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Privacy

Privacy Policy

Effective date: August 3, 2026
Last updated: August 3, 2026

1. Our Commitment to Privacy

OsoyoosSocial is a locally operated community social network available at osoyoossocial.ca.

We understand that a community site only works when people trust it. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information OsoyoosSocial collects, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and what choices you have.

The site is operated by OsoyoosSocial, operating as OsoyoosSocial. In this policy, “OsoyoosSocial,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to the site and its operator.

Our handling of personal information is governed by British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act and, where applicable, other Canadian privacy laws.

2. Information You Give Us

Account information

When you create an account, we may collect:

  • Your name or chosen profile name.

  • Your email address.

  • Your password in securely protected form.

  • Your date of birth or age confirmation.

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  • Your general location or hometown.

  • Other details you choose to add to your profile.

We use this information to create and manage your account, confirm your email address, protect the community from fake or abusive accounts, and provide site features.

Your password is not stored as readable text. It is processed using the authentication and security functions provided by the site’s software.

Profile information

You decide how much optional profile information to provide.

Depending on the features available, this may include:

  • A biography or personal introduction.

  • Employment or education information.

  • Relationship or family information.

  • Interests and community connections.

  • Photographs and cover images.

  • Links to other websites or social accounts.

Some profile information may be visible to other members or the public, depending on your account settings and how the site is configured. Do not add information to your profile that you do not want others to see.

Posts and other content

We collect the content you choose to submit, including:

  • Posts and comments.

  • Photographs and videos.

  • Reactions and likes.

  • Group memberships and group activity.

  • Event information and responses.

  • Marketplace or classified listings.

  • Poll responses.

  • Reports submitted to moderators.

  • Other material you upload or share.

The audience for this content depends on where it is posted and the privacy options available for that feature.

Information posted publicly may be seen, copied, indexed, screenshotted or shared by other people. Deleting a post from OsoyoosSocial cannot remove copies already made by someone else.

Private messages

OsoyoosSocial may allow members to send private messages.

Private messages are stored so they can be delivered and displayed to the people involved. We do not routinely read private messages.

However, authorized administrators may access or preserve messages when reasonably necessary to:

  • Investigate a report of harassment, threats, fraud or other misuse.

  • Protect a member or the public from a credible risk of harm.

  • Diagnose a technical or security problem.

  • Respond to a lawful court order, warrant or other legal requirement.

  • Enforce our Terms and Conditions or Community Guidelines.

A message should not be treated as completely confidential. The recipient can copy, screenshot or forward it.

Communications with us

If you contact OsoyoosSocial, we may retain your message, email address and any information you provide.

This includes:

  • Support requests.

  • Account inquiries.

  • Privacy questions.

  • Appeals of moderation decisions.

  • Copyright or legal complaints.

  • Reports about another member or piece of content.

We use this information to respond, investigate the issue and maintain an appropriate record of what happened.

3. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit or use OsoyoosSocial, our systems may automatically collect technical information such as:

  • Your Internet Protocol address.

  • Browser and device type.

  • Operating system.

  • Date and time of access.

  • Pages or features used.

  • Referring website or page.

  • Session and login activity.

  • Error and security logs.

  • General location inferred from an IP address.

  • Cookie and session identifiers.

This information helps us keep members signed in, operate the site, identify technical problems, prevent abuse, understand general site use and protect OsoyoosConnect from attacks.

We do not use technical information to determine your precise physical location unless you voluntarily provide location information through a site feature.

4. Cookies and Similar Technology

OsoyoosSocial uses cookies and similar browser storage.

Cookies are small pieces of information saved by your browser. Some are necessary for the site to work.

We may use cookies to:

  • Keep you signed in.

  • Remember your settings.

  • Protect forms and login sessions.

  • Prevent fraud and unauthorized access.

  • Maintain site security.

  • Understand how the site is being used.

Blocking essential cookies may prevent account login or other features from working correctly.

If we later introduce non-essential advertising, tracking or analytics cookies, this Privacy Policy and any available consent controls will be updated before those technologies are used.

5. How We Use Personal Information

We use personal information for reasonable purposes connected with operating OsoyoosSocial, including to:

  • Create and manage member accounts.

  • Confirm email addresses and account ownership.

  • Display profiles and member-created content.

