Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2026

UChicago E-mart is a student-run marketplace for University of Chicago students. This privacy policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that data. We keep things simple — this is a student project, not a corporation.

What We Collect

Account information: Your name and UChicago email address (obtained via Google OAuth when you sign in).
Phone number: Collected for identity verification via Firebase Phone Auth. You can choose whether to display it on your public profile.
Profile photo: Pulled from your Google account or uploaded by you.
Post content and images: Listings you create, including descriptions, prices, and any photos you upload.
Messages: Direct messages sent between users through the platform.
Usage data: Basic information about how you interact with the site (e.g., pages visited, posts saved), used to improve the experience.

How We Use It

To create and manage your account.
To verify that you are a UChicago student and to reduce fraud and spam.
To display your listings and profile to other verified users.
To facilitate messaging between buyers and sellers.
To send notifications about activity on your listings or account.
To improve the platform based on how it is used.

Third-Party Services

We rely on a small number of third-party services to operate the platform:

Google OAuth:Used for sign-in. Google provides your name and email address to us. Google's privacy policy applies to the authentication flow.
Firebase (Google): Used for phone number verification and for storing uploaded images. Data is stored in Google Cloud infrastructure.
Railway / PostgreSQL: Our database is hosted on Railway. User data (account info, posts, messages) is stored there.

Data Sharing

We do not sell your data. We do not share your personal information with third parties for advertising or marketing purposes. Your data is shared only with the services listed above as necessary to operate the platform, and with other UChicago E-mart users as part of normal marketplace functionality (e.g., your name and listings are visible to other users; your phone number is only visible if you choose to show it).

Data Retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. If you request account deletion, we will remove your personal information from our systems within a reasonable time. Some information may be retained in backups for a short period after deletion.

Your Rights

You can request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal data at any time by contacting us. To request account deletion or data export, email us at noh@uchicago.edu / junseo@uchicago.edu.

Contact

Questions about this policy? Reach out at noh@uchicago.edu / junseo@uchicago.edu.