Privacy Policy

Last Updated: October 2025

Welcome to The Best Friend Project (“we,” “our,” “us”). Your privacy matters deeply to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you visit TheBFProject.com, participate in our surveys, submit stories or prompts, sign up for updates, or otherwise interact with our project.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only what we need to conduct the project, communicate with you, and improve our offerings. This may include:

  • Personal Information: Name, email address, phone number, or social handles — provided voluntarily through forms, surveys, or sign-ups.

  • Survey or Submission Data: Answers, stories, or creative contributions you provide as part of our research and storytelling initiatives.

  • Payment Information: If you purchase a participation package, your payment details are securely processed by Squarespace Commerce, Stripe, or Jotform Payments. We do not store or see your full credit card number.

  • Technical Data: Automatically collected information such as IP address, browser type, device information, and site usage analytics through Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

  • Conduct our national friendship study and related content projects (book, podcast, and website features).

  • Communicate project updates, invitations, or survey access links.

  • Process payments and deliver any recognition or participant benefits

  • Analyze aggregated, anonymized data to improve user experience and understand trends.

  • Comply with legal obligations and protect the integrity of our research.

We do not sell or rent your personal information to anyone.

3. Data Sharing and Third-Party Services

We share data only with trusted partners that help us operate our platform, such as:

  • Squarespace (website hosting & commerce)

  • Jotform (survey collection & payment processing)

  • Mailchimp (email communication)

  • Google Analytics / Tag Manager (website analytics)

Each service follows its own privacy and security standards. We ensure these partners handle your data responsibly.

SMS Data Sharing

  • Customer data is not shared with 3rd parties for promotional or marketing purposes.

  • Mobile opt-in and consent are never shared with anyone for any purpose. Any information sharing that may be mentioned elsewhere in this policy excludes mobile opt-in data.

Messaging Terms and Condidtions

  • By providing your phone number and agreeing to receive texts, you consent to receive text messages from The Best Friend Project, from 9522214663 regarding customer care, marketing. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Message frequency varies. Message & data rates may apply. You can reply STOP to unsubscribe at any time or HELP for assistance. You can also contact us at 9522214663 or Hello@TheBFProject.com. Mobile opt-in information is never shared with third parties.

Cookies and Tracking

  • We use cookies and similar tracking tools to understand how visitors use our website and to improve our communications.
    You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings at any time.

5. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

  • Access, correct, or delete your personal information.

  • Withdraw consent or opt out of marketing emails at any time.

  • Request a copy of your data or ask that it be anonymized.

To make a request, contact us at hello@TheBFProject.com.

6. Data Retention

We keep your data only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described here — or as required by law.
Survey and story submissions may be stored for archival, editorial, or academic purposes but can be anonymized on request.

7. Security

We use SSL encryption and secure servers provided by Squarespace, Jotform, and Mailchimp.
However, no online system is 100% secure. We encourage you to avoid submitting highly sensitive personal information in open-response fields.

8. Children’s Privacy

The Best Friend Project is designed for adults (18+). We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a child has provided us data, please contact us and we’ll promptly remove it.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last Updated” date.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or data requests, please reach out:
hello@TheBFProject.com
(844) 844-7893
Dallas, TX