  • Deliver private messages and notifications.

  • Operate groups, events and community features.

  • Respond to questions and support requests.

  • Investigate reports and enforce community rules.

  • Detect spam, scams, fake accounts and security threats.

  • Prevent unauthorized access and other misuse.

  • Maintain backups and recover from technical failures.

  • Improve site reliability and usability.

  • Understand general patterns of site activity.

  • Meet legal, regulatory and recordkeeping obligations.

  • Protect the rights, safety and property of members, the community and OsoyoosConnect.

We will not use personal information for a substantially different purpose without consent unless the use is otherwise permitted or required by law.

6. Consent

By creating an account and voluntarily providing personal information, you consent to its collection, use and disclosure for the purposes explained in this Privacy Policy and at the point where the information is collected.

Some information is necessary to operate your account. If you do not provide it, we may be unable to create the account or provide certain features.

You may withdraw consent for optional uses by changing available settings or contacting us. Withdrawing consent does not affect uses already lawfully made.

We will explain any significant consequences of withdrawing consent. In some cases, withdrawing consent may mean that your account must be closed because we can no longer provide the service.

7. When We Share Information

We do not sell or rent members’ personal information.

We may disclose information in the following circumstances.

According to your actions and settings

Information is shared when you choose to publish it, send it to another member, join a group or otherwise use a feature that requires the information to be shown to others.

Service providers

We may use service providers for hosting, email delivery, security, backups, software maintenance or other technical services.

These providers may process limited personal information on our behalf. We expect them to use the information only for the service they provide and to apply reasonable security safeguards.

Safety, moderation and rule enforcement

We may disclose information where reasonably necessary to investigate fraud, harassment, threats, abuse, security incidents or other violations of our Terms and Conditions or Community Guidelines.

Legal requirements

We may preserve or disclose information when we reasonably believe it is required by:

  • A court order or warrant.

  • A valid legal demand.

  • Applicable legislation.

  • An investigation by law enforcement or a regulator.

  • The need to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.

We will not voluntarily disclose private member information merely because someone demands it. We may review the validity and scope of a request before responding.

Emergencies and risk of harm

We may disclose information where permitted by law if we reasonably believe it is necessary to respond to an emergency or reduce a credible risk of serious harm.

Transfer of the site

If OsoyoosSocial is transferred to a new operator, personal information may form part of that transfer.

Any new operator would be required to use the information for purposes consistent with this Privacy Policy, applicable law and any notice provided to members.

8. Public Information and Search Engines

Some parts of OsoyoosSocial may be publicly viewable without an account.

Depending on the site’s settings, public information could include:

  • Your profile name and profile photograph.

  • Public profile details.

  • Public posts and comments.

  • Public groups and events.

  • Public business or marketplace listings.

Search engines may index publicly available pages. Removing information from OsoyoosSocial does not guarantee that it will immediately disappear from search-engine results, cached pages, archives or copies made by other people.

Review your account and post settings before sharing personal information.

9. Information About Other People

Do not post another person’s private information without permission or a lawful reason.

This includes:

  • Home addresses.

  • Private telephone numbers or email addresses.

  • Medical or financial information.

  • Private messages.

  • Identification documents.

  • Intimate or sensitive photographs.

  • Information about a minor that could place them at risk.

If you upload a photograph or other content containing another person, you are responsible for making sure you have the right to share it.

10. Members Between 16 and 18

OsoyoosSocial accounts are available only to people who are at least 18 years old.

Members should be particularly careful about sharing:

  • Their home address.

  • School schedules.

  • Daily routines.

  • Real-time location.

  • Telephone numbers.

  • Identification documents.

  • Financial information.

  • Private or intimate images.

We may remove information or restrict an account where we reasonably believe a young person’s privacy or safety is at risk.

If you believe someone under 18 has created an account, contact us at admin AT osoyoossocial DOT ca We may investigate and close the account.

11. No Sale of Personal Information

OsoyoosSocial does not sell member profiles, email addresses, private messages or browsing information to advertisers, data brokers or marketing companies.

Local businesses may promote themselves only in designated business groups under our Terms and Conditions. They do not receive access to private member information simply because they use or support the site.

If our business model or use of member information materially changes, we will update this policy and obtain consent where required before using information for the new purpose.

12. Email and Notifications

We may send emails or site notifications relating to:

  • Account confirmation.

