Privacy Policy

Last Updated: May 2026

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how Socials ("Socials", "we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you use our website www.socials.events, our curated social events programme and WhatsApp community for new students ("The Social Pass"), and related services (collectively, the "Services"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal data.

Socials also operates www.socials.homes, a separate student accommodation matching service. That service has its own Privacy Policy and Terms.

Data Controller:

Socials
Wolstraat 70
1000 Brussels, Belgium
Company Registration Number: 1023312881
Email: support@socials.events

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide to Us

When you use our Services, we collect the following personal information that you voluntarily provide:

• Full Name: To identify you within our platform and personalise your experience
• Email Address: To communicate with you about our Services, send payment confirmations, event updates, and important account information
• Phone Number (WhatsApp): To add you to the city-specific WhatsApp community and send event reminders
• Destination City: To assign you to the correct city programme (Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Copenhagen, Taipei, Sydney, or Melbourne)
• University Date / Arrival Date (optional): To anticipate your arrival and tailor pre-arrival communications
• Payment Information: When you purchase The Social Pass, payment is processed by Stripe via our checkout partner Ticket Tailor. We do not store your full credit card details. We receive your name, email, and transaction confirmation from Ticket Tailor.

2.2 Information Automatically Collected

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain technical information:

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Device information
• Pages visited and time spent on pages
• Referring website addresses
• Interactions with forms

2.3 Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your experience on our website. These include:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function (e.g., session management)
• Analytics cookies: To understand how visitors interact with our website (e.g., Google Analytics)
• Marketing cookies: To measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns (e.g., Meta Pixel, TikTok Pixel, Google Ads conversion tracking)

You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings or our cookie consent banner.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• Event Delivery: To run the four nights of The Social Pass in your city and manage venue access
• WhatsApp Community: To add you to your city's WhatsApp group so you can meet other pass holders before and during the programme
• Payment Processing: To process pass purchases and manage your order status
• Email Communications: To send you welcome emails, payment confirmations, event reminders, venue details, and promotional content related to our Services
• Service Improvement: To understand how users interact with our Services and make improvements
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws and regulations
• Safety and Security: To protect against fraud, abuse, and maintain the security of our Services and events

4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we process your personal data based on:

• Consent: When you voluntarily provide your information through our forms to receive event details and community access
• Contractual Necessity: When processing is necessary to perform our paid services (delivering The Social Pass, granting venue access, managing your purchase)
• Legitimate Interests: To operate and improve our Services, ensure security, analyse usage patterns, and communicate with you about relevant updates
• Legal Obligation: When required by law

5. Data Sharing and Disclosure

5.1 Our Commitment

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for their independent marketing purposes.

5.2 Venues and Event Partners

We share limited information with the venues and event partners that host our nights, strictly for the purpose of guest list management and venue entry on the night. We share only the minimum data necessary (typically: first name, last name, pass status). Venues are contractually required to delete guest lists after each event.

5.3 Service Providers

We use trusted third-party service providers to operate our Services:

• Stripe via Ticket Tailor (payment processing): Processes your pass purchases securely
• Ticket Tailor (ticketing platform): Manages ticket issuance and guest lists
• Mailchimp / Intuit (email communications): Manages our email communications
• Supabase (database): Stores your account and preference data securely. Hosted in EU data centres
• Meta / WhatsApp Business (messaging): Delivers community messages and event updates to your WhatsApp
• Vercel (website hosting): Hosts our website
• Google Analytics (analytics): Analyses website traffic and user behaviour
• Meta Pixel, TikTok Pixel, Google Ads (advertising): Measures advertising effectiveness and enables retargeting

All service providers are bound by data processing agreements and process your data only on our instructions.

