Hubcap Privacy Policy

Effective: January 23, 2025

1. Introduction

Hubcap ("we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy ("Policy") describes how we collect, use, and disclose your information when you interact with us, including but not limited to information provided when you use our websites, mobile apps, widgets, and other online products and services (collectively, the "Services") or when you otherwise interact with us or receive a communication from us. We also describe the rights and choices you have regarding our use of your information.

Your use of the Services is subject to this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, please do not use our Services.

2. What Information We Collect

Information You Provide to Us. We collect information you provide to us directly when you use the Services, including:

Contact Information & Other Personal Identifiers. We receive and collect contact information or other personal identifiers you provide, such as your name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, or similar identifiers, when you create an account with us.
Content you submit. We collect and publish content you upload or embed to the Services. This includes your posts and comments, including saved drafts, your messages with other users (e.g., private messages and chats), comments and suggestions, and your reports and other communications with moderators and with us. Your content may include text, links, images, gifs, audio, videos, software, and tools.
Actions you take. We collect information about the actions you take when using the Services. This includes your interactions with the Hubcap platform and content, like voting, saving, hiding, and reporting. It also includes your interactions with other users, such as following, and blocking. We collect your interactions with communities, like your subscriptions or moderator status.
Transactional information. If you purchase products or services from us or otherwise through the Services, you will have to provide payment information in order to complete your purchase. Hubcap uses industry-standard payment processor services to handle payment information, and those services are subject to separate terms and conditions and privacy policies. We will collect information about the product or service you are purchasing (e.g., purchase dates, amounts paid or received, and expiration and renewal dates).
Other information. You may choose to provide other information directly to us. For example, we may collect information when you fill out a form, survey, participate in Hubcap-sponsored activities, promotions, or programs, apply for a job, request customer support, or otherwise communicate with us.

Information We Collect Automatically. When you access or use our Services, we may also automatically collect information about you. This includes:

Cookies. We may receive information from cookies, which are pieces of data your browser stores and sends back to us when making requests, and similar technologies. We use this information to deliver and maintain our Services, improve your experience, understand user activity, personalize content and advertisements, measure the effectiveness of advertising, and improve the quality of our Services. You can reset your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, some aspects of our Services may not function properly without cookies.
Mobile Identifiers. We may use software development kits ("SDKs") that make use of mobile advertising identifiers (i.e., IDFA on Apple mobile devices or Advertising ID on Android mobile devices), which function similarly to cookies on mobile devices. You may reset your IDFA or Advertising ID in the settings on your mobile device.
Web Beacons. Small graphic images or other web programming code called web beacons (also known as "1×1 GIFs," "one pixel GIFs," or "clear GIFs") may be included in our web pages and e-mail messages. Web beacons may be invisible to you, but any electronic image or other web programming code inserted into a web page or e-mail can act as a web beacon. Web beacons or similar technologies may be used for a number of purposes, including, without limitation, to count visitors to Hubcap, to monitor how users navigate Hubcap's Services, to make cookies more effective, and to analyze how our emails, articles, and links were opened, viewed, and used.
Log and usage data. We may log information when you access and use the Services. This may include your IP address, user-agent string, browser type, operating system, referral URLs, device information (e.g., device IDs), device settings, mobile carrier name, pages visited, links clicked, the requested URL, and search terms.
Location information. We may receive and process information about your location. We may receive location information from you when you choose to share such information on our Services, or we may derive an approximate location based on your IP address.

Information Obtained from Other Sources. We may receive information about you from other sources, including from other users and third parties, and combine that information with the other information we have about you. For example, we may receive demographic or interest information about you from third parties, including advertisers (such as the fact that an advertiser is interested in showing you an ad), and combine it with data you have provided to Hubcap, using a common account identifier such as a hash of an email address or a mobile-device ID.

Information Collected by Third Parties.

