Privacy Policy
Version 5.2 · Last updated August 13, 2026
Overview
MyMerkato, LLC is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, and share information when you use MyMerkato on the website or in our apps.
Information We Collect
• Account: name, email, phone number • Profile: photo, biography, age, gender (for Meet People) • Selfie verification: to use Meet People, we require a live selfie photo (taken with your camera, not chosen from your photo library), which a human reviewer manually compares to your profile photos to confirm they show the same person before you can browse or be seen • Location: a home zip code you can optionally save to your profile, which we convert to an approximate coordinate and store so listings, shops, providers, roommate posts, and want-alerts can be ranked by distance without asking for your location every visit; and/or your device's live location on the specific screens where you grant permission for an on-demand search • Listings & ads: titles, descriptions, photos, videos, an optional zip code/address • Events: details, flyer images, videos • Shops: shop name, story, banner/product photos, an optional zip code, delivery preferences and delivery radius • Providers directory: categories offered, service area, self-reported years of experience and licensing status, self-reported delivery/ride rates, "available now" status, and response-time statistics computed from message timestamps • Roommate Finder: an optional zip code, housing preferences, room/lease details, contact info you choose to share • Care Fund: help-request stories, pledge amounts and notes • Meet People: age, gender, interests, location-radius preference, liked/matched profiles • AI scheduling assistant: if a seller enables it, the buyer's saved location may be compared against a proposed meetup address to show an approximate distance • Device & usage: device/browser type, OS, app/site version, features used, searches (including any zip code typed into a search) • Communications: messages sent through the Service, and the timestamps of those messages (used to compute provider response-time statistics) • Purchases: in-app or web purchase receipts processed by Apple, Google, or our payment processor
How We Use Your Information
To provide and improve the Service; verify identity; rank nearby providers by distance and estimated price; compute response-time indicators; send notifications about listings, events, and matches; respond to support; enforce our terms and Community Guidelines; comply with law; analyze usage; and facilitate Care Fund connections.
Location Data
MyMerkato uses location in two different ways, and using the Service does not require either. First, you may optionally save a home zip code to your profile; we convert it once to an approximate coordinate (using your device's location services or a third-party zip-lookup service) and store it so that Near You, Want Alerts, Roommate Finder, Shops, and Providers can passively show you the nearest results without asking permission on every visit - this is a stored, reusable value, not a live feed of your movements, and you can clear it from your profile at any time. Second, on specific screens (such as searching for a nearby ride or delivery provider, or typing a zip code into a search box), the website or app may ask for or parse a one-time location to rank results or estimate cost; declining simply means results are shown without a distance ranking. We never track your location continuously in the background, and we do not sell or share your precise location or saved zip code with third parties beyond what is needed to compute and display distance to you or, where a seller has enabled the AI scheduling assistant, to show a distance estimate to a meetup address.
Meet People Privacy
Your Meet People profile (photos, age, gender, interests, general area) is visible to other opted-in users. Your exact location is never shared - only your general area. You may disable Meet People at any time, which removes you from browse results.
Selfie Verification
Meet People requires a live, in-the-moment selfie before your profile can be browsed or seen by others. This is a manual, human review process, not automated facial recognition or biometric identification technology - a reviewer visually compares your selfie to your profile photos and approves or rejects the match; we do not extract, analyze, or store any facial geometry, faceprint, or other biometric identifier from it. Your selfie photo is never shown publicly or to other users, is visible only to you and to authorized reviewers, and is stored securely in the same way as your other account photos. If you delete your account, your submitted selfie is deleted along with your other data.
Providers Directory Privacy
If you opt in to the Providers directory, your name, photo, bio, categories, service area, and (if you set them) your delivery/ride rate, years of experience, licensing status, and "available now" status are visible to other users. We compute a "fast responder" indicator from timestamps of your replies to messages sent while you were marked available; the underlying message content is never used for this purpose, only the timing. You can disable your provider profile at any time to stop appearing in directory results.
Care Fund Privacy
Help requests may be posted anonymously. Donor names may be shown publicly unless you donate anonymously. MyMerkato does not process or store actual payment data - payments happen externally via third-party apps.
Information Sharing
We do not sell your personal information. We share data with: service providers (Google Firebase) that operate the Service; Apple/Google and our payment processor for purchases; law enforcement when legally required; and other users only as necessary (e.g., your listing's or shop's contact info is shown to interested buyers; your Meet People or Provider profile is shown to other opted-in users; your roommate post's contact details are shown to interested respondents).
Cookies & Tracking
Our website uses only essential cookies needed to keep you signed in and operate the site, plus privacy-respecting analytics. We do not use cross-site advertising trackers and do not sell data to advertisers. Saved-items on the website are stored locally in your browser.
Data Retention
We retain your data while your account is active. You may request deletion of your account and data at any time from your settings or by emailing support@f2yapps.com. Some data may be retained for legal compliance.
Your Rights
Depending on your location you may have rights to access, correct, delete, port, or object to processing of your personal data. To exercise these rights, contact support@f2yapps.com.
Children's Privacy
MyMerkato is not directed at anyone under 18 and we do not knowingly collect their data. If we learn we have, we delete it promptly.
Security
We use industry-standard measures including authentication, encrypted transmission (TLS), and security rules. No system is 100% secure; you use the Service at your own risk.
Contact
Privacy questions: contact@f2yapps.com
Questions? Contact contact@f2yapps.com. By using MyMerkato you acknowledge and accept these terms. This is a general template and not legal advice - have counsel review before relying on it.