5.4 Other Circumstances

We may also share your information:

• Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or governmental authority
• Protection of Rights: To protect our rights, property, safety, or that of our users or the public
• Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets (you will be notified of any such change)
• With Your Consent: When you explicitly consent to sharing for a specific purpose

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy:

• Pass holder account information: Retained while your pass is active and for 12 months after the final night, unless you request earlier deletion
• Lead information (form completion without purchase): Retained for up to 12 months
• Payment records: Retained for 7 years as required by Belgian tax and accounting law
• Communications records: Retained for up to 2 years
• Technical and analytics logs: Retained for up to 12 months
• WhatsApp message logs: Retained for up to 6 months for service quality purposes

You may request deletion of your personal data at any time.

7. Your Rights Under GDPR

As a data subject under GDPR, you have the following rights:

• Right of Access: Request a copy of your personal data we hold
• Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): Request deletion of your personal data
• Right to Restrict Processing: Request limitation on how we use your data
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw your consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing prior to withdrawal

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@socials.events. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction, including:

• Encryption of data in transit (SSL/TLS) and at rest
• Secure payment processing via Stripe (PCI-DSS compliant) through Ticket Tailor
• Regular security assessments
• Limited access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
• Secure data storage within the European Economic Area where possible

9. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA). When transfers occur outside the EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission or adequacy decisions.

This is particularly relevant for our non-EEA city operations (Taipei, Sydney, Melbourne) where local venue partners may process limited guest list data within their own jurisdictions.

10. Children's Privacy

Our Services are intended for students aged 18 and above. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 16 years of age. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child under 16, we will take steps to delete such information promptly.

11. Third-Party Links

Our Services contain links to third-party websites and services, including Ticket Tailor, WhatsApp, and venue partner websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. When you click a link to a third-party service, you are subject to that provider's own privacy policy and terms.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the new Privacy Policy on our website
• Updating the "Last Updated" date
• Sending you an email notification (for material changes affecting your data rights)

13. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Socials
Wolstraat 70
1000 Brussels, Belgium

Email: support@socials.events

14. Supervisory Authority

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Belgian Data Protection Authority:

Gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit (GBA) / Autorité de protection des données (APD)
Drukpersstraat 35
1000 Brussels, Belgium

Website: www.dataprotectionauthority.be

15. SMS / Text Messaging Communications

If you provide your mobile phone number and opt in to receive SMS/text messages from Socials, we collect and process your mobile number and related message metadata to deliver the service (event reminders, venue updates, account notifications) and, where you have separately consented, promotional messages.

15.1 Information collected

• Mobile phone number (in international format)
• Opt-in timestamp and source (e.g., checkout form, signup flow)
• Message delivery status, timestamps, and carrier response codes
• Interactions with messages (opens, link clicks, reply keywords such as STOP or HELP)

15.2 How we use your mobile number

• To deliver event reminders and venue details for the four nights of your pass, through SMS or WhatsApp
• To send service-related notifications (purchase confirmations, payment receipts, programme updates)
• To send promotional messages, only if you have given separate, explicit consent for marketing
• To respond to HELP or support requests sent by SMS

15.3 Legal basis

We process your mobile number on the basis of your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR) for marketing messages and on the basis of contract performance (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR) for service-related messages you need in order to use the Services you purchased.

15.4 Your right to opt out

You can withdraw your consent and stop receiving SMS messages at any time by:

• Replying STOP to any SMS you receive from us
• Clicking the unsubscribe link in any promotional message, where available
• Emailing support@socials.events and requesting removal from our SMS list

Opting out of marketing SMS does not affect service-related SMS necessary to deliver your pass. You may need to opt out of those separately where the law permits.

15.5 Carrier charges

We do not charge for the SMS service. Message and data rates may apply from your mobile carrier. Message frequency varies. Contact your wireless provider for details.

15.6 SMS service providers

We use third-party SMS and messaging service providers (data processors) to deliver messages on our behalf. These providers process your mobile number only to deliver messages and are contractually bound to confidentiality and data-protection obligations under Article 28 GDPR.

15.7 Retention

We retain your mobile number and opt-in record for as long as you are an active pass holder, and for a reasonable period after the final night of your pass to honor your opt-out and for legal record-keeping obligations.

See our Mobile Terms of Service in the Terms and Conditions for the full SMS programme terms.

By using our Services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.