Privacy Policy

Updated: 2 November 2026

This policy describes what data the Our Block portal (ourblockusa.com) processes, for what purpose and how we protect it. By using the site, you agree to the terms below.

1.Data controller

The data controller is Evgenii Dorokhov, an individual operating from the Russian Federation. Full registration details and a postal address are provided on written request via [email protected] — the same address for any question about processing, exercising your rights or withdrawing consent; we reply within 45 days.

2.What we collect

• Anonymous identifier — we store a random id and guest nickname in a cookie to link your messages and reactions. Registration isn't required.
• Social login data — when signing in with Google, Facebook or Telegram we receive your account id, name, email and profile photo (only what you allow).
• Profile — first name, last name, gender, birth date, photo — as you wish.
• Location — requested only with your explicit consent and used for the «People» and «Radar» sections (nearby search). You can decline.
• Content — messages, comments, listings and photos you publish.
• Technical data — IP address, device/browser type, anonymized visit analytics (Google Analytics).
• Telegram bot subscription — your Telegram id, the cities you picked, the language and delivery settings (frequency, quiet hours, muted topics). The /stop command deletes these records.
• Notification subscription — your browser's push service address (endpoint), encryption keys, the chosen city and language. No name, no IP, no link to an account; unsubscribing deletes the record.

3.Legal grounds for processing

• your consent — registration, subscriptions, web analytics (loaded only after you accept the consent banner);
• performance of a contract with you — providing the portal's features you ask for;
• data you have made public yourself;
• our legitimate business purposes — security, anti-spam, abuse prevention and fraud detection — which we never use for targeted advertising;
• compliance with legal obligations.

4.How we use the data

• To show your city's content and run the sections (chat, events, people, classifieds).
• To protect against spam and abuse (rate limiting, moderation).
• For notifications (the bell) — per your settings.
• To improve the service based on anonymized statistics.

5.Consent and publication of your data

By posting a listing, review, comment, questionnaire or profile you agree that the personal data it contains (name or nickname, photo, city, any contacts you chose to add) is disclosed to an unlimited audience. You may withdraw consent at any time: delete the publication yourself or write to us. Data you left when registering is never used for mailings without a separate consent; unsubscribing takes one click from any message.

6.How photos and messages are stored

Uploaded photos and videos are sent to our secure cloud storage and served through the portal's proxy. Files don't accumulate on our servers.

7.Sharing with third parties

We do not sell your personal data and never pass it to advertising networks. It is processed only by the services the portal needs to run (media storage, login providers, analytics, e-mail delivery), each strictly within its function — the list and countries are in the next section. Data may be disclosed to authorities only where the law expressly requires it.

8.Transfers outside Russia

• Media and messages — photos, videos, attachments, comments and the full chat log are stored in private Telegram channels (Telegram FZ-LLC, UAE); files are served through the portal's proxy.
• Social sign-in — Google LLC (USA), Meta Platforms Inc. (USA): we receive an account identifier, name and e-mail address.
• Web analytics — Google Analytics (USA); it loads only after you accept the consent banner.
• E-mail — delivery via Amazon Web Services (USA).
• AI companion of the Banki club — excerpts of the club chat, without nicknames, are sent to OpenAI (USA) to compose a reply; we do not store them abroad.
• The portal's main server is located in the Russian Federation, so data of users in the United States is transferred to, and stored in, the Russian Federation. By using the portal you acknowledge and consent to this transfer.

9.Retention

Account data is kept for the life of the account. After deletion it is erased within 30 days, except records the law requires us to keep. Content is kept while it is relevant; outdated material (old news and its comments, for example) is archived or deleted automatically. Web-server logs are kept for up to 12 months. You can request deletion of your account and data at any time. Notification and Telegram bot subscriptions are kept until you cancel them: unsubscribing deletes the record immediately rather than flagging it.

10.U.S. law and security measures

For users in the United States there is no single federal privacy statute, so we follow the rules that apply to the portal: the Federal Trade Commission Act (no unfair or deceptive practices), the CAN-SPAM Act for e-mail, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (the portal is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their data) and the comprehensive state privacy laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA). We apply reasonable safeguards: restricted access to the server and database, secrets stored outside the web root, TLS/HTTPS in transit, backups and logging. If personal data is breached, we notify affected residents and the competent state authorities as the applicable state breach-notification laws require.

The supervisory authority you may turn to: the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and your State Attorney General (in California, also the California Privacy Protection Agency).

11.Your rights and how to use them

Whatever state you live in, we honour these rights for every user in the United States: to know what personal information we hold about you and receive a copy in a portable form; to correct inaccurate data; to delete your data; to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information and of targeted advertising (we do neither — see “Sharing with third parties”); to limit the use of sensitive information; to withdraw consent; and not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights. Some rights work straight from the interface: edit your profile, unlink social accounts, turn off notifications and geolocation, delete your posts. If we decline a request, you may appeal by replying to our answer; we respond to appeals within 60 days.

Send requests to [email protected] — we respond within 45 days (once extendable by a further 45 days where the law allows).

12.Geodata, radar and phone numbers

Access to your location is requested solely with your explicit consent and is used only to find people and venues nearby. Your precise location in the 'People' and 'Radar' sections is not disclosed to other users: the map shows a stable, randomly offset point within roughly 500 meters, which prevents determining your real address from the map or by triangulation. You may hide yourself from search at any time. A phone number is not required and is never requested by the portal for chatting, comments or messaging.

13.Browser extension

If you install our browser extension and connect your account, it receives your name, city and notifications from services you are signed in to, including short previews of private messages. The extension does not read your browsing history, your tabs or the content of third-party pages. Access is granted by a separate token rather than your password; disconnecting the extension in its settings revokes that token immediately and erases its data.

14.Cookies

We use two kinds of cookies. Technical ones — anonymous identification, sign-in session, chosen city and theme; the portal does not work without them. Analytics ones — Google Analytics, Yandex.Metrica and LiveInternet; they are set only after you accept the consent banner, never before. You can change that by clearing site data in your browser. No advertising pixels are used on the portal.

15.Disclaimer

The portal is provided on an 'as is' and 'as available' basis, without any express or implied warranties of uninterrupted, error-free or timely operation. All user content — classifieds, messages, reviews, real-estate listings and other materials — is posted by users themselves and at their sole responsibility; the operator is not a party to transactions between users, does not verify or confirm the accuracy of such content, and bears no liability for any direct or indirect losses, lost profit or other harm arising from the use of, or inability to use, the portal, to the extent permitted by applicable law. By using the portal you assume the corresponding risks.

16.Contacts

For data processing questions: [email protected].