1. Overview
This Privacy Policy applies to Near, including our mobile apps, website, waitlist, contact forms, event discovery features, safety features, and related services operated by WECREO LABS PRIVATE LIMITED.
To operate Near, we need some account, location, activity, safety, and device information. We try to collect only what we need to run the product, keep the platform trusted, and improve the experience.
By using Near, you acknowledge that your information may be collected and used as described in this Privacy Policy.
2. What we collect
The information we collect depends on how you use Near.
We use PostHog, a product analytics service, to understand which screens and features are used so we can improve Near. We do not record your screen.
We may also receive limited information from third-party services that help us with authentication, maps, notifications, analytics, crash reporting, hosting, moderation, identity verification, or support.
Near does not intentionally collect sensitive information such as government identifiers, financial information, health information, or precise biometric data unless a specific feature clearly asks for it and explains why it is needed.
3. Identity verification and face data
Near offers identity verification as a safety feature designed to help ensure that users are real people and to reduce fake profiles, fraud, impersonation, and abuse on the platform.
What face data we collect
When you choose to complete identity verification, Near temporarily collects a live selfie taken for the verification process.
The live selfie is compared with the profile photograph associated with your Near account to help determine whether the person completing verification matches the person represented by the profile.
The live verification selfie is different from your normal Near profile photograph.
If you change your profile photograph while your account is verified, Near compares the new photograph with your current one in the same way, to decide whether your verification badge still applies.
Near does not create or retain a permanent facial profile, facial biometric template, or other biometric identifier from the live selfie for this verification process.
How we use the live selfie
The live selfie is used only to:
- verify that you are a real person;
- compare the live selfie with your Near profile photograph;
- reduce fake profiles and impersonation;
- prevent fraud and abuse; and
- support the safety and trust of people using Near to meet, join, or host events and communities.
The live selfie is not used for advertising, marketing, behavioral profiling, or unrelated purposes.
AWS Rekognition
Near uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) Rekognition as a service provider to perform the facial comparison required for identity verification.
The live selfie is sent to AWS Rekognition only for the verification function described in this section. AWS is used as a service provider on Near's behalf and is not authorized by Near to use the live selfie for advertising, marketing, analytics, or unrelated purposes.
Storage and retention
The live selfie is temporarily uploaded to Near's private AWS-hosted storage (Amazon S3, in India) as part of the verification process.
The selfie is retained only for the time necessary to complete identity verification. Once the verification process is completed, the temporary selfie is automatically deleted.
If the automatic check cannot complete, a Near team member may review the selfie, after which it is deleted. A selfie awaiting review is deleted within 30 days at most.
After the selfie is deleted, Near keeps only the verification result, its date, and the similarity score returned by the comparison.
Near does not retain the live verification selfie as part of your permanent profile and does not retain a facial biometric template or other permanent biometric profile from the verification selfie.
Your normal Near profile photograph is separate from the temporary verification selfie and may be retained as part of your Near profile according to this Privacy Policy.
Sharing
Near does not sell face data.
Near does not share the live verification selfie or facial verification data with advertising networks, data brokers, analytics providers, or other unrelated third parties.
The live selfie may be processed by AWS Rekognition as described above solely to provide the identity-verification function. If the automatic check cannot complete, an authorised Near team member may view the selfie only to review the verification.
Account deletion
If you delete your Near account, Near will delete or de-identify personal data associated with your account as described in Section 9. Temporary verification selfies are not retained as part of your permanent account data and are automatically deleted after the verification process is completed.
4. How we use your information
We use information collected through Near to:
- Create and manage your Near account.
- Show nearby plans, live event lobbies, communities, routes, venues, and local experiences.
- Help users coordinate, join, host, and attend experiences.
- Verify users, reduce fake profiles, prevent impersonation, prevent abuse, and maintain trust.
- Calculate and display product features such as Aura scores and trust indicators.
- Provide safety features such as reporting, moderation, trusted-contact flows, and SOS-related tools.
- Send service messages, launch updates, event reminders, security alerts, and support replies.
- Debug errors, analyze performance, improve features, and understand how Near is used.
- Comply with applicable laws, enforce our terms, and respond to lawful requests.
We do not use face data collected through identity verification for advertising, marketing, analytics, behavioral profiling, or unrelated purposes.
5. What others may see
Near is social, so some information is visible to other users when you choose to participate.
Depending on the feature and your settings, this may include:
- Your profile information, such as name, photo, bio, and trust indicators.
