Last Updated: June 23, 2026

Operator: Joseph S Apps, LLC

Support Contact: itsjosephsapps@gmail.com

1. Overview

This Privacy Policy explains how Joseph S Apps, LLC ("Rise Up," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, shares, stores, protects, and retains information when you use the Rise Up mobile application, websites, features, services, content, groups, messaging tools, business pages, verification features, and related services that link to this Privacy Policy (collectively, the "Service").

Rise Up is designed to celebrate and uplift African American communities and allies. We do not require users to disclose race or ethnicity to create an account. However, content users choose to post may reveal personal information, community affiliation, beliefs, images, location, relationships, business activity, or other sensitive details. Please think carefully before sharing content publicly.

2. Information We Collect

Account information: name, username, email address, authentication identifiers, password credentials handled through our authentication provider, phone number if you choose phone verification, verification status, account settings, and account creation/sign-in information.

Profile information: profile photo, cover photo, bio, city or location text, interests, followers, following, friends, blocked accounts, muted accounts, business page information, and other profile details you choose to provide.

User content: posts, photos, captions, titles, comments, replies, reposts, likes, shares, saved posts, group names, group descriptions, group messages, direct messages, business page content, reports, safety notes, and other content you create, upload, send, or interact with.

Verification information: whether your email address is verified, whether your phone number is verified, the verified phone number if applicable, verification timestamps, and related authentication identifiers. Verification is used to support account security and the in-app verified badge.

Device and technical information: device type, operating system, app version, push notification token, crash or diagnostic information if available, log data, approximate network information, IP address, and information needed to secure, troubleshoot, and operate the Service.

Location information: location text you choose to add to your profile, posts, groups, or business pages. If the app later requests device location permission for location-based features, we will collect device location only with your permission and according to your device settings.

Safety and support information: reports you submit, reported content previews, usernames, account identifiers, timestamps, block actions, moderation actions, support messages, and communications with us.

Contacts: at launch, Rise Up does not need to upload your device contacts. If a contacts feature is added later, we will ask for permission before accessing contacts and update this Privacy Policy if needed.

3. How We Use Information

We use information to create and manage accounts; provide profiles, posts, feeds, groups, comments, reposting, sharing, business pages, direct messages, notifications, and verification; personalize basic in-app experiences; show content to other users according to app settings; display public posts and business pages; send account, safety, verification, support, and notification messages; detect, block, and respond to prohibited content; review reports; enforce our Terms; prevent spam, fraud, abuse, and security incidents; troubleshoot and improve the Service; comply with legal obligations; and protect the rights, safety, and property of users, Rise Up, and others.

4. Public Content and Visibility

Public posts, public profile information, business pages, public groups, usernames, profile photos, cover photos, comments, reposts, and follower/following activity may be visible to other users depending on app features and settings.

Direct messages and private group content are intended to be more limited, but they are not guaranteed to be private from every person or circumstance. Recipients may screenshot, copy, report, or share content. We may access or preserve messages when reported, when needed for safety or support, or when required by law.

If you do not want information to be seen, copied, reported, shared, or preserved, do not post or send it through the Service.

5. How We Share Information

With other users: We share your profile, posts, comments, group participation, business pages, messages, and other user-facing content according to the features you use and your settings.

With service providers: We may share information with vendors that help us operate the Service, such as authentication, cloud database, file storage, push notifications, hosting, security, support, and app distribution providers.

For safety and legal reasons: We may disclose information if we believe it is necessary to comply with law, legal process, government requests, enforce our Terms, investigate abuse, protect safety, prevent fraud, protect rights or property, or respond to emergencies.

Business transfers: If Rise Up is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, bankruptcy, sale of assets, or transfer of service operations, information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to appropriate protections.

With your direction or consent: We may share information when you ask us to, authorize us to, or use a feature that is designed to share information.

6. Third-Party Services

Rise Up uses third-party technology providers to operate the app. These may include Firebase and Google services for authentication, account management, database storage, file storage, push notifications, and related infrastructure. These providers may process information according to their own terms, privacy policies, and data processing commitments.

We do not control third-party websites or services linked by users, business pages, groups, or posts. Their privacy practices are not covered by this Privacy Policy.

7. Selling, Sharing, Advertising, and Tracking

At launch, Rise Up does not sell personal information and does not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. Rise Up does not currently use third-party advertising networks in the app. If we add advertising, analytics, tracking, or monetization features that materially change our data practices, we will update this Privacy Policy and any required App Store privacy disclosures.

We may use basic operational data to understand app reliability, account security, notifications, and feature use, but we do not use that data to track users across unrelated apps or websites for advertising at launch.

8. Push Notifications and Communications

If you allow notifications, we may send push notifications about messages, friend requests, group activity, reposts, comments, security, verification, safety, and other app activity. You can control push notifications through iOS Settings and any in-app settings that are available.

We may send service-related emails or messages about your account, verification, security, policy updates, or support requests. These are not promotional messages.

9. Data Retention

We keep information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the Service, maintain accounts, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce our Terms, prevent abuse, maintain security, and support legitimate business purposes.

If you delete content, it may be removed from active display but may remain for a limited time in backups, cached copies, logs, reports, moderation records, or copies shared by other users. Safety reports and enforcement records may be retained longer to protect users and prevent repeat abuse.

If you delete your account, we will take reasonable steps to delete or de-identify account information unless we need to retain it for legal, safety, security, fraud prevention, dispute resolution, backup, or legitimate operational reasons. Some content may remain if it was shared with others, reposted, quoted, reported, or included in group or message histories.

10. Your Choices and Controls

·       Account information: You can update certain profile and account information in the app.

·       Verification: You can choose whether to complete email and phone verification. If you skip verification, you may not receive the verified badge.

·       Content controls: You can edit or delete certain posts you created if the feature is available. You can remove or change certain profile and business page information.

·       Safety controls: You can block users, unblock users, report content, flag and hide content, leave groups, manage followers or friends where features allow, and adjust messaging interactions where features allow.

·       Notifications: You can disable push notifications through iOS Settings.

·       Privacy requests: You may contact us to request access, correction, deletion, or other privacy assistance. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests.

11. State and Regional Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to know, access, correct, delete, port, restrict, object to, or opt out of certain uses of personal information. You may also have the right not to be discriminated against for exercising privacy rights.

Because Rise Up is currently a small app and does not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising at launch, some legal rights may not apply in every situation. We will respond to applicable privacy requests as required by law. Contact us at itsjosephsapps@gmail.com.

12. Children and Teens

Rise Up is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information, contact us and we will take appropriate action.

Teen users should use Rise Up with care and, where required, with parent or guardian permission. We may limit features or take additional safety steps for younger users if required by law or platform policy.

13. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect information. However, no app, website, network, or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You are responsible for using a strong password, protecting your device, and notifying us if you suspect unauthorized access.

14. International Data Transfers

Rise Up is operated from the United States. Information may be processed and stored in the United States or other locations where our service providers operate. Laws in those locations may differ from the laws where you live.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If changes are material, we will provide notice through the app, website, email, or another reasonable method. The updated policy will be effective when posted or as otherwise stated in the notice.

16. Contact Us

Questions, privacy requests, safety concerns, or support requests may be sent to: itsjosephsapps@gmail.com.

Operator: Joseph S Apps, LLC. App: Rise Up.