Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are (Data Controller)

GridGather.net is operated by Neverworld Grid, LLC, a US-based company. For any privacy questions, requests, or concerns, contact us at gridgather@gmail.com. As a small platform, the site operators personally handle all data protection inquiries — there is no separate Data Protection Officer, but every request is treated with the same seriousness.

2. What We Collect

We collect the minimum data needed to operate the platform:

3. What Is Public

GridGather is a social platform, so much of what you share is meant to be seen. The following can be viewed by other members and by visitors who are not signed in:

• • Your profile: display name, avatar picture, banner image, and the details you add
• • Your posts, pictures, comments, and reactions, and where they were posted
• • Region, venue, and event listings, including live avatar counts
• • Region image galleries, which are built automatically from pictures posted on a region
• • That you are a Collaborator on a region or venue, through the posts and events you make there

GatherChat messages can be seen by every signed-in member. Collaborators you invite can post to that region or venue, but never see your email, password, or payment details.

Public content may be copied, shared, or indexed by search engines and others. Your email address, password, payment details, avatar UUID, and notifications are never shown publicly.

4. How Passwords Are Handled

Your password is never stored in readable form. It is processed through a one-way cryptographic salted hash at the moment of account creation or login. This means even we, the operators of GridGather, cannot see, retrieve, or read your password — ever. If our database were somehow compromised, the password hashes alone would be computationally useless to an attacker.

5. In-World Devices: Gates and GatherPoints

Gates (for venues) and GatherPoints (for regions) are scripted objects that owners place in OpenSimulator regions. They send GridGather a regular heartbeat containing: the numberof avatars present, the device's online status, the device's own position in the region (used as the landing point for visitor teleport links), and technical details such as its object key and script version. They do not collect or send the names, UUIDs, or any other identifying information of the people visiting a region.

6. NWG Resident Verification

Verification is entirely optional and exists only to grant Neverworld Grid residents the NWG plan. If you choose to use it, you enter your NWG avatar name and in-world password once; GridGather passes them straight to Neverworld Grid's ORBIT system to confirm residency and never stores or logs the password. We keep your avatar name, your avatar's UUID (which is already visible on your public in-world profile), and the result of the check. You are never required to verify; the standard Free plan is available to anyone. You may withdraw consent at any time — we will remove your avatar name and UUID and your account will return to the standard Free plan (unless you pay for a plan).

7. Moderation and Staff Access

Members can report posts and comments. Authorized GridGather staff may review content, reports, and account activity to moderate the platform, investigate abuse, provide support, and keep the service secure. Content that is muted or removed by moderation (along with its images) is hidden from public view but may be kept for moderation and dispute purposes.

8. Who We Share Data With

We share personal data only as needed to run GridGather:

• • PayPal processes all payments under its own privacy policy
• • Neverworld Grid's ORBIT system receives the avatar name and password you enter when you choose to verify residency
• • Plausible Analytics receives anonymous, cookieless page-view data
• • Our hosting and email providers store and deliver data on our behalf
• • YouTube: when a post links to a YouTube video, your browser loads its preview picture from YouTube, and the video plays from YouTube (in its privacy-enhanced mode) only when you press play. YouTube's own privacy policy covers that
• • Authorities, when required by law, or where needed to protect members or the service

9. What We Never Do

• • We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to any third party
• • We do not use third-party advertising networks or ad-tracking scripts. Spotlight ads on GridGather are purchased by members and hosted by us
• • We do not store payment card or bank details — all payments are processed directly by PayPal
• • We do not use invasive cookie-based tracking; our analytics (Plausible) is cookieless by design
• • Gates and GatherPoints do not collect personally identifiable information about region visitors

10. Data Retention

• • Your account: kept for as long as your account is active.
• • Deleted posts and comments: removed from public view immediately. A hidden record of a deleted post may be kept while your account exists, so Main Feed share counts stay accurate and moderation history is preserved.
• • Notifications: read notifications are deleted automatically after 90 days.
• • GatherChat: messages you or a moderator delete are removed from view immediately.
• • Private messages: only you and the other member can see them. Deleting a conversation hides it from you; once both of you have deleted it, it is permanently removed. Staff do not read private messages except to investigate abuse reported to us or where the law requires it.
• • Personal calendar feed: the private link works without signing in, so treat it like a password. Resetting it in Account Settings turns the old link off at once.
• • Account deletion: when you ask us to delete your account, your personal data (name, email, password hash, profile details, avatar name and UUID) and your posts, comments, and reactions are permanently removed within 14 days.
• • Exceptions: payment records may be kept as long as required for accounting and tax purposes, and limited records may be kept where needed for legal obligations, security, or ongoing disputes. Backups are overwritten on a rolling basis.

11. Your Rights Under GDPR

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), UK, or Switzerland, you have the right to:

• • Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• • Rectification — correct any inaccurate data
• • Erasure — request deletion of your account and associated data ("right to be forgotten")
• • Restriction — request we limit how your data is processed
• • Portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• • Objection — object to processing based on legitimate interest
• • Withdraw consent — at any time, for anything based on consent (e.g., NWG verification), without affecting processing that happened before
• • Complain — lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

To exercise any of these rights, email gridgather@gmail.com with your request. We may need to verify your identity before acting on it. We will respond within 30 days, as required by GDPR Article 12, subject to any extension the law allows.

12. Cookies and Local Storage

GridGather uses essential session cookies so you stay signed in. When you click a Spotlight ad, we also set a small cookie that remembers that click for 24 hours, so the same click isn't counted twice; it holds no personal information. We do not use third-party tracking or advertising cookies. Our analytics provider, Plausible, does not use cookies at all and does not collect or store any personally identifiable information. Your browser may also store small preferences, such as your light/dark theme and feed filters; these stay on your own device and are not sent to us.

13. International Data Transfers

GridGather is hosted on servers located in the United States. If you are located outside the US, your data will be transferred to and processed in the United States. We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your data wherever it is processed. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to keep your information safe.

14. Adults Only

GridGather is for adults aged 18 or older. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If we become aware that a minor has created an account, it will be deleted promptly.

15. Changes to This Policy

If this policy changes, the "Last updated" date at the top of this page will be revised. Material changes will be announced on the website and, where appropriate, emailed to registered members.

16. Contact

Questions, concerns, or data requests of any kind: gridgather@gmail.com