Embedded content. Hubcap displays some linked content in-line on the Services via embeds. For example, Hubcap posts that link to YouTube or X may load the linked video or tweet within Hubcap directly from those services to your device so you don't have to leave Hubcap to see it. In general, Hubcap does not control how third-party services collect data when they serve you their content directly via these embeds. As a result, embedded content is not covered by this privacy policy but by the policies of the service from which the content is embedded.
Audience measurement. We partner with service providers that perform audience measurement to learn demographic information about the population that uses Hubcap. To provide this demographic information, these companies collect cookie information to recognize your device.

3. How We Use Information

We use information about you for the following legitimate business purposes:

Provide, maintain, and improve the Services;
Personalize services, content, and features that match your activities, preferences, and settings;
Help protect the safety of Hubcap and our users, which includes blocking suspected spammers, addressing abuse, and enforcing the Terms of Use, as well as comply with applicable law;
Provide, optimize, target, and measure the effectiveness of ads shown on our Services;
Research and develop new services;
Send you technical notices, updates, security alerts, invoices, and other support and administrative messages;
Provide customer service;
Communicate with you about products, services, offers, promotions, events, and programs, and provide other news and information we think will be of interest to you (for information about how to opt out of these communications, see "Your Choices" below);
Monitor and analyze trends, usage, and activities in connection with our Services.

4. Hubcap Is a Public Platform

Much of the information on the Services is public and accessible to everyone, even without an account. By using the Services, you are knowingly sharing this information publicly and freely through the Services. When you submit content (e.g., a post, comment, or chat message) to a public part of the Services, any visitors to and users of our Services will be able to see that content, the username associated with the content, and the date and time you originally submitted the content. That content and information may also be available in search results on Internet search engines like Google. You should take the public nature of the Services into consideration before posting. We offer social sharing features that let you share content or actions you take on our Services with other media. Your use of these features enables the sharing of certain information with your friends or the public, depending on the settings you establish with the third party that provides the social sharing feature. For more information about the purpose and scope of data collection and processing in connection with social sharing features, please visit the privacy policies of the third parties that provide these social sharing features (e.g., TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and X).

Hubcap allows moderators to access Hubcap content using moderator tools. Hubcap also allows other third parties to access public Hubcap content using Hubcap's developer services.

5. How We Share Information

In addition to the information that is displayed publicly as described above, we may share information in the following ways:

With your consent. We may share information about you with your consent or at your direction. For example, if you wish to share what content you post to or embed in the Services or what content you watch or consume, you are granting Hubcap permission to share such information with third parties.
With linked services. If you link your Hubcap account with a third-party service, Hubcap will share the information you authorize with that third-party service.
With our service providers. We may share information with vendors, consultants, and other service providers who need access to such information to carry out work for us, such as: (i) payment processors who process transactions on our behalf, (ii) cloud providers who host our data and our services, (iii) third-party ad serving and measurement providers who help us and advertisers serve and measure the performance of ads shown on our Services, and (iv) compliance providers who help us determine your eligibility to participate in the Services. Their use of your personal data will be subject to appropriate confidentiality and security measures as set forth in our agreements with them.
To comply with the law. We may share information if we believe disclosure is in accordance with, or required by, any applicable law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, including, but not limited to, meeting national security or law enforcement requirements. To the extent the law allows it, we will attempt to provide you with prior notice before disclosing your information in response to such a request.
In an emergency. We may share information if we believe it's necessary to prevent imminent and serious bodily harm to a person.
To enforce our rights and promote safety and security. We may share information if we believe your actions are inconsistent with our Terms of Use, or to protect the rights, property, and safety of Hubcap, the Services, or others.
With our affiliates. We may share information between and among Hubcap and its affiliates, subsidiaries, and other companies under common control and ownership.
Aggregated or de-identified information. We may share information about you that has been aggregated or anonymized such that it cannot reasonably be used to identify you.
The above excludes text messaging originator opt-in data, mobile numbers, and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.
In Connection with Business Transactions. In the event we consider or enter into a business transaction with another party such as through a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy or insolvency, we may share user information collected under this Policy with such third parties for evaluating the transaction and if consummated, transfer ownership of such information to such other party.

6. How We Protect Your Information

We take reasonable and appropriate measures intended to protect information collected under this Policy from loss, theft, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. We also employ technical and administrative access controls to limit which of our employees have access to non-public personal information.