  • Password resets.

  • Security alerts.

  • Private messages or activity involving your account.

  • Group or event activity.

  • Changes to important site policies.

  • Account restrictions or moderation decisions.

  • Service announcements.

You may be able to control some notifications through your account settings.

Essential account, security, legal and service notices may still be sent even if optional notifications are disabled.

We will not add your email address to an unrelated commercial mailing list without consent.

13. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards appropriate to the information under our control.

These may include:

  • Encrypted website connections.

  • Protected password storage.

  • Restricted administrative access.

  • Server and account access controls.

  • Software and security updates.

  • Logging and monitoring for suspicious activity.

  • Backups and recovery procedures.

  • Review of reported security incidents.

No website or Internet transmission can be guaranteed completely secure. Members also play a part in protecting their information.

Use a strong, unique password, keep it private and sign out when using a shared device. Contact us promptly if you suspect unauthorized access to your account.

14. Privacy and Security Incidents

If we discover unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure or loss of personal information, we will investigate and take reasonable steps to contain the incident.

Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, we may:

  • Secure affected systems.

  • Preserve evidence.

  • Reset passwords or sessions.

  • Notify affected members.

  • Contact service providers.

  • Contact law enforcement or a privacy regulator.

  • Provide information about steps members can take to protect themselves.

A notice may be delayed where immediate disclosure could interfere with an investigation or increase a security risk.

15. Storage and Processing

OsoyoosSocial and its service providers may store or process information in Canada or other countries where applicable.

Information processed outside British Columbia may be subject to the laws of the place where it is stored or processed. Courts, law-enforcement agencies or regulators in that location may be legally entitled to access it.

Contact our Privacy Officer if you would like more information about where personal information is processed or the service providers involved.

16. How Long We Keep Information

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy or as required by law.

Retention periods depend on the type of information and why it is held.

For example:

  • Active account information is generally kept while the account remains open.

  • Public content is kept until it is deleted by the member, removed by moderation or the account is closed, subject to limited exceptions.

  • Private messages may remain available to other participants after one member closes an account.

  • Security logs are kept for a limited period appropriate to detecting and investigating misuse.

  • Moderation records may be kept after account closure to prevent repeated abuse and respond to disputes.

  • Legal and complaint records may be kept for as long as reasonably necessary to protect legal rights or meet an obligation.

  • Backup copies may remain until replaced through the normal backup cycle.

When personal information is no longer reasonably required, we will delete, destroy or anonymize it where practical.

17. Closing Your Account and Deleting Content

You may request account closure by contacting admin AT osoyoossocial DOT ca or using any account-deletion feature made available on the site.

Closing an account does not necessarily remove:

  • Information another person copied or shared.

  • Content that must remain visible as part of another member’s conversation.

  • Records required for legal, security or moderation purposes.

  • Information retained in temporary backups.

  • Anonymous or aggregated information that no longer identifies you.

Before closing your account, save copies of any information you want to keep.

18. Accessing or Correcting Your Information

You may request access to personal information OsoyoosSocial holds about you.

You may also ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.

To make a request, contact our Privacy Officer and provide enough information for us to identify you and understand what you are requesting. We may need to verify your identity before providing access or making a correction.

Access may be limited where permitted or required by law, including where disclosure would reveal another person’s personal information, confidential business information or information protected by legal privilege.

If we cannot provide access or make a requested correction, we will explain the reason unless the law prevents us from doing so.

19. Withdrawing Consent

You may withdraw consent to optional collection, use or disclosure by contacting our Privacy Officer.

Some collection and use are necessary to maintain an account and operate the site. If you withdraw consent for those essential activities, we may need to close your account.

Consent cannot be withdrawn where continued use or retention is required by law or is otherwise legally permitted.

20. Complaints and Questions

If you have a privacy question, concern or complaint, contact our Privacy Officer first.

We will review the concern and make a reasonable effort to respond.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia.

Information about that office is available at www.oipc.bc.ca.

21. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as the site, its technology, service providers or legal requirements change.

We will publish the updated policy and change the “Last updated” date.

If a change materially affects how we collect, use or disclose personal information, we will provide reasonable notice through OsoyoosConnect, by email or both.

Where required, we will ask for consent before applying a new use to information already collected.