Privacy Policy
Recess Block is a private app where parents and guardians in Mosby Woods (Fairfax, Virginia) share books and family items, find activities and talk with neighbors. This policy explains what we collect, why, who can see it, and the choices you have. Questions: [email protected].
Who can use Recess Block
Accounts are for adults 18 and older who are parents, guardians or community members invited to the pilot. Children do not get accounts and cannot send or receive messages. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you think a child has created an account, email us and we will delete it.
What we collect
Information you give us
- Account: your email address and password, or the basic profile Apple or Google shares if you sign in with them (name and email; Apple may give us a private relay email instead).
- Profile: display name, your role (for example parent or organizer), the neighborhood group you join, your ZIP code, and anything you choose to add, such as a short bio and interests.
- About your children (optional): a broad age range and interest tags for each child. We do not ask for children's names, birthdates, photos or schools. This information is visible only to you unless you choose otherwise.
- What you post: book and item listings, giveaways, activities and events, questions, and comments. Activity locations are general areas or public venues, not home addresses.
- Messages: text messages with other members of your group. Messages are text only, with no photos or attachments.
- Borrowing and giving: requests you send or receive, and their status (requested, accepted, returned, completed).
- Places you save from the app's local directory of libraries, parks and similar public places.
- Safety reports and blocks: reports you submit, the reason and details you give, and people you block.
Information collected automatically
- Basic technical information needed to run the service securely: when you sign in, your device type and app version, and server logs that record requests and errors.
- We do not use GPS or track your location. Location in the app comes only from the ZIP code and neighborhood you enter.
How we use it
- To run the app: create your account, show your posts and listings to your group, deliver messages and track borrowing.
- To keep the community safe: verify invitations, review reports, and remove content or accounts that break our rules.
- To send account emails, such as password resets. We do not send marketing email unless you opt in.
- To fix problems and improve the app.
We do not sell your personal information. We do not show ads, and we do not share your information with advertisers.
Who can see your information
| Information | Who can see it |
|---|---|
| Display name, role, posts, listings, events and comments | Members of your neighborhood group |
| Bio and interests | Members of your group, if your profile is set to visible; otherwise only you |
| Children's age ranges and interests | Only you, unless you choose to share them |
| Email address, ZIP code | Only you and Recess Block administrators |
| Messages | You and the person you are messaging. Moderators read a conversation only if someone reports it. |
| Reports you file | Moderators. The person you report is not told who reported them. |
Service providers
We use trusted companies to run the app. They process data only on our instructions:
- Cloudflare: hosts the app's servers and stores files.
- Neon: hosts our database.
- Resend: sends password reset emails.
- Newly: the platform the app is built and deployed on.
- Apple and Google: if you choose to sign in with them, and to distribute the app through their stores.
We may also share information if the law requires it, to protect someone's safety, or as part of a sale or merger of Recess Block, in which case this policy continues to apply.
How long we keep it
We keep your information while your account is open. When you delete your account, we delete your profile, posts, listings, saved places, borrowing requests, blocks, the reports you filed, and your conversations, including the messages in them. Reports other people filed about you are kept with your personal details removed. We keep a limited record of moderation actions to protect the community, and backups are overwritten within 30 days.
Your choices
- Edit your profile and children's information at any time in the app.
- Control who sees your profile in your privacy settings.
- Block anyone. They will not be able to message you.
- Delete your account in the app (Profile, then Delete account) or by following the steps on our delete account page.
- Ask us for a copy of your information, or to correct or delete it, by emailing [email protected]. We respond within 30 days.
Security
Data is encrypted in transit. Access to our systems is limited to the people who run Recess Block. No system is perfectly secure, so please use a strong password and tell us right away if you suspect a problem.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy in a way that affects you, we will tell you in the app or by email before the change takes effect.