Privacy Policy
Last updated 26 October 2026.
The Broke College Kid app and website are operated by Black Side Development Group LLC, a Texas limited liability company ("we," "us," or "our"). This policy applies wherever you use the service and explains what we collect, how we use and share it, and the choices you have. If you live outside the United States, also read Users outside the United States.
Who can use the service
The service is for people 16 and older and is not directed to anyone under 16. Sign-ups from people under 16 are blocked at an age screen, and if we learn that someone under 16 has an account, we delete the account and its data.
Members aged 16 and 17 get high-privacy settings by default: they are hidden from friend and league boards, their profile is visible only to their followers, they get no push notifications between 10 PM and 7 AM in their local time, and they cannot buy coins or send or receive gifts.
Under some U.S. state app-store laws, Apple or Google may send us an age-range signal for your device or account. We use it only to apply these age rules. If the age you give us and a store signal don't match, we use the lower age.
Information you provide
We collect your account email, display name, username, bio, avatar and the age information you give at sign-up. We also store what you choose to enter in the app: budgets and transactions; checklists; class schedules; journal entries and optional mood ratings; lesson activity; job and financial-aid applications; focus sessions; life-sim progress; Messy Roommates posts, replies, reactions and reports; league membership; and friend invites. Please do not put sensitive information in public posts.
Google and Apple sign-in
If you sign in with Google or Apple, we receive your name, email address and profile photo when the provider makes them available. Apple may give us a private relay email instead of your personal address. We use this information only to create and secure your account. We request no other Google or Apple account data. Our use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements.
Information collected automatically
When you use the service, we may receive your IP address, device and browser type, operating system, app version, timestamps, crash and error logs, and sign-in and session data. We also store your time zone (detected from your device unless you set it yourself in Settings) so "today," streaks, reminders and quiet hours match your local time.
Site analytics. We use first-party analytics to understand which pages are viewed and roughly what kind of device is used (for example, phone or desktop, browser and country). We do not use advertising trackers, cross-site tracking or analytics data for ads.
Cookies and local storage
We use two kinds of cookies and local storage:
- Essential: keeping you signed in (your sign-in session) and remembering your theme, appearance, text size and time zone. The service doesn't work without these, so they are always on.
- Analytics: counting page views and approximate device information, as described above. If you are in the EU, EEA, UK or Switzerland, we ask for your consent before using analytics, and you can change your choice at any time with "Cookie settings" in the site footer or in Settings.
We do not use advertising cookies. Because we do not sell personal information or share it for targeted advertising, we honor Global Privacy Control signals by default. A browser Do Not Track signal does not change how we handle your data for the same reason.
Reminders and notifications
If you turn on push notifications, your browser or phone gives us a push token (a device address and encryption keys) so we can send reminders and board alerts. We store it until you turn notifications off, the token stops working, or you delete your account. If you choose email reminders, every reminder email includes a one-click unsubscribe link. Essential account and billing emails may still be sent.
Payments and subscriptions
Stripe processes website payments. Apple and Google process in-app payments, with RevenueCat helping us manage subscriptions. We receive your plan, subscription status and relevant dates, and card brand or last digits only when the payment processor provides them. We never receive full card numbers.
Coins and gifts
Coins and gifts are only for members 18 and older. When you buy BCK Coins, Stripe (website) or Apple and Google through RevenueCat (phone apps) process the payment, and we receive the pack, amount, store transaction ID, payment status and your 18+ confirmation, never your full card number. We keep a record of the coins you buy, the gifts you send and receive, and any optional gift message. The person you gift sees your name and the gift, and your name may appear in their Top supporters list unless they hide it. If you cash out earnings, Stripe collects identity, age, bank and tax details to verify you and pay you. We receive only your payout account status, not those details. We keep your creator opt-in, 18+ confirmation and creator terms acceptance.
How we use information
We use it to provide and improve the service; apply age rules; run streaks, XP, badges, leaderboards and leagues; manage subscriptions; secure accounts and prevent fraud; moderate the community and enforce our Terms; answer support requests; send service emails; and meet legal obligations. We do not sell personal information, run targeted advertising, share data for cross-context behavioral advertising, or make automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.
Degree plans and grades
If you use the degree plan tracker, we store the courses, credits, terms, class times, grades and study links you save, and any degree plan or schedule files you upload. Only you can see them; they never appear on your profile, leagues or friend boards. When you upload a PDF or photo, it is sent once to Google Gemini, through our AI provider, to find your courses, and you review the results before anything is saved. We use the providers' no-training settings where available so your files are not used to train AI models. You can delete a file or all of your degree plan data at any time from the Degree plan tab, and deleting your account removes it.
Consumer health data
Mood ratings in your journal are optional. We collect them only with your separate consent, show them only to you (in your mood history and Semester Recap), never sell them, and never share them with analytics or AI services. You can delete them or withdraw consent at any time. Read our Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy for details.
What other members can see
Nothing on Messy Roommates is visible to people who are not signed in. Other signed-in members may see:
- Your member profile: display name, username, avatar, bio, school, the month you joined, how many public posts you have, your follower and following counts, and the lists of who follows you and who you follow. For members aged 16 and 17, the profile is visible only to followers by default.
- Your board posts, replies, photos you attach, reposts and quote-posts, the "Same" reactions count, and your name and XP on the weekly leaderboard.
- When you @mention someone, that person is notified and can see the post. Clicking a #tag shows other posts with that tag.
- Members of a private league can see fellow members' names and weekly XP. Invite codes can be shared with the people you give them to.
Your name on posts: your display name, username and avatar appear on every post and reply you make, and signed-in members can tap them to open your profile. There is no anonymous posting.
