Privacy Policy

How AluNet collects, uses, shares and protects your personal data.

Last updated: 8 September 2026 · Contact: alunetapp@gmail.com · Jurisdiction: Netherlands (EEA)

1. Introduction & who we are

AluNet (‘AluNet’, ‘we’, ‘our’, or ‘us’) is a social networking application operated from the Netherlands. AluNet is the app that keeps you connected to your friends after university — you see where everyone lives, share your trips, and get notified when you’re again in the same place at the same time.

Contact: alunetapp@gmail.com · Jurisdiction: Netherlands (EEA)

2. Scope & eligibility

This Privacy Policy applies to all personal data collected, processed, or shared through:

• The AluNet mobile application (iOS and Android)
• Our web platform and any related services

AluNet is intended exclusively for users 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect data from minors. If you believe a minor has registered, contact alunetapp@gmail.com and we will delete the data promptly.

3. Personal data we collect

3.1 Data you provide directly

• Full name and display name
• Email address
• University, exchange program(s), graduation year, and academic affiliations
• City or country of residence (user-entered; not GPS-derived)
• Travel plans and trips (destination, start date, end date)
• Work information: sector, industry, current role, employer
• Profile photo (optional)
• Bio, personal status, or other optional profile fields

You control which optional fields you complete. Required fields are limited to name, email, and at least one affiliation.

3.2 Location information

AluNet does NOT collect precise GPS coordinates or perform real-time location tracking. All location data shown on the map and in the People list is derived solely from:

• City or country entered manually by the user as their current residence
• Trip destinations entered manually by the user

Location is city-level or country-level only and is always user-initiated and user-controlled.

3.3 Automatically collected technical data

• Device type, operating system version, and app version
• Session data and basic usage events (e.g. features accessed, screens viewed)
• IP address (collected transiently for security and fraud prevention)
• Crash reports and performance diagnostics

This technical data is used solely for service operation, security, and improvement. It is not sold or used for behavioural advertising without your explicit consent.

3.4 Inferred & derived data

AluNet may derive additional attributes from your profile data. These may include:

• Cohort memberships (inferred from graduation year and university), used to suggest people you may know
• Overlaps between your trips and those of your connections, used to notify you when you will be in the same place at the same time

Derived data is used to operate and personalise the app. We do not use it to build data products about you.

4. Legal bases for processing (GDPR)

We process your personal data under the following GDPR legal bases:

• Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): For optional profile fields, push notifications, and personalised advertising, if we ever introduce it.
• Contractual necessity (Art. 6(1)(b)): To provide the core app functionality you signed up for, including map views, people discovery, and trip notifications.
• Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): For analytics, service improvement, fraud prevention, security, and generating non-identifiable aggregated insights.
• Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)): Where required by applicable Dutch, EU, or other relevant law.

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

5. How we use your personal data

5.1 App functionality

• Displaying your profile and location to your connections
• Showing your trips and notifying connections of travel overlap
• Enabling chat and ‘give a sign’ interactions
• Providing map-based network visualisation
• Sending push notifications about relevant network activity

5.2 Service improvement

• Analysing usage patterns to improve features
• Conducting A/B testing and product research
• Debugging and resolving technical issues

5.3 Aggregated statistics

We may publish or share aggregated statistics that cannot be linked to you or to any other individual — for example, the number of AluNet users from a given university or country. Before any figure leaves AluNet, all direct identifiers are removed and the data is aggregated so that no individual can be recognised or singled out.

6. Sharing of personal data

6.1 Other app users

Information you make visible on your profile (name, location, trips, work info) is shared with your connections within the app, according to your privacy settings.

6.2 Universities & partner organisations

We sometimes work with universities and student organisations to introduce AluNet to their students. These are promotional partnerships only: we do not give partners access to your personal data. Anything we share with them is aggregated and anonymous, as described in Section 5.3.

