NYC In Focus Policy
Last updated: September 26, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how NYC In Focus LLC (“NYC In Focus,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) handles information when you use nycinfocus.com, the NYC In Focus iOS app, Neighborhood Chat, FREQ alerts, maps, contact forms, and related services.
1. Who we are
NYC In Focus is a New York City news, visual journalism, events, culture, and local-information service operated by NYC In Focus LLC.
Website: https://nycinfocus.com/
Contact: https://nycinfocus.com/contact/
2. Scope of this policy
This policy applies to the NYC In Focus website and native iOS app, including Home, Culture, Search, FREQ/Live Wire, Neighborhood Chat, notifications, nearby alerts, account features, and other NYC In Focus services that link to this policy.
Third-party websites, platforms, maps, payment services, ticketing services, social networks, embedded media, and other services have their own privacy practices.
3. Information we collect
Depending on the features you use, we may process or collect:
- Sign in with Apple information: an Apple-provided identity token, an email address if Apple makes one available (including a private relay address), and the Supabase user identifier used to maintain your NYC In Focus account.
- Neighborhood Chat content: messages you post, the ZIP room, a server-assigned community alias, timestamps, replies, reports, blocks, and moderation information.
- Search activity: search terms submitted to server-backed Search and FREQ search features. Service providers may retain request/invocation logs for operational, security, or troubleshooting purposes.
- Location: device location used on-device for maps; a fresh location fix sent when you choose to post in Neighborhood Chat so we can verify your current ZIP; and precise coordinates stored with your push registration only if you explicitly enable Nearby FREQ alerts.
- Push and device information: an Apple Push Notification service device token, platform, alert preferences, selected alert sound, alert keywords, nearby-alert radius, and related registration information needed to deliver notifications.
- Website submissions: names, email addresses, messages, tips, correction requests, event notices, licensing inquiries, photo notes, and other information you voluntarily submit.
- Website and service technical information: IP address, browser or device type, request and security logs, referring pages, pages requested, request status and duration, approximate location derived by service providers, and similar operational information.
- Payment or transaction information: if reader-support, ticketing, subscriptions, or paid features are enabled, payment providers may process transaction information. NYC In Focus does not need to receive full payment-card numbers from third-party payment processors.
4. How we use information
We use information to provide and secure NYC In Focus services, including to:
- Authenticate NYC In Focus accounts and keep account sessions secure.
- Determine the ZIP in which a signed-in user is permitted to post.
- Display and operate maps, local information, events, culture, FREQ, search, and notifications.
- Return and troubleshoot server-backed search results.
- Deliver word alerts and optional nearby FREQ alerts.
- Operate Neighborhood Chat, enforce rate limits, filter objectionable content, process reports, block abusive users, and apply moderation restrictions.
- Respond to tips, messages, correction requests, licensing inquiries, and support requests.
- Prevent spam, fraud, abuse, unauthorized access, and security incidents.
- Operate, maintain, troubleshoot, and improve the website and app.
- Comply with legal obligations and protect rights, safety, and the integrity of our services.
5. Location and ZIP verification
The iOS app may request When In Use location permission. Location can be used on the device to show or recenter your position on maps.
Neighborhood Chat is geofenced. You may read supported ZIP rooms, but posting requires a fresh location fix showing that you are currently inside the ZIP where you are trying to post. When you choose to post, the app sends latitude, longitude, accuracy, and observation time to our Supabase-backed service so it can resolve the current ZIP. We do not intentionally store those raw posting coordinates in ordinary Neighborhood Chat message or participant records. Infrastructure providers may maintain operational or security request logs according to their service practices.
Granting iOS location permission does not by itself opt you into persistent server-side nearby-alert location storage.
6. Optional Nearby FREQ alerts
Nearby FREQ alerts are off by default. If you explicitly enable them in Settings, the app may send your current latitude and longitude to NYC In Focus and store those coordinates with the device’s push registration, together with your chosen alert radius, so the server can determine whether an eligible location-resolved FREQ report is within your selected radius. Scanner-derived information may be preliminary or unverified.
If you turn Nearby FREQ alerts off, the app instructs the server to disable nearby alerts and clear the latitude and longitude stored with that push registration on the next successful sync.
7. NYC In Focus account identity and Sign in with Apple
NYC In Focus uses Sign in with Apple and Supabase Auth for its private account system. Neighborhood Chat uses that account when you post, while other Chat users see only the server-assigned community alias and do not see your Apple account identifier, Apple email address, or Supabase user ID.
Authentication access and refresh tokens used by the iOS app are stored in the iOS Keychain rather than ordinary app preferences.
Sign in with Apple is provided by Apple and is also subject to Apple’s privacy practices. Deleting an NYC In Focus account does not delete your Apple ID.
8. Neighborhood Chat visibility and retention
Neighborhood Chat presents a rolling 24-hour conversation history to users.
Ordinary Neighborhood Chat message rows are retained for no more than approximately 72 hours and are automatically purged on a recurring schedule. This short additional retention period supports service integrity, moderation, troubleshooting, and abuse review.
If a message is reported, NYC In Focus creates a private moderation record containing the information needed to review the report, such as a snapshot of the reported alias, message content, message time, report reason, and related moderation data. A moderation record may remain after the ordinary Chat message expires when reasonably necessary for safety, abuse prevention, dispute handling, or legal obligations.
