Privacy Policy

Effective October 17, 2026 · SmokeRing is a product of Shield IQ LLC ("we", "us").

SmokeRing is the social app for outdoor cooking. This policy describes what we collect, why, and the choices you have. The short version: we collect what makes the network work, we never sell your personal information, sponsors never see who you are, and you can export or delete everything.

What we collect

• Account information. Your email address and, when you use them, the sign-in identities you link (Apple, Google, Facebook). Link several and they open one account.
• Your profile and pit. Display name, handle, bio, location text you choose to show, and your My Pit registry — the cookers you own, your vault and wishlist items.
• Your content. Cooks you log and post (dish, cooker, temps, times, stages), photos and videos you attach, comments, ratings and tips, club memberships, and challenge entries.
• Live cook presence (opt-in only). Smoke Signals is off unless you turn it on. When on, the app shares a neighborhood-level presence ("Yorkville — your neighborhood") while you have a live cook — never your address and never precise GPS coordinates.
• Device and push data. A push notification token so cook alerts reach your phone, and basic app diagnostics (crashes, performance) without advertising identifiers. We do not use third-party advertising trackers.

How we use it

• To run the network: your feed, clubs, challenges, scorecards, guided cooks, and notifications.
• To keep it honest: rating integrity, abuse and spam prevention, and safety enforcement.
• To improve the app: aggregated, de-identified usage patterns (for example, how many cooks run on kettle fires in winter).

Sharing

• Other members see what you post publicly or to your clubs, per the visibility you choose on each cook.
• Sponsors and brands receive only aggregated, anonymized insights (for example, how many registered owners cook on a given cooker type). They never receive your name, email, photos, or location, and they can never message you directly through SmokeRing.
• Service providers who host and run SmokeRing (such as our cloud host) process data only to provide the service.
• We never sell your personal information. If the law requires disclosure, we comply and, where lawful, tell you.

Your controls

• Browse first. You can explore SmokeRing as a guest; an account is only requested when you post, follow, save, or join.
• Export. My Pit → Settings → Export gives you a full copy of your account data.
• Delete. My Pit → Settings → Delete account removes your account and content from our servers and your device. Public posts you made are removed with your account.
• Notifications. Per-type switches live in My Pit → Settings → Notifications; the system settings on your phone always win.

Retention & security

We keep your data while your account exists. Deleted accounts are removed from production systems promptly; encrypted backups age out on a rolling schedule. Data moves over encrypted connections, sign-in sessions use rotating tokens, and access inside our team is limited to operating the service.

Children

SmokeRing is for adults who cook. It is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their information.

Changes & contact

If this policy changes materially, we will say so in the app before the change takes effect. Questions: [email protected].

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