We’ve written this privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”) to meet Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), the Italian Legislative Decree 196/2003, and other applicable local laws, as amended or replaced (collectively, “Applicable Privacy Laws”). This Privacy Policy regulates the use of Meetup (https://meetup.com/), including its website, app and related services (collectively, the “Platform”).
This Privacy Policy applies to personal data that we collect from or about you, including when you use the Platform. It does not apply to personal data that you provide directly to, or that is otherwise independently processed by, third parties, including event organizers or other members or event attendees, where those third parties determine the purposes and means of the relevant processing. Any such processing is subject to the relevant third party’s own privacy notice.
If you are a US resident, please see Section 11 (Additional Information for US Residents) below.
1. Data Controller and Data Protection Officer
The Data Controller is Bending Spoons US Inc., based at 169 Madison Ave, Suite 11218, New York, NY 10016.
For any requests regarding how we process your personal data, you can email us at privacy@meetup.com or contact our Data Protection Officer (DPO) at dpo@bendingspoons.com.
2. Types of data, how data is used, and retention
Below, we list the personal data we process, what we use it for, and the legal basis for doing so, and how long we retain it. Be aware that not everything listed necessarily counts as "personal data" where you live, as this depends on local law.
To provide the services
We process your personal data to run the Platform, provide the services and features you request, and make sure everything works as expected. For example, we use your data to:
Create and manage your account
Let you join groups and participate in events
Show your profile and group memberships to other members
Process your payments and purchases, where applicable
Enable key features such as messaging, search, and content sharing
Send you service-related notifications and event reminders through the communication channels you choose, including SMS and WhatsApp
Allow you to confirm your attendance at an event via SMS or WhatsApp and share your response with the event organizer, so they can manage the event and its attendees
Create and operate event chats, automatically add confirmed attendees to the relevant event chat and allow participants to exchange messages and other content
What data do we use? The following data may be processed:
Identifiers and biographical information, such as name, user ID, email address, phone number (where provided), postal address, and date of birth
Profile information that you choose to provide, such as interests, groups, photos, gender, relationship status, and professional information
Location data, such as precise geolocation data collected via GPS (where enabled)
Information about your subscription
Payment and commercial information, such as payment method data and purchase information (if applicable)
Device and technical information, such as your IP address, login data, device type and hardware model, operating system and version, browser type and version, unique device identifiers, mobile network information, language and time-zone settings
Platform usage information, such as the pages or screens you view, the features you use, your interactions with the Platform, and the date, time, duration and frequency of your access
Content, such as the groups you join, the events you attend, your messages, including messages shared in event chats, your comments, your photos and other content you post, upload or share through the Platform
Communication and notification information, such as the communication channel you select, your notification preferences, service-related messages and event reminders sent to you, your responses, delivery status and related messaging logs
Event participation and interaction information, such as your RSVPs, attendance confirmations, participation in event chats and interactions with other event-related features
In limited circumstances, the information you choose to make public through your profile, or your content (as identified in the list above) may reveal to others on the Platform information about you, including sensitive personal data, such as information concerning your health, religious or philosophical beliefs, political opinions or sexual orientation. You can make changes to what other users can see in your public profile by accessing the settings in your account.
Why can we do this? These activities are based on the contract we have with you (Article 6.1.b GDPR). Where you choose to make sensitive personal data manifestly public through your public profile or public content, we process that information in accordance with Article 9(2)(e) GDPR.
How long do we keep your data? We retain the categories of personal data described above for a maximum of three (3) years from your most recent interaction with the Platform, or from the expiration of your subscription. If you access the Platform after your subscription has expired, the retention period starts from this most recent interaction. After this period, unless any legal obligations require that the data is retained for longer, the data is either deleted or anonymized.
b) Service improvements
We use your personal data to understand how members use the Platform, improve our existing products and services, and develop new features.
