Privacy Policy for Topiqal

Last Updated: October 2026

Introduction

Topiqal ("we," "our," or "us") operates the Topiqal mobile app. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use the Topiqal mobile application (the "App").

By using Topiqal, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

Contact Information

For privacy-related questions or requests, contact us at:

• Email: support@topiqal.io
• Location: United States

Information We Collect

Information You Provide

When you use Topiqal, we collect:

• Account Information: Email address, password (or Google/Apple Sign-In), your @handle, and optionally your name
• Profile Information: User-submitted topics (and any link you add to a topic), ratings (3-level interest scale), topic categories you select, and topics you choose to feature on your profile
• Network Information: Connection requests you send/receive, accepted connections, and people you block
• Sharing: Private topics you share with specific connections, and connections you tag on topics
• Reports: Reports you submit about topics or people, including the reason and any details you add
• Invite and Referral Codes: Codes you generate or use, and share links you open

Contact Information (Optional)

With your permission, we access your device contacts to help you find friends who are already on Topiqal:

• How it works: You grant permission, we read email addresses from your contacts, check which ones match Topiqal users, and show you those matches
• What we DON'T do: We do NOT store, upload, or save your contact list to our servers
• Privacy-first: Contact matching happens by sending only email addresses (not names, phone numbers, or other contact data) to check for matches
• Your control: You can revoke contacts permission at any time in your device Settings

Topic Links

When you add a link to a topic (for example, a book or article), our server visits that page once to get its title, description, and preview image, and stores a copy of them with the topic. People viewing your topic see this stored preview; their devices don't contact the linked site unless they tap the link.

Google Sign-In

When you choose to sign in with Google:

• What Google Shares: We receive your email address and name from Google
• What We Don't Get: We do NOT receive your Google password or access to your Google account
• How It Works: Google handles the authentication securely, and we only receive a token to verify your identity
• Third-Party Service: Your use of Google Sign-In is subject to Google's Privacy Policy

Apple Sign-In

When you choose to sign in with Apple:

• What Apple Shares: We receive your email address (or Apple's private relay email if you choose to hide it) and, if you choose to share it, your name. Your name is optional in Topiqal.
• What We Don't Get: We do NOT receive your Apple password or access to your Apple account
• How It Works: Apple handles the authentication securely, and we only receive a token to verify your identity
• Third-Party Service: Your use of Apple Sign-In is subject to Apple's Privacy Policy

Information Collected Automatically

• Push Notification Tokens: We collect device tokens to send you notifications about connection requests, accepted connections, topics shared with you or that you're tagged in, and shared interests. A device token is linked to the account most recently signed in on that device. You can disable notifications in your device settings at any time.

We do not collect analytics, browsing behavior, or location data.

Future Features

If we implement phone number authentication in the future, we will collect phone numbers (stored securely by our authentication provider). We will update this Privacy Policy before implementing this feature.

Who Can See Your Information

• Your @handle and profile (including topics you feature) are visible to other users and on your public profile page.
• Your name is visible only to you and your connections, unless you turn on "Show my name to everyone" in your Profile.
• Public topics can be viewed by anyone, including on the web through share links. Web pages show the topic and how many people rated it at each level, not who rated it or who wrote it.
• Private topics are visible only to you and the connections you share them with.
• Your ratings are visible to you, to the author of the topic, and to your connections. Everyone else sees only totals.
• Blocks and reports are never shown to the person you block or report.

How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide and maintain the App
• Create and manage your account
• Show you topics from your network connections
• Calculate topic ratings for your network and globally
• Process connection requests between users
• Show you topics in Discover, including popular topics from the community
• Send you push notifications about connection requests, accepted connections, topics shared with you, and shared interests
• Show link previews on topics
• Review reports, enforce our Terms of Service, and keep the community safe (including acting on blocks)

We do not use your information for:

• Advertising or marketing
• Selling to third parties
• Tracking across other websites or apps

Data Storage and Security

• Your data is stored on Supabase servers located in the United States
• Supabase uses industry-standard security measures including encryption at rest and in transit
• We implement Row Level Security (RLS) to ensure users can only access data they're authorized to see
• Passwords are hashed and never stored in plain text

Despite our efforts, no internet transmission is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties, except:

• Supabase: Our backend service provider (acting as a data processor)
• Expo: Delivers push notifications to your device (acting as a data processor)
• Resend: Delivers report emails to our support team (acting as a data processor). Report emails include the reported content and the handles involved
• Vercel: Hosts topiqal.io, including public topic and profile pages
• Legal Requirements: If required by law, regulation, or legal process
• Safety: To protect the rights, property, or safety of Topiqal, our users, or others

We will never share your data for advertising or marketing purposes.

Your Rights and Choices

You have the right to:

Access Your Data

Request a copy of your data by contacting us at support@topiqal.io

Correct Your Data

Edit your profile name in the app's Profile tab

Delete Your Data

You can permanently delete your account at any time in the app under Profile → Delete Account. This immediately deletes your account, profile, topics, ratings, connections, blocks, collections, and invite codes. This cannot be undone.

You can also request deletion by contacting us at support@topiqal.io.

Control Push Notifications

You can disable push notifications at any time in your device Settings or by revoking notification permissions for Topiqal.

Children's Privacy

Topiqal is not intended for users under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If we discover we have collected data from a child under 13, we will delete it immediately.

If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@topiqal.io.

Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, your data is deleted from our database immediately. Residual copies may remain in our service provider's backups for a limited time before being overwritten.

Reports are kept as moderation and safety records, including a copy of the reported content at the time it was reported. If you delete your account, reports you made are kept without your identity.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted in the app and on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

For material changes, we will provide additional notice (such as an in-app notification).

Third-Party Services

Topiqal uses the following third-party services:

• Supabase (backend and authentication): Supabase Privacy Policy
• Expo (app development platform and push notifications): Expo Privacy Policy
• Resend (email delivery for reports): Resend Privacy Policy
• Vercel (website hosting): Vercel Privacy Policy
• Google (authentication provider, when using Google Sign-In): Google Privacy Policy
• Apple (authentication provider, when using Sign in with Apple): Apple Privacy Policy

These services have their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review them.

California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to know what personal information we collect
• Right to delete personal information (see "Delete Your Data" above)
• Right to opt-out of sale of personal information (we do not sell your information)

To exercise these rights, contact us at support@topiqal.io.

International Users

Topiqal is operated in the United States. If you access the app from outside the US, your information will be transferred to and stored in the US, which may have different data protection laws than your country.

Your Consent

By using Topiqal, you consent to this Privacy Policy.

Questions? Contact us at support@topiqal.io