Legal

Privacy Policy

How Knoso collects, uses and protects your information.

Knoso Privacy Policy

Effective Date: October 19, 2026

1. Introduction

At Knoso, we believe privacy is an important part of building trust. This Privacy Policy explains how Knoso LLC (”Knoso,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects your information when you use the Knoso platform, including our mobile application, website, and any related services (collectively, the “Platform”).

By creating an account or using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read and understand this Privacy Policy.

2. Our Privacy Commitment

Knoso is designed to help people build meaningful, real-world connections while giving users control over their personal information. Some information you choose to share is visible to other users so the Platform can function as intended. Other information remains private and is never displayed publicly. We strive to collect only the information reasonably necessary to provide and improve our services.

3. Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on how you use the Platform. We may collect information that you provide directly, information generated through your use of the Platform, information collected automatically from your device, and information received from third-party authentication providers.

4. Information You Provide

When creating an account or using the Platform, you may provide information including:

Account Information

Name

Email address

Phone number (if applicable)

Date of birth

Authentication method

Profile photographs

Profile Information

You may choose to provide additional information, including:

Biography

Occupation

Company

Hometown

Current city

Languages

Interests

Hobbies

Education

School

Graduation year

Major

Community memberships

Other profile information you voluntarily provide. Providing optional profile information is entirely your choice.

5. Authentication Information

Depending on how you create your account, Knoso may collect authentication information through:

Phone verification

Authentication providers securely verify your identity. Knoso does not receive your Apple password, Google password, or authentication credentials. Authentication providers maintain their own privacy policies governing their services.

6. Student Features

If you choose to use Student Mode, we may collect additional information including:

Student email address

School

Graduation year

Major

Student verification status

Student email addresses are used solely for verification and student-specific features.

7. Photos and Media

You may upload photographs and other media to personalize your profile, communities, events, and posts. These files are stored securely through our service providers and are used to display your content within the Platform. You are responsible for ensuring that you have the rights to upload any content you submit.

8. Information Visible to Other Users

Certain information is intended to be visible to other users of the Platform so they can discover and connect with you.

Depending on your privacy settings and how you use the Platform, other users may see information such as:

Your display name

Profile photographs

Age (calculated from your birth date)

Biography

Occupation

Company

Languages

Interests

Hobbies

Education

Community memberships (if enabled)

Shared communities

Approximate distance from another userActive status (if you choose to display it)

Your exact date of birth, email address, phone number, precise location, authentication information, student email address, and other sensitive account information are not displayed publicly.

9. Instagram

You may choose to add your Instagram username to your Knoso profile.

For your privacy:

Your Instagram username is not visible to users who have not connected with you. Users browsing Discover or viewing your public Knoso profile cannot view or access your Instagram profile.Users who are not connected with you cannot contact you directly through Knoso. They may only send a single Message Request, which you may accept, decline, ignore, or block. If you accept a connection with another user, your Instagram username (if provided) may become visible to that connection. Selecting your Instagram username will open your Instagram profile through the Instagram application or website. Your use of Instagram is governed by Instagram’s own Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Knoso is not affiliated with or responsible for Instagram’s services or privacy practices.

Importing public Instagram profile details. When creating a community, an organizer may enter the username of a public Instagram Business or Creator account. Knoso’s servers then request that account’s public username, name, biography and profile picture from Meta’s Instagram Platform API (Business Discovery), using Knoso’s own Instagram professional account. Knoso does not access your Instagram or Facebook account, does not ask you to log in to Meta, and does not verify that you own the account you enter.

The retrieved username, name, biography and picture link are kept in a server-side cache. Cached details are not used after ten minutes; a cached entry is removed the next time that username is looked up, and otherwise may remain stored until Knoso removes it. The picture itself is sent to your device for preview and cropping and is not stored by the lookup.

If you apply the details and submit the community, the cropped picture and the text you kept are stored as part of your community page, like any other community photo or description. Removing a community from the app hides it; Knoso retains the community record and its photo until they are deleted by Knoso.

Knoso does not request or store Instagram insights, media posts or follower lists through this feature. Details you choose to submit are displayed according to your community page’s visibility settings. Knoso does not sell the imported information or use it for advertising. Imported profile details are processed and stored using Google LLC’s Firebase and Google Cloud services in United States regions. Google affiliates may have limited, authorized access from other countries for maintenance and support. Knoso’s Meta API credential is stored separately in Google Secret Manager using Google-managed automatic replication in locations selected by Google. Use of Meta’s API is subject to Meta’s Platform Terms.

