Kongvene Privacy Policy

Effective Date: October 12, 2026

CircleRootTech LLC (“CircleRootTech LLC,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates Kongvene, a mobile application that helps mahjong circles schedule play days, coordinate hosting, and keep informal records of shared dues (the “App”). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. It also covers people who answer a play day invitation from an RSVP link on our community site, kongvenetable.com, without an account (see “People Who RSVP from a Link”). By creating an account or otherwise using the App, you agree to the practices described here.

1. Information We Collect

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect your email address and the display name you choose. You can change your display name at any time on the You tab. This information is used to identify you within your circles and to let other members recognize you.

Sign-In Providers

You can create an account with an email address and password, or use Sign in with Apple or Sign in with Google. When you use Apple or Google, that provider verifies your identity and shares your name and email address with us. We never receive your password. Apple may provide a private relay email address instead of your real one; we store and use it the same way as any other email address.

Circle and Activity Information

The App stores the information you and your circle members generate while using it, including:

Circles you create or join, and their invite codes
Play day dates, start times, notes, and RSVP status (seated at a table, on the subs list, etc.)
Host assignments and host rotation order
Which members an organizer has made co-organizers
Who is bringing a mahjong set for a play day, with an optional short note, and how many sets a play day needs
Dues amounts and paid/unpaid status that you or your circle organizer enter
A Venmo or Cash App username, if an organizer chooses to add one to their circle settings
If an organizer shares an RSVP link for a play day, the time zone of the organizer’s device, so dates in the activity feed show the correct day
A short activity record when you take an action in a circle (for example, signing up for a play day or sending a “Need a Fourth” request), so members of that circle can see recent activity

Push Notification Token

If you turn on notifications, we register a push notification token for your device and store it with your account. This token lets us send you alerts about activity in your circles (see Section 2). Notifications are optional and you can turn them off at any time — see Section 4.

People Who RSVP from a Link

A circle organizer can share an RSVP link for a play day (for example, in a group text). Anyone with the link can answer on kongvenetable.com without downloading the App or creating an account. When someone answers, we collect only:

The first name they type (and a last initial, if they add one)
Their answer: I’m in, Maybe, or I’m out

We do not ask for an email address, phone number, or password. Their name and answer are saved with that play day, so the circle’s members can see who is coming and its organizers receive the usual activity alert (for example, “Rosa (via link) is in”). Organizers can remove an answer at any time. To prevent abuse, our server briefly uses the visitor’s internet (IP) address to limit how many answers can be sent in a minute; it is not stored with their answer. The RSVP page remembers the name and last answer in that browser only, so the visitor doesn’t have to retype it; clearing the browser’s data removes it. Links stop working when the organizer turns them off, and two days after the play day. Answers are deleted when the play day is deleted, or on request by email (Section 10).

Stored Only on Your Device

The App keeps a few small settings on your device itself, which we do not receive: whether you’ve seen the intro and the latest “What’s new” notes, when you last opened Activity (to mark new items), any “Need a Fourth” requests you dismissed, and when the App last asked you to rate it.

App Store Ratings

From time to time the App may show Apple’s or Google’s built-in rating prompt. Ratings and reviews go directly to the App Store or Google Play under their own policies; we do not receive who rated the App or how.

Information We Do Not Collect

We do not collect or have access to any payment card numbers, bank account details, or Venmo/Cash App account credentials. Dues amounts and paid/unpaid status shown in the App are self-reported or organizer-reported records only — see Section 6 for more detail on how this works.

Automatically Collected Information

Our infrastructure provider (Firebase, operated by Google) may automatically log limited technical information, such as device type and crash diagnostics, to help us keep the App running reliably. If you ask to reset your password, Firebase sends the reset email on our behalf.

