Short version: we store your phone number to log you in. We never show it to anyone or sell it. Prices you report are public. Other members see your display name next to them, and so does anyone you send a share link to. You can delete your account from the app anytime.
Malört Meter is an independent project, an independent fan project, not affiliated with any malört maker or bar (see the Disclaimer). For privacy questions or requests, use the contact form and choose "Privacy or data request".
What we collect
When you join or log in
Your mobile number, to text you login codes.
Your display name, the invite code you used, and when you joined.
That you confirmed you're 21+ and agreed to the Terms, with the date and the version you agreed to.
When you use the app
Prices you report (bar, price, tags, time), bars you add, bars you follow, your crew, fest RSVPs and flags you raise. Your points, badges and streaks are calculated from these.
If you turn on alerts: your browser's push subscription.
If you claim a bar: the bar name, the contact details you give us and your notes.
If you join the waitlist: your number, the name you give and who referred you.
If you contact us: your contact details and message.
If you text prices to the people who run Malört Meter, they may log them for you. If they set up an account for you, they enter your number and a display name you can change later.
Automatically
A pseudonymized version of your IP address (salted and hashed) on price reports, login attempts and contact messages, to stop abuse. We don't keep raw IP addresses in our database.
Login attempt records (number, the hashed IP, whether a text was sent), to prevent SMS abuse.
When you ask for a login code, we pass your IP address, browser type and a random device ID to our SMS provider so it can screen for SMS fraud.
Standard request logs kept by our hosting and network providers (IP address, browser, pages and addresses requested) for security and reliability.
Usage analytics, unless you turn them off (see below).
Location
Only if you allow location access in your browser. After that, the app checks your location when you open it, to show and sort bars near you. That happens in your browser.
When you search for a bar to add, the app sends a rounded location (about 100 meters) with the search, and we pass it to our address-search provider to find nearby matches. We don't store it.
If you add a bar "here", that spot becomes the bar's public map pin, and we record that you added it.
How we use it
To run Malört Meter: log you in, show prices, maps and leaderboards, compute the Price Index, send the alerts you've turned on, run contests and contact winners, moderate and prevent fraud and spam, fix bugs and improve the app, and follow the law. We never use your number for marketing.
Who sees what
Anyone: bar prices, the Price Index, and activity like "Someone paid $5 at Punch House", with no names.
Members: display names on leaderboards and crews, and the live feed, which shows a member's display name with the bar and time of their recent reports. Keep that in mind if you'd rather not share where you've been.
People you send a brag, invite or crew link to: your display name on that link.
Admins (the people who run Malört Meter): phone numbers, account details, claims, contact messages and contest standings, for moderation, support and contest prizes.
Nobody else, unless the law requires it (a valid subpoena, say), or it's needed to protect someone's safety or our rights, or as part of a transfer if the project changes hands (this policy would still apply).
Services we use
These companies process data for us to run the service:
Render: hosting and database (United States).
Cloudflare: network delivery and security, through Render.
Our SMS provider (currently Prelude): sends login codes, so it receives your mobile number, plus the anti-fraud details above.
PostHog: product analytics, if analytics is on. Your browser connects to PostHog directly, so it also sees your IP address.
OpenFreeMap: map tiles. Your browser loads them directly, so OpenFreeMap sees your IP address.
Google Fonts: your browser loads our fonts from Google, which sees your IP address.
Photon (komoot): address search when a member adds a bar. It receives the search text and a rounded location from our server, not your IP address.
Your browser's push service (Apple, Google, Mozilla or Microsoft): delivers alerts if you turn them on.
We don't sell your data
We don't sell your personal information. We don't share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, and there are no ads on Malört Meter.
Analytics and how to turn it off
When analytics is on, PostHog records which screens and page addresses you open (addresses can include invite or crew codes), what you tap and the text of what you tapped, your device and browser type, and an approximate location derived from your IP. These events are linked to your account ID and display name, never your phone number. We may also record session replays (a playback of the screens you saw and what you tapped) to find bugs. Replays can show what was on screen, including other members' names. Everything you type is masked, and network requests (including login codes) are never recorded.
The setting is saved as a cookie in this browser, so set it on each device you use. Members can also change it in the app under Me. To have past analytics data deleted, send a privacy request.
Alerts
If you turn on alerts, you may get push notifications when a price drops at a bar you follow, when someone passes you on the weekly board, a Monday recap of your week (on by default once alerts are on, and you can switch it off under Me), and occasional announcements to everyone with alerts on, like fest days. To stop all alerts, turn off notifications for malortmeter.com in your phone or browser settings.
Cookies and local storage
mm_session cookie: keeps you logged in (needed for the app to work).
mm_admin cookie: keeps admins logged in to the admin panel.
mm_na cookie: remembers that you turned analytics off.
Local storage: a random device ID (mm.device, sent with logins as described above), your waitlist link (mm.wl) and whether you've seen the fest screen (mm.festSeen).
PostHog's own cookie and local storage, only when analytics is on.
How long we keep things
Account data: until you delete your account. Login sessions expire after 180 days.
Prices you reported: kept after you delete your account, attached only to an anonymous ID with no name or number.
Hashed IPs on reports: erased after 30 days. Login attempt records: deleted after 7 days.
Contact-form messages (and their hashed IPs): deleted after 12 months.
Waitlist entries: until you join or ask us to remove you.
Bar claims: kept while the listing is active, and deleted on request.
Analytics data: kept by PostHog under its retention settings, and deleted on request.
Your choices and rights
Delete your account anytime: Me → Delete account. That immediately removes your number and name, your alert devices, follows, crew spot, fest RSVP and waitlist entry. Prices you reported stay on the map, attached only to an anonymous ID. Bar claims, contact messages and analytics history aren't removed automatically. Send a privacy request and we'll delete them too.
Log out of every device: Me → Log out everywhere.
Turn off the Monday recap in the Me tab, alerts in your phone or browser settings, and analytics (above).
Get a copy, fix something, or delete data you can't reach in the app: send a request through the contact form. We'll confirm it's you, usually with a text to the number on your account, and respond within 45 days.
Depending on where you live (for example California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia or another US state with a privacy law), you may have rights to know, access, correct and delete your personal information, to opt out of its sale or sharing (we don't sell or share it), and not to be treated differently for using these rights. You can use them as described above, or through an authorized agent. If we turn down a request, you can ask us to reconsider by replying to our answer.
21+ only
Malört Meter is only for people 21 and older. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone younger. If we learn that someone under 21 has an account, we'll delete it.
Security
We use HTTPS everywhere, random session tokens, hashed IP addresses, rate limits, and access controls on admin tools. No system is perfectly secure, though, so please keep your phone safe too.
Changes
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top, and for meaningful changes we'll let you know in the app.