MootsNearby is a map for finding the right people nearby, run by Janzen Works LLC. This policy says what we collect, what we do with it, and what you can do about it. It is written to be read.
What we collect
- Account: your email address, and a sign-in code sent to it. There is no password.
- Profile: a handle you choose, your date of birth, your gender, one photo if you add one, links to other channels if you add them, and a short summary.
- Location: where you are, from your device or a tap on the map, each time you set it. We store the exact point.
- Searches: what you are looking for, in your words, with any conditions you set.
- Messages: what you write to other members in chat.
- Connections: who you follow, friend, block or report.
- Technical: a session cookie that keeps you signed in, and the usual server logs (address, browser, pages, times).
How we use it
- Matching. Your summary and searches are turned into numbers (embeddings) by a model that runs on our own servers. Matching compares those numbers. Nobody appears on your map unless your search fits them and theirs fits you.
- Showing you to others. People who match you see your handle, age, photo, summary, links, a match score, a one-line explanation, and a position a few blocks from where you are. They never see your exact location, your email, or your birth date.
- Notices. Email, and push notifications on devices where you turn them on, when someone matches or messages you. You can turn these off in settings.
- Safety. Photos are checked automatically before they appear. Reports are reviewed by a person, who can read the conversation reported.
AI
The setup chat, your summary draft, search drafts and match explanations are produced with Claude, a model from Anthropic. We send it what you tell us in the chat, your summary and searches, and, for explanations, the summary and searches of the person being explained. The chat itself is not stored anywhere; only the summary you approve is kept. We do not use your data to train models, and neither does Anthropic under our agreement with them.
Who else sees it
- Other members, as described under matching. Only people who match you, or whom you have friended or messaged.
- Services we run on: hosting and a database, an email provider for sign-in codes and notices, a map tile provider (OpenFreeMap, which receives the map area your browser is looking at), and Anthropic for the AI steps above.
- Nobody else. We do not sell data, show ads, or share your information with advertisers or data brokers.
- If the law requires it, for example a valid legal request, or a report of apparent child sexual abuse material, which we must report to NCMEC.
Your location
Your exact position is used only to compute distances and is never shown to anyone. Others see you at a point a few blocks away, placed so that watching it over time reveals nothing more. You can move it any time from the map.
Photos
When you add a photo we resize it and remove all metadata, including any location your camera stored in the file. Anyone can ask us to remove an image of them; we remove it within 48 hours.
Keeping and deleting
We keep your data while you have an account. Delete your account from settings and it all goes, right away: profile, searches, messages, photo, connections, and the notices we sent. Server logs are kept for up to 30 days.
Your choices
- Edit your handle, summary, links and photo in settings; move your location from the map.
- End any search; block anyone, which removes you from each other’s maps.
- Turn email and push notices off in settings.
- Delete your account, and everything in it, from settings.
- Ask us what we hold about you, or to correct it, at the address below.
Age
MootsNearby is for adults 18 and over. We do not knowingly keep an account for anyone younger; if we learn of one, we remove it.
Changes and contact
If this policy changes in a way that matters, we will tell you by email before it takes effect. Questions and requests: privacy@mootsnearby.com.