For example, we may:
Optimize existing features and develop new ones
Conduct statistical analyses and research activities, including A/B testing and usability testing, and
Collect and analyze feedback about your experience with the Platform
Making our user acquisition campaigns more efficient
What data do we use? The following categories of personal data may be processed:
Identifiers, such as your user ID and, where necessary for research activities, your name and email address
Device and technical information, such as your IP address, login data, device type and hardware model, operating system and version, browser type and version, unique device identifiers, mobile network information, language and time-zone settings
Profile information, such as the interests, groups, photos, gender, date of birth, relationship status and professional information you provide
Usage and interaction data, such as the pages or screens you view, the groups you join, the events you attend, the features you use and your interactions with the Platform
Research and feedback information, such as your responses to surveys and in-app questionnaires and any feedback you provide when participating in interviews, usability studies or other research activities
Inferences and insights, such as preferences, interests and other information we derive from your profile, your use of the Platform and your interactions with its features
Why can we do this? We process this data on the basis of our legitimate interest in understanding how members use the Platform and improving our products and services (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR). Some of these activities may involve profiling based on your use of and interactions with the Platform. You may object to this processing as explained in Section 8 (Your Rights).
How long do we keep your data? We retain personal data processed for this purpose for a maximum of three (3) years from your most recent interaction with the Platform, or from the expiration of your subscription. If you access the Platform after your subscription has expired, the retention period starts from this most recent interaction. Upon the expiry of the retention period, unless any legal obligations require that the data is retained for longer, the data is either deleted or anonymized.
c) Troubleshooting
We use your personal data to keep the Platform reliable and working as expected. This includes identifying, investigating, and fixing technical problems, such as errors, bugs, crashes, and performance issues.
What data do we use? The following data may be processed:
Identifiers, such as your user ID, and, where necessary for research activities, your name and email address
Device and technical information, such as your IP address, login data, device type and hardware model, operating system and version, browser type and version, unique device identifiers, mobile network information, language and time-zone settings
Platform usage and diagnostic information, such as the features used, error and crash reports, performance data and information generated when investigating technical issues
Communication delivery and technical logs, where necessary to investigate or resolve issues affecting email, push notifications, SMS or WhatsApp reminders
Why can we do this? We process this data because we have a legitimate interest in ensuring the security, reliability, and proper functioning of the Platform (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR).
How long do we keep your data? We retain personal data used for this purpose for a maximum of one (1) year from your most recent interaction with the Platform, or from the expiration of your subscription. If you access the Platform after your subscription has expired, the retention period starts from this most recent interaction. Upon the expiry of the retention period, unless any legal obligations require that the data is retained for longer, the data is either deleted or anonymized.
d) Service Integrity
We use your personal data to protect the Platform and our members. This includes enforcing our terms and detecting, preventing, investigating, and addressing fraud, abuse, unlawful activity, misuse of the Platform, security threats, and other conduct that could harm our members or compromise the safety, security, or integrity of the Platform.
What data do we use? The following categories of personal data may be processed:
Identifiers, such as your name, user ID, email address and phone number, where relevant
Device and technical information, such as your IP address, login data, device type and hardware model, operating system and version, browser type and version, unique device identifiers, mobile network information, language and time-zone settings
Content, such as group and event information, messages, comments, photos and other content you post, upload or share through the Platform
Reporting and moderation information, such as reports concerning content or conduct on the Platform, related moderation decisions and, where applicable, content that has been restricted or removed, or accounts that have been suspended or terminated
Why can we do this? We process this data on the basis of our legitimate interest in enforcing our terms and protecting the safety, security and integrity of the Platform and its members (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR).
How long do we keep your data? We retain personal data used for this purpose for a maximum of three (3) years from your most recent interaction with the Platform, or from the expiration of your subscription. If you access the Platform after your subscription has expired, the retention period starts from this most recent interaction. Upon the expiry of the retention period, unless any legal obligations require that the data is retained for longer, the data is either deleted or anonymized.
e) Customized Experience
We analyze the information you provide and how you use the Platform to understand your interests and preferences and personalize your experience with our services.
