Privacy Policy

Effective July 14, 2026

What this covers

This policy explains what information Familiar collects, how it is used, and the choices you have. Familiar is owned and operated by Blake Silver ("we", "us"). By using the app or joining the waitlist you agree to this policy.

Information we collect

Account information: your name, age, email address or phone number, and the profile details you choose to add (photos, bio, work headline, interests).

Location: while the app is open, we collect your approximate location to detect real-world path crossings. If you choose to turn on background crossings (optional, off by default), we also collect it periodically while the app is closed — you can turn this off at any time in your profile settings or your device settings.

Usage: which focuses (Network, Connect) you activate, your discovery radius, the people you connect with, the groups you join, and messages you send through the app.

Waitlist: if you join our waitlist, we collect only your email address and where you signed up from.

How location actually works

Crossing detection compares where you have recently been with where other users have recently been. Your raw location history is visible only to you and our systems — never to other users. Other users only ever see place-level context (like a neighborhood or venue name) and approximate distance, never your exact coordinates, home address, or live position.

Scenes and scene boards

A Scene is a real, in-person gathering that a user starts — a boat club, a run club, a weekly trivia night. Scenes are public within the app: the scene's name, its meeting place, when it meets, and how many people have joined are visible to other users nearby. That is the point of a scene — people need to know where to show up. This is separate from your own location, which is never shown to anyone.

Each scene has a members-only board. Only people who have joined that scene can read or post on it. Board posts are content you create and choose to share with that scene's members; they show your first name and profile photo. Posts are automatically and permanently deleted after 30 days.

If you start a scene, the meeting place you choose becomes visible to other users. Do not pin a scene to your home or to any place you do not want other people to come to.

How we use your information

To detect crossed paths and show you people you have already crossed; to power the profile you choose to show in each focus; to deliver messages between people who have connected; to run Scenes and their members-only boards; to keep the community safe (moderating photos, reviewing reports, enforcing blocks); and to tell waitlist members when the app is available. We do not sell your personal information to anyone.

What other users see

Only what you put on your profile for the focus they share with you, plus place-level crossing context. In Scenes you have joined, other members of that scene see your first name, photo, and anything you post to that scene's board. Users you block can never see you again anywhere in the app — including in scenes and on scene boards. Turning off Visibility removes you from everyone's Crossings immediately.

Content moderation and safety

Every photo uploaded to Familiar is screened by an automated moderation service before it can be shown to other users; photos that fail are removed. You can report any user, any scene, and any board post from within the app, and you can block any user permanently. Blocks are enforced across the entire app — a blocked person cannot see you, message you, or appear to you anywhere, including on scene boards. Reports are reviewed and acted on, typically within 24 hours. We remove content and accounts that violate our Terms.

Data retention and deletion

Location pings are kept only as long as needed to power crossing detection, then deleted. Scene board posts are automatically deleted after 30 days. If you delete your account (Profile → Delete account), your profile, connections, messages, scene memberships, board posts, and location history are permanently deleted. Waitlist members can ask to be removed at any time by replying to any email from us or contacting us directly.

Age requirement

Familiar is for adults 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18, and accounts found to belong to minors are deleted.

Service providers

We use trusted infrastructure providers to run the app (such as our database and hosting provider, Supabase). They process data on our behalf and are not permitted to use it for their own purposes.

Changes and contact

We will update this policy as the app evolves and note the new effective date at the top. Questions or requests (including data deletion): familiarstrangerapp@gmail.com.