— Legal —

Privacy Policy.

Effective: April 24, 2026

The Cookout is built and operated by Exhbt LLC, a Delaware limited liability company with its principal place of business at 601 4th Street, Unit 110, San Francisco, CA 94107 ("we," "us," or "The Cookout"). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use the The Cookout mobile app, the website at getcookout.app, and any related services we run (collectively, the "Service"), how we use it, and the choices you have. By using the Service, you agree to the practices described here.

Our Promise

We do not sell your personal information. We do not rent it. We do not share it with advertising networks or data brokers. The Cookout makes money from premium features — not from your data.

01Who this applies to

This Policy applies to anyone who uses the Service, including hosts, guests, and people who sign up to a waitlist or visit our website. You must be at least 18 years old to use The Cookout. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has given us information, contact us at info@getcookout.app and we will delete it.

02What we collect

Information you give us

Account information. When you sign up, we collect your email address and, if you sign in with Apple or Google, the name and email those providers return to us. We do not see or store your Apple or Google password.
Profile information. A display name, optional handle, optional bio, and an optional avatar photo.
Event content. Events you create or attend, including titles, descriptions, dates, locations, guest lists, potluck assignments, dish ratings, IYKYK trivia topics and answers, votes, and recap selections.
Photos and videos. "Candids" you capture or upload during an event, plus reactions you leave on other people's candids.
Messages. Direct messages you send to other attendees of an event.
Payment information. When you buy premium credits or upgrade an event, our payments processor (Stripe) collects your payment details directly. We receive a record of the transaction and the credits granted, but we do not see or store your full card number.
Support communications. If you email us or fill out a contact form, we keep what you send so we can respond.

Information collected automatically

Device and app data. Device model, OS version, app version, language and time zone, and crash diagnostics.
Usage data. Screens viewed, features used, and timestamps — used to keep the app working and to improve it.
Approximate location. If you grant location permission, we use your device location to show events near you and to autocomplete addresses you type. We do not continuously track your location in the background.
Push tokens. If you allow notifications, your device gives us a push token so we can deliver event reminders and messages.

Information from third parties

Sign-in providers. Apple and Google share your name and email with us when you choose to sign in with them.
Other users. When someone invites you to an event, we receive your handle, email, or phone number from the person who invited you.

03How we use what we collect

To provide the Service: create your account, host and join events, deliver messages, run the IYKYK game, and publish recaps.
To process purchases of premium credits and event upgrades.
To send you transactional notifications (event reminders, invite responses, recap published, message received).
To send occasional product updates from us — you can opt out at any time.
To keep the Service safe: prevent fraud and abuse, enforce our Terms, and respond to legal requests.
To debug, measure, and improve the Service.
To comply with applicable law.

We do not use your personal information to train large language models or to build advertising profiles.

04When we share information

We share information only in the situations below. We never sell it.

With other users of an event. Hosts can see the guest list, RSVPs, potluck assignments, candids, ratings, and messages tied to events they host. Guests can see the same information for events they are invited to. Public events you create are discoverable by anyone using the Service.
With service providers who run the Service for us, listed in "Third-party services" below. They are contractually limited to using your information to provide the services we hire them for.
For legal reasons — if we are compelled by valid legal process, or if we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of The Cookout, our users, or the public.
In a corporate transaction. If we are acquired, merged, or sell substantially all of our assets, your information may transfer as part of that deal. We'll notify you and the new owner will be bound by terms no less protective than these.
With your consent — for anything not listed above.
Aggregated or de-identified data. We may share data that no longer identifies you (e.g., "hosts who turn on potluck have 30% higher RSVP rates") for analytics or to promote the Service.

05Third-party services

We use the following providers to operate the Service. Each one processes only the data they need to do their job.

Supabase — backend, database, file storage, authentication, and real-time messaging.
Stripe — payment processing for premium credits and event upgrades. Stripe's privacy practices apply to data you give them at checkout.
Apple and Google — sign-in with Apple and Google, push notification delivery, and app distribution through the App Store and Google Play.
Expo — build and deliver app updates, send push notifications.
Google Places — address autocomplete when you set an event location.
Apple Music — song search for the recap soundtrack feature. Searches you run are sent to Apple.
Anthropic — AI question generation for the IYKYK trivia game. See "AI features" below.

06AI features

The IYKYK trivia game uses Anthropic's Claude model to generate trivia questions about the topic a host enters (for example, "Beyoncé" or "90s sitcoms"). When you create a game, the topic text you type is sent to Anthropic along with a generic prompt; Anthropic returns the questions, which we save to your event.

We do not send personal information — names, emails, photos, messages, or guest lists — to Anthropic. Per our agreement with Anthropic, your inputs are not used to train their models.

07Cookies and similar technologies

The mobile app uses your device's secure storage to keep you signed in. The website uses a small number of essential cookies to remember your session and to keep the site working. We do not run third-party advertising cookies, fingerprinting, or cross-site tracking pixels.

08Your choices

Edit your profile at any time from the Profile tab.
Turn off push notifications in your device settings, or per-event in the app.
Revoke camera, microphone, photo, or location access in your device settings.
Unsubscribe from product emails using the link in any email. Transactional messages (security alerts, receipts) will still be sent.
Delete your account from Profile → Settings → Delete Account, or by emailing info@getcookout.app. We will delete your account and personal information within 30 days, except where we are required by law to keep something (for example, tax records of past purchases) or where retention is necessary for safety or fraud prevention. Content you posted to shared events — like a candid in someone else's recap — may remain visible to participants of that event after your account is deleted; you can ask the host to remove it.

09How long we keep things

We keep your account information for as long as your account is active. Event content is kept for as long as the event exists. When you delete your account, we delete or de-identify your personal information within 30 days, except as noted above.

10Security

We use TLS in transit, encrypted storage at rest, scoped access controls in our database, and reputable infrastructure providers. No system is perfectly secure. If we ever experience a breach that legally requires notification, we will tell you.

11California privacy rights

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (as amended by the CPRA) gives you the right to:

Know what personal information we collect about you and how we use it.
Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Request correction of inaccurate personal information.
Request deletion of your personal information.
Limit our use of sensitive personal information (we collect very little — mainly account credentials).
Opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of your personal information. As stated above, we do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising, so there is nothing to opt out of.
Not receive discriminatory treatment for exercising any of these rights.

To exercise any of these rights, email info@getcookout.app from the address tied to your account, or use the Delete Account flow in the app. We will verify your request and respond within 45 days. You may designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf; we will need written authorization and may need to verify the agent's identity.

California Civil Code Section 1798.83 ("Shine the Light") permits California residents to ask for a notice describing what personal information we share with third parties for their direct marketing purposes. We do not share personal information for third-party direct marketing.

12Where we operate

The Cookout is operated from the United States and is intended for users in the United States. By using the Service from outside the U.S., you consent to your information being transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country.

13Changes

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make a material change, we will notify you in the app or by email at least 14 days before it takes effect. The "Effective" date at the top of this page tells you when the current version was published.

14Contact us

Questions or requests about your privacy? Email info@getcookout.app, or write to:

Exhbt LLC 601 4th Street, Unit 110 San Francisco, CA 94107 United States