This is the long-form version of the PopIn privacy story. The legal version lives at /privacy; this is the same content explained the way we'd explain it to a friend who asked. If you're considering using PopIn for a sensitive event, or you've been invited to one and want to understand what data PopIn has about you, this is the article.
PopIn collects the minimum data needed to make the product work, doesn't sell or monetise it, builds zero profile on guests who don't sign up, and gives you a real path to delete everything. The article below is the why and how behind each of those.
What we do and don't collect
| About signed-up users | Status |
|---|---|
| Email, phone (if given), hashed password | Stored |
| Display name, username, profile bio and photo | Stored |
| Events you create, attend, message, post, or react to | Stored |
| IP at sign-in, user agent, last-activity timestamp | Stored (operational only) |
| Cross-site tracking / third-party trackers | Never |
| Sold to data brokers | Never |
| Used to train AI models | Never |
The passive data (IP, user agent, last-activity timestamp) is genuinely operational - the IP powers security alerts on new sign-ins, the user agent populates your active sessions list, and last-activity drives the "online now" indicator for friends if you've opted in. None of it gets profiled for advertising. The only third-party we load on signed-in surfaces is Google AdSense in the feed; that contract is with Google directly and doesn't return bulk profile data to us.
Guests who never sign up
This is where PopIn diverges from most platforms. When a guest RSVPs to your event without creating an account, the data PopIn has about them is intentionally minimal:
| About no-account guests | Status |
|---|---|
| First name (so the host can see who's coming) | Stored |
| Email or phone (only if they gave one - used for reminders) | Stored, scoped to one event |
| RSVP status and preferred reminder channel | Stored |
| Cross-event profile of which events they've RSVP'd to | Never built |
| Browser fingerprint | Never collected |
| Contact info shared with anyone but that event's host | Never |
Most "no-account guest" event platforms quietly build a profile on those guests over time, hoping to convert them. PopIn doesn't. A guest is a guest forever unless they explicitly choose to sign up. If they remove their RSVP, their data goes with it.
Who can see what on an event
| Visibility | Who can find it | In search / discovery? |
|---|---|---|
| Private (invite only) | Invited guests with the link | No |
| Friends only | Your PopIn friends + invited guests | Friends feed only |
| Public | Any PopIn user | Yes (Google indexing optional, off by default) |
Within an event, the guest list is visible to other guests by default so people can see who else is coming. The host can hide it via the "hide guest list from guests" toggle in event settings. Individual RSVP statuses (Going / Maybe / Can't make it) are always visible only to the host, never to other guests.
Messages and broadcasts
Direct messages on PopIn are between you and the recipient. They're not used to train any AI model. They're not shared with the host of any events you're both attending. The only people who can read them are you, the recipient, and PopIn's content moderation team if a message is reported - and even then only the reported message, not the surrounding thread.
Event broadcasts (the host-to-all-guests message tool) are different: they're explicitly sent to every guest, so they're not private in the same way. The broadcast itself isn't personal data, but if it mentions specific guests by name, those guests will see their names mentioned.
What we never do
- Sell your data or your guests' data to advertisers, data brokers, or third parties.
- Share your email address with anyone unless you explicitly do (e.g., by inviting them).
- Train AI models on your messages, posts, or events.
- Read your DMs outside of content-moderation review on reported messages.
- Profile guests who don't have accounts.
- Track you across other websites once you've left PopIn.
- Share data with parent companies or affiliates - because we don't have any.
What we will do if compelled
If we receive a valid legal request (subpoena, court order, lawful enforcement request) we will comply. We will disclose the specific data the request covers. This is true of every platform - we're not exempt. Where we have leeway, we narrow the scope to only what's specifically requested, and where it's legally possible to notify the affected user, we do.
How to delete your data
With an account
Open delete your account. Your profile, posts, messages, and event history are removed within a few days. Events you hosted are cancelled but kept as "cancelled by former user" so guests aren't confused by a disappearance.
As a no-account guest
Open the event link, find your name on the guest list, and remove your RSVP. The email or phone you provided is deleted with it.
Request a full data export
You have a legal right to a complete dump of what we hold on you regardless of where you live. Email support with the email or phone tied to the data and we'll send it.