For example, we may:
Adapt the design, layout or features of the Platform
Tailor the content displayed to you
Recommend groups, events and other content that we believe may be relevant to you
Show you personalized offers based on your interests and use of the Platform
What data do we use? The following data may be used:
Identifiers, such as your user ID
Profile information, such as the interests and other information you provide through your profile
Location data, such as your general location and, where enabled, precise geolocation
Usage and interaction data, such as your searches, the pages you view, the groups you join, the events you view or attend, and your interactions with Platform features
Subscription information, such as your subscription plan and status
Inferences and insights, such as preferences, interests and other information we derive from your profile and your use of and interactions with the Platform
Why can we do this? These activities are based on our legitimate interest to improve and customize our services (Article 6.1.f GDPR).
The activities carried out for Customize Experience involve the creation of profiles. You have the right to object to such profiling activities, as further described in Section 8 (Your Rights).
This processing activity may also be carried out through cookies and similar tracking technologies. As further described in Section 12 (Cookies), we will only use cookies and similar technologies in respect of applicable legal requirements.
How long do we keep your data? We retain personal data used for this purpose for a maximum of three (3) years from your most recent interaction with the Platform, or from the expiration of your subscription. If you access the Platform after your subscription has expired, the retention period starts from this most recent interaction. Upon the expiry of the retention period, unless any legal obligations require that the data is retained for longer, the data is either deleted or anonymized.
f) Marketing
We use your personal data to carry out marketing activities and to send you information and marketing communications about our Platform (such as tips, offers, and newsletters) through emails or push notifications.
We’ll send you push notifications only if you grant the relevant permission by enabling push notifications on your mobile operating system settings.
What data do we use? The following data may be used:
User identifiers, such as name, user ID, and email address
Device and technical information, such as your IP address, login data, device type and hardware model, operating system and version, browser type and version, unique device identifiers, mobile network information, language and time-zone settings
Information about your interaction with the app
Inferences we generate about your use of and experience with the Platform
Why can we do this? These activities are based on your consent (Article 6.1.a GDPR). Without your explicit consent, we don't perform these activities. You can check and update the permissions you've granted any moment in the app’s privacy settings. When we use your email to send you information about products and services related to or similar to the app (“soft opt-in”), the legal basis is our legitimate interest (Article 6.1.f GDPR).
Some marketing activities involve profiling. For example, we may personalize the communications you receive based on your interests and how you use the Platform. You have the right to object to profiling for marketing purposes at any time. For more information, see Section 8 (Your Rights).
How long do we keep your data? We retain personal data used for this purpose for a maximum of two (2) years from your most recent interaction with the Platform, or from the expiration of your subscription. If you access the Platform after your subscription has expired, the retention period starts from this most recent interaction. Upon the expiry of the retention period, unless any legal obligations require that the data is retained for longer, the data is either deleted or anonymized.
g) Targeted advertising
We and our advertising partners may use cookies, SDKs, and similar technologies to understand how you use the Platform and show you ads that are more relevant to your interests.
What data do we use? The following data may be used:
Identifiers, such as user ID
Device and technical information, such as your IP address, login data, device type and hardware model, operating system and version, browser type and version, unique device identifiers, mobile network information, language and time-zone settings
Information about your interests and preferences, which we infer from how you use the Platform
Information about your interactions with the app
Advertising data (such as ad conversion information and advertisements seen)
Your ad tracking choices and consent to receive personalized ads (if granted)
Why can we do this? Where required by applicable law, we rely on your consent to collect and use personal data through third-party tracking technologies for targeted advertising. In jurisdictions where consent is not required, we process such data as permitted by law and, where applicable, provide you with the right to opt out of this processing. For more information about the tracking technologies used on our Platform and the privacy choices available to you, please visit the Your Privacy Choices link on our Platform. The available controls, including consent, opt-out and withdrawal mechanisms, may vary depending on your jurisdiction. For users residing in the U.S., please refer to the Additional information for users residing in certain U.S. States for more information.