- Your public activity, such as events you host or join.
- Your presence inside an event lobby or community space after you join it.
- Information needed for safety and trust, such as verification status or Aura-related indicators.
We do not show your precise live location to everyone by default. Some location or proximity information may be visible when it is necessary for a feature you choose to use, such as joining a live event, route, venue, or safety flow.
Private contact information, support messages, safety reports, and internal moderation notes are not shown publicly.
Your live identity-verification selfie is not publicly visible to other Near users.
6. Location
Near uses location to make the app feel live and local. Depending on your device permissions, we may use approximate or precise location, and only while you use the app.
Location helps us show nearby plans, maps, lobbies, routes, venues, and safety features. For example, Near can show you a rooftop jam happening 0.6 km from you.
Our map provider, Mapbox, receives your location to display the map and may collect anonymous usage statistics about the map.
You can control location access from your device settings. If you turn location off, some parts of Near may not work as intended.
Near does not sell your location information or use your location for third-party advertising.
7. Safety features and reports
We may process safety-related information when you verify your account, use SOS tools, report a user or event, add trusted contacts, contact support, or participate in moderation workflows.
This may include the event involved, user identifiers, timestamps, location context, messages submitted with the report, moderation notes, and actions taken by our team.
We use this information to investigate abuse, prevent harm, enforce our guidelines, and protect the community.
Identity verification information is processed only for the safety and verification purposes described in Section 3.
9. Your controls
You can control or limit some data collection and use through the app and your device settings.
You can:
- Update your account and profile information.
- Change device permissions such as location, notifications, camera, photos, contacts, or microphone.
- Leave events, communities, or lobbies when you no longer want to participate.
- Request access, correction, export, or deletion of your personal data by contacting us.
- Withdraw optional permissions through your device settings.
- Request deletion of your account and associated personal data using the methods described below.
Some features may stop working if a required permission is disabled.
10. Account deletion
If you create a Near account, you can request deletion of your account and associated personal data from inside the app where the feature is available, through our account deletion page, or by emailing hello@wecreo.in from the email address linked to your account.
Account deletion is permanent.
When we delete an account, we delete or de-identify personal data associated with that account unless we need to retain limited information for safety, security, fraud prevention, dispute resolution, legal compliance, or enforcement of our terms.
Temporary identity-verification selfies are not retained as part of your permanent account data and are automatically deleted after the verification process is completed.
11. Retention
We keep personal data for as long as needed to provide Near, maintain safety and trust, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, prevent fraud or abuse, and improve the product.
Different categories of information may have different retention periods depending on why the information was collected.
Identity-verification selfies
Live selfies collected for identity verification are temporary. They are retained only for the time necessary to complete the verification process and are automatically deleted after verification is completed. If a selfie needs review by a Near team member, it is deleted after that review, and within 30 days at most.
Near does not retain the live verification selfie as part of the user's permanent profile and does not retain a facial biometric template or other permanent biometric profile from the verification selfie.
Other account and safety information
If you delete your account, we will delete or de-identify personal data that is no longer needed.
Some safety, verification, abuse-prevention, transaction, or legal records may be retained where necessary for the purposes described in this policy.
13. International processing
Near may process and store information in countries other than where you live, depending on where our service providers operate.
For example, Near uses infrastructure and service providers operated by Amazon Web Services and other technology providers that may process information in different countries. Identity-verification selfies are stored in India. Product analytics (PostHog) and map services (Mapbox) may process data in the United States.
When information is transferred or processed internationally, we use appropriate safeguards required by applicable law.
14. Age limit
Near is intended for users who are 18 years or older.
We do not knowingly allow children to create accounts.
If we learn that a child has provided personal data, we will take steps to delete it.
15. Security
We use reasonable technical and organisational safeguards to protect personal data, including encryption in transit where appropriate, access controls, limited internal access, monitoring, backup practices, and vendor review.
Temporary identity-verification selfies are stored in controlled AWS-hosted infrastructure and are automatically deleted after the verification process is completed.
No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect user data and respond to risks responsibly.
16. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as Near evolves, as we add features, or as legal and platform requirements change.
The updated version will be posted on this page.
For material changes, we may also notify users through the app, email, or another appropriate method.
17. Contact
For privacy questions, data requests, account deletion, support, or safety-related communication, contact:
WECREO LABS PRIVATE LIMITED
Email: hello@wecreo.in
Product: Near