Perihelion — perihelion.social Last updated: May 1, 2026
What Perihelion Is
Perihelion is a social activity platform that helps people share what they’re doing and invite others to join. Users create profiles, post activities, and subscribe to other users’ activity feeds.
What Data We Collect
Account information: Name, email address, and password. These are required to create an account.
Phone number (optional): If you choose to receive SMS notifications, we collect and verify your phone number. Your phone number is never shared with other users or third parties (except our SMS delivery provider, Twilio, as described below).
Activity data: Activities you post, including titles, descriptions, locations, and dates. Activities you respond to (going/maybe).
Subscription data: Which users you subscribe to, connection notes you provide, and your notification preferences.
Timezone: Stored to display times correctly and schedule notifications at appropriate hours.
What We Do NOT Collect
- We do not track your browsing behavior across other websites
- We do not use analytics or tracking cookies
- We do not build advertising profiles
- We do not collect location data beyond what you voluntarily enter in activity posts
How We Use Your Data
Your data is used exclusively to operate Perihelion:
- Email address: Account login, email notifications, and daily digest delivery
- Phone number: SMS notifications for activities and phone number verification. SMS is delivered through Twilio (twilio.com). Your phone number is shared with Twilio solely for message delivery
- Activity data: Displayed to your subscribers per your visibility settings
- Subscription data: To deliver relevant notifications and show your activity feed
Who Can See Your Data
- Your name and bio are visible on your profile page if you are a poster
- Your activity posts are visible to your approved subscribers (and publicly if you choose)
- Your attendance at activities is visible according to the visibility settings you and the poster have configured — you can choose to remain anonymous
- Your email and phone number are never displayed to other users
- Your connection notes are visible only to the poster you subscribe to
Data Sharing with Third Parties
We share data with third parties only as required to operate the service:
- Twilio: Phone numbers and SMS message content, for SMS delivery
- Email provider: Email addresses and notification content, for email delivery
- Stripe: Payment information (for SMS credit purchases), processed directly by Stripe — we do not store credit card numbers
We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes. We will never do this.
Data Retention
- Account data: Retained as long as your account is active. You can delete your account at any time, which removes your personal information
- Activity data: Past activities are retained for reference. You can delete individual activities at any time
- Notification logs: Retained for 90 days for debugging and delivery verification, then automatically deleted
- Phone verification codes: Expire after 10 minutes and are deleted
Your Rights
You can:
- Access your data through your dashboard and settings
- Correct your information by updating your profile and settings
- Delete your account and associated data by contacting us
- Opt out of SMS notifications at any time by replying STOP to any message, or by updating your notification preferences
- Opt out of email notifications by updating your notification preferences or clicking the unsubscribe link in any email
Security
We use industry-standard security practices including encrypted connections (HTTPS), secure password hashing, and token-based authentication for notification links. Phone numbers are verified before SMS notifications are activated.
Changes to This Policy
If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you via email or a notice on the website.
Contact
If you have questions about this privacy policy or your data, contact us at: privacy@perihelion.social