This Privacy Policy describes how AuClose LLC, a New Mexico limited liability company ("AuClose," "we," "us," or "our"), collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal information when you use the AuClose mobile application ("App") and related services (collectively, the "Platform"). By using the Platform, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.
We are committed to transparency. This policy is written in plain language so you can understand exactly what data we collect, why we collect it, and who sees it.
We want to be explicit about what we do not collect or store:
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
When you participate in a transaction, certain information is shared with the other party:
We never share: Your email address, full residential address (outside of a specific transaction), payment information, phone number, or raw location data with other Users.
We share information with the following third-party providers, each of which processes data under its own privacy policy:
| Provider | What They Receive | Purpose | Privacy Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | Payment data, identity documents, biometric data, bank details (sellers), tax information | Payment processing, identity verification, seller payouts, tax calculation | stripe.com/privacy |
| Supabase | All platform data (encrypted at rest, in transit) | Database infrastructure, authentication, real-time features | supabase.com/privacy |
| Google (Gemini AI) | Item category names only — no personal data | AI-generated listing condition questions | policies.google.com/privacy |
| Google (Maps) | Address entered during verification | Address validation and geocoding | policies.google.com/privacy |
| Firebase (Google) | Device tokens | Push notification delivery | firebase.google.com/support/privacy |
AuClose does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for advertising, marketing, or any other purpose. We do not participate in data broker networks. We do not serve ads. We do not allow third parties to pay for visibility or placement in the App.
We may disclose your information if required by law, subpoena, court order, or government request, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of AuClose, our Users, or the public.
If AuClose is acquired, merged, or undergoes a change of control, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change and any choices you may have regarding your information.
AuClose does not hold seller funds. All seller earnings are held in your Stripe Connected Account under Stripe's banking licenses. When we display your "balance" or "earnings" in the App, we are showing data retrieved from Stripe's API — not from an AuClose-managed account. AuClose maintains an internal audit log of financial events (sales, fees, withdrawals) for your transaction history view, but the authoritative record of your funds is held by Stripe.
We collect your residential address during verification. We convert this address to an H3 cell identifier at resolution 8 — a hexagonal geographic zone roughly the size of a neighborhood.
Your H3 cell, not your raw address or GPS coordinates, is used for discovery. When you browse listings, the Platform calculates drive time between your zone and listing zones using a pre-computed travel matrix. This enables "15 minutes away" style results rather than raw distance circles.
Other Users see drive-time estimates to your listings (e.g., "12 min away"), not your address. Your residential address is disclosed only to the winning buyer of a specific transaction, and only after successful payment authorization, for the purpose of arranging pickup.
Your H3 cell is computed on our servers, not on your device, to prevent location spoofing.
We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. Transaction records, Karma ledger entries, and Chip Ratings are retained for the lifetime of your account to maintain the integrity of the reputation system.
If you request account deletion (see Section 10), we will delete or anonymize your personal information within 30 days, except where retention is required by law or necessary for legitimate business purposes (e.g., financial records required for tax compliance, fraud prevention, or pending dispute resolution). Anonymized transaction records may be retained indefinitely for platform analytics.
Dormant seller accounts follow the escalation schedule described in our Terms of Service (30-day nudge, 90-day email, 180-day warning, 365-day auto-payout). Account data is retained during this period.
AuClose uses Stripe Identity, a third-party service operated by Stripe, Inc., to verify User identity. As part of this process, Stripe — not AuClose — collects biometric identifiers and biometric information, including facial geometry derived from a live selfie and a government-issued ID photo.
AuClose initiates the verification session by directing you to Stripe's hosted verification interface. AuClose receives a verification result (verified or not verified) and a session identifier for audit purposes. AuClose does not receive, access, store, process, or transmit any biometric data at any point.
The sole purpose of biometric data collection is identity verification to prevent fraud and ensure the safety of the marketplace.
Before the verification process begins, the App displays a disclosure explaining that Stripe will collect biometric data. You must affirmatively consent to proceed. You may decline, in which case you will not be able to complete verification or use listing and bidding features.
Biometric data retention and destruction are governed entirely by Stripe under Stripe's Privacy Policy and Stripe Identity's documentation. AuClose has no control over and accepts no responsibility for Stripe's biometric data handling. Questions about biometric data retention should be directed to Stripe.
We implement security measures including: encrypted data transmission (TLS), database-level access controls (Row Level Security policies), server-side validation of all sensitive operations, separation of client and administrative access privileges, and secure server-side computation of sensitive data (location, verification status).
While we take reasonable measures to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.
You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials and for any activity under your account. Notify us immediately at support@auclose.com if you believe your account has been compromised.
You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you by contacting support@auclose.com.
You may update your account information through the App. For corrections to information you cannot modify directly, contact support@auclose.com.
You may request the deletion of your account and associated personal data (including listing photos and profile information) by contacting support@auclose.com or by using the account deletion option within the App's settings menu. Deletion is subject to the retention exceptions described in Section 7.2.
You may disable push notifications at any time through your device's system settings. Disabling notifications will not affect transactional operations but may cause you to miss time-sensitive alerts (outbid notifications, payment deadlines, handoff reminders).
Because AuClose does not collect or store biometric data, biometric data deletion requests should be directed to Stripe at stripe.com/privacy.
If you are a California resident, you may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act and the California Privacy Rights Act, including the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to delete your personal information, the right to opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information), and the right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights. To exercise these rights, contact support@auclose.com.
Residents of other states with comprehensive privacy laws (including Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, and others) may have similar rights. Contact support@auclose.com to make any privacy-related request.
The Platform is not intended for anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we learn that we have collected information from a child under 18, we will delete that information promptly. If you believe a child under 18 has provided us with personal information, contact support@auclose.com.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date and version number at the top of this document and notify you through the App. Your continued use of the Platform after such notification constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.
For questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy, contact us at:
AuClose LLC
Email: support@auclose.com