Last updated: [Add date here]
Welcome to Topies (“Topies”, “we”, “us”, or “our”).
We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share information when you use Topies.com and any related services (the “Service”).
By using Topies, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.
If you have any questions, you can contact us at support@topies.com.
1. Information We Collect
We collect information in three main ways:
1.1 Information You Provide to Us
When you use Topies, you may provide us with:
- Account information – Username, display name, email address, password, profile photo, bio, interests, and any other details you choose to add to your profile.
- Content you share – Posts, comments, messages, images, links, and any other content you submit or upload to the platform.
- Communication with us – Emails you send to us (e.g., support requests), feedback, or other correspondence.
- Optional information – This might include survey responses, interests, group memberships, or other details you choose to provide to personalize your experience.
1.2 Information We Collect Automatically
When you use Topies, we may automatically collect:
- Usage data – Pages visited, features used, links clicked, time spent on pages, and interactions with other users’ content.
- Device and log data – IP address, browser type, operating system, device type, language settings, and access times.
- Cookies and similar technologies – Small data files stored on your device to remember your preferences, keep you logged in, and help us understand how you use the site. (See “Cookies” below.)
1.3 Information from Third Parties
We may receive information from:
- Login providers (if enabled) – For example, if you register or log in using a social login (such as Google, Facebook, etc.), we may receive basic profile information you authorize them to share.
- Service providers – Analytics, security, hosting, and email providers may give us limited information about how the service is used or if there are technical issues.
We do not buy or sell lists of personal data from data brokers.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use your information to:
- Create and manage your account
- Provide and operate the Service (including profiles, posts, groups, activity feeds, notifications, and messaging)
- Personalize your experience – Show you relevant content, groups, and connections based on your activity and interests
- Improve and develop Topies – Analyze usage patterns, fix bugs, and develop new features
- Communicate with you – Send important service messages (account notices, password resets, policy updates) and respond to your inquiries
- Maintain safety and security – Detect, investigate, and prevent abuse, spam, fraud, or violations of our Terms of Use
- Comply with legal obligations – Respond to lawful requests and enforce our legal rights
Where required by law, we rely on different legal bases to process your information, such as your consent, our legitimate interests in operating and improving the Service, and the need to fulfill our contractual or legal obligations.
3. Public and Social Features
Topies is a social, community-based platform. This means:
- Content you post in public areas (e.g., public groups, public activity streams, comments) may be viewable by other users or by anyone who visits the site, depending on your privacy settings and our platform configuration.
- Your profile information (such as username, display name, avatar, and basic bio) may be visible to other registered users, and in some cases to visitors, depending on site settings and your choices.
- Private messages, restricted groups, and other limited-access areas are only visible to allowed participants, but we may still access this content as necessary to operate the platform, comply with the law, or investigate abuse.
Please be aware that any information you choose to make public can be seen, copied, or shared by others. We strongly recommend that you do not post sensitive personal information on public areas of the site.
4. Cookies and Similar Technologies
We use cookies and similar technologies to:
- Keep you logged in
- Remember your preferences and settings
- Understand how visitors use Topies
- Improve site performance and security
Types of cookies we may use:
- Essential cookies – Required for the website to function properly (e.g., login, session cookies).
- Preference cookies – Remember choices like language or layout.
- Analytics cookies – Help us understand how users interact with the site (e.g., which pages are popular).
You can control cookies through your browser settings, but disabling certain cookies may affect how the site functions.
5. How We Share Your Information
We do not sell your personal information.
We may share information with:
- Service providers – Trusted third-party companies that help us operate Topies (e.g., hosting providers, email services, analytics, security services). They may only use your data to perform services on our behalf and must protect it.
- Other users – As part of the normal operation of a social platform, other users can see the content and profile information you choose to share.
- Legal and safety reasons – We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government request, or if we believe it is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Topies, our users, or others.
- Business transfers – If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Privacy Policy.
6. International Data Transfers
Topies may be accessed globally. Your information may be stored and processed on servers located in a country different from your own. We take reasonable steps to ensure that any international transfers of data are protected in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
7. Data Retention
We retain your information for as long as:
- Your account is active,
- We need it to operate the Service, or
- We are required to keep it by law.
You may request that we delete your account and certain personal information (see “Your Rights” below). Some data (for example, logs or backup copies) may be retained for a limited period for security, legal, or operational reasons.
8. Your Rights and Choices
Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
- Delete your account or request deletion of certain data
- Object to or restrict certain types of processing
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
- Port your data to another service (where technically feasible)
You can often manage or update your information directly from your account settings.
For other requests, contact us at support@topies.com.
We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests.
9. Children’s Privacy
Topies is not intended for children under 13 (or a higher age where required by local law). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children in this age group.
If you believe a child has created an account or provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@topies.com and we will take appropriate steps to remove the information and, if necessary, close the account.
10. Security
We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information from loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.
However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we work to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for keeping your password and account credentials safe.
11. Third-Party Links and Services
Topies may contain links to third-party websites, services, or content. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.
12. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Significant changes may also be announced via email or through a notice on the site.
Your continued use of Topies after any changes means you accept the updated Privacy Policy.
13. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at:
Email: support@topies.com
We will do our best to respond promptly and help resolve any issues.