1. Information We Collect
At Upsurge, we are committed to creating an enriching, engaging, and safe environment for our community. This involves collecting and using information about you in ways that respect your privacy. Below, we outline the types of information we collect and the circumstances under which they are gathered.
Information You Provide to Us
- Account Registration: When you create an account on Upsurge, we collect the information you provide, such as your username, password, and email address.
- Profile Information: You may also provide additional information for your profile, including a profile picture, biography, location, and interests related to physical activities and sports.
- Content Creation: Any content you create and share on the platform, including posts, comments, and messages, may contain information about you.
- Communications: If you contact us directly, we may receive additional information about you, such as your name, email address, phone number, the contents of the message and/or attachments you may send us, and any other information you may choose to provide.
Information We Collect Automatically When You Use Our Services
- Usage Information: We collect information about your interactions with the Service, like the pages or other content you view, your searches for communities or topics, and other actions on the Service.
- Device Information: We collect information from and about the devices you use to access the Service, including hardware models, operating systems, browser types, IP addresses, mobile network information, and device identifiers.
- Location Information: With your consent, we may collect information about the precise location of your device or derive your approximate location from your IP address to provide location-based features.
- Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies to collect information about how you use Upsurge and provide features to you.
Information We Collect from Third Parties
- Social Media: If you choose to link, create, or log in to your Upsurge account with a social media service (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Google), we may receive information from that service, such as your username and profile information.
- Information from Partners: We may receive information about you from our partners, including advertisers and integrated services, that we offer in conjunction with our own.
How We Use Your Information
The information we collect is used to provide, maintain, and improve our services, to develop new ones, and to protect Upsurge and its users. We also use the information to offer personalized content and features, such as more relevant search results and tailored advertisements.
2. How We Use Information
At Upsurge, we value your trust and are committed to using your information responsibly and transparently. The information we collect enables us to offer you a customized and enhanced experience on our platform. Here is a closer look at the key ways we use the information we collect:
To Provide, Improve, and Develop the Service
- Operating the Platform: We use your information to operate, maintain, and provide to you the features and functionality of the Service.
- Improvements: Your information helps us improve the effectiveness of the Service, including support services, content, and recommendations. It also helps us develop new features and functionalities.
- Understanding User Engagement: We analyze how users interact with our Service to better understand what elements of the design and experience work well and which ones need improvement.
To Personalize Your Experience
- Content Recommendations: We use the information we have to recommend relevant communities, activities, and content that might be of interest to you.
- Customization: Your preferences and profile information are used to customize the content we show you, including ads and offers tailored to your interests.
To Communicate with You
- Service-related Communications: We may use your information to send you service updates, security alerts, and account notifications.
- Responding to You: When you contact us directly, we use the information you provide to respond to your inquiries, fulfill your requests, and provide you with support.
For Security and Safety
- Protecting Our Service: The information collected is critical in helping us secure our Service, prevent fraud and abuse, and ensure the safety of our users.
- Legal and Regulatory Requirements: We may use your information to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including responding to lawful requests for information from law enforcement or other governmental entities.
For Analytics and Research
- Understanding Trends: We use information for internal analytical purposes, to understand how our Service is used, identify trends, usage patterns, and areas for improvement.
- Research: Your information may be used for research purposes to contribute to academic, community-driven, or societal knowledge related to physical activities, sports, or social networking.
To Show and Measure Ads
- Advertising: We use information to show you targeted advertising on and off the Upsurge platform and to measure the effectiveness and reach of ads and services.
Legal Basis for Processing (For Users in the EEA)
- Consent: In some cases, we may ask for your consent to use your information for specific purposes. You can withdraw your consent at any time.
- Contractual Necessities: We may require certain information to fulfill our contractual obligations to you (e.g., providing the services you request).
- Legal Obligations and Protection from Harm: We may need your information to comply with legal requirements and to protect the rights, safety, and property of Upsurge, our users, and the public.
3. Information We Share
At Upsurge, we understand the importance of your personal information and are committed to protecting your privacy. We share your information only in limited circumstances, with your consent, or as necessary to provide our services. Below are the circumstances under which we may share your information:
With Your Consent
- Sharing at Your Request: We may share your information with entities outside of Upsurge when we have your explicit consent to do so. This includes any services that you decide to integrate with our platform or when you choose to share content publicly.
For External Processing
- Service Providers: We engage trusted third-party service providers to perform functions and provide services to us, such as hosting and maintenance, analysis, customer service, marketing, advertising, payment processing, and security operations. We may share your personal information with these service providers, but only to the extent necessary to perform these functions and provide such services, and only pursuant to obligations mirroring the protections of this privacy policy.
For Legal Reasons
- Compliance with Laws: We may disclose your information to a third party if we believe that it is reasonably necessary to comply with a law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request; to protect the safety of any person; to address fraud, security, or technical issues; or to protect Upsurge's rights or property.
- Law Enforcement: In certain instances, we may be required to disclose your information in response to lawful requests by public authorities, including to meet national security or law enforcement requirements.
In the Event of Business Transfers
- Mergers, Acquisitions, and Bankruptcies: If Upsurge is involved in a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy proceedings, reorganization, or sale of assets, your information may be sold or transferred as part of that transaction. The promises in this privacy policy will apply to your information as transferred to the new entity.
Aggregated or Anonymized Information
- Non-Identifiable Data: We may share information with our partners in aggregated or anonymized forms that do not directly identify you. For example, we may share statistical information about the use of our Service to illustrate trends and patterns.
