Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Midnight Build Collective ("MBC," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and protects personal information submitted through our website and membership application (the "Services"). It applies to applicants, members, and website visitors.

When you submit a membership application or contact us, we may collect: identity information (name, pronouns (optional), location); contact information (email address, and any social/portfolio links you provide); application content (your answers to application questions, work samples, or links you choose to share); technical information (IP address and basic device/browser information, collected automatically for security and analytics purposes); and captcha verification data (limited technical signals used to confirm you are not a bot, see Section 6). We do not knowingly collect sensitive categories of personal data (e.g., health, financial account numbers) through the application form. Please do not include such information in your application.

We use the information collected to: review and process membership applications; communicate with applicants and members about their application status, programs, and events; send occasional community updates and marketing emails, only if you opt in (see Section 4); maintain the security and integrity of our application form; and improve our Services and understand community needs in aggregate, anonymized form.

If you opt in to receive marketing or promotional emails from us (e.g., newsletters, event invitations), each email will clearly identify MBC as the sender with accurate "From" and subject-line information, include our physical mailing address ([TODO: insert MBC mailing address — required by CAN-SPAM before any marketing email is sent]), and include a clear, easy way to unsubscribe. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any marketing email, or by emailing hello@midnightbuildcollective.com. We will honor opt-out requests within 10 business days. Transactional emails about your application status are not marketing emails and are not affected by an unsubscribe request.

If you are located in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, you have rights under the GDPR/UK GDPR, including the right to: access the personal data we hold about you; correct inaccurate data; request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten"); restrict or object to certain processing; receive a copy of your data in a portable format; and withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

Legal basis for processing: we process application data based on your consent (given when you submit the application and check the required consent box) and, where applicable, our legitimate interest in evaluating applications and operating the community. Marketing emails are sent only with your separate, opt-in consent.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@midnightbuildcollective.com. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

To prevent spam and automated/bot submissions, our application form uses Cloudflare Turnstile. This may involve limited technical data (such as browser signals) being processed by our captcha provider to verify you are human. We selected this provider in part because it does not rely on cross-site tracking cookies.

We do not sell your personal information. We may share data with service providers who help us operate the Services (e.g., hosting, email delivery, captcha verification), each bound by confidentiality and data protection obligations. We may disclose information if required by law.

We retain application data for as long as needed to evaluate your application and, if accepted, for the duration of your membership plus a reasonable period afterward for record-keeping. Declined applications are retained for 12 months unless you request earlier deletion.

Our Services are not directed to individuals under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from minors.

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. Material changes will be reflected by an updated "Last Updated" date and, where appropriate, communicated to members directly.

Questions or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data can be directed to hello@midnightbuildcollective.com.