Last updated: September 11, 2026
MatchaScene (“MatchaScene,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the website and services at matchascene.com (the “Service”). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, share, and protect information when you use the Service. By using the Service, you agree to the practices described below.
This summary is for convenience only — the full policy below governs.
Cafe imagery. A cafe picture on MatchaScene is one of three things: a photo a member attached to a review, a photo we hold the rights to, or an illustration from our own library. Illustrations are AI-generated artwork rendered in our house duotone, not photographs of that cafe, and every one is labelled “MatchaScene illustration” where it appears. Google Places requests are made by our servers, so Google receives our server’s request, not your IP address or browser information.
MatchaScene is a community-driven discovery platform. The following information is public by default and viewable by anyone, including search engines:
Your email address is not public. Do not include sensitive personal information in reviews or usernames.
When you upload a photo, we re-encode it before storing it. Re-encoding strips all embedded metadata — including GPS coordinates, camera and device identifiers, and capture timestamps. We do not keep the original file you uploaded.
Every uploaded photo is screened automatically before it can appear publicly. We send the processed image, together with the review text you submitted alongside it, to OpenAI’s moderation API, which returns category scores indicating whether the content appears to violate our Terms. We store those scores with the photo for audit and admin review. Review text submitted without a photo is not sent to OpenAI.
Photos the classifier flags are rejected automatically and never published. Photos it clears still require approval by a MatchaScene administrator before they appear on the Service. If screening is unavailable, the photo simply stays pending until a person reviews it — nothing is published unreviewed.
Your profile picture goes through the same re-encoding and the same automated screening, with no text attached. Unlike a review photo it does not wait for an administrator: if the classifier clears it, it appears on your Matcha ID immediately. If the classifier flags it, or screening is unavailable, nothing is stored and you can try again. We do not keep the category scores for profile pictures. We hold one picture per account and delete the previous one when you replace or remove it, and a MatchaScene administrator can remove a profile picture at any time.
Automated screening makes mistakes. If you believe your photo was rejected in error, email support@matchascene.com and a person will review the decision.
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with:
Your browser contacts two parties directly: our host, Vercel, and Supabase. Supabase handles sign-in, and your browser also queries our database itself — for your profile on every page while you are signed in, and for cafe details on a cafe page. Those requests carry your IP address, and your sign-in token when you are signed in. Everything else — Google Places lookups and photo moderation — happens server-to-server, so those providers receive our server’s request rather than your IP address or browser information.
MatchaScene sets no cookies. Not for sign-in, not for analytics, not for advertising — none at all.
We do use your browser’s localStorage. It holds your sign-in token, your anonymous session ID, your selected city, items you have recently viewed, and a few interface preferences. Your selected city, recently viewed items, and interface preferences stay on your device. Your sign-in token is sent with requests that have to know who you are. Your anonymous session ID is sent every time the Pulse feed loads, and when you like a post in it, so we can show which posts you have already liked; it travels in the request URL, so it also appears in the server logs described in Section 7. In both cases our code attaches the value deliberately for that request — your browser does not send it along on its own the way a cookie would.
You can clear local storage from your browser settings at any time. Doing so will sign you out and issue you a new anonymous session ID.
You can: (a) access the information in your profile, (b) edit or delete your ratings and reviews, and (c) request deletion of your account by emailing us. We currently send only transactional email — the one-time codes you request in order to sign in. If we ever introduce optional email, it will include a way to unsubscribe.
You have the right to know what personal information we collect, to delete it, to correct inaccuracies, and to opt out of “sales” or “sharing” of personal information. We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. You may exercise these rights by contacting us at the address below. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.
You have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, or object to our processing of your personal data, as well as the right to data portability and to lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority. Our lawful bases for processing are: (i) performance of a contract (providing the Service), (ii) our legitimate interests (fraud prevention, improving the Service), and (iii) your consent where required.
To exercise any right, email us at privacy@matchascene.com. We may ask you to verify your identity before responding.
We use industry-standard practices to protect your information, including encryption in transit (HTTPS), database row-level security, and access controls on our production systems. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we become aware of a breach that affects your information, we will notify you as required by law.
The Service is intended for users who are 18 or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.
MatchaScene is operated from the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, you understand that your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, which may have data-protection laws different from those in your country. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards (such as standard contractual clauses) for international transfers.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date and, where appropriate, notify you by email or via an in-app notice. Your continued use of the Service after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
Questions, requests, or complaints? Reach us at privacy@matchascene.com.
See also our Terms of Service.