Privacy Policy

Information we collect

Account information: name, email address, password, and university affiliation when you register.
Profile information: major, year, interests, bio, availability, and topics you can discuss.
Payment information: Stripe or Venmo account details for guides; billing details for students booking calls. We do not store full card numbers — all payments are processed securely by Stripe.
Calendar data: with your permission, we access your Google Calendar to auto-create and manage call events.
Communication data: messages and notes sent through our platform in connection with bookings.
Usage data: pages visited, features used, and technical logs to improve our service.

To provide and operate the platform — matching seekers with guides, managing bookings, and processing payments.
To verify guide identity and university affiliation, ensuring all guides are current students.
To communicate with you about bookings, payouts, policy updates, and support inquiries.
To improve our services, troubleshoot issues, and develop new features.
To comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service.

Between users: When a booking is confirmed, your name, profile photo, and email are shared with the other party so you can connect for the call. Guide profiles are publicly visible to prospective students.
Service providers: We share necessary data with Stripe for payments, Google for calendar integration, and our hosting/cloud infrastructure providers. All partners are bound by confidentiality obligations.
Legal compliance: We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or to protect our rights, property, or safety.
Business transfers: If The Quad is acquired or merges, user information may be transferred as part of the transaction.

We use industry-standard encryption (TLS/SSL) for all data in transit and at rest.
Access to personal information is restricted to authorized personnel who need it to perform their jobs.
We regularly review our security practices and partner with trusted cloud providers to maintain a secure infrastructure.
While we take strong precautions, no online service is 100% secure. We encourage users to use strong, unique passwords and report any suspected security issues immediately.

Access and update: You can view and edit most of your profile information at any time from your account settings.
Deletion: You may request account deletion by contacting us. We will remove your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law or for legitimate business purposes.
Opt-out: You can opt out of promotional emails at any time using the unsubscribe link. Transactional emails related to bookings cannot be opted out of.
Data portability: You may request a copy of your data in a commonly used format.

The Quad is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately and we will delete it.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal reasons. We will notify you of significant changes via email or a prominent notice on the platform. Your continued use of The Quad after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please reach out to us at connect@thequadnetwork.com.