What is the applicable data retention policy? For users in the EEA, the UK, and other jurisdictions where applicable, more information about the retention periods applicable to the tracking technologies used for this purpose is available through the Your Privacy Choices link on our Platform.
h) Customer support
We use your personal data to send you administrative and technical updates, and to process and respond to your customer support requests and any other communications you send us.
If you have chosen to receive them, we may also send you a customer satisfaction survey (CSAT) after your interaction with our support team.
Categories of data. The following data may be used:
Identifiers, such as your name and email address
The content and history of your communications with our customer support team, including previous conversations associated with your account or other linked accounts
Subscription and payment information, such as your subscription plan, renewal dates, payment status, limited information about your payment method and, where relevant, the history of payments made to or received by an organizer in connection with group dues or event fees
Group and event information, such as the history of groups and events you have created or managed, including relevant changes or closures, and information about group members or event attendees, including blocked users
Why can we do this? This activity is based on the contract we have with you (Article 6.1.b GDPR).
How long do we keep your data? We retain personal data processed for this purpose for a maximum of three (3) years from your most recent interaction with the customer support team. Upon the expiry of the data retention period, unless any legal obligations require that the data is retained for longer, the data is either deleted or anonymized.
i) Compliance with legal obligations
We may use your personal data when we need to comply with the law. For example, we may process your data to:
Respond to requests from courts, regulators, or other public authorities
Comply with legal or regulatory requirements
Demonstrate that we have complied with our legal obligations when required
What data do we use? The types of data we process depend on the legal obligation involved. We may process any personal data that is necessary to comply with the law or with a lawful request from a public authority.
Why can we do this? Where the processing is required by law, we process your personal data to comply with our legal obligations (Article 6(1)(c) GDPR). Where the law gives us discretion in deciding how to comply, we process your personal data based on our legitimate interest in demonstrating our compliance with applicable legal requirements (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR).
How long do we keep your data? We retain personal data used for this purpose for a maximum of ten (10) years from your most recent interaction with the Platform, or from the expiration of your subscription. If you access the Platform after your subscription has expired, the retention period starts from this most recent interaction. Specific legal obligations might require different retention periods and, in such cases, those different periods will apply. Upon the expiry of the retention period, the data is either deleted or anonymized.
j) Legal defense
Your personal data may be used to establish, exercise, or defend our rights and those of our employees, and to carry out corporate transactions or operations. For example, your data may be processed in the event of bankruptcy, merger, acquisition, reorganization, and sale of assets or assignments, and the due diligence related to any such transactions.
What data do we use? The types of data we process depend on the specific situation. We may process any personal data that is necessary to protect or defend our legal rights.
Why can we do this? We process this data because we have a legitimate interest in protecting and defending our rights and interests, including in legal proceedings and corporate transactions or operations (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR).
How long do we keep your data? We retain personal data used for this purpose for a maximum of ten (10) years from your most recent interaction with the Platform, or from the expiration of your subscription. If you access the Platform after your subscription has expired, the retention period starts from this most recent interaction. Specific legal obligations might require different retention periods and, in such cases, those different periods will apply. Upon the expiry of the retention period, the data is either deleted or anonymized.
4. Your Choices With Regard to the Use of Your Personal Data
Where the provision of your personal data is necessary to enter into or perform our contract with you, the relevant data is required. If you do not provide it, we may be unable to create or manage your account or provide the relevant features of the Platform.
We may also need to process certain personal data to comply with our legal obligations or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
Where we rely on your consent, providing your personal data is optional, and you may withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawing your consent will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before its withdrawal. If you choose not to provide your consent or subsequently withdraw it, you will still be able to use the core features of the Platform, although the specific optional feature or processing activity for which consent was requested may no longer be available.
Where we rely on our legitimate interests, you have the right to object to the relevant processing, as explained in the “Your Rights” section below. We will assess your request in accordance with Applicable Privacy Laws. Where your personal data is processed for direct marketing purposes, you may object to such processing at any time.
You may freely decide whether to accept cookies and other tracking technologies that are not strictly necessary for the operation of the Platform, as explained in the “Cookies” section below.
