Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 23, 2026

What is this line for? (“WITLF,” “we,” “us,” “our”) operates the website https://whatisthislinefor.nyc and the What is this line for? iOS app (together, the “Service”). This Privacy Policy explains what we collect, why, who we share it with, and what choices you have.

1. What information do we collect?

1.1 Information you provide

When you sign up and use the Service, you provide or share certain information directly with us.

  • Sign-up information (Identifiers). When you create an account, we collect your email address and a username (your public handle on the Service). Your email is not displayed to other users. We use one-time password (“OTP”) codes for authentication, which means we do not ask for or store a traditional password.
  • Profile information (User Content). You may choose to provide optional profile information, such as a profile photo, display name, or biography, to personalize your public profile on the Service. We collect, store, and associate this information with your account. Information you add to your profile is visible to other users of the Service.
  • User-generated content (User Content). When you contribute content to the Service — such as posting comments or photos in chat, writing reviews, submitting new lines, or reporting wait times — we store that content and associate it with your account. Public posts are visible to other users of the Service. There are no private direct messages on the Service.
  • Your location (Location). You have the option to share your current location. We use your foreground location to show you where you are on the map and help you find nearby lines. We do not collect or retain this information on our servers.

1.2 Information we generate or collect automatically

Some information is collected automatically when you use the Service. This information does not include your name or contact details, but it does include basic technical and usage data — such as your IP address, request timestamps, crash diagnostics, and the in-app actions you take — which we use to operate and secure the Service, diagnose bugs, and understand how the Service is used so we can improve it. We do not use this information for advertising, profiling, or cross-app tracking.

The information collected automatically includes:

  • Server logs (Diagnostics). Our servers record basic request metadata such as IP address and timestamps to operate and secure the Service.
  • Crash diagnostics (Diagnostics). We capture crash reports and limited performance data so we can fix bugs. These reports include device model, OS version, and app version, but not your user ID, posts, messages, or photos.
  • Usage data (Product Interaction). We record basic in-app actions — such as date/time stamps associated with your usage, screens viewed, searches, and which features you use, along with basic technical details such as your device type, operating system version, and app version — so we can understand how the Service is used and improve it. These records are linked to your account when you are signed in, and to a random identifier on your device when you are not signed in. A third-party analytics provider processes these records on our behalf under contract and may use them only to provide analytics to us, not for its own purposes. These records capture the action, not the text you type or the content of your posts, messages, or photos. We do not use this information for advertising, profiling, cross-app tracking, or session recording.

2. How we use what we collect

We use the data above only to:

  • Provide, maintain, and improve the Service.
  • Communicate with you, including by sending push notifications and transactional emails you opted into.
  • Diagnose bugs and crashes.
  • Help protect the safety of the Service and our users, including by investigating abuse and enforcing our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines.
  • Comply with legal obligations.

We do not use your data for advertising, profiling, or sale to third parties.

3. Who we share it with

We do not sell, rent, license, or lease your personal information to third parties. However, we may disclose personal information to third-party vendors that help us operate the Service. Each provider receives only the data it needs to do its job. We have contracts in place with these providers, designed to help safeguard your personal information. This means they cannot use or disclose your personal information, except to provide services to us or on our behalf, unless we have instructed them to do so.

The categories of providers to which we may disclose personal information include the following:

  • Cloud infrastructure and storage
  • Communications
  • Maps
  • Crash reporting
  • Product analytics

Authorities and others. We may disclose information to law enforcement, government authorities, and private parties when required by law or to protect the safety of users or the public.

Business transfers. If WITLF is ever acquired or merged, your information may transfer to the acquirer, who must be bound by this Policy or a successor at least as protective. We will give you advance notice and the option to delete your account before the change takes effect.

4. How long we keep it

We keep your personal information only as long as necessary to provide the Service, prevent abuse, and comply with our legal obligations. When you delete your account, we delete or anonymize your information as described in Section 5.1. Copies of content removed for Community Guidelines violations may be retained for up to 12 months.

5. Your choices and rights

5.1 Account deletion

You can delete your account at any time: Settings → Account → Delete Account. When you delete your account, your profile, your profile photo, and your reviews (including any photos attached to them) are permanently deleted, and your profile is no longer visible to other users. Your comments, wait time reports, and line reports remain on the Service but are anonymized — the content stays (including any photos attached to comments), but it is no longer linked to you. Deleting your account will also delete your analytics profile. We will submit a request to our analytics provider to delete the usage records described in Section 1.2; that request can take up to 30 days to fully process. If you want any of your individual reviews or comments removed entirely instead of anonymized, delete them within the app before deleting your account.

After running our deletion process, WITLF will not be able to provide access to deleted data. Residual copies in backups roll off within 30 days. We may retain limited information where required by law.

5.2 Data access and correction

You can access and correct your profile and posts through the Service. To request a copy of other personal information we maintain about you, email hello@whatisthislinefor.nyc. We aim to respond within 30 days. If you use the Service without an account, the usage records in Section 1.2 are tied to a device identifier rather than an account, so we are generally unable to locate them; deleting the app stops this collection.

6. California residents (CCPA / CPRA)

If you are a California resident, the CCPA/CPRA gives you the right to know, access, correct, delete, and opt out of sale or sharing of your personal information. We do not sell or share your personal information. Under the CPRA, precise geolocation is considered “sensitive personal information”; we access it only in the foreground to show you on the map and find nearby lines, and we do not retain it on our servers, so there is no sensitive personal information for us to limit the use of. To exercise these rights, email hello@whatisthislinefor.nyc.

7. EEA / UK residents (GDPR / UK GDPR)

The Service is operated from the United States and is targeted at residents of New York City. If you choose to use it from the EEA or UK, the GDPR gives you rights to access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, objection, and to lodge a complaint with your supervisory authority. We process your data on the basis of contract (to provide the Service), legitimate interests (to keep it safe and fix bugs), consent (for push notifications and location), and legal obligation (where applicable). Data is processed in the United States; our processors rely on Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent transfer mechanisms. Email hello@whatisthislinefor.nyc to exercise these rights.

8. Children

The Service is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. To create an account you must be at least 13 years old (see our Terms of Service). If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child without proper consent, we will delete the account and data. To report this, email hello@whatisthislinefor.nyc.

9. Security

We have implemented technical and organizational security measures designed to protect the security of any personal information we process. However, despite our safeguards and efforts to secure your information, no electronic transmission over the Internet or information storage technology can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, so we cannot promise or guarantee that hackers, cybercriminals, or other unauthorized third parties will not be able to defeat our security and improperly collect, access, steal, or modify your information. Transmission of personal information to and from our Services is at your own risk. You should only access the Services within a secure environment. If we ever experience a breach that affects you, we will notify you as required by applicable law.

10. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our business or applicable laws. The “Last updated” date at the top reflects the most recent revision. For material changes, we will give notice in the app or on our website before the change takes effect. If you continue using the Service after a change takes effect, you accept the revised Policy. If you do not agree, you can stop using the Service and delete your account.

11. Contact

Email: hello@whatisthislinefor.nyc