theATL.social Policies

Guidelines and policies for a safe, inclusive, and engaging community

Policy Overview Privacy Policy Terms of Service Content Guidelines Federation Guidelines

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 21 April 2025

Introduction

Welcome to theATL.social (“we,” “our,” or “us”), a service operated by Civic Forge Solutions LLC. We are committed to protecting your privacy while providing a federated social media experience. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use theATL.social, including interactions with other federated instances.

Please read this policy carefully. By using our service, you agree to the terms outlined in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of our services.

1. Eligibility

Users under the age of 18 are strictly prohibited from accessing the service. By using theATL.social, you confirm that you are 18 years of age or older.

2. Information We Collect

theATL.social handles two classes of information:

a. Private Information

This includes:

  1. Contact Information: Your email address, phone number, and other details provided solely for theATL.social’s internal use.

  2. Payment Information: Details you provide for any paid services or features. Special Notice for Payments: All proprietary payment information is managed by third-party payment processors. Civic Forge Solutions LLC complies with all privacy and security requirements mandated by these processors. For other private information, we engage in best practices to ensure its security.

b. Public Information

This includes all information shared through federated social media services, such as:

  1. Posts, Replies, and Interactions: Public content created on the platform, visible to others within and across federated instances.
  2. Profile Information: Public details about your account, such as your username and bio.

There is no presumption of privacy for public information, as the nature of social media services involves sharing content widely.

While direct messages can be considered less public, users should be aware that the federated nature of theATL.social limits our ability to absolutely restrict third parties from accessing this information.

3. Third-Party Platforms

For the Bluesky and Mastodon platforms, when information is published by theATL.social users to those platforms, theATL.social has no ability to restrict the use of this information by third parties for any purpose. Users are encouraged to exercise caution when sharing information on federated social networks.

4. Requests for Deletion

Users may delete their social media accounts and payment accounts with Civic Forge Solutions LLC. However:

  1. Social Media Accounts: Deletion of your account does not result in the deletion of public information you provided, such as posts, due to the federated nature of social media. Federated instances may retain this information independently.
  2. Private Information: Private information provided to Civic Forge Solutions LLC is retained for tax and regulatory purposes for a period of no less than 7 years.

5. Encrypted Messaging Recommendation

If you wish to exchange information in absolute privacy, we recommend using a dedicated encrypted messaging platform, as theATL.social cannot guarantee privacy for data shared on federated social media services.

6. Compliance with Privacy Laws

Civic Forge Solutions LLC takes best efforts to comply with all relevant Federal, State, and local privacy-related laws applicable to the jurisdiction in which it operates.

Our services are not marketed or intended for use by users in the State of California, the European Union, or the United Kingdom.

7. How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

  1. Private Information: To manage your account, process payments, communicate with you, and provide our services.
  2. Public Information: To facilitate interactions within the federated social media network and support the federation’s public nature.
  3. Data Retention: We retain both private and public data for backup, diagnostic, and accountability purposes.

8. Information Sharing and Disclosure

a. Federated Interactions

Public information shared on theATL.social may be visible to users across other instances within the federation. This includes posts, profile details, and public interactions.

b. Service Providers

We may share private information with trusted third-party providers who assist us in operating our services, subject to confidentiality agreements.

c. CSAM Screening

Through our third-party vendor, Cloudflare, we opt-in to a Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) screening service. This service scans all images and videos uploaded to theATL.social - either by theATL.social users, or via images received from other servers in the federation process - for the presence of CSAM. If a match is found, the image or video is blocked and both theATL.social and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) are notified.

For more information on the CSAM screening process, please review the Terms of Service.

We may disclose your information to comply with legal requirements or to protect the rights and safety of our users and the public.

9. Your Choices and Controls

  1. Privacy Settings: Adjust your profile and post visibility through account settings.
  2. Content Deletion: You can delete your posts and account. However, content federated to other instances may remain accessible.
  3. Blocking and Reporting: Block users and report inappropriate content as needed.

10. Data Retention

We retain data, including private and public information, for backup, diagnostic, and accountability purposes. Retention times vary based on the type of information and applicable legal or operational requirements.

11. Data Security

We implement reasonable measures to protect your data but cannot guarantee absolute security, especially given the federated and open nature of social media platforms.

12. Children’s Privacy

Users under the age of 18 are strictly prohibited from accessing theATL.social. We do not knowingly collect information from individuals under 18. If we discover such information, we will delete it promptly.

13. International Users

By using theATL.social, you consent to your information being transferred to, stored, and processed in the jurisdiction where our servers are located, subject to local privacy laws. Our services are not marketed or intended for use by users in the State of California, the European Union, or the United Kingdom.

14. Data Breach Notification Protocol

In the event of a data breach affecting users’ personal information, theATL.social will notify affected users within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach. Our notification will include detailed information about the nature of the breach, the types of data affected, and specific guidance on steps users should take to protect their information. We are committed to maintaining transparent communication throughout the resolution process.

All notifications regarding data breaches will be sent via email and posted prominently on our platform. These communications will provide a comprehensive description of the breach incident, outline the steps we are taking to address the situation, and include contact information for additional support. We will maintain regular updates as new information becomes available and continue communication until the situation is fully resolved.

By using theATL.social, users explicitly consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies that are essential for platform operation and functionality. These technologies are fundamental to the operation of our service, enabling basic functions such as maintaining user sessions, managing federation connections, and ensuring platform security. Due to the integral nature of these technologies to our service’s core functionality, there is no option to opt out while continuing to use the service.

Third-party instances within the federation may implement their own cookies when users interact with their content. While these cookies are outside our direct control, they are essential to enabling federation functionality and cross-instance communication. Users should be aware that this is a fundamental aspect of using a federated social media platform.

16. Analytics Implementation

theATL.social employs analytics tools solely within the platforms we directly operate. Our analytics collection is strictly limited to understanding platform performance, user experience, and federation patterns within our own instances. We do not track user activities across other websites or platforms, nor do we monitor any other activities in which users might engage outside our services.

Our analytics implementation focuses exclusively on aggregate usage patterns, technical performance metrics, and federation statistics that help us maintain and improve our service. This data is collected and analyzed solely within the context of our platform operations, ensuring user privacy while allowing us to maintain and enhance service quality.

17. Automated Systems

theATL.social employs automated systems for essential platform operations, including content moderation, spam detection, federation management, and security monitoring. These systems are designed to maintain platform integrity and user safety while ensuring smooth operation of our federated services. Our automated processes operate continuously to identify and address potential issues, maintain service quality, and protect user experience across the platform.

18. Data Portability

Users of theATL.social can access and export their data through the native functionality provided by the Mastodon and Bluesky platforms. Each platform offers its own internal tools and methods for data export, allowing users to retrieve their information directly through these services. Users should refer to the specific platform’s documentation for detailed instructions on how to export their data using these built-in features.

19. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updates will be posted with the revised effective date. Continued use of the service constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

20. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Civic Forge Solutions LLC

admin@theatl.social

This service is operated by Civic Forge Solutions LLC. By using theATL.social, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to this Privacy Policy.