4.1 Your Choices: Location
To help you discover groups and events near you, we may ask for permission to access your precise location when you use a feature that requires it.
You can enable or disable access to your precise location at any time through your device or browser settings. Depending on your device and operating system, you may also be able to choose whether location access is permitted only while you are using the app or at other times.
If you disable access to your precise location, we may still estimate your approximate location based on your IP address to provide location-based features. Some features may be limited or may not work as expected if location access is disabled.
For more information about managing location permissions, please refer to your device, operating system or browser settings.
4.2 Your Choices: Promotional Communications
You can opt out of promotional communications at any time by updating your communication preferences in your account settings, using the unsubscribe link included in our marketing emails or, where applicable, adjusting your device notification settings.
For more information about how we use your personal data for marketing purposes, please see Section f) above.
4.3 Your Choices: Communications With Other Members
You can block individual members from contacting you through the Platform’s messaging features by using the controls available in your account or within the relevant conversation.
4.4 Your Choices: SMS and WhatsApp Event Reminders
If you choose to activate event reminders through SMS or WhatsApp, you can disable them at any time through your Platform settings. If you reply to a reminder with a message other than an attendance confirmation, we may send you instructions explaining how to disable these reminders.
Disabling SMS or WhatsApp reminders will not affect your ability to use the core features of the Platform. However, you will no longer receive event reminders or be able to confirm your attendance through the relevant communication channel.
4.5 Your Choices: Your Profile Settings
You may disclose personal data via your public profile as described in this Privacy Policy, including the groups you belong to, your list of interests, your relationship status, and your work industry. To restrict the personal data that is available to others in your profile, please access your account settings.
5. Recipients of Your Personal Data
Your personal data may be shared to trusted and reliable third parties. This happens only when there are lawful grounds for the transmission.
In particular, your personal data may be shared:
With other members and through public areas of the Platform. Depending on your account and profile settings and on whether a group is public or private, information such as your first name, account location, profile photo, group memberships, interests, RSVPs and content you post may be visible to other members, group organizers, non-members or search engines. Participants in an event chat can also see your Meetup username, profile photo and the messages and other content you share in that chat. Information you choose to make public may be visible both on and off the Platform. For example, a public event cover photo may be shared on social media to promote the event.
With event organizers, Meetup Pro network administrators and Meetup Pro customers. If you confirm your attendance through an event reminder, we may share your individual response with the relevant event organizer so they can manage the event and its attendees. If you join a group within a Meetup Pro network, the relevant network administrators may have access to information about your membership, activity and event participation within that network. They may also have access to your email address where you have opted in to email sharing. Meetup Pro customers may also access limited profile, group, event, RSVP and analytics information through APIs and other tools made available by Meetup, subject to technical and contractual restrictions. Where organizers, network administrators or Meetup Pro customers process personal data for their own purposes, they act as independent controllers and are responsible for complying with Applicable Privacy Laws.
With vendors and service providers that support the operation of the Platform, including providers of IT, hosting, storage, customer support and communication services. For example, we use Twilio to send SMS and WhatsApp messages and manage related communications on our behalf. Twilio may process information such as your phone number, message content, attendance responses, delivery information and related technical logs.
With advertising and marketing partners, where you have consented to the use of tracking technologies or other processing of your personal data for personalized advertising and related measurement activities, or where such processing is otherwise permitted under Applicable Privacy Laws.
With professional advisers and parties involved in corporate transactions, where necessary to obtain professional advice or in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization, financing, sale of assets or similar transaction, including related due diligence activities.
With public, judicial, regulatory or law-enforcement authorities, where required or permitted by Applicable Privacy Laws.
With other parties where necessary to protect rights and safety, including where we reasonably believe that your actions violate our agreements or policies, are unlawful, or could harm the rights, property or safety of Meetup, our members or the public.
You can manage the visibility of certain information, including your interests and other group memberships, through your privacy settings. Before joining a group, we recommend reviewing its visibility settings and the information that will be available to others. For more information, please see Account privacy settings and Key differences between Public Groups and Private Groups.
