Privacy Policy

Last updated: November 2, 2026

The Local is a platform that helps New Yorkers follow local government, understand legislation, and participate in civic discussions.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use our website and services, how we use and share that information, and the choices you have regarding your information.

By using The Local, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information in several ways, including information you provide directly, information generated through your use of our services, and information received from third-party services.

Information You Provide

When you create an account or use The Local, we may collect:

  • Account information: Your name, email address, profile photo, and other information associated with your account.
  • Residential address: Your residential address, which we use to verify NYC residency and determine your applicable city council district and neighborhood.
  • Profile information: Your first name, profile photo, and neighborhood, which may be displayed publicly on the platform.
  • Civic activity: Your reactions to legislation, comments, replies, followed bills, and interactions with elected officials or other platform features.
  • Communications: Information you provide when contacting us or submitting feedback.

Information from Third-Party Services

We use Google OAuth to allow users to authenticate using their Google accounts. When you sign in through Google, we receive certain account information, such as your name, email address, and profile photo, as authorized through the authentication process.

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with The Local and to measure website usage.

Automatically Collected Information

When you access The Local, we and our service providers may automatically collect certain technical information, including:

  • IP address.
  • Browser type and version.
  • Device and operating system information.
  • Pages and features accessed.
  • Referring websites or URLs.
  • Usage patterns and interaction data.
  • Cookies and similar technologies.

We use this information to operate, maintain, secure, and improve our services.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  • Account management: To create and maintain accounts and authenticate users.
  • Residency verification: To verify that users are NYC residents and determine their city council districts and neighborhoods.
  • Personalization: To customize content based on your location, district, and interests.
  • Civic participation: To enable users to follow legislation, react to bills, comment on discussions, and engage with local government.
  • Public profiles: To display information and contributions that users make publicly available on the platform.
  • Communications: To send account-related messages, notifications, and service updates.
  • Analytics: To understand how people use The Local and improve our services.
  • Security: To detect fraud, prevent abuse, investigate security incidents, and protect the platform.
  • Legal compliance: To comply with applicable laws and respond to lawful requests.

3. Public Information and Civic Activity

The Local is designed to facilitate public civic participation. Certain information and activities may be visible to other users and visitors.

Information That May Be Public

The following information may be displayed publicly:

  • Your first name.
  • Your profile photo.
  • Your neighborhood.
  • Your support for or opposition to a bill, when shown alongside your comments on that bill.
  • Comments and replies you submit.
  • Other contributions you make through public features of the platform.

Public contributions may be associated with your profile and may be viewed, shared, or referenced by other users.

Please consider this before participating in public discussions. Once information is publicly available, we cannot control how others use, copy, or redistribute it.

Residential Address Information

Your full residential address is collected to verify residency and determine your applicable geographic representation.

Your full residential address is not intended to be displayed on your public profile or made publicly accessible through the platform.

We may use your address to derive information such as your neighborhood and city council district.

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information.

We may share information in the following circumstances:

Service Providers

We use third-party service providers to operate and maintain The Local. These providers may process personal information on our behalf for specific business purposes.

Our current service providers include:

  • Google: Authentication through Google OAuth and website analytics through Google Analytics.
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS): Hosting and infrastructure supporting the operation of our services.
  • NYC government address services: NYC's Geoclient API and NYC Planning Labs' GeoSearch, to suggest and validate addresses and determine your neighborhood and districts.

These providers may process information in accordance with their respective privacy policies and our arrangements with them.

Public Contributions

Information you submit through public features, including comments, replies, and bill reactions, may be visible to other users and visitors as described in Section 3.

Legal Requirements and Protection

We may disclose information when reasonably necessary to:

  • Comply with applicable laws, regulations, or legal processes.
  • Respond to valid requests from government authorities.
  • Protect the rights, safety, and security of The Local, our users, or others.
  • Investigate or prevent fraud, abuse, or security incidents.

Business Transfers

If The Local is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, restructuring, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to applicable privacy laws.

5. Cookies and Analytics

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate our services and understand how visitors interact with The Local.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand website usage, including pages visited, interactions, and general usage patterns. Google Analytics may use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about visitors and their interactions with our services.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide our services, fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

When personal information is no longer necessary, we will take reasonable steps to delete or de-identify it, subject to applicable legal requirements.

We may retain certain information for longer periods where required by law or necessary for legitimate business purposes.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction.

However, no method of transmitting or storing information electronically is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

If we become aware of a security incident affecting your personal information, we will take appropriate steps consistent with applicable law.

8. Your Privacy Rights and Choices

Depending on where you live and which privacy laws apply, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information.

These rights may include:

  • Access: Request information about the personal information we hold about you.
  • Correction: Request correction of inaccurate personal information.
  • Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information, subject to applicable exceptions.
  • Data portability: Request a copy of certain personal information in a portable format.
  • Opt-out rights: Opt out of certain types of data processing where required by applicable law.

You may also contact us to request assistance with your account or personal information.

To exercise an applicable privacy right, including deleting your account, contact us at privacy@thelocal.so.

We may need to verify your identity before processing certain requests.

9. Children's Privacy

The Local is intended for individuals who are at least 18 years old.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 18. If we learn that we have collected personal information from someone under 18, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information.

If you believe someone under 18 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@thelocal.so.

10. Third-Party Websites and Services

Our services may contain links to third-party websites, services, or resources.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of third-party websites and services. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing them with personal information.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, data practices, or applicable laws.

When we make changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page.

If we make material changes, we may provide additional notice through our website or other appropriate means.

Your continued use of The Local after an updated Privacy Policy becomes effective constitutes acknowledgment of the updated policy, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information, please contact us at privacy@thelocal.so.