Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 20, 2026

Somba is a private, application-based network for builders aged 13 to 17. We collect as little as we can and we do not sell your information or use it for advertising. For privacy questions or data requests, email ymjiang77@gmail.com. For general or safety matters, email sombaapp@gmail.com.

Your verification photo

The photo you send with your application is checked by a person on our team to confirm your age. If your application is not accepted, we delete it. If you are accepted, that same photo becomes your starting profile photo when your guardian approves your account, and the copy our reviewers saw is deleted at that point. You can replace or remove your profile photo at any time in Settings, and removing it deletes the image from our storage.

Turning 18

Somba is for people aged 13 to 17, so membership ends on your eighteenth birthday. We do not lock you out without warning. In the 30 days before your birthday we tell you inside the app, and for 30 days afterwards you can still sign in to a single page to download everything you made here and hand over any working groups you own. During that time you cannot browse Somba, post, or message anyone, because everyone still using Somba is a minor.

After those 30 days the account is deactivated. Messages you wrote inside shared working groups stay so your collaborators keep their project history, but your name is removed from them. If you want your data deleted sooner, email ymjiang77@gmail.com and we will remove it.

1. Who this applies to, and age

Somba is only for people aged 13 to 17. We do not knowingly allow anyone outside that range. If we learn an account belongs to someone under 13 or over 17, we remove it. Because our members are minors, a parent or legal guardian must approve an account before it becomes active. We contact the guardian using the email address given in the application.

2. What we collect

Application information: your first name, optional middle name, last name, and any suffix; a username; your email; your date of birth; your state or province and country; your time zone; your written answers about what you have built, what you learned, and who you want to meet; an optional link to your work; and your parent or guardian's email.
Age-verification photo: a photo you submit with your application so a member of our team can confirm you are 13 to 17. It is used only for that review, is never shown to other members, and is deleted from our systems as soon as your application is decided.
Guardian information: your guardian's email address, used only to request and record their approval. It is never shown to other members.
Account and profile: your username, first name, optional profile photo, short bio, skills, interests, and the signals and links you choose to share with other accepted members. A profile photo is visible only to accepted members and is removed when you remove it or delete your account.
Activity: member Signals and replies you publish, private Thanks you send or receive, messages you send, the working groups ("Nets") you join, and related content you create on Somba.
Referrals: if a member invited you, we record who invited you so we can credit them. If you invite others, we count how many join.
Communications: whether you asked to receive optional Somba news.
Pre-launch waitlist: the email address you submit on the access gate, used to tell you when applications or preview spots open.
Technical: a sign-in session cookie, and basic security information such as your approximate network address, used to protect the service and apply rate limits.

3. How we use your information

To review your application and decide on membership.
To request and record your guardian's approval.
To run the network: sign-in, your profile, messaging, Nets, introductions, and referrals.
To keep Somba safe: enforce our rules, respond to reports, prevent abuse, and verify eligibility and age.
To send you service messages about your application and account. We send optional news only if you asked for it.
To send launch and preview-access updates when you join the pre-launch waitlist.

4. Consent, and your guardian's role

We rely on your guardian's approval for a minor to use Somba, and on our legitimate interest in running a safe, invitation-based community. A guardian can withdraw consent at any time by emailing ymjiang77@gmail.com, which will close the account.

5. How we share information

We do not sell your information, and we do not use it for advertising or third-party ad tracking.

Service providers: we use a small number of vendors to run Somba, such as a hosting and database provider and, when enabled, an email provider (to send sign-in and guardian approval links) and a payment provider (for any future paid features). They may process information only to provide their service to us.
Safety and legal: we may share information if it is needed to protect someone's safety, to respond to a valid legal request, or to enforce our terms.

6. Cookies

We use a single sign-in session cookie so you stay logged in. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. Turning off the session cookie will prevent you from signing in.

7. How long we keep information

We keep application and account information while your account is active. If your application is declined or your account is closed, we delete or de-identify your personal information within a reasonable period, except where we must keep limited records for safety or legal reasons. We also remove accounts that age out of the 13 to 17 range.

8. Your choices and rights

You or your guardian can ask us to access, correct, or delete your information, or to close the account. Send data requests to ymjiang77@gmail.com and we will respond within a reasonable time, generally within 30 days. You can opt out of optional Somba news at any time. Because members are minors, we will honor guardian requests about a member's information.

9. Security

We use access controls, encrypted storage where available, restrictive permissions, and other safeguards. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information and will notify affected members and guardians if a breach affects them.

10. Where information is processed

Somba is operated from the United States, and your information may be processed there.

11. Changes to this policy

If we make material changes, we will update the date above and, where appropriate, notify members and guardians.

12. Contact

Data requests and privacy questions: ymjiang77@gmail.com
General and safety: sombaapp@gmail.com