For more information about the information available to Meetup Pro network administrators and organizers, please see Meetup Pro: Network Administrators, Organizers, and their Members.
We may also share information that has been aggregated or anonymized so that it can no longer reasonably be used to identify you. Such information is not personal data and is not subject to this Privacy Policy.
6. International Transfers
You submit your data directly to us, a US-based data controller. So even if you live outside the US, this does not amount to an international data transfer.
When we store your personal data outside your country of residence, we follow Applicable Privacy Laws to make sure that data still gets an adequate level of protection.
When we use a provider based outside the EEA or the UK, we make sure EEA and UK users still get the same level of protection they'd have within those regions, using at least one of these safeguards:
Sending your data only to countries that the European Commission or the UK Information Commissioner's Office has recognized as providing an adequate level of data protection.
Requiring our providers to sign a Data Processing Agreement that includes the relevant Standard Contractual Clauses, or another legally valid data transfer mechanism, committing them to protect EEA/UK data to the standard expected in the EEA/UK.
For more information about the safeguards applicable to international transfers of your personal data, you can contact us at privacy@meetup.com.
7. When this Privacy Policy does not apply
This Privacy Policy describes the processing of personal data carried out by us, including where information is shared through the Platform with other members, group organizers or network administrators. However, it does not govern any subsequent processing that those recipients carry out independently for their own purposes.
In particular, group organizers and network administrators may process personal data to manage groups, organize events, communicate with members or administer Meetup Pro networks. Where they independently determine the purposes and means of such processing, they act as independent data controllers and are responsible for complying with Applicable Privacy Laws. This does not affect our responsibility for the processing that we carry out for our own purposes.
The Platform may contain links to websites, applications or services operated by third parties, including social media platforms. If you access or use those third-party services, the relevant third party may process your personal data in accordance with its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review the applicable third-party privacy policy before using those services.
8. Your Rights
If you reside in certain U.S. states, you can read more about your rights in relation to your personal data in the Additional information for users residing in certain U.S. States section below.
If you reside elsewhere, depending on your location, you may have certain rights in relation to your data that you can exercise at any time and without charge, in accordance with the limitations and exceptions stated by the Applicable Privacy Laws. These rights may include the following:
Right of access. You may request information about how we process your personal data and obtain a copy of it.
Right to rectification. You may request that inaccurate personal data be corrected and incomplete personal data be completed.
Right to erasure. You may request the deletion of your personal data, subject to the conditions and exceptions provided by Applicable Privacy Laws.
Right to restriction of processing. You may request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to data portability. Where the applicable legal requirements are met, you may receive personal data that you provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and request that it be transmitted to another controller.
Right to object. Where we rely on our legitimate interests, you may object to the processing on grounds relating to your particular situation. You may object at any time to the processing of your personal data for direct marketing purposes, including related profiling.
Right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before your consent was withdrawn.
Right to lodge a complaint. You may lodge a complaint with the data protection authority responsible for your place of residence, place of work or the location of the alleged infringement.
To exercise your rights, please contact us at privacy@meetup.com. We may request information reasonably necessary to verify your identity and process your request.
If you are located in the EEA, you may lodge a complaint with the competent data protection authority in your country of residence or work or where the alleged infringement occurred. If you are located in the UK, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office. We would nevertheless appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns directly.
You may also request the permanent deletion of your account and personal data through our self-service Privacy and Data Management Form. On the Meetup website, log in to your account and select Profile > Settings > Account Management > Submit GDPR Request, then select “I want to delete my data.”
Before submitting a deletion request, you may need to cancel any active subscription, ensure that you are not RSVPed to any upcoming events, and, if you are an organizer, step down as organizer, transfer your groups to another member or permanently close them. For additional information, please see our Help Center article “Delete your account and request permanent data erasure.”
