NYC Classifieds — Privacy Policy

Information We Collect

Account Information

When you sign up, we collect your name and email address. Business accounts also provide a phone number and business details for their public profile page. This is the minimum needed to create your account and enable messaging.

Geo-Verification Data

During verification, we access your device camera (for a selfie) and GPS location. The selfie confirms you are a real person, and it also becomes your profile photo — it's shown publicly next to your listings, Porch posts, and reviews, alongside your verified badge. It is not a one-time check we discard afterward.

Your GPS coordinates at the moment of verification are stored as part of that verification record. We use them only to determine your borough and neighborhood, which is what's shown publicly — your exact address and coordinates are never shared with other users or displayed anywhere on the platform. We're working on reducing how long exact coordinates are retained after verification; this section will update when that ships.

Content You Create

Listings, Porch posts, replies, and messages you create are stored to operate the platform. Your listings and Porch posts are publicly visible. Messages are private between sender and recipient.

Usage Data

We keep a record of the signup process itself — which step you're on, whether it succeeded, and your IP address at that step — so we can find and fix places where signup breaks. We do not use third-party tracking pixels or behavioral advertising networks.

How We Use Your Information

• Operating the platform — displaying your listings and posts, delivering messages, sending notifications you've opted into.
• Verification — confirming you are a real person located in NYC.
• Safety and moderation — detecting spam, fraud, and policy violations.
• Improving the service — understanding how the platform is used so we can make it better.
• Communication — sending essential account emails (verification codes, security alerts) and notification emails you can turn off (new messages, replies, saved-search alerts, listing reminders). We do not send marketing emails.

What We Do NOT Do

• We do not sell your personal information to anyone.
• We do not share your data with third-party advertisers.
• We do not use behavioral tracking or retargeting ad networks.
• We do not show your exact address or GPS coordinates to other users — only your neighborhood.
• We do not use your verification photo for anything except your own public profile.

Data Sharing

We share data only in limited circumstances:

• Service providers — we use Supabase (database), Vercel (hosting), Resend (email delivery), Nominatim/OpenStreetMap (turning the address you type into map coordinates during signup), and Google Fonts (loading the fonts on this site, which sends your browser's IP address to Google). These providers process data on our behalf under strict agreements.
• Legal requirements — we may disclose information if required by law, court order, or to protect the safety of our users.
• With your consent — we will not share your information for any other purpose without asking you first.

Data Security

We use industry-standard security measures to protect your data, including HTTPS encryption, secure authentication, and access controls. Passwords are hashed and never stored in plain text. While no system is 100% secure, we take reasonable measures to protect your information.

Your Choices

• Access and update — you can view and edit your account information from your account settings.
• Delete your account — you can request account deletion by contacting us through the Feedback button. This is currently a manual process on our end, not an automated one; we aim to complete it within 30 days.
• Notifications — you can turn off email notifications (new messages, replies, saved-search alerts, listing reminders) from your account settings, or with the unsubscribe link in any of those emails. Push notifications can be turned off in your browser or device settings.

Cookies

We use one essential cookie to keep you signed in. We don't use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or any third-party analytics cookies.

Data Retention

Active listings expire after 30 days. Porch posts expire based on their type (48 hours for alerts, up to 30 days for other posts). Messages are retained while your account is active. If you delete your account, your data is removed within 30 days, except where we are legally required to retain it.

Children's Privacy

The NYC Classifieds is not intended for users under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will remove it.

Changes to This Policy

If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify users through the platform. Continued use of The NYC Classifieds after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

Questions about this policy? Use the Feedback button on any page or email hi at thenycclassifieds dot com. See also our Terms of Service and Legal page.