2. How We Use Information

We use the information described above to:

Operate the core features of the App (scheduling, RSVPs, host rotation, dues tracking)
Let circle members see who is participating in a play day and who is hosting
Send you push notifications about activity in your circles, such as when someone signs up for a play day, drops out, is asked to host, or sends a “Need a Fourth” request, or when a play day is scheduled, moved, or cancelled — only if you have notifications turned on
Maintain the security of accounts and circles
Respond to support requests
Improve and maintain the App

We do not use your information for advertising, and we do not sell your personal information to third parties.

3. How Information Is Shared

Information within a circle (such as your display name, RSVP status, and dues status) is visible to other members of that circle, and in some cases only to the circle’s organizers (the organizer who created it and any co-organizers), consistent with how each feature is described in the App.

We share information with the following categories of third parties only as necessary to operate the App:

Firebase/Google Cloud — our hosting and database provider, which stores App data on our behalf
Expo (650 Industries, Inc.) — the push notification service we use to deliver alerts to your device
Apple Push Notification service — Apple’s system that passes notifications to iPhones
Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google) — Google’s system that passes notifications to Android devices
GitHub (GitHub, Inc.) — hosts our websites, including the kongvenetable.com RSVP page; like any web host, it may log visitors’ IP addresses
Google Fonts — supplies the lettering on our web pages, which means your browser contacts Google when a page loads

When we send you a push notification, your device’s notification token and the text of the notification (which may include another member’s display name, such as “Sarah is in”) are sent to Expo’s push notification service and then to Apple’s Push Notification service (iPhone) or Google’s Firebase Cloud Messaging (Android) so the message can reach your device. We do not use these services for advertising or tracking.

We do not share your information with Venmo, Cash App, or any other payment service. When you tap a “Pay via Venmo” button in the App, your device opens a link directly to Venmo using information already stored in your circle (the organizer’s Venmo username and a dues amount) — this happens on your own device, not through our servers, and we do not receive any information back from Venmo about whether a payment was completed.

4. Your Choices

You can change your display name at any time on the You tab. Organizers can update their circle settings at any time within the App, and the circle’s organizer can remove members.
You can turn push notifications on or off at any time from the You tab in the App, or in your device’s system settings.
You can leave a circle at any time.
You can delete your account at any time — see Section 5, Deleting Your Account.

To request a copy of your data, or to ask questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us at thecircleroottechllc@gmail.com.

5. Deleting Your Account

You can delete your Kongvene account and its data in either of these ways:

In the App: open the You tab, scroll to Account, tap Delete my account, and type DELETE to confirm. Deletion happens right away.
By email: if you no longer have the App, email thecircleroottechllc@gmail.com from the email address on your account with the subject “Delete my Kongvene account.” We will confirm and delete your account within 30 days.

What is deleted

Your login and your profile, including your display name, email address, and push notification tokens
Your membership in every circle you belong to, including any co-organizer role
Your seats and subs-list spots on play days, and any host or “bringing the set” assignments
Your dues records
Activity entries you created or that are about you, and your replies to “Need a Fourth” requests

Circles you created

So the rest of the group can keep playing, a circle you created is handed to one of its co-organizers (or, if it has none, another member). If you are the only member, the circle and its play days are deleted. A “Need a Fourth” request you sent stays visible to the circle without your name.

6. Dues Tracking Is Not a Payment Service

Kongvene is a coordination and record-keeping tool, not a payment processor. Dues amounts and “paid”/“unpaid” statuses shown in the App reflect what a circle organizer or member has manually entered — the App does not verify that any money has actually changed hands, and does not process, hold, or transmit funds. Any actual payment happens entirely within Venmo, Cash App, or another service the members choose to use, outside of the App.

7. Data Security

We use commercially reasonable safeguards, including database access rules, to protect the information stored in the App. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Children’s Privacy

Kongvene is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at thecircleroottechllc@gmail.com so we can remove it.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will update the effective date at the top of this document and point them out in the App’s “What’s new” notes. Continued use of the App after changes take effect means you accept the revised policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, contact CircleRootTech LLC at thecircleroottechllc@gmail.com.