10. Information You Create

As you use the Platform, you may create or submit information including:

Communities

Community descriptions

Community rules

Events

RSVPs

Posts

Comments

Direct messages

Group chat messages

Event participation

Message requests

Reports

Feedback

11. Location Information

Knoso uses location information to power certain features of the Platform, including user discovery, community recommendations, event recommendations, and approximate distance calculations. Location sharing is optional.

If you choose to enable location sharing, we may collect and store information such as:

Approximate latitude and longitude

Location sharing preference

Device location permission status

Your precise GPS coordinates are never displayed to other users.

Instead, other users may only see an approximate distance (for example, “5 miles away”) when applicable. If you disable location sharing within Knoso, location-based discovery features may become unavailable or limited. You may also revoke location permission through your device settings at any time.

12. Messages and Communications

Knoso provides communication features including:

Direct Messages

Message Requests

Community Chats

Comments

Replies

Community

Discussions

Messages and communications are stored in order to provide the Platform and allow conversations to function properly. Please remember that the person you communicate with will also have access to the messages exchanged between you. Although Knoso provides reporting and moderation tools, users should avoid sharing sensitive personal information through messages.

13. Communities and Events

When you participate in communities or events, we collect information necessary to provide those features.

This may include:

Communities you join

Communities you create

Community roles (such as owner, administrator, or member)

Community invitations

Join requests

Events you create

Events you RSVP to

Waitlist participation

“Going Solo” participation

Event attendance preferences

This information helps operate community features, event management tools, and recommendations throughout the Platform.

14. Notifications

Knoso may send:

Push notifications

In-app notifications

Security notifications

Administrative communications

Account notifications

Event notifications

Community activity notifications

Connection notifications

Message notifications

You may manage many notification preferences through your device settings or within the Platform. Certain notifications relating to security, legal matters, or your account may continue to be delivered even if marketing or optional notifications are disabled.

15. SMS Communications

Knoso may send SMS/text messages to users who provide their mobile phone number and opt in to receive text communications from Knoso. SMS messages may include account verification, ticket confirmations, event reminders, event updates, waitlist notifications, community announcements, security notices, administrative communications, and other transactional or informational messages related to your account, communities, events, or use of the Platform. Message frequency may vary depending on your activity, notification preferences, communities joined, events attended, and features used. Message and data rates may apply. Knoso does not sell, rent, or share mobile phone numbers with third parties for their own marketing or promotional purposes. Mobile numbers may be shared with trusted service providers, such as messaging providers, only as necessary to send and manage SMS communications on our behalf.

You may opt out of SMS messages at any time by replying STOP to any text message from Knoso. You may also manage certain notification preferences within the Platform where available. Reply HELP for help, or contact us at support@knoso.app.

16. Device and Technical Information

When you use the Platform, we may automatically collect limited technical information, including:

Device type

Operating system

App version

Language settings

Time zone

Device identifiers necessary for authentication and notifications

Push notification token

Network status

Error logs

Diagnostic information

This information helps us improve performance, troubleshoot issues, secure the Platform, and provide customer support.

17. Crash Reports and Diagnostics

To improve the reliability of the Platform, Knoso uses crash reporting tools that help us identify software bugs, performance issues, and application crashes.

Crash reports may include technical information such as:

Device model

Operating system version

App version

Diagnostic logs

Error reports

Crash timestamps

These reports are used solely to improve the stability, security, and performance of the Platform.

18. Local Storage

Knoso stores certain information locally on your device to improve performance and enhance your experience.

Examples may include:

User preferences

Notification preferences

Cached profile information

Cached images

19. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If you access Knoso through our website, we may use cookies and similar technologies to:

remember your preferences;

improve website functionality;

maintain security;

understand how our website is used.

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through your browser settings. The Knoso mobile application does not rely on browser cookies in the same way as our website.

20. Third-Party Services

Knoso works with trusted third-party service providers to operate the Platform. These providers may process information on our behalf in accordance with their own privacy practices.

Examples include services used for:

Authentication

Cloud storage

Database hosting

Push notifications

Crash reporting

Image storage

Account security

Infrastructure hosting

Current Service Providers

Knoso currently relies on trusted third-party providers, which may include:

Google Firebase — Authentication, cloud database, cloud storage, push notifications, and application infrastructure.

Google Sign-In — Optional account authentication.

Firebase Crashlytics — Crash reporting and application diagnostics.

