Privacy Policy

The short version

Sila is a social network built on who people actually know. To do that it stores phone numbers, because a phone number is how one person's entry for you finds its way to you. We do not sell that data, we do not share mobile numbers with anyone for marketing, and there are no advertising or analytics trackers in this app. The name you type for somebody else is private to you and is never shown to anyone else. The one exception is the person it describes: when they first sign in we offer it back to them as a suggested name, which they can accept or replace. Nobody but them ever sees it.

What we store

• Your phone number, verified by a six-digit code. This is the only way to hold an account.
• A name you choose, plus optional handle, bio, location and occupation. These are self-declared and visible to other members.
• Your connections — who you added, who added you, and which of those both sides confirmed.
• Private notes you write about people: a nickname, how you met, tags and free text. These belong to you alone.
• Contacts you import. If you upload or paste a contact list, we store the phone numbers and the names you had for them.
• Sessions — one signed cookie per device, and the browser user-agent string.

People who never signed up

When you add someone who is not a member, we create a private placeholder for them keyed to their phone number. That placeholder is visible only to people who created an entry for it. It has no name of its own — only the name you gave it, which stays private to you. If that person later signs in with that number, they take ownership of the placeholder and inherit the connections pointing at it, and can then remove or delete them.

We never text the people you add. If you want to invite someone, Sila opens your own phone's messaging app with a message ready to send, so the text comes from you and not from us.

Who can see what

• Your self-declared name, handle, bio, location and occupation: other members.
• Your connections: only those both people confirmed are visible to anyone else, and you control who may open your graph in Settings.
• Phone numbers: shown to someone who already had that number, or once both people have confirmed each other. Otherwise they are masked.
• The names you typed for people: nobody but you, except the person named, who is offered it once as a suggested name.

Sign-in codes by SMS

When you sign in we send one six-digit code by SMS to the number you entered. Entering your number and requesting a code is the opt-in, and it is the only thing that causes us to text you.

Message frequency: one message per sign-in request that you initiate. We allow at most 3 requests per 15 minutes and 12 per day for a given number. We send no marketing, promotional or recurring messages.

Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to any message to opt out, or HELP for help.

We do not share mobile numbers. Mobile numbers and SMS consent are never sold, rented, or shared with third parties, affiliates, or lead generators for marketing or promotional purposes. Numbers are passed to our SMS delivery provider for the sole purpose of delivering the sign-in code you asked for.

Who we send data to

Only what is needed to run the service: an SMS provider, to deliver your sign-in code, and hosting and database providers that store the data described above on our behalf. No advertising networks, no data brokers, no analytics trackers.

Deleting everything

Settings has a delete button, and it is a real delete rather than a flag. It removes your account, your phone number, every connection attached to it, the names you typed for people, your invite links and your sessions. Entries other people created for your number go too.

You can also block a number, which removes any connection with it and stops it being added again from either side.

Contact

Questions, or a request to see or delete your data: mohammedsbaharoon@gmail.com.