Privacy Policy

Effective date: [Effective Date]

This Privacy Policy explains what information 5S Ethos collects when you use our website and community platform, how we use and protect it, and the choices you have. The short version: we are privacy-first, we collect only what we need to run the service, and we do not sell your data.

Who we are

5S Ethos ("5S Ethos", "we", "us", or "our") operates a local-economy business directory and community platform. We help people find and support local businesses, swap and share goods, and offer and ask for mutual aid in their community. This policy applies to our website, app, and community boards. If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, contact us:

• Privacy inquiries: dev@launchindustries.biz
• General support: dev@launchindustries.biz

Information we collect

We collect the following categories of information when you use 5S Ethos:

Account information

• Email address and password. When you sign up, we collect your email address and a password. Authentication is handled by our auth provider, Supabase. Your password is stored only in hashed (encrypted) form by Supabase — we never see or store your plain-text password.
• Display name. The name you choose to show on your profile and alongside your posts on the community boards.

Content you post publicly

• Community board posts. What you post on the swap board, the mutual-aid / Buy-Nothing board, and the "who needs help" support board, including any text, descriptions, and details you choose to include.
• Listing claims. When you submit a "claim your listing" request for a business in the directory, we collect the information you provide to verify and process that claim.

Usage, device, and log data

• Usage and log data. Technical information generated when you use the service, such as pages and listings you view, timestamps, IP address, browser and device type, and request and error logs. We use this to operate, secure, and troubleshoot the service.
• Cookies. A small set of cookies needed to keep you signed in and to operate the site (see "Cookies" below).

How we use your information

We use the information described above to:

• Run the service — operate the directory, community boards, and the rest of the platform.
• Authenticate you — sign you in and keep your account secure.
• Display your posts — show your community board posts and display name to others, as you intend.
• Process listing claims — review and handle "claim your listing" requests.
• Provide support — respond to your questions and resolve issues you report.
• Keep the community safe — moderate content, enforce our community guidelines, and detect and prevent spam, fraud, abuse, and security incidents.
• Comply with the law — meet our legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations.

We do not sell your data

This is core to our mission. We do not sell your personal information. We do not share it with advertising networks. We do not share it with data brokers. We are a community platform, not an advertising business, and we have no interest in monetizing your personal data.

Service providers (sub-processors)

We use a small number of trusted service providers to run 5S Ethos. They process data only as needed to provide their service to us, and each is bound by a contract that limits how they may use it:

• Supabase — provides our database, authentication, and hosting of user data (including your account, posts, and listing claims).
• Vercel — hosts our website and serves it to your browser.

We may also disclose information where required to comply with the law, enforce our agreements, or protect the rights, safety, and security of our users and the public.

Cookies

We keep cookies to a minimum. We use a session cookie to keep you signed in as you move around the site, and other strictly necessary cookies required to operate the platform. [If we use analytics: We also use [Analytics Provider] to understand, in aggregate, how the site is used; you can opt out as described there.] We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

Box integration (optional)

5S Ethos offers an optional Box integration that you can choose to connect. If, and only if, you connect it, the integration accesses Box file content and metadata for the files you make available, and can create or update files in your Box account when you direct it to. To provide the service, we may store a limited amount of Box-derived data (such as authorization tokens and temporary caches) on our own infrastructure, outside of Box. Your Box content is never sold and never used to train AI models. For full details on how the Box integration handles your data, see our Box Security & Data Use page. If you do not connect the Box integration, none of this applies to you.

Data retention & deletion

We keep your information only as long as needed to provide the service and for the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer period is required by law. Account information is kept while your account is active. Public posts remain visible until you delete them or close your account. Usage and log data is kept for a limited period for security and troubleshooting.

You can delete your posts at any time from within the platform. To delete your account, email dev@launchindustries.biz. When you delete your account, we remove your account information and your community board posts, subject to any legal retention obligations and to copies that may remain in routine backups for a limited time before they expire. We will confirm completion of a deletion request within a reasonable time.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct information that is inaccurate or out of date.
• Delete your account and the personal information we hold about you.
• Export a copy of your data in a portable format.

To exercise any of these rights, contact dev@launchindustries.biz. Depending on your location, you may have additional rights under laws such as the [GDPR/CCPA as applicable], and we will honor those rights as required by law.

Children

5S Ethos is not directed to anyone under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact dev@launchindustries.biz and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the revised version on this page and update the effective date above. Material changes will be communicated as required by applicable law. Your continued use of 5S Ethos after an update means you accept the revised policy.

Contact

If you have questions or requests regarding this policy or your data, contact us at:

• Email: dev@launchindustries.biz or dev@launchindustries.biz
• Mailing address: PO Box 16288, Seattle, WA 98116