Vercel — Website hosting and web infrastructure.

These providers process information in accordance with their own privacy policies and applicable agreements with Knoso. As Knoso evolves, we may integrate additional trusted service providers to improve or expand our services.

21. Information We Do Not Sell

Knoso does not sell your personal information to third parties.

We do not sell your:

Name

Email address

Phone number

Messages

Location information

Profile information

Student information

Community activity

Event activity

If our practices ever change, we will update this Privacy Policy and comply with applicable law before doing so.

22. How We Use Your Information

Knoso uses the information we collect to operate, maintain, improve, and protect the Platform.

We may use your information to:

Create and manage your account.

Verify your identity.

Authenticate sign-ins.

Display your profile to other users in accordance with your privacy settings.

Match you with people, communities, and events.

Calculate approximate distances between users.

Enable messaging and community features.

Process community memberships and event participation.

Deliver notifications and important account communications.

Respond to customer support requests.

Detect, investigate, and prevent fraud, spam, abuse, and other harmful activity.

Enforce our Terms of Use, Community Guidelines, and other policies.

Improve the performance, security, reliability, and functionality of the Platform.

Comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests.

We may also use aggregated or de-identified information for analytics, product improvements, and business operations. Aggregated or de-identified information does not identify you personally.

23. When We Share Information

Knoso does not sell your personal information.

We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

With Other Users

Certain profile information is shared with other users as part of the Platform experience, including information you choose to display on your profile and information necessary to support community participation, messaging, and event features.

With Service Providers

We share information with trusted service providers that help us operate the Platform, such as providers of authentication, cloud hosting, data storage, notifications, crash reporting, customer support, and infrastructure services. These providers are authorized to process information only as necessary to provide services on our behalf.

With Community Owners and Administrators

Community owners and administrators may have access to information necessary to manage their communities, such as membership requests, member lists, event participation, reports submitted within their communities (where applicable), and community-related content.

For Legal Reasons

We may disclose information if we reasonably believe it is necessary to:

comply with applicable law or legal process;

respond to lawful requests from government authorities;

enforce our Terms or other policies;

protect the rights, safety, property, or security of Knoso, our users, or others;

investigate fraud, abuse, or security incidents.

Business Transfers

If Knoso is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, sale of assets, bankruptcy, or similar transaction, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to applicable law.

24. Data Retention

We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary to:

provide the Platform;

maintain the security and integrity of our services;comply with legal obligations;

resolve disputes;

enforce our agreements;

prevent fraud or abuse.

Different categories of information may be retained for different periods depending on their purpose and applicable legal requirements.

25. Account Deletion

You may request deletion of your Knoso account at any time through the Platform.

When your account is deleted:

your access to the Platform will be removed;

your authentication credentials will be deactivated;

certain profile information will no longer be visible to other users.

Some information may be retained after account deletion where reasonably necessary for legitimate business purposes, including:

legal compliance;

fraud prevention;

security investigations;

backup systems;

dispute resolution;

enforcement of our agreements.

Where possible, retained information will be deleted, anonymized, or de-identified when it is no longer needed.

26. Protecting Your Information

Knoso uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no method of transmitting or storing information electronically is completely secure. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are also responsible for protecting your own account credentials and devices.

27. Your Privacy Choices

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have certain privacy rights regarding your personal information.

These rights may include the ability to:

access certain personal information we maintain about you;

update or correct your information;

delete your account;

manage notification preferences;

manage location sharing preferences;

manage profile visibility settings;

control whether your Active Status is displayed;

choose whether to share your Instagram username with your connections.

Requests may be subject to identity verification and applicable legal limitations.

28. Children’s Privacy

Knoso is intended only for individuals who are at least eighteen (18) years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 18. If we become aware that we have collected information from someone under the required minimum age, we may suspend or terminate the account and take reasonable steps to delete the associated information.

29. International Users

Knoso is operated from the United States. If you access the Platform from another country, you understand that your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in the United States or other jurisdictions where our service providers operate. By using the Platform, you consent to such transfers where permitted by applicable law.

30. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our Platform, legal obligations, technology, or business practices. When we make material changes, we may notify users through the Platform, by email, or by other reasonable means. The “Effective Date” at the beginning of this Privacy Policy indicates when it was last updated. Your continued use of the Platform after an updated Privacy Policy becomes effective constitutes your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

31. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us.

Knoso LLC

Email: support@knoso.app

Website: https://knoso.app