Public Information
- Public Posts: Remember that any information you choose to provide in a public setting, such as on a public profile or in comments, becomes public and is no longer protected by this policy. We are not responsible for any personal information you choose to make public.
Partners and Integrations
- Third-Party Partners: With your consent, we may share information with third-party partners in order to offer you certain products, services, or promotions.
4. How We Protect Your Information
At Upsurge, safeguarding your personal information is a top priority. We implement a variety of security measures designed to maintain the safety and integrity of your information. Below are the key practices we employ to protect your information:
Secure Data Storage
- Encryption: We use encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online. Your password, along with other sensitive data, is encrypted during storage and in transit within our systems.
- Data Storage Security: Our services are hosted on secure servers, with protections in place against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction of your personal information.
Access Control
- Limited Access: Access to your personal information is restricted to employees, contractors, and agents who need to know that information to process it for us. They are subject to strict contractual confidentiality obligations and may be disciplined or terminated if they fail to meet these obligations.
- Authentication Measures: We employ user authentication and secure login processes to help ensure that only authorized users can access their account information.
Regular Security Assessments
- Monitoring: We continuously monitor our systems for possible vulnerabilities and attacks. Regular security assessments and penetration testing are conducted to identify and remediate potential security issues.
- Updates and Patches: Our team promptly applies updates and patches to our software and systems to address security vulnerabilities and enhance protection measures.
Incident Response
- Rapid Response: In the event of a data breach, we have a response plan in place to promptly notify affected users and take necessary steps to minimize damage. This includes working closely with security experts and law enforcement as appropriate.
User Education and Awareness
- Security Best Practices: We provide information and resources to help users understand the security features available to them and encourage the adoption of strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and other practices that increase the security of their accounts.
Compliance with Standards
- Industry Standards: We strive to comply with industry standards and regulations related to data protection, privacy, and security. We review our compliance regularly and make adjustments as necessary to stay aligned with best practices.
5. Your Privacy Choices
At Upsurge, we believe in empowering you with the choices and controls you need to manage your privacy and personal information. Below are the options available to you regarding the collection, use, and sharing of your information.
Accessing and Updating Your Information
- Profile Management: You have the ability to access and update most of your account information directly through your account settings. We encourage you to review your information regularly to ensure it remains accurate and up to date.
- Data Access Requests: If you require further assistance accessing or updating your information, or if you wish to delete your account, you can contact us directly. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe.
Control Over Communications
- Email Preferences: You can control your email communication preferences through your account settings. This includes opting out of receiving marketing emails from us. However, we may still send you service-related communications, such as account verification and legal notifications.
- Notifications: You have the option to adjust your push notification settings on your device if you wish to control the alerts you receive from Upsurge.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
- Cookies Settings: You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of the Service may become inaccessible or not function properly.
- Do Not Track Signals: Some web browsers may transmit "do not track" signals to the websites and other online services with which your web browser communicates. There is no standard that governs what, if anything, websites should do when they receive these signals. Upsurge currently does not take action in response to these signals.
Consent and Withdrawal
- Granting Consent: In certain situations, we may ask for your consent to collect, use, or share your personal information, such as when we require access to certain device permissions. You have the right to grant or deny such consent.
- Withdrawing Consent: If you have granted consent for a specific use of your information, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. However, this will not affect the lawfulness of the processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
Data Portability
- Data Download: Where applicable, you may have the right to request a copy of the personal information you have provided to Upsurge in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and we will provide your data so you can transfer it to another entity.
6. Changes to Our Privacy Policy
At Upsurge, we continuously strive to improve our services and enhance user experience, which may occasionally necessitate updates to our Privacy Policy. This section outlines how we will communicate changes to our privacy practices and your role in reviewing such changes.
Notification of Changes
We are committed to maintaining transparency about our privacy practices. Should we make changes to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you by:
- Posting a Notice: A notice of changes will be posted prominently on our website and/or through the Service itself, providing you with the opportunity to review the revised policy before it becomes effective.
- Direct Communication: Depending on the nature of the changes, we may also send a direct communication to you, such as an email, detailing the updates to ensure you are fully informed.
Review Period
When possible, we will provide a review period for you to consider the changes before they take effect. This gives you the opportunity to understand how our privacy practices are evolving and how they might impact you.
Your Acceptance
By continuing to use Upsurge after these changes are posted, you agree to the revised policy. If you do not agree with the changes, you have the option to discontinue use of the Service. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices.
Substantial Changes
For significant changes, especially those that could impact the nature of data processing or transfer, we will give more prominent notice and, when required by law, seek your consent before implementing such changes.
Archival
Previous versions of our Privacy Policy will be archived and accessible to you, providing transparency over what changes have been made over time.
7. Contact Information
Your privacy concerns are important to us at Upsurge, and we are committed to addressing them. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, or if you need assistance managing your privacy choices, please contact us using the following details:
- Contact Form: Visit our website and fill out the contact form at https://www.upsurgeapp.com/contact. Our team reviews all submissions and strives to reply promptly.
- Mobile Application: Send us a message within our mobile application, and we will aim to respond promptly.
When contacting us, please provide your name and the information you would like to discuss. If your inquiry is about a specific privacy issue, including a request to exercise your data protection rights, please provide enough detail for us to properly address your request.
Data Protection Officer
- Designated Officer: For specific inquiries regarding the processing of your personal data and your rights under data protection laws, you can directly address your inquiries to our Data Protection Officer (DPO) using any of the methods above.
Regulatory Authority
- Concerns and Complaints: If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy-related inquiry or complaint, you may have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority or the regulatory authority where the issue arose.