Profile photo: if you add a profile photo, it is shown wherever your name appears (posts, replies, notifications, leagues and friend boards) through a public image link, so anyone who has that link can open the photo. We shrink it to a small square and re-save it, which removes location data. You can change or remove it any time on your Profile, and moderators can remove one that breaks the rules.
Board photos: we shrink photos and re-save them before upload, which removes embedded details such as location. Photos attached to posts are stored privately and shown to signed-in members through links that expire.
Blocking someone hides you from each other on the board. Muting hides their posts from your feeds without telling them. Others may copy or screenshot what you post. Do not post addresses, phone numbers, financial account numbers, health information or other sensitive personal information about yourself or anyone else. Deleting a post removes it from our service, but copies made by others may remain.
Our service providers
We share information only as needed with these providers acting for us under contract:
- Supabase: hosting, database and sign-in (United States).
- Lovable: app hosting.
- Stripe: website subscriptions, coin purchases and creator payouts.
- Apple and Google: sign-in, app distribution, push delivery and in-app payments.
- RevenueCat: app subscriptions and coin purchases.
- Google Gemini, through our AI provider: reading degree plan uploads.
- Our email provider: service messages and reminders.
We may also disclose information to comply with lawful requests or protect people's rights and safety. If we are involved in a merger, acquisition or other business transfer, we may transfer information with notice to users.
How long we keep it
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| Information | How long we keep it |
|---|---|
| Account and app content | Until you delete your account. Then removed from active systems within 30 days and from backups within 90 days. |
| Payment, tax and payout records | 7 years |
| Moderation records for removed content | Up to 1 year |
| Notifications | 1 year |
| Degree-file processing log | 90 days |
| Site analytics (page, device type, country) | 1 year |
| Server logs | 30 days |
Copies made by other people are outside our control.
Security
We use encryption in transit, access controls and row-level security to protect account data. No online service is 100% secure. If a data breach occurs, we will notify affected users and authorities as required by law.
Your rights and choices
Delete your Broke College Kid account — in-app and email request steps, what is removed, retention timelines, and how to delete individual data.
You can access and correct your profile in the app, download a copy of your information with Settings → Download my data, or delete your account in Settings under Delete account. You can also email us to request access, correction, a download or deletion. You can opt out of non-essential emails with the unsubscribe link or by contacting us; essential account and billing messages may still be sent.
U.S. state privacy rights
Residents of states with comprehensive privacy laws (California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Montana, Florida, Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee, Minnesota, Maryland, Indiana, Kentucky and Rhode Island, and other states as their laws take effect) may have the rights to know, access, correct, delete and get a portable copy of personal information, to opt out of sale, targeted advertising and profiling, and not to be discriminated against for exercising those rights. We do not sell personal information or share it for targeted advertising, and we honor Global Privacy Control signals.
To make a request, email begreat@brokecollegekid.com and describe what you need. We may verify your identity through your account or by asking for information reasonably needed to match our records. An authorized agent can submit a request for you; we may ask for proof of authorization and verification of your identity. If we deny a request, you may appeal by replying to our decision or emailing us with "Privacy appeal" in the subject line. If you disagree with the result of your appeal, you may contact your state attorney general. We will respond as required by applicable law.
Users outside the United States
If you live in the EU, EEA, UK, Switzerland, Canada, Brazil, Australia or another country with privacy laws, Black Side Development Group LLC is the controller of your information. We rely on these legal bases:
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| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Providing your account and app features, Premium and purchases | Contract (to provide the service you asked for) |
| Security, fraud prevention and community moderation | Legitimate interests (keeping the service and members safe) |
| Analytics cookies, journal mood data, push notifications and marketing email | Consent, which you can withdraw at any time |
| Tax, payment and payout records | Legal obligation |
International transfers. We are based in the United States and store information there. When we transfer personal information from the EU, EEA, UK or Switzerland, we use the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses (with the UK and Swiss addenda where needed) and our vendors' data processing agreements.
Your rights. You can ask to access, correct, delete or get a portable copy of your information, to restrict or object to how we use it, and to withdraw consent at any time (this doesn't affect use before you withdrew). Email begreat@brokecollegekid.com. You also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority, for example your EU or EEA country's regulator, the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) or Quebec's Commission d'accès à l'information (CAI), Brazil's ANPD, or the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
- EU representative: [to be appointed]
- UK representative: [to be appointed]
- Canada and Quebec, person in charge of the protection of personal information: Privacy Officer, begreat@brokecollegekid.com
Notice at Collection
Swipe to see more
| Categories collected | Sources | Purposes | Sold or shared for ads? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact, profile, age and sign-in details | You; Google or Apple; app-store age signals | Accounts, age rules, security, support | No |
| App content and community activity | You; your activity in the app | App features, community, moderation | No |
| Consumer health data (optional journal moods) | You, with separate consent | Showing your own mood history and Semester Recap | No |
| Device, usage, analytics and session information | Your device; service logs | Sign-in, preferences, security, improvements | No |
| Time zone and push tokens | Your device | Local-time features, reminders, quiet hours | No |
| Subscription and payment status | Stripe; Apple, Google and RevenueCat | Billing and Premium access | No |
Where the service is available
The service is not offered in China, India, or in countries and regions under comprehensive U.S. sanctions (currently Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and the Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions).
Changes to this policy
We will post changes on this page. For material changes, we will also notify you by email or in the app.
Contact
Black Side Development Group LLC, a Texas limited liability company
Email: begreat@brokecollegekid.com
Mailing address: 539 W Commerce St, Dallas, TX 75208