Privacy Policy

What We Collect

When you create an account, we collect your email address, display name, and optional profile information (bio, avatar, social links). Authentication is handled by Clerk — when you sign in with Google, Clerk receives your name and email from Google on our behalf. We do not access your Google contacts, calendar, or other data beyond your name and email address.

We use cookies for session management (managed by Clerk's authentication SDK) and to remember your theme preference. We do not use third-party advertising trackers.

Analytics

We use Umami, a privacy-first, self-hosted analytics tool. Umami does not use cookies, does not collect personally identifiable information, and does not track individual users across sessions.

We track page views, button interactions (search, save, ticket clicks), and general usage patterns to understand how people use the platform and to improve it. IP addresses are anonymized by Umami before any data is recorded. Analytics data is aggregated and never used for advertising or sold to third parties.

Click and Interaction Tracking

We track interactions (clicks, shares, RSVPs) to improve the platform. IP addresses are SHA-256 hashed before storage — we never store raw IP addresses. Analytics are aggregated and used only for understanding platform usage, not for advertising or profiling.

Geolocation

We request your browser's location only when you initiate a “near me” search. Location data is used solely for that search query — it is not stored on our servers, logged, or shared with any third party. You can deny location permission at any time through your browser settings, and the platform will continue to work without it.

User Preferences

Your preferences — including favorite neighborhoods, vibes, cuisines, dietary preferences, and price range — are stored in your browser's localStorage. When you are signed in, preferences are optionally synced to our database so they persist across devices.

You can update or delete all preferences at any time through your settings page. Deleting your account removes all synced preferences from our servers.

Behavioral Learning

We observe patterns in how you save, search, and interact with the platform to improve your recommendations over time. This data is tied to your user account and used exclusively to personalize your experience. Behavioral data is never shared externally or used for third-party advertising.

Payments

All payment processing — including subscriptions, Plan My Night plans, and venue promotions — is handled entirely by Stripe. We never see, store, or process your credit card number or full payment details. See our pricing page for current rates.

We do store transaction records (amount, date, plan type, and subscription status) for your billing history and our accounting. Stripe's own privacy policy governs the handling of your payment data on their end.

User Content

Reviews, comments, event submissions, and venue submissions you create are stored in our database. You can edit or delete your reviews at any time. Event and venue submissions may be reviewed by our team before publishing.

Partner Data

Businesses that participate in our venue promotion or partner deals program provide their contact information voluntarily. Partner data is used solely for managing the partner relationship and displaying partner content on the platform. We do not sell partner business data or share it with other third parties.

Fraud Detection

To protect the platform and our users, we employ fraud detection measures including checking for disposable email domains, identifying IP clustering patterns, and detecting trial abuse. IP addresses used for fraud detection are hashed with SHA-256 and are never stored in plaintext. These measures are automated and designed to prevent abuse of free trials and promotional offers.

Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We do not share your data with third-party advertisers. We may share anonymized, aggregated usage statistics with venue partners.

Your Rights

You have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal data at any time. To request data access or deletion, contact us at privacy@chicagoafterfive.com.

Contact

For privacy questions or concerns: privacy@chicagoafterfive.com