9. Chat safety, reports, and blocking
Neighborhood Chat uses server-side rules intended to block high-confidence objectionable content before it is posted. Automated filtering cannot identify every harmful message and may sometimes block content incorrectly.
Users can report messages and block other community users. NYC In Focus may review reports, remove or restrict content, suspend posting, restrict accounts, or take other reasonable action for spam, harassment, hate, threats, sexual content, privacy violations, abuse, or other violations of service rules.
10. Account deletion
If you are signed in, you can initiate deletion from Account & Settings → NYC In Focus account → Delete NYC In Focus Account.
When deletion succeeds, NYC In Focus deletes the Supabase Auth account and ordinary account-linked NYC In Focus data, including ordinary Neighborhood Chat messages and participant identities, and removes account blocks and active restrictions associated with the account.
Where a safety or moderation record must be retained, NYC In Focus is designed to remove the deleted account identifier from the retained report while preserving the report snapshot needed for legitimate safety, security, dispute, or legal purposes.
You may also contact NYC In Focus through the Contact page with a privacy request. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.
11. Push notifications
If you allow notifications, NYC In Focus may register an APNs device token and store the preferences needed to deliver alerts, such as selected FREQ keywords, notification settings, alert sound, and optional nearby-alert settings. Server-synced push preferences are kept in the iOS Keychain on the device rather than ordinary UserDefaults. Notification permission can be changed in iOS Settings, and NYC In Focus alert preferences can be changed in the app.
12. Analytics, advertising, and tracking
The website may use WordPress.com, Jetpack, analytics, search, security, performance, advertising, and measurement services. Those services may process information such as page views, device/browser information, IP address, referral information, cookies, and similar website data according to their own terms and privacy policies.
The current NYC In Focus iOS build does not use Apple’s App Tracking Transparency identifier (IDFA) or a third-party advertising SDK for cross-app tracking. If a future app version adds advertising or tracking technology, NYC In Focus will update the relevant disclosures and request permission where required before enabling that behavior.
13. Cookies and website technologies
The website and third-party website services may use cookies, pixels, tags, scripts, local storage, or similar technologies for preferences, analytics, security, spam prevention, advertising, embedded services, and site operation.
You can control cookies through your browser or applicable privacy controls. Blocking technologies may affect sign-in, maps, forms, embedded content, analytics, advertising, or other website functionality.
14. Contact forms, tips, and editorial submissions
If you submit a contact form, correction request, story tip, event notice, protest lead, licensing inquiry, public-record lead, photo note, or other message, NYC In Focus may use the information to evaluate, verify, respond to, report on, or follow up on the submission.
Do not submit sensitive personal information unless it is necessary. NYC In Focus cannot guarantee confidentiality for every ordinary web form or email submission.
15. Embedded content and third-party services
NYC In Focus may link to or embed maps, videos, images, social posts, calendars, ticketing services, payment tools, advertisements, or other third-party services. Interacting with a third party may allow that provider to process information as if you had visited or used its service directly.
Examples of service providers that may be involved in NYC In Focus operations include Apple, Supabase, WordPress.com/Jetpack, mapping providers, email providers, ticketing providers, analytics services, and other vendors used to operate a particular feature.
16. How information may be shared
NYC In Focus may share information with service providers that host, authenticate, secure, deliver, measure, process, log, or support the features you choose to use. We may also disclose information when reasonably necessary to comply with law or legal process; investigate fraud, abuse, threats, or security incidents; enforce applicable rules; or protect users, NYC In Focus, or others.
NYC In Focus does not sell contact-form messages, correction requests, licensing inquiries, editorial tips, or Neighborhood Chat messages as standalone personal information.
17. Data security
NYC In Focus uses technical and organizational safeguards intended to reduce unauthorized access, including access controls, server-side authorization, restricted service credentials, iOS Keychain storage for authentication tokens and server-synced push preferences, and private moderation data stores. No website, app, network, email system, or online service can guarantee absolute security.
18. Data retention outside Neighborhood Chat
Except where this policy gives a specific retention period, NYC In Focus may retain information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, to operate and secure services, maintain business or editorial records, resolve disputes, prevent abuse, troubleshoot services, or meet legal obligations. Service providers may retain operational and security logs according to their own policies and service plans.
19. Children’s privacy
NYC In Focus is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information, contact NYC In Focus so the matter can be reviewed.
20. Your choices and privacy rights
Depending on where you live and the information involved, you may have rights to request access, correction, deletion, or other controls over personal information. You can also manage location and notification permissions in iOS, turn Nearby FREQ alerts off in the app, use in-app NYC In Focus account deletion, control website cookies through available browser/site controls, and unsubscribe from emails using available unsubscribe mechanisms.
To make a privacy request, contact NYC In Focus through the Contact page. We may need to verify your identity before responding.
21. International users
NYC In Focus is based in the United States. If you use the services from another country, information may be processed in the United States or other places where our service providers operate, subject to applicable law.
22. Changes to this Privacy Policy
NYC In Focus may update this Privacy Policy as the website, app, service providers, or legal requirements change. The “Last updated” date identifies the latest revision.
23. Contact
Questions or privacy requests may be sent through the NYC In Focus Contact page: