Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

The Podium is a fan-powered cheerleading scoring application. This Privacy Policy describes how Mason Levy, an individual (“The Podium,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, and shares your information when you use The Podium mobile application, our website at thecheerpodium.com, and any related services (together, the “Service”). By using the Service, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

2. What we collect

We collect the following categories of information.

2.1 Account Information

When you create an account, we collect your email address and a password (stored as a one-way hash; we never see your plaintext password). At signup, we require you to confirm that you are at least 13 years old and that you have read and agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You must be 13 or older to create an account.

Why we collect it: to create and authenticate your account.
Legal basis (EEA/UK users): performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR).

2.2 Profile Information

You may add a display name (username) and an avatar image (which you may upload from your device’s photo library).

Why: to display your identity on score cards and the podium.
Legal basis: performance of a contract.

2.3 Activity Information

Your scores, your XP, your rank, the routines you’ve scored, the users you follow, the share cards you’ve created, and timestamps of these activities.

Why: this is the core product. Without this, the Service does not function.
Legal basis: performance of a contract.

2.4 Usage and Device Information

We automatically collect: your device type and model, operating system version, app version, language, time zone, IP address (truncated to /24 after 30 days), session timestamps, and in-app event metadata (such as when you submit a score and when a share card is created).

Why: to operate the Service, detect bugs, analyze usage patterns, and improve features.
Legal basis: legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR), specifically operating the Service and improving its quality.

2.5 Diagnostic Information

If the app crashes or encounters an error, we may collect diagnostic information including a stack trace, the device state at the time of the issue, and a session ID. This is processed by Apple’s crash reporting service and by Sentry, our error-tracking provider. Diagnostic information does not include the contents of any screens or any text you have entered.

Why: to fix bugs.
Legal basis: legitimate interests.

2.6 Communications

If you email us at policy@thecheerpodium.com (or contact us through any other channel), we retain a copy of that correspondence.

Why: to respond to you and improve our support.
Legal basis: legitimate interests.

2.7 What we do NOT collect today

We do not collect: your contacts, your photo library beyond images you explicitly select to upload (such as a profile photo or a share card you choose to save), your health data, your financial information, or any biometric data.

2.8 Planned future features

We are developing additional features that will involve information collection beyond what is described above. We are disclosing them now so you can understand where The Podium is going. When these features launch, we will update the relevant sections of this Privacy Policy and give you reasonable notice — typically 30 days — before the new collection begins.

• At-event scoring (precise location / GPS). We plan to offer scoring features that confirm you are physically present at a live cheer competition by capturing your precise location at the moment you submit a score. This feature will always be opt-in: we will request your device’s location permission in-app, and you may decline. We will not track your location continuously and we do not plan to retain location data after the score is submitted.
• Social media handle on profile. We plan to allow you to optionally display a social media username (for example, an Instagram or TikTok handle) on your profile. We will collect only the username as text — we will not access the contents of your social media account, your followers, or your posts.

3. How we share information

We share information only as described below. We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

3.1 Service providers

We share data with third-party vendors who help us operate the Service.

These vendors process information on our behalf under contracts that require them to handle it consistently with this Privacy Policy.

3.2 YouTube embeds

Routine videos are embedded from YouTube via the YouTube iframe player. When you watch an embedded video, YouTube may set cookies and collect data subject to Google’s Privacy Policy (policies.google.com/privacy). We do not have visibility into what YouTube collects from these embeds.

3.3 Legal compliance

We may disclose information to comply with a legal obligation (such as a subpoena), to enforce our Terms of Service, to protect the rights or safety of any person, or to investigate suspected fraud or abuse.

3.4 Business transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred. We will notify you (typically by email) before any such transfer.

3.5 With your consent

We may share information with other parties if you direct us to (for example, when you share a score card to a social platform — the social platform receives whatever you share).

4. How long we keep your information

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you the Service. When you delete your account through the in-app account deletion flow, we immediately delete or anonymize your personal information from our active systems, as described below:

• Personal account information (email, password, profile data) is deleted immediately.
• Scores you have submitted are retained on the platform in anonymized form, with your identity removed, so that other users’ rankings and the platform’s historical record continue to reflect the actual interactions that produced them. Anonymized scores cannot be linked back to you.
• Backups containing your information are purged on a rolling 14-day basis as part of our database hosting provider’s point-in-time recovery system.
• Logs and aggregated analytics that no longer identify you (for example, “X scores were submitted on date Y”) may be retained indefinitely for statistical purposes.
• We may retain specific information longer if required by law (for example, a tax record, or in connection with a legal hold).

5. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have specific rights under data protection laws. We honor these rights for all users, regardless of jurisdiction, where practical.

5.1 All users

You can:

• Access the personal information we hold about you by requesting an export at policy@thecheerpodium.com.
• Correct inaccurate information by updating your profile in-app or by emailing us.
• Delete your account through Settings → Profile → Delete Account, or by emailing us. Your personal information is deleted or anonymized as described in Section 4.
• Withdraw consent at any time (effective going forward).

5.2 California residents (CCPA / CPRA)

You have the additional right to:

• Know what categories of personal information we have collected, used, disclosed, and sold (we do not sell).
• Opt out of “sharing” for cross-context behavioral advertising (we do not share for this purpose).
• Limit the use of “sensitive personal information” (we do not collect sensitive personal information as defined by CPRA).
• Not be discriminated against for exercising these rights.

To exercise these rights, email policy@thecheerpodium.com. You may designate an authorized agent to act on your behalf.

5.3 EEA / UK / Switzerland residents (GDPR / UK GDPR)

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data.
• Request correction.
• Request erasure (“right to be forgotten”).
• Restrict processing.
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Data portability (we provide a machine-readable export).
• Lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

Our legal basis for each processing activity is described in Section 2.

5.4 To exercise any right

Email policy@thecheerpodium.com with your account email and a description of your request. We will respond within 45 days. For complex or numerous requests, we may extend that period by an additional 45 days, in which case we will notify you of the extension and the reason for it. We may ask you to verify your identity to prevent fraudulent requests.

6. Children’s privacy

The Podium is not directed at children under 13 years of age, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, do not use the Service or provide any information to us.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please email policy@thecheerpodium.com. We will investigate and, if confirmed, delete the child’s account and all associated information promptly.

Users between 13 and 17 are permitted to use the Service. We recommend that minors use the Service with the awareness of a parent or guardian. We do not knowingly market to or specifically design features for minors under 18.

7. Cookies and tracking technologies

7.1 In-app tracking

The Podium mobile application does not use cookies. We use the iOS App Tracking Transparency framework to request permission before tracking you across other apps or websites owned by third parties. We currently do not engage in cross-app tracking; we will request your permission if that ever changes.

7.2 On our website

thecheerpodium.com uses essential cookies for site functionality and may use analytics cookies (PostHog and Vercel Analytics) to understand site usage. We do not use advertising cookies and we do not share cookie data with advertisers.

8. Data security

We use industry-standard safeguards to protect your information:

• All data in transit is encrypted using TLS 1.2 or higher.
• Account passwords are hashed using a one-way function (bcrypt or equivalent); we never store plaintext passwords.
• Database access is restricted by row-level security policies enforced at the database layer.
• We follow the principle of least privilege for internal access.

No method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. If we become aware of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you and the appropriate authorities as required by law.

9. International data transfers

The Podium is operated from the United States. If you are located in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, which has different data protection laws than your country. We rely on the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and the UK Addendum, where applicable, as the legal mechanism for these transfers. Our service providers (listed in Section 3) provide equivalent safeguards.

10. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Effective date” at the top. If the changes are material, we will give you reasonable notice — typically a notice in the app or an email to the address associated with your account — at least 30 days before the changes take effect. Continued use of the Service after the new effective date constitutes acceptance.

11. How to contact us

For any questions about this Privacy Policy or your information, contact us at:

Mason Levy, an individual
Email: policy@thecheerpodium.com
Postal address: 892 Deyton Dr, Blairsville, GA 30512

EEA / UK users: If you believe we have not adequately addressed your concerns, you may contact your local data protection authority. A list of authorities is available at edpb.europa.eu.