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Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 2026

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information Kovie collects when you use our website (kovie.co) and mobile applications, how we use it, and the choices you have. We try to keep this short and plain-spoken.

1. Information we collect

Information you give us

  • Email address when you join the waitlist at kovie.co or register in the app
  • Profile information in the app: name, age, gender (used only for the Fair Housing Act roommate exemption), school, budget, photos, lifestyle preferences (sleep schedule, cleanliness, social preferences), bio
  • Verification data: phone number (when applicable), .edu email address. PII used for identity verification is encrypted at rest.
  • Communications: messages you send to other users, support requests, listing inquiries
  • Quiz answers if you take the Kovie quiz on kovie.co (sleep schedule, cleanliness preference, social preference). No PII.

Information we collect automatically

  • Device and usage data: app version, OS version, crash reports (via Sentry), product analytics events (via PostHog) — never tied to your specific identity beyond a Kovie user ID
  • IP-derived data: we hash your IP address with a secret salt and store only the hash. We do not retain raw IP addresses.
  • Approximate location: only if you grant location permission in the app, and only to surface nearby listings. The kovie.co website does not request location.

What we don't collect

  • We do not run credit checks or background checks (these would require us to be a Consumer Reporting Agency under the FCRA — we are not).
  • We do not collect Social Security numbers, payment card numbers, or government ID images on kovie.co.
  • The website does not collect phone numbers. Phone verification only happens in the mobile app.

2. How we use information

  • Operate the Service — match roommates, surface listings, send notifications
  • Send transactional and waitlist email (always with an unsubscribe link)
  • Improve product quality (aggregated analytics)
  • Prevent fraud, abuse, and Terms violations
  • Comply with legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information. We do not license your data to third parties for their own marketing.

3. Who we share with

  • Supabase — our database and authentication provider
  • Resend — transactional email delivery
  • Sentry — crash reporting (no PII)
  • PostHog — product analytics (pseudonymous IDs)
  • Apple / Google — push notification delivery
  • Anthropic — Claude AI is used to summarize compatibility between users; we send only the lifestyle and bio fields needed to generate that summary, never your email or contact info
  • Other Kovie users — only the profile fields you choose to display

We may also disclose information in response to lawful requests, to enforce our Terms, or to protect the rights and safety of users.

4. Your rights and choices

  • Access — see what we have about you
  • Correction — update or correct your information
  • Deletion — delete your account and associated data (in-app: Profile → Settings → Delete account; or email privacy@kovie.co)
  • Unsubscribe — every email contains an unsubscribe link, or visit /api/unsubscribe?email=you@example.com
  • Portability — request a copy of your data in a structured format
  • Opt-out of sale — we don't sell data, so this is automatic

California residents have additional rights under the CCPA; Arkansas residents have rights under the Arkansas Personal Data Privacy and Online Monitoring Act. Email privacy@kovie.co to exercise any right.

5. Children

The Kovie app is not directed to children under 18. The kovie.co waitlist is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone below those ages. If you believe a minor has submitted information to us, email privacy@kovie.co and we will delete it promptly.

6. Retention

We retain account information for as long as your account is active. After you delete your account, we remove your personal information from active systems within 30 days. We may keep limited records (an audit row, an unsubscribe flag) longer when required by law or to prevent fraud.

7. Security

We use industry-standard safeguards: TLS in transit, encryption at rest for sensitive fields, row-level security in our database, hashed IP addresses, and least-privilege access controls. No system is perfectly secure — please use a unique, strong password.

8. Cookies and analytics

The Kovie website uses essential cookies for session and security, and a minimal cookieless analytics tool. We do not use third-party advertising cookies and we do not allow tracking pixels from ad networks. The mobile app uses platform-provided device identifiers as documented by Apple and Google.

9. International users

Kovie is operated from the United States. If you access the Service from outside the U.S., you understand that your information will be transferred to and processed in the U.S.

10. Changes

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated in-app or by email at least 14 days before they take effect.

11. Contact

Privacy questions, data requests, or concerns: privacy@kovie.co.

Current version always at kovie.co/privacy.