privacy policy

Effective: August 19, 2026

shū ("shū," "we," "us"), operated by Shu Group LLC, is an app for discovering, ranking, and sharing study and work spots. This policy describes what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. The short version: we collect what the app needs to work, we don't track your location in the background, we don't sell your data, and we don't show ads.

information we collect

• Account information. Your email address, used to sign you in with one-time codes and to create your account. We never see or store a password, because there are no passwords.
• Profile information. Your handle, display name, and optional avatar.
• Content you create. Your ratings and rankings of spots (including how a spot felt, matchup answers, feature taps, and any custom scores), notes, saved spots, follows, reports, and spots you submit.
• Usage and device information. We use PostHog to understand how the app is used (for example, that a ranking was completed or a screen was viewed) and Sentry to receive crash and error reports. These include technical details such as device type, operating system, and app version.
• Location — only while you use it, never stored. If you grant permission, shū uses your device's location while the app is open to show spots near you and center the map. This happens on your device: your coordinates are not stored, not saved to our servers, and not included in analytics. We do not access location in the background and we do not keep any history of where you have been. Location permission is optional; the app works fully without it.

what we don't collect

No background location or location history. No contacts upload. No payment information. No advertising identifiers. No data purchased from third parties.

how we use information

• To operate the service: sign you in, show your lists, and display community scores.
• To compute community scores: your rankings contribute to each spot's public score, blended with other users' rankings and weighted toward frequent and recent rankers. Public scores are aggregates and do not display your individual contribution.
• To show social features: depending on your settings, your profile, rankings, and activity may be visible to other users. A private-profile option lets your rankings contribute to community scores without appearing in feeds.
• To send account emails (sign-in codes and essential service notices) via our email provider, Resend.
• To improve the app, fix crashes, and understand which features are used.
• To keep the community safe: reviewing reports, preventing manipulation of rankings, and enforcing our terms of service.

how information is shared

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers. Information is shared only with:

• Service providers that run the app on our behalf: Supabase (database and authentication hosting), Resend (email delivery), PostHog (analytics), Sentry (error reporting), Vercel (web hosting), and Expo, Apple, and Google (app distribution infrastructure). Each receives only what it needs to perform its function.
• Other users, per the social features and your settings described above.
• Legal requirements, if we are required to disclose information by law, or to protect the rights, safety, or security of shū, our users, or the public.
• A successor entity, if shū is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case this policy would continue to apply to your information.

data retention and deletion

We retain your information while your account is active. You can delete your account in the app's settings; doing so deletes your personal information and removes your identifiable contributions. Aggregated community scores may retain the statistical effect of past rankings without any link to you. Some records (such as moderation reports) may be retained where required for safety or legal reasons.

security

All traffic between the app and our servers is encrypted. Sign-in uses one-time email codes, so there is no password to steal. Database access is restricted so that users can only read and write their own private data. No system is perfectly secure, but we designed shū to hold as little sensitive information as possible — the best protection is not having the data at all.

your rights and choices

• Access, correct, or delete your information at any time in the app, or by contacting us.
• Decline or revoke location permission in your device settings at any time.
• Use a private profile to keep your activity out of feeds.
• Depending on where you live (including the EU/EEA, UK, and certain U.S. states), you may have additional legal rights to access, correct, delete, or port your data, or to object to certain processing. To exercise any of these, contact us at the address below and we will respond as required by applicable law.

children

shū is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.

changes to this policy

If we make material changes, we will notify you in the app or by email before they take effect. The effective date at the top always reflects the current version.

contact

Questions or requests: contact@shuapp.net
Shu Group LLC · Atlanta, Georgia, USA

shū · terms of service