Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 16, 2026

The short version: we collect the minimum needed to run a verified campus community, we show other users only your first name and last initial, we never sell your data, payments are handled by Stripe so we never see your card, and you can ask us to delete your account and data.

1. Who we are

UniConnect is a platform that connects verified university students and professors for buying, selling, and ridesharing. We are a connector, not a merchant — the data we handle exists to run the venue, not to profile you.

2. What we collect

Account information: your name, university email address, university, residence hall (optional), and password hash — or your Microsoft (university) sign-in identity if you use single sign-on.
Content you create: listings, ride posts, messages, reviews, reports, and photos you upload.
Transaction records: what was booked or sold, amounts, and Stripe payment identifiers. We never receive or store your card number — card entry happens entirely on Stripe's systems.
Technical basics: IP address and device/browser information used for security, rate limiting, and abuse prevention.

3. How we use it

To verify that you are a current student or professor at a supported university;
To operate the marketplace, rideshare, messaging, and payment features;
To enforce our Terms and Community Guidelines (including automated screening of listings and messages for prohibited items and contact-information sharing);
To keep the Platform safe — fraud prevention, rate limiting, moderation of reports;
To send essential service emails (verification, receipts, safety notices). No marketing spam.

4. What other users see

Your first name and last initial only (e.g., “Alex S.”) — never your full last name;
Your university, optional residence hall, optional bio and photo, your listings/rides, and your ratings;
Never your email address or any contact information. Sharing contact details through the Platform is prohibited and automatically filtered.

5. Who we share data with

We do not sell or rent your personal information. Data is shared only with:

Stripe — to process payments and driver payouts (subject to Stripe's privacy policy);
Supabase — our database and authentication infrastructure;
Vercel — our hosting provider;
Microsoft — if you sign in with your university Microsoft account;
Law enforcement or the university, if required by law or to address a serious safety threat.

6. Data retention and deletion

Account data is kept while your account is active.
You can request deletion of your account and personal data; we will delete or anonymize it except where we must keep records (e.g., payment records, enforcement history for banned users).
Enforcement records may be retained to prevent banned users from returning — this is a legitimate safety interest.

7. Security

We use encrypted connections (HTTPS) everywhere, store credentials with industry-standard hashing, scope database access with row-level security, and keep payment credentials entirely with Stripe. No system is perfect; if we learn of a breach affecting your data we will notify you promptly.

8. Cookies, analytics, and consent

We always use essential cookies — the session cookies that keep you signed in. With your consent (via the cookie banner), we also collect usage analytics: which pages are visited, referral source, coarse location (country/region from the network — we store a one-way hash of your IP, never the raw address), and conversion events like sign-ups.

Accepting cookies lets us analyze this activity to shape our marketplace, ads, and marketing — for example, understanding which campuses and regions to focus on and how to improve the product. You can decline analytics cookies and still use UniConnect fully; declining turns off this collection. We do not sell your data, and there are no third-party advertising trackers embedded in the app.

9. Your choices

Edit your profile (name, hall, bio, photo) any time in Settings;
Block other users, or report content and accounts;
Request account deletion via Settings or the in-app report tools;
Decline optional fields — only name, university email, and password are required.

10. Changes

We will post any changes here with an updated date. Material changes will be flagged in-app.

Questions? Reach the UniConnect team through the in-app report tools or the waitlist contact on the homepage.