If you are located or reside in the EEA, you may also contact our EU Representative appointed under Article 27 GDPR, Bending Spoons S.p.A., with registered office at Via Nino Bonnet 10, 20154 Milan, Italy, at eurepresentative.meetup@bendingspoons.com, on all matters relating to the processing of your personal data, including the exercise of your rights under the GDPR.
If you are located in the United Kingdom, our UK GDPR representative is VeraSafe United Kingdom Ltd. You can contact our UK representative through VeraSafe’s contact form.
9. Children’s Personal Data
The Platform is not directed to individuals under the age of 18, and individuals under the age of 18 are not permitted to create an account or use the Platform. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from individuals under the age of 18.
If you believe that an individual under the age of 18 has provided us with personal data or created an account, please contact us at privacy@meetup.com. If we become aware that we have collected personal data directly from an individual under the age of 18, we will take appropriate steps to delete the data and close the relevant account.
10. Information We Receive From Third-Party Services and Other Sources
If you create or access your Meetup account using a third-party authentication service, or connect your Meetup account to a third-party service, we may receive certain information from that service. Depending on the service and the permissions you provide, this may include your name, email address, profile information, account identifier and other information associated with your third-party account.
We use this information to create or authenticate your account, enable the relevant connection or feature and, where applicable, personalize your experience and recommendations. You may be able to disconnect certain third-party services through your Platform or third-party account settings. For more information about connecting or disconnecting Facebook, please see our Help Center article on connecting a Facebook account.
We may also receive information about you from publicly available sources, advertising and marketing partners, and other service providers, where permitted by applicable law. We may use this information for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including improving the Platform, personalizing your experience and measuring or providing advertising.
Your use of third-party services is subject to the relevant third party’s terms and privacy policy. This Privacy Policy applies to the personal data that we receive and process for our own purposes.
11. Additional information for users residing in certain U.S. States
Certain U.S. states have enacted privacy laws that grant their residents certain rights and require specific disclosures (“State Privacy Laws”). If you reside in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, or Virginia, this section applies to you. This section also serves as our California notice at collection.
For details about the personal information we collect, please see Section 2 (Types of data, how data is used, and retention). We collect personal data from various sources, including directly from you, directly from other Meetup users, automatically when you access or use our services, and from other sources (e.g., mobile measurement partners). We may combine the personal information that we collect from and about you and use or disclose the combined personal information consistent with the representations in this Privacy Policy. As required by certain State Privacy Laws, we use the tables below to explain this same information.
Use and Disclosure of Personal Information for Business Purposes
| Category of Personal Data | Categories of Recipients | Use of Personal Data |
|
We disclose personal information to the following categories of recipients for a business purpose as disclosed in Section 5:
|
|
We may collect other categories of personal information from or about you as disclosed in advance to you or with your consent.
Sensitive personal information: We may collect precise geolocation information that you choose to share when you register for Meetup (to apply location settings to your account) and use the Platform (to facilitate discovery or recommendation of events or groups in your area, group creation, event attendance check-in, to populate or recenter maps in the Platform, or location sharing in user messages). We do not use or disclose this information for the purpose of inferring characteristics about you or other than as described here. To revoke your consent to our collection and processing of precise geolocation information, please follow the instructions provided in 4.1 Your Choices: Location.
We retain personal information as described above in the Types of data, how data is used, and retention section, for as long as necessary to carry out the purposes for which we originally collected it and for other purposes described in this Privacy policy.
Sale, Sharing, and Targeted Advertising Activities and your Opt-Out Rights
We engage in activities that may be considered “targeted advertising,” “sales,” or “sharing” under State Privacy Laws. Specifically, we may disclose personal data to third-party advertising partners, advertising networks, and social media networks to display advertising that is relevant to your interests on our app and across the web. The table below describes the categories of personal data we disclose for these purposes and the categories of third parties that receive it.
| Categories of Personal Data “Shared,” “Sold,” or Used for Targeted Advertising | Categories of Third Parties |
| Identifiers | Advertising and marketing partners |
| Internet and electronic network activity information | Advertising and marketing partners |
| Inferences | Advertising and marketing partners |
You have the right to opt out of targeted advertising, sharing, and sales of your personal data. To do so, open Account Settings in the Platform, go to the Privacy section, and select Your Privacy Choices. You may also direct your authorized agent to take these steps to submit an opt-out request on your behalf. You may also opt out on our websites by visiting with a legally recognized opt-out signal enabled, such as the Global Privacy Control. Note that if you are not logged in, such an opt out signal will be linked to your browser only.
We do not engage in sales, sharing, or targeted advertising using personal data about consumers we know to be under the age of 18.
Your Other Rights under State Privacy Laws
Right to access, correction, and deletion: You have the right to request to know more about and access your personal information, including in a portable format, including the categories of personal information collected, the sources from which the personal information is collected, the business or commercial purpose for collecting, selling, or sharing personal information, the categories of third parties to whom we disclose personal information, the categories of personal information disclosed to third parties, and the specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you. You also have the right to request deletion of your personal information or correction of inaccurate personal information. Residents of Connecticut, Delaware, Minnesota, Oregon, and Rhode Island, may also request a list of third parties to whom we have disclosed personal data. For instructions on how to exercise your rights, please see the Section 8 (Your rights).
Right to nondiscrimination: We will not discriminate or retaliate against you for exercising your privacy rights.
Right to appeal: If we deny your request, you may appeal our decision by contacting us. If you have concerns about the result of an appeal, you may contact the attorney general in the state where you reside.
Authorized agents: Where available under applicable law, you may also designate an authorized agent to submit a privacy rights request on your behalf. We may ask authorized agents to submit proof of their authority to make a request, such as a valid power of attorney or proof that they have signed permission from the consumer who is the subject of the request. In some cases, we may contact the individual who is the subject of the request to verify their own identity or confirm the authorized agent has permission to submit the request. If you are an authorized agent, please follow the instructions provided in Section 8 (Your rights).
12. Additional information for Korean Residents
If you are a resident in the Republic of Korea, you can find specific information on how we use your personal information here.
13. Cookies
We and our partners use cookies and similar tracking technologies, including software development kits (“SDKs”), pixels, local storage and device identifiers, to operate and secure the Platform, remember your preferences, understand how the Platform is used and, where permitted, provide and measure personalized advertising.
Tracking technologies that are strictly necessary to provide the Platform, maintain its security or remember the choices you make may be used without your consent where permitted by applicable law.
If you are located in the EEA, the UK or another jurisdiction where prior consent is required, we will ask for your consent before using non-essential tracking technologies. You may provide, refuse or withdraw your consent at any time through our cookie banner or privacy preference center, accessible through the “Your Privacy Choices” link within the Platform.
Withdrawing your consent does not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before the withdrawal. Once you withdraw your consent, we will stop using the relevant tracking technologies and processing the associated personal data on the basis of that consent. We may retain or otherwise process certain information where another legal basis or legal obligation applies.
If you're located in the United States or another jurisdiction and prior express consent isn't required, you may have the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal data or its use for targeted advertising. You can exercise the choices available to you through the “Your Privacy Choices” link within the Platform. Where required by applicable law, we recognize and honor opt-out preference signals, such as Global Privacy Control (“GPC”).
You may also manage cookies, device identifiers and similar technologies through your browser or device settings. Your choices may apply only to the browser or device on which they are made, and disabling strictly necessary technologies may affect the availability or operation of certain Platform features. You may need to reset your preferences if you use a different browser or device.
For users in the EEA, the UK and other jurisdictions where applicable, more information about the tracking technologies used through the Platform, including their purposes, providers and duration, and to manage your choices, please access the privacy preference center through the “Your Privacy Choices” link within the Platform.
14. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may modify, integrate or update, in whole or in part, this Privacy Policy, and we will notify users of any modification, integration or update in accordance with Applicable Privacy Laws. If we make modifications, we will notify you by revising the date at the bottom of this Privacy Policy and, under certain circumstances, we may also notify you by additional means such as showing a pop-up within our Platform or sending you an email.
Last updated: October 1, 2026