Last updated 20 August 2026

Privacy policy

This policy explains how The SQWK Network operator (referred to as “we”, “us” or “our”) collects, uses and protects personal information when you use The SQWK Network.

1. Who is responsible for your information?

The data controller is The SQWK Network operator. You can contact us at privacy@sqwk.network or by writing to Insert the data controller postal address.

2. Information we collect

Depending on how you use the service, we may process:

• your mobile number, a one-way lookup hash and the final four digits used for account verification;
• an encrypted copy of your mobile number where the server supports encryption;
• a six-character Maidenhead geographic grid, the reported accuracy of the location reading and the time your location was last refreshed;
• SQWKs, replies, votes, reports, blocks, reputation, privately awarded badges and moderation records;
• Counterparty asset names or Bitcoin Stamp identifiers included in SQWKs, together with locally cached public artwork and metadata;
• optional Lightning addresses or external tip links that you choose to provide;
• for paid event listings and donations, invoice identifiers, requested satoshi amount, settlement status and optional public supporter name/message; SQWK does not need your Lightning wallet seed or private keys;
• technical and security information such as session identifiers, IP-derived rate-limit hashes, timestamps, browser requests and error logs.

Public posts display broad proximity descriptions and anonymous thread aliases. We do not publicly display your phone number or stored Maidenhead grid.

3. Why we use your information

We use personal information to verify accounts, operate location-based feeds, publish and rank conversations, process paid event listings and voluntary Lightning donations, award private badges, resolve read-only on-chain artwork embeds, prevent abuse, investigate reports, secure the service, maintain records, respond to requests and comply with legal obligations.

Our lawful bases may include performing our agreement with you, our legitimate interests in operating and protecting the network, compliance with legal obligations, and consent where we specifically ask for it. Your browser separately controls whether device location is shared with the service.

4. Location information

When you choose to refresh your location, your browser supplies a latitude and longitude to the server for the limited purpose of calculating a six-character Maidenhead locator. The application does not write those precise coordinates to the SQWK database. Once the grid has been calculated, only the broader grid cell, equivalent coarse cell indexes, reported accuracy and refresh time are retained.

A six-character Maidenhead cell covers several square kilometres and its physical dimensions vary with latitude. Nearby feed selection operates using the member’s cell and neighbouring cells rather than exact distance calculations. Location information can still be sensitive even at this reduced precision, so do not post details that identify your home, workplace, school, travel routine or exact whereabouts. You can decline browser location access, although local posting features may then be unavailable.

5. Cookies and local storage

We use an essential session cookie to keep you signed in and protect account actions. We also use browser local storage to remember your light or dark theme. The current version does not use third-party advertising or analytics cookies. If that changes, we will update this policy and provide any consent controls required by law.

6. Who we share information with

We may share information with carefully selected service providers that host the service, deliver verification messages, process Lightning invoices, provide public Counterparty or Bitcoin Stamp metadata, or support security and operations. When a SQWK contains an asset shortcode, our server may send the public asset identifier—not your phone number or precise coordinates—to the configured metadata service and image host. Retrieved artwork is cached locally to reduce repeated third-party requests from members’ browsers.

We may also disclose information where required by law, to protect someone from serious harm, to investigate misuse, or as part of a business sale or restructuring subject to appropriate protections. We do not currently sell individual phone numbers, precise location histories or identifiable user profiles.

7. International transfers

Some service providers may process information outside the United Kingdom. Where this occurs, we will use an applicable adequacy decision, approved contractual safeguards or another lawful transfer mechanism.

8. Retention

Verification-code and rate-limit records are normally removed after two days when the scheduled maintenance task runs. SQWKs without replies normally expire after 14 days and active discussions after 30 days of inactivity, although expired records may remain in the database until deletion under our operational retention process. Public asset metadata and locally cached artwork may be refreshed or removed when no longer needed, blocked by moderation, or unavailable from its source.

Account, moderation and security records are retained only for as long as reasonably required for the purposes described above, including preventing repeated abuse and meeting legal obligations. Backups may retain deleted information for a limited period before being overwritten.

9. Automated processing

The service automatically calculates coarse grid proximity, adaptive feed area, vote scores, reputation, private badge eligibility and content-review thresholds. These systems help organise and protect the network. They are not intended to make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about you.

10. Your rights

Subject to applicable law, you may ask for access to your personal information, correction, deletion, restriction, portability or objection to certain processing. You may also withdraw consent where processing relies on consent. We may need to verify your account before acting on a request.

11. Security

We use measures including one-way hashing, encryption where available, coarse Maidenhead location grids, access controls, rate limiting and moderation logs. No online service can guarantee absolute security, so you should avoid posting personal or confidential information.

12. Age restrictions

The service is intended for people aged 16 or over. We do not knowingly seek to collect information from younger children. Contact us if you believe a child below the minimum age is using the service.

13. Complaints

Please contact us first so that we can investigate. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when the service, our suppliers or legal obligations change. Material changes will be highlighted within the service and the updated date will be shown above.