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at: