Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 17, 2026

Who we are

The Exponentials operates theexponentials.org — a private, invite-only community for people building in the exponential age. This policy describes how we handle your data across the public site, the application process, and the members-only community.

What we collect

When you apply

• Your name and email address
• Your responses to application questions
• How you found us

When you join as a member

• Your display name and optional bio
• A password (stored as a one-way bcrypt hash — we cannot read it)
• Content you create: threads, replies, reactions, and mentions
• Your last sign-in timestamp

Cookies and local storage

We do not use cookies, analytics, tracking pixels, or any third-party scripts. All fonts and assets are self-hosted. Your browser contacts only our servers — no external requests are made. We do not track page views, clicks, or browsing behavior.

To keep you signed in, we store an authentication token in your browser's local storage. This is not a cookie — it is not sent to third parties, cannot be used for cross-site tracking, and is cleared when you log out. No other data is stored in your browser.

How we use your data

• Application data is used solely to evaluate your membership application.
• Member data is used to operate the community: displaying your posts, enabling search, showing your profile to other members.
• Email is used for account-related communications (invite links, password resets). We may send occasional community updates via Postmark, our transactional email provider. You can opt out at any time.

Third-party services

We use one external service:

• Postmark (postmarkapp.com) — for sending transactional emails (invitations, confirmations). Postmark receives only the recipient email address, subject, and message body. They do not use this data for marketing or share it with third parties. See Postmark's privacy policy.

We do not use any other third-party services, CDNs, analytics platforms, or ad networks.

How we store and protect your data

• All data is stored in a MariaDB database on our own managed server.
• All connections use TLS/HTTPS encryption in transit.
• Passwords are hashed with bcrypt and cannot be recovered — only reset.
• Server access is restricted to The Exponentials team via SSH key authentication.
• The community is not indexed by search engines (noindex, nofollow on all member pages).

Data sharing

We do not sell, rent, trade, or share your personal data with any third parties, except Postmark for email delivery as described above.

Your community content (threads, replies, profile) is visible to other members of The Exponentials. It is not publicly accessible.

Data retention

• Applications: retained for as long as needed to evaluate and manage membership.
• Member accounts and content: retained for the lifetime of your membership. If you leave the community, your account data will be deleted within 30 days upon request. Posts and replies may be anonymized rather than deleted to preserve conversation context.

Your rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data
• Export your data in a portable format
• Withdraw consent at any time

If you are in the European Economic Area, you also have the right to data portability and to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what data we collect and to request its deletion — we do not sell personal information.

Children

This site is not intended for anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children.

Changes to this policy

We reserve the right to update or modify this privacy policy at any time. When we do, we will revise the "last updated" date at the top of this page. For material changes — such as new categories of data collection, new third-party service providers, or changes to how we share data — we will make reasonable efforts to notify members through the community platform or via email prior to the changes taking effect.

Your continued use of theexponentials.org after any changes to this policy constitutes your acceptance of those changes. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Contact

For privacy inquiries or to exercise your rights, email privacy@theexponentials.org.