Network Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy ("Policy") applies to personal information processed by Neon Ink LLC ("Neon Ink," "we," "us," or "our") in connection with the FuelEmpire network: the flagship network site at fuelempire.app, all FuelEmpire-branded community and tenant sites, associated mobile and web applications, application programming interfaces (APIs), background services, communications, and related offerings (collectively, the "Service" or the "network").

This single Policy is intended to cover the entire network. Individual communities operate on shared infrastructure and a shared user identity, so the practices described here apply regardless of which FuelEmpire site you use. Capitalized terms not defined in this Policy have the meanings given in our Terms of Service unless the context requires otherwise.

FuelEmpire is a network of automotive and enthusiast communities that share a common account system, profile identity (your global "@handle"), garage of vehicles, and social graph. When you create an account anywhere on the network, that account and its associated profile can be used across the network subject to product design and each community's configuration.

• Network site (fuelempire.app): your canonical public profile, garage, vehicle pages, and cross-community features.
• Community / tenant sites: individual enthusiast communities that surface a subset of network content relevant to that community, plus community-specific features.
• Shared identity: a single email-based account, profile, and handle that follow you across the network.

Neon Ink LLC operates the network and is the party responsible for the processing described in this Policy (including as a "business" or "controller" where those terms apply). For privacy-related requests or questions, contact us at hello@fuelempire.app. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests.

Corporate site: neonink.llc.

This Policy covers personal information processed in connection with network features, including those below (availability may vary by site and community configuration):

• Accounts & profiles: registration and sign-in (including email one-time passcodes), onboarding, global handles, public profile pages, avatars, header images, bios, karma, and profile links.
• Garage & vehicles: vehicle records, descriptions, photos and albums, modifications, build threads, likes, comments, QR codes, and shareable vehicle pages.
• Community & social: feeds, following, member directories, comments, replies, @mentions, likes, and shareable or QR-linked entry points to profiles and vehicle pages.
• Discussions & builds: forum-style discussion areas, board threads, build threads, and related posts.
• Commerce-style listings: classifieds and trading listings, related messaging, and detail pages where offered.
• Events, traffic & regional features where enabled for a site or community.
• Search: site search and live search across network content.
• Notifications: in-app inbox, email notifications (transactional and activity-based), and optional browser push notifications according to your preferences and device permissions.
• Preferences, moderation & legal: notification and preference centers, moderation notices, beta or experimental features, and legal pages (including this Policy and the Terms).
• Administration: tools for authorized community administrators (for example member management, content configuration, reports, and related audit logs).

We may add or retire features over time. New processing that materially changes how we use personal information will be reflected in an updated Policy or supplementary notice where required by law.

5.1 Information you provide

• Account & credentials: email address, global handle/username, and authentication data processed through our auth provider (secrets are not stored in plain text).
• Profile & preferences: display name, optional profile fields, location, links, and notification settings (in-app, email, and push toggles per event type where available).
• User-generated content: text, rich text, images, vehicles, modifications, listings, forum posts, event details, comments, and other materials you submit anywhere on the network.
• Support & safety: information you send when you contact us or submit reports, appeals, or moderation correspondence.

5.2 Automatically collected information

• Device & log data: IP address, browser and device characteristics, dates and times of access, general usage events, referring pages, and diagnostic information.
• Cookies & local storage: used for session management, security, and essential functionality (see Section 6).
• Push subscriptions: if you enable web push, your browser may provide a push subscription endpoint and related token data so we can deliver notifications.

5.3 Automated analysis of images

Where enabled, we may send image files or URLs you upload to an automated image analysis service (for example Google Gemini) to generate suggestions or structured metadata (such as detected make, model, or modifications) to improve your experience. You should not upload images you are not entitled to share. Analysis is subject to the applicable provider's terms and our agreements with them.

We use a limited set of cookies and browser storage that are essential to operating the network. These include session and authentication cookies (to keep you signed in across network sites), security tokens (to protect against forgery and abuse), and local storage used to remember interface preferences such as theme.

Because these technologies are strictly necessary to provide the Service, disabling them through your browser may prevent parts of the network from working. We do not use cookies to build cross-site advertising profiles, and we do not sell information collected through cookies.

