Privacy Policy
Last updated: September 15, 2026
This policy explains what information Sober Meetup Club collects, how it's used, and the choices you have. Sober Meetup Club is one of a small family of community sites built and operated on the same platform — see "Other sites we operate" below.
Information we collect
- Account information — username, name, email address, and password (stored as a one-way hash, never in plain text). Phone number and a profile photo/bio are optional.
- Location — a city and state, used to show you nearby groups/events/meetings and to power distance filtering. We store the approximate coordinates for that city, not a precise address, and never track your device's real-time location.
- Activity — events you post or RSVP to, message board posts, and basic login activity (IP address, timestamps, failed login attempts) kept for account security, including detecting and temporarily locking out repeated failed login attempts.
- Cookies — a session cookie to keep you signed in (required for the site to function), plus, only if you accept them via the cookie banner, advertising cookies from Google AdSense and analytics cookies from Google Analytics. Neither loads until you accept; you can decline both at any time from the cookie banner, and you can also manage ad personalization directly through Google's Ads Settings or opt out of Google Analytics via the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
How we use it
To operate the site (showing you relevant groups/events/meetings), to keep accounts secure, and to send account-related email — password resets and signup verification codes. We don't send marketing or newsletter email, and we don't sell your information to anyone.
What's public
Some information is visible to any visitor by design, not just other members: your public profile page (name, photo, bio), the events you host, and — for regular events (not recovery meetings) — the avatars of members who've RSVP'd. We deliberately don't show an attendee list for AA, LifeRing, or SMART Recovery meetings, since anonymity matters there. Message board posts are visible to whoever can access that board (event attendees/host/staff, or any signed-in member for the public board).
Advertising and analytics
Sober Meetup Club shows ads served by Google AdSense and uses Google Analytics to understand how the site is used. Neither loads unless you accept non-essential cookies from the cookie banner — until then, no data is sent to Google at all. Once accepted, Google may use cookies to personalize the ads you see (both on this site and elsewhere) and to measure site usage. See how Google uses information from sites that use its services. If you decline, ads may still show but won't be personalized, and no analytics data is collected.
Your choices
You can update or remove most of your own information (photo, bio, location) any time from your profile. To request a copy of your data, a correction, or account deletion, email us — see Contact below.
Data retention
We keep account information for as long as your account is active. If you ask us to delete your account, we'll remove your personal information within a reasonable time, except where we need to keep limited records (e.g. to enforce a ban, or where the law requires it).
Children
Sober Meetup Club isn't directed at, and we don't knowingly collect information from, anyone under 13.
Other sites we operate
Sober Meetup Club shares its underlying platform and database with a small number of sister community sites, each its own distinct brand. This policy applies the same way across all of them.
Changes to this policy
If we make material changes, we'll update the date at the top of this page.
Contact
Questions about this policy or your data? Email [email protected].