We store the information we collect for as long as it is necessary to satisfy the purpose(s) for which such information was collected. We may retain certain information for legitimate business purposes and/or if we believe doing so is in accordance with, or as required by, any applicable law. For example, if you violate our policies and your account is suspended or banned, we may store the identifiers used to create the account (such as an e-mail address or phone number) to prevent you from creating new accounts.

7. Your Rights and Choices

You have choices about how to protect and limit the collection, use, and sharing of information about you when you use the Services. Depending on where you live, you may also have the right to correction/rectification of your personal information, to opt out of certain advertising practices, or to withdraw consent for processing where you have previously provided consent. Below we explain how to exercise each of these rights. Hubcap does not discriminate against users for exercising their rights under data protection laws. You may exercise your rights by contacting Hubcap using the contact information below.

Accessing and Changing Your Information. You can access your information and change or correct certain information through the Services. You can also request a copy of the personal information Hubcap maintains about you by following the process described here.
Do Not Sell Your Information. Certain state laws require online web site operators to allow users to request that their information not be sold. Note that we do not sell any user information.
Deleting Your Account. You may request that we delete your account information at any time. You can also submit a request to delete the personal information Hubcap maintains about you. When you delete your account, your profile is no longer visible to other users and disassociated from content you posted under that account. Please note, however, that the posts, comments, and messages you submitted prior to deleting your account will still be visible to others unless you first delete the specific content. After you submit a request to delete your account, it may take up to 90 days for our purge script to complete deletion. We may also retain certain information about you for legitimate business purposes and/or if we believe doing so is in accordance with, or as required by, any applicable law.
Controlling Personalized Advertising. You may opt out of us using information we collect from third parties, including advertising partners, to personalize the ads you see on Hubcap.
Controlling the Use of Cookies. Most web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. If you prefer, you can usually choose to set your browser to remove or reject first- and third-party cookies. Please note that if you choose to remove or reject cookies, this could affect the availability and functionality of our Services.
Controlling Advertising and Analytics. Some analytics providers we partner with may provide specific opt-out mechanisms and we may provide, as needed and as available, additional tools and third-party services that allow you to better understand cookies and how you can opt out. For example, you may manage the use and collection of certain information by Google Analytics via the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. You can opt out of the Audience Measurement services provided by Nielsen and Quantcast.
You may also generally opt out of receiving personalized advertisements from certain third-party advertisers and ad networks. To learn more about these advertisements or to opt out, please visit the sites of the Digital Advertising Alliance and the Network Advertising Initiative, or if you are a user in the European Economic Area, Your Online Choices.
Do Not Track. Most modern web browsers give you the option to send a Do Not Track signal to the sites you visit, indicating that you do not wish to be tracked. However, there is no accepted standard for how a site should respond to this signal, and we do not take any action in response to this signal. Instead, in addition to publicly available third-party tools, we offer you the choices described in this policy to manage the collection and use of information about you.
Controlling Promotional Communications. You may opt out of receiving some or all categories of promotional communications from us by following the instructions in those communications or by emailing us at any time using the email address you wish to stop receiving such communications to. If you opt out of promotional communications, we may still send you non-promotional communications, such as information about your account or your use of the Services.
Controlling Mobile Notifications. With your consent, we may send promotional and non-promotional push notifications or alerts to your mobile device. You can deactivate these messages at any time by changing the notification settings on your mobile device.
Controlling Location Information. You can control how we use location information for feed and recommendations customization purposes.

Before we process a request from you about your personal information, we will need to verify the request via your access to your Hubcap account or to a verified email address associated with your Hubcap account. If we deny your request, you may appeal our decision by contacting us.

8. International Data Transfers

Hubcap, Inc. is based in the United States and we process and store information on servers located in the United States. We may store information on servers and equipment in other countries depending on a variety of factors, including the locations of our users and service providers. By accessing or using the Services or otherwise providing information to us, you consent to the processing, transfer, and storage of information in and to the United States and other countries, where you may not have the same rights as you do under local law.

