Privacy Policy

VibeNow (vibenow.se) is run from Stockholm, Sweden, and is the controller of the personal data described here. Questions and requests: use the contact form.

You can open the map, read vibes and post without signing up. Then we keep:

• A random device ID stored in your browser, used for rate limits, likes, reports and to recognise your own vibes. It contains nothing about you.
• What you post — the vibe or question text, its type, the place you put it on the map, an optional photo and the nickname you choose.
• Quick answers — when you tap “How is it now?” (calm / lively / packed) or “Going”, with your device ID.
• Settings in your browser (filters, nickname, dismissed tips) in local storage. They stay on your device.

• Email address — to send you a sign-in code. We don't use passwords.
• Profile — username, and optionally a display name, bio, photo and whether your profile is public or private.
• Your activity — vibes, comments, likes, saved vibes, follows, communities you join and their messages, check-ins and RSVPs, points and badges.
• Direct messages — text and photos you send and receive, read receipts and reactions. Messages are stored on our server so they reach the other person; they are not end-to-end encrypted.
• Calls — who called whom, when, how long and whether it was answered. Audio goes directly between the two devices; when a direct connection isn't possible it passes through a relay server (see processors). We never record calls.
• Blocks and reports you make, so we can enforce them and review reports.
• Groups — groups you join, their messages, photos, poll votes, places you choose to share in a chat (only that point, visible to the group), and requests to join private groups (with the short hello you add). Admins of a private group see who asked.
• Events — events you say you're going to (with the start time and title, to remind you an hour before), and meetups you plan in a community. Meetups are public: they show on the map and in Tonight.
• Invites — if you joined through a friend's link, who invited you (both of you get points).

Your device's location is used in your browser to centre the map and to place a vibe where you are. We store a location only when you post a vibe (its point on the map and the city name), or when you follow an area for notifications (the area, not your position). We don't keep a history of where you have been. The friends layer shows people you follow at the place of their latest vibe, not their live position.

“I'm out” is off unless you turn it on. Then we store your approximate position (rounded to about 100 m) for the 1–4 hours you choose, visible only to people you follow who follow you back. It is deleted when you stop it or within 15 minutes after the time runs out.

If you turn on notifications, your browser gives us a push address that we store to deliver the notifications you chose (messages, community messages, likes, followed areas). Turn them off in Settings or in your browser and the address is deleted.

We record page views (page, referrer, device ID, approximate city and country) and app events such as errors and steps in sign-up, to keep the service working and to understand which features are used. We don't use third-party analytics, advertising or tracking cookies.

• To provide the service you asked for — your account, posts, messages, calls and notifications (contract).
• To keep VibeNow safe and working — rate limits, moderation, abuse prevention, error logs (legitimate interest).
• Notifications and location — only when you allow them (consent, which you can withdraw at any time).

Our database, files and the app run on our own server at Hetzner in Helsinki, Finland (EU). We use these services, each only for the part described:

• Hetzner Online (Germany) — server hosting in Finland.
• Resend (USA) — sends sign-in emails and contact form messages; receives your email address.
• Brevo (France) — backup delivery for contact form messages.
• MapTiler (Switzerland) — map images; receives your IP address and the map area you view.
• OpenStreetMap Nominatim — turns a vibe's point into a street or city name; receives the coordinates only.
• Metered (metered.ca) — relay servers for calls when a direct connection fails; the call audio passes through encrypted.
• Apple, Google and Mozilla push services — deliver notifications to your device.
• YouTube, TikTok, Spotify, SoundCloud — only when you play media that someone attached to a vibe; their own policies apply.

Where a processor is outside the EU/EEA, transfers rely on an adequacy decision or the EU Standard Contractual Clauses. Until 23 November 2026 an older copy of the data also remains with our previous hosts (Vercel and Supabase, EU and USA); it is not used and will then be deleted.

• Vibes leave the map after 6 hours (12 if extended) and are deleted from the database after 30 days.
• Page views and app events: 14 days. Server backups: 14 days.
• Account data, messages and saved vibes: until you delete them or your account.
• “How is it now?” answers: shown for 90 minutes, deleted after 30 days.
• Contact form messages: until the request is handled, then up to 12 months.

You can see and change your profile in Settings, and delete your account there at any time (Settings → Delete account). That removes your account, profile, vibes and their photos, comments, messages, follows, saves and memberships right away; backups roll over within 14 days. Communities you created stay for their members.

Under the GDPR you can also ask for a copy of your data, correction, restriction or objection — use the contact form; we answer within one month. You can complain to the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY, imy.se).

VibeNow is not for children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has an account, contact us and we will delete it.

When we change this policy we update the date above, and for important changes we tell you in the app.