We use personal information to:

• Provide, operate, maintain, secure, and improve the network;
• Create and authenticate accounts and enforce access controls across sites;
• Display profiles, vehicles, posts, listings, and other content according to visibility settings and community rules;
• Deliver notifications and emails you request or that relate to your account or activity;
• Operate moderation, safety, fraud prevention, and abuse detection;
• Comply with law, respond to lawful requests, and protect rights, safety, and property;
• Analyze usage in aggregate or de-identified form to improve product quality and reliability;
• Communicate service, technical, or policy changes;
• Exercise or defend legal claims.

Where the EU or UK General Data Protection Regulation applies, we rely on the following legal bases:

• Performance of a contract: to provide the account, profile, and features you request.
• Legitimate interests: to secure the network, prevent abuse, understand usage, and improve the Service, where not overridden by your rights.
• Consent: for optional processing such as web push notifications; you may withdraw consent at any time.
• Legal obligation: to comply with applicable law and lawful requests.

9.1 Service providers

We engage subprocessors who process personal information on our behalf under contractual safeguards. Categories and examples include:

• Hosting & infrastructure: cloud hosting providers that run the applications and edge networks that deliver content.
• Database: managed PostgreSQL for application data.
• Object storage: S3-compatible cloud storage for photos and uploaded files.
• Email delivery: Resend (or comparable providers) for authentication messages and email notifications.
• Authentication: our authentication stack (including Better Auth and related components) for sign-in sessions and verification.
• Artificial intelligence: Google AI / Gemini or similar vendors when automated image analysis is used as described above.

We do not sell your personal information for money. We do not share personal information with third parties for their independent marketing purposes except as you direct or as stated in this Policy.

9.2 Community administrators

Authorized administrators of a community may access certain information (for example member records, reports, and configuration) as needed to operate that community in accordance with our Terms and applicable law.

9.3 Legal & safety

We may disclose information if we believe in good faith that disclosure is required by law, legal process, or governmental request; to enforce our Terms or policies; to detect or prevent fraud, security, or technical issues; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Neon Ink, our users, or others.

9.4 Business transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, bankruptcy, or sale of assets, personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will provide notice as required by law.

The network is designed so that your public identity and content can appear across multiple FuelEmpire sites. Content you submit may be visible to other users and the public according to product design and community settings.

• Public by default: handles, profile fields, public vehicles, and posts are generally public unless a feature expressly limits visibility.
• Canonical profiles: your fuelempire.app profile and public vehicle pages may be reachable from any community site and via shareable links and QR codes.
• Community scoping: some content is shown only within the community where it belongs (for example vehicles that do not match a given community are shown only in your own garage).

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy, unless a longer period is required or permitted by law. Criteria used to determine retention include whether the information is needed to provide the Service, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements. Backups and residual copies may persist for a limited period before deletion or anonymization.

You may be able to:

• Access, update, or delete certain information through your account settings;
• Control notification channels (in-app, email, push) where the product provides toggles;
• Withdraw push permission through your browser or device settings;
• Request access, correction, deletion, or portability of personal information by contacting hello@fuelempire.app (we may verify your request);
• Appeal certain decisions where applicable law requires an appeals process.

If you reside in California, Colorado, Virginia, Connecticut, Utah, or another U.S. state with a consumer privacy law, you may have additional rights — for example the right to know, access, correct, delete, or opt out of certain "sharing" or targeted advertising — subject to statutory exceptions. We do not sell personal information for money and do not engage in cross-context behavioral advertising. We will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights. To exercise a right, contact hello@fuelempire.app.

We implement technical and organizational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, loss, or alteration. These may include encryption in transit, access controls, and secure configuration of production systems. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure; you use the Service at your own risk to the extent permitted by law.

The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, contact us at hello@fuelempire.app and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

Neon Ink is based in the United States. If you access the network from other countries, you understand that your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in the United States and other jurisdictions where we or our subprocessors operate. Those jurisdictions may have data protection laws that differ from those in your country. Where required, we implement appropriate safeguards for cross-border transfers.

We may update this Policy from time to time. We will post the revised Policy on this page and update the "Last updated" date. If changes are material, we will provide additional notice as required by law (which may include email or a prominent notice in the Service). Your continued use of the network after the effective date of changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Policy, except where your explicit consent is required.

Questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices: