Privacy Policy

Effective Date: August 8, 2026 • Last Updated: August 8, 2026

1. Introduction and Scope

This Privacy Policy explains how ZotList ("ZotList," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and protects information in connection with ZotList.com and related services (the "Service"). This Policy applies to verified UCI students, business and organization advertisers, and any other visitor to the Service. It should be read together with our Terms of Service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide. This includes: (a) account information such as your name, @uci.edu email address (for student verification), and password or authentication credentials; (b) listing content you post, including text, images, and any contact information you choose to include; (c) business account information, including company name, contact details, and billing information for paid plans; and (d) any information you submit through support requests, reports, or communications with us.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically. When you use the Service, we and our service providers may automatically collect: device and browser information, IP address, pages viewed, listings interacted with, referring URLs, and similar usage data, typically through cookies, pixels, or similar technologies described in Section 6.

2.3 Information from Payment Processors. Business and advertiser payments are processed by Stripe, our third-party payment processor. ZotList does not directly store full payment card numbers; Stripe handles that information under its own privacy and security practices.

2.4 Information We Do Not Intentionally Collect. ZotList does not knowingly collect sensitive categories of personal information (such as government ID numbers, precise geolocation beyond what a user voluntarily includes in a listing, or health information) beyond what a user voluntarily chooses to include in User Content, which we recommend against.

3. How We Use Information

To verify student eligibility for free student access via @uci.edu email;
To operate, maintain, and improve the Service, including displaying listings to other users;
To process payments and manage business/advertiser accounts and billing;
To communicate with you about your account, listings, or transactional matters;
To detect, investigate, and prevent fraud, scam listings, and other Trust & Safety violations;
To analyze usage trends and measure advertising/listing performance (including aggregated, de-identified reporting shared with business advertisers, such as impressions or engagement counts — not individual student identities);
To comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service.

4. @uci.edu Verification

Verification exists to confirm that a user is a current UCI student and to reduce fraudulent, duplicate, or automated accounts on the student side of the Service. We retain the minimum information necessary to confirm and maintain verified status. Verification status (verified/not verified) may be visible to other users as a trust signal; the underlying email address is not displayed publicly by default.

5. How We Share Information

We do not sell personal information for money. We may share information as follows:

With other users, to the extent you choose to include contact or other information in a public listing;
With service providers who perform functions on our behalf (e.g., hosting, email delivery, payment processing, analytics), under confidentiality and data-use obligations;
With business/advertiser accounts, limited to aggregated or de-identified performance metrics, not individual student personal information, unless a student voluntarily contacts that business directly through a listing;
To comply with law, respond to legal process, or protect the rights, safety, or property of ZotList, our users, or the public;
In connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, subject to this Policy or a successor policy with comparable protections.

6. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you logged in, remember preferences, and understand how the Service is used, including for advertising performance measurement for paid placements. Current vendors include Google Analytics (GA4), for site usage and engagement measurement, and Google AdSense, for on-site advertising. These vendors may set their own cookies and process usage data under their own privacy terms; you can review Google's practices at their privacy policy, and can manage ad personalization through Google's Ads Settings. Where required by California law, we provide a mechanism to limit non-essential cookies; essential cookies required for login and core functionality are not subject to that control.

7. Data Retention

We retain account and listing information for as long as your account is active and as reasonably necessary to operate the Service, resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, and comply with legal obligations. You may request deletion of your account and associated personal information as described in Section 9, subject to limited retention where required by law or for legitimate business records (such as billing history).

8. Data Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect personal information, including encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS) between your browser and our servers, hashed storage of account credentials, access controls limiting who can reach production data, and use of reputable third-party infrastructure and payment providers (including cPanel-managed hosting and Stripe) that maintain their own security programs. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Your Privacy Rights (California Residents)

Because ZotList's user base is substantially composed of California residents, we intend to honor rights consistent with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended, including the right to:

Know what personal information we have collected about you and how it has been used and disclosed;
Request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions;
Correct inaccurate personal information;
Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information — ZotList does not currently sell personal information;
Non-discrimination for exercising these rights.

To exercise these rights, contact us using the information in Section 13. We may need to verify your identity before completing certain requests. ZotList is an early-stage business and may not yet meet the CCPA/CPRA's applicability thresholds based on revenue or volume of consumer data; we extend these rights voluntarily as a matter of practice and will confirm formal legal applicability as the business scales.

10. Children's Privacy

The Service is intended for college-age students and adults and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have inadvertently done so, we will take steps to delete it.

11. No Affiliation with UC Irvine

ZotList is an independently owned and operated service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the University of California, Irvine or The Regents of the University of California. UCI does not receive or control data collected through the Service.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating the "Last Updated" date above and, where appropriate, additional notice. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

13. Contact Us

Questions about this Privacy Policy, or requests regarding your personal information, can be directed to:

ZotList
Email: hello@zotlist.com
Website: ZotList.com