When we transfer the personal data of users in the EEA, UK and/or Switzerland, we rely on the Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission for such transfers or other transfer mechanisms deemed 'adequate' under applicable laws.

9. Additional Information for EEA and UK Users

Users in the EEA and UK have the right to request access to, rectification of, or erasure of their personal data; to data portability in certain circumstances; to request restriction of processing; to object to processing; and to withdraw consent for processing where they have previously provided consent. These rights can be exercised as described in the "Your Rights and Choices" section above. EEA users also have the right to lodge a complaint with their local supervisory authority. As required by applicable law, we collect and process information about individuals in the EEA and UK only where we have a legal basis for doing so. Our legal bases depend on the Services you use and how you use them. We process your information on the following legal bases:

You have consented for us to do so for a specific purpose;
We need to process the information to provide the Services, including to operate the Services, provide customer support and personalized features and to protect the safety and security of the Services;
It satisfies a legitimate interest (which is not overridden by your data protection interests), such as preventing fraud, ensuring network and information security, enforcing our rules and policies, protecting our legal rights and interests, research and development, personalizing the Services, and marketing and promoting the Services;
We need to process your information to comply with our legal obligations.

10. Additional Information for California Users

The California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA"), as amended, requires us to provide California residents with some additional information, which we address in this section. In the last 12 months, we collected the following categories of personal information from California residents, depending on the Services used:

Identifiers and account information, like your Hubcap username, email address, phone number, IP address, and cookie information.
Commercial information, including information about transactions you undertake with us.
Internet or other electronic network activity information, such as information about your activity on our Services and limited information about your activity on the services of advertisers who use our advertising technology.
Geolocation information based on your IP address.
Your messages with other users (e.g., private messages and chats).
Audiovisual information in pictures, audio, or video content submitted to Hubcap.
Professional or employment-related information or demographic information, but only if you explicitly provide it to us, such as by applying for a job or filling out a survey.
Inferences we make based on other collected data, for purposes such as recommending content, advertising, and analytics.

You can find more information about (a) what we collect and sources of that information in the "Information We Collect" section of this notice, (b) the business and commercial purposes for collecting that information in the "How We Use Your Information" section, and (c) the categories of third parties with whom we share that information in the "How We Share Information" section.

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the CCPA, including the right to opt out of any sales or sharing of your personal information, to request access to and information about our data practices, and to request deletion or correction of your personal information, as well as the right not to be discriminated against for exercising your privacy rights. Hubcap does not "sell" or "share" personal information as those terms are defined under the CCPA. We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information except to provide you the Services or as otherwise permitted by the CCPA.

You may exercise your rights to access, delete, or correct your personal information as described in the "Your Rights and Choices" section of this notice. When you make a request, we will verify your identity by asking you to sign into your account or if necessary, by requesting additional information from you. You may also make a rights request using an authorized agent. If you submit a rights request from an authorized agent who does not provide a valid power of attorney, we may ask the authorized agent to provide proof that you gave the agent signed permission to submit the request to exercise rights on your behalf. In the absence of a valid power of attorney, we may also require you to verify your own identity directly with us or confirm to us that you otherwise provided the authorized agent permission to submit the request. If you have any questions or concerns, you may reach us using the methods described under "Your Rights and Choices" or by emailing us at privacy@hubcap.ai.

11. Children

Persons under the age of 18 are not allowed to create an account or otherwise use the Services. Additionally, if you are located outside the United States, you must be over the age required by the laws of your country to create an account or otherwise use the Services, or we need to have obtained verifiable consent from your parent or legal guardian.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we do, we will let you know by revising the date at the top of the policy. If the changes, in our sole discretion, are material, we may also notify you by sending an email to the address associated with your account (if you have chosen to provide an email address) or by otherwise providing notice through our Services. We encourage you to review the Privacy Policy regularly to stay informed about our information practices and the ways you can help protect your privacy. By continuing to use our Services after Privacy Policy changes go into effect, you agree to be bound by the revised policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise any of your rights outlined above, please email us privacy@hubcap.ai or write to us at Hubcap, Inc., PO Box 623, Burlingame, CA 94011-0623.