UNICONNECT DATA RETENTION & DELETION POLICY
This policy explains how long UniConnect retains information and what happens when content or accounts are deleted. This policy is incorporated by reference into the UniConnect Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
1. Overview and General Approach
UniConnect retains information only as long as reasonably necessary to:
- provide, operate, and improve the Service;
- keep users safe and enforce our Terms, Community Guidelines, and Content Moderation Policy;
- prevent fraud, spam, and abuse (including ban evasion);
- comply with legal obligations; and
- resolve disputes and investigate incidents.
Default retention is tied to last activity and safety/legal needs. Where feasible, deletion results in anonymization rather than immediate hard deletion (for example, removing direct identifiers while preserving de-identified records needed for security, fraud prevention, compliance, and auditability).
2. Key Definitions (Plain English)
- “Delete” may mean removing content from user view and/or removing direct identifiers.
- “Anonymize / de-identify” means we remove or replace identifiers so data is no longer reasonably linked to you.
- “Backups” are copies of data stored for disaster recovery and security purposes. Backups may persist for a limited period even after deletion.
3. Retention Periods (Current Defaults)
The timeframes below are typical defaults and may vary depending on legal requirements, incident investigations, abuse prevention needs, or system constraints.
A) Account and profile data
Examples: email, login method, profile photo, name/username, bio, school, major, interests, class year (where provided).
- Retained while your account is active.
- After the last activity: up to 3 years, unless you delete your account sooner.
B) Event content and user-generated content
Examples: event posts, text, images, links, and the event location you enter in an event post.
- Retained while your account is active or until you delete the content.
- After last activity: up to 3 years (unless removed earlier for policy reasons or deleted sooner).
C) Event-location history logs (if maintained separately)
If UniConnect maintains a separate log of event-location interactions (distinct from the location field inside the event post itself), we typically retain that type of log for up to 1 month.
D) Reports, moderation, and enforcement records
Examples: user reports, appeal records, enforcement actions, evidence and logs tied to safety/fraud investigations.
- Typically retained up to 3 years and de-identified/anonymized where feasible.
- Some records may be retained longer when necessary to comply with law, prevent repeat abuse, or document safety incidents.
E) Security logs, diagnostics, and reliability data
Examples: logs used to prevent fraud, secure the Service, investigate incidents, and troubleshoot reliability (e.g., crash reports).
- Retained for a limited period appropriate for security and reliability, which may vary based on risk and operational needs.
4. Deleting Content
Where available, you may delete certain content you posted using tools in your profile or within the Service.
When you delete content:
- It is removed from normal user visibility within the Service.
- Copies may remain temporarily in backups for a limited period.
- We may retain de-identified/anonymized versions of some data for security, fraud prevention, analytics integrity, and compliance.
- We may retain certain records in safety/legal archives if required to investigate abuse, enforce our policies, comply with law, or resolve disputes.
5. Deleting Your Account
You can delete your account through self-serve tools where available.
When you delete your account:
- Your profile identifiers are removed or anonymized.
- Your content may be deleted or anonymized (depending on system design and how content was shared).
- Content that others have saved, reposted, or otherwise retained may not be removable from their devices or accounts.
We may retain limited information even after account deletion where necessary to:
- comply with legal obligations;
- detect and prevent fraud, spam, and ban evasion;
- maintain the security and integrity of the Service;
- investigate or document safety incidents; and/or
- resolve disputes and enforce our Terms.
6. Important Notes and Limitations
- Deletion is not always instantaneous. Systems may require time to process deletion requests, and backups may persist for a limited period.
- We do not guarantee complete removal of content that has been copied, screenshotted, or shared by other users outside the Service.
- Minimum necessary retention. Where we keep data after deletion, we aim to keep only what is reasonably necessary for the purposes described above.
7. Data Downloads
UniConnect does not currently provide a full self-serve “download your data” export.
8. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy as the product evolves. Material changes will be communicated through the Service or by other appropriate means.
9. Contact
For questions about retention or deletion, contact: help@uniconnect.social