6.3 Service providers

We use trusted third-party service providers who process data on our behalf under strict confidentiality and data protection obligations:

• Mapbox — map rendering and location display (mapbox.com/legal/privacy)
• Cloud hosting and infrastructure providers
• Authentication providers
• Analytics and crash reporting tools

6.4 Legal & safety disclosures

We may disclose personal data if required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of AluNet, our users, or the public.

7. Data retention

We retain personal data for as long as your account is active and as necessary to provide the service. Upon account deletion:

• Personal profile data is deleted within 30 days, and from encrypted backups within a further 90 days
• Aggregated statistics that cannot be linked to any individual may be retained indefinitely
• Technical logs and security records may be retained for up to 12 months
• Legal or compliance-required data may be retained as required by applicable law

Section 8 sets out exactly how to delete your account and what happens to each type of data.

8. Account deletion

You can delete your AluNet account at any time, directly in the app. You do not need to contact us first. Full step-by-step instructions are on the account deletion page.

• In the app: open the profile tab, go to Settings, choose Delete account, and confirm.
• By email: if you no longer have access to the app, email alunetapp@gmail.com from the address registered to your account with the subject ‘Delete my account’. We will verify your identity and complete the deletion within 30 days.

8.1 What is deleted

All personal data associated with your account: your name and display name, email address, profile photo, university and exchange affiliations, graduation year, work information, bio and other optional profile fields, city or country of residence, every trip you have added and your full trip history, your connections, and your app and notification settings.

8.2 What is kept, and for how long

• Security, fraud-prevention and technical logs, including IP addresses recorded at sign-in — up to 12 months from collection, then deleted.
• Messages you sent in a group chat may remain visible to the other participants as part of their own conversation history. They are shown without your name, photo or profile link.
• Aggregated statistics that cannot be linked to you or to any individual — retained indefinitely (see Section 5.3).
• Records we are required to keep by applicable Dutch or EU law — retained only for the period that law requires, then deleted.

8.3 Deleting data without deleting your account

You can delete individual trips and clear optional profile fields in the app at any time. If you want other specific data removed while keeping your account, email alunetapp@gmail.com and we will action the request.

9. Your rights under GDPR

As a data subject in the EEA, you have the following rights:

• Right of access — request a copy of your personal data (Art. 15)
• Right to rectification — correct inaccurate or incomplete data (Art. 16)
• Right to erasure — request deletion of your personal data (Art. 17)
• Right to restriction — limit how we process your data (Art. 18)
• Right to data portability — receive your data in a structured format (Art. 20)
• Right to object — object to processing based on legitimate interests (Art. 21)
• Right to withdraw consent — at any time, without penalty
• Right to lodge a complaint — with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) at autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl

To exercise any of these rights, contact alunetapp@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days. Account deletion can also be carried out directly in the app — see Section 8.

10. Cookies & tracking technologies

Our mobile application does not use browser cookies. We may use mobile analytics SDKs and device identifiers for the purposes described in Section 3.3. You may opt out of analytics tracking in your device settings or within the app settings.

11. Advertising

AluNet may display contextual or personalised advertisements now or in the future. We do not sell your personal data to advertisers. Any advertising integration will:

• Comply with applicable GDPR requirements
• Be disclosed in an updated version of this policy
• Offer an opt-out mechanism for personalised advertising

12. Third-party services

The service integrates Mapbox, which processes technical request data (including IP address) when rendering maps. See mapbox.com/legal/privacy. Other third-party service providers operate under their own privacy policies and our data processing agreements.

13. International data transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the European Economic Area, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with GDPR Chapter V, including Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or adequacy decisions where applicable.

14. Data security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including:

• Encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest
• Access controls and role-based permissions
• Regular security assessments
• Incident response procedures

No system is completely secure. In the event of a data breach affecting your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the relevant supervisory authority as required by GDPR Art. 33–34.

15. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. Material changes will be communicated via in-app notification or email at least 14 days before taking effect. Continued use of the app after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

16. Contact & data controller

Data controller: AluNet
Email: alunetapp@gmail.com
Jurisdiction: Netherlands

For privacy requests or complaints, contact us at alunetapp@gmail.com.