HOG Social — Privacy Policy

Effective date: August 28, 2026 · Version: 2026-08-28

HOG Social ("the Service", "we", "us") is a social platform for Harley Owners Group® chapter members, operated at hogsocial.com and through the HOG Social mobile applications. This policy explains what personal data we collect, why, who can see it, and the choices you have. HOG Social is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by Harley-Davidson Motor Company or Harley Owners Group®.

1. Data we collect

Account and membership data. When you register we collect your HOG membership ID, its expiration date, your name, email address, optional phone number, and a password (stored only as a salted hash — we never store or see your plain password). Chapter officers use your membership ID and expiration date to verify that you hold a current HOG membership before approving you.

Content you create. Posts, photos, videos, photo albums, comments, likes, RSVPs, direct and group messages, your profile photo, nickname, and bio. Photos you upload may contain embedded metadata (such as the GPS location where a photo was taken); until server-side stripping is in effect, remove location metadata before uploading if this concerns you.

Social graph. The chapters you belong to or follow, the riders you follow, riders who follow you, and riders you have blocked.

Location data. Chapters and events have fixed locations that are part of the service's content. If you grant the map feature access to your device location, it is used once to center the map and is not stored on our servers.

Technical data. IP address, device and browser type, sign-in timestamps, and security logs (for example, verification-code requests and refresh-token usage) used to keep accounts safe. The app stores an offline copy of content you have viewed on your own device so it works without a connection.

2. How we use data

To operate the service: authenticate you, show chapter feeds and calendars, deliver messages, and process membership approvals. To keep it safe: verify HOG memberships, prevent abuse, enforce blocks, investigate violations, and maintain audit records of privileged actions (such as an officer removing a post). To communicate: verification codes, membership decisions, renewal notices, and in-app notifications. We do not sell your personal data, and we do not use your private content to train advertising profiles.

3. Who can see what

Visibility follows the chapter model: chapter-only posts are visible to active members of that chapter and its approved followers; public posts are visible to any signed-in rider; albums, rosters, and events are visible to chapter members; messages are visible only to conversation participants. Chapter officers can see the membership data needed to run their chapter (name, membership ID, expiration, contact email/phone, and the approval queue). Blocking another rider makes you mutually invisible.

4. Sharing with third parties

We share data only with the service providers needed to run the service: reputable cloud hosting providers (application hosting, media storage, and managed databases) and — when enabled — email/SMS delivery providers for verification codes. These providers process data on our instructions. We may disclose data when required by law, to protect the safety of riders, or as part of a corporate transaction (with notice). Sponsors and advertisers never receive your personal data (see the Ads Policy).

Conference calls. Voice and video calls (in chats and for remote attendance at chapter activities) are provided through Jitsi Meet, a third-party service operated by 8x8, Inc. When you choose to join a call, your audio, video, and chosen display name are processed by Jitsi's servers under Jitsi's privacy policy; call content is transmitted encrypted and is not recorded or stored by HOG Social. Joining a call is always optional — call links are shared only with the members of the conversation or activity, and declining a call has no effect on your account.

5. Retention and deletion

Account data is kept while your account exists. Deleted posts and their media are removed from storage (media may persist briefly in CDN caches). Deactivated memberships retain minimal records needed by the chapter's audit history. You may request deletion of your account and personal data at privacy@hogsocial.com; we will complete verified requests within 30 days, except records we must keep for legal, security, or audit reasons.

6. Your rights

Depending on your jurisdiction (including the EU/EEA under GDPR and California under CCPA/CPRA), you may have the right to access, correct, export, restrict, or delete your personal data, to object to certain processing, and to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. Exercise these rights at privacy@hogsocial.com. We do not discriminate against you for exercising them. We do not knowingly respond to browser "Do Not Track" signals because we do not track you across other sites.

7. Security

Passwords and verification codes are stored only as salted hashes; sessions use short-lived tokens with rotating refresh tokens and replay detection; media storage is private with access-controlled delivery; connections are encrypted in transit. No system is perfectly secure — report concerns to security@hogsocial.com.

8. Age requirement

The service is for holders of a valid HOG membership and is not directed to anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from minors; if we learn we have, we will delete it.

9. International transfers

Data is processed in the country of our hosting region and may be transferred internationally with appropriate safeguards (such as Standard Contractual Clauses where required).

10. Changes

We will post changes here, update the version above, and — for material changes — require renewed in-app acceptance before continued use.

11. Contact

privacy@hogsocial.com · HOG Social, [postal address to be added].