Your Privacy and Data
Your address is never shown to other members, your borrow history is private, and your optional profile details stay private unless you choose otherwise. The controls below are all in Profile.
Do
Don't
Common Questions
Who can see my address?
Nobody. Your address is used to find communities near you and confirm eligibility. It is not shown on your profile or to any other member.
What notification controls do I have?
Profile > Notification Settings has a separate switch for push, email, and text for each type of notification, so you can keep the ones you care about and switch off the rest. Text messages are off until you turn them on.
How do I stop text messages?
Turn them off in Profile > Notification Settings, or reply STOP to any ToolBud text. Reply HELP to get help. Text notifications are never required to use ToolBud.
Is the gender field on my profile public?
No. It is optional, private, never shown on your profile, and you can add, change, or remove it any time. ToolBud never guesses it from your name or photo.
Can I download my data?
Yes — go to Profile > Manage Account > Account & Data Controls > Request My Data. After a quick sign-in check, ToolBud prepares your export and gives you a private download link that expires after 72 hours; the export file itself is deleted from ToolBud's systems within 9 days. Other members in shared records are anonymized, and the package explains anything that was summarized or withheld. You can also email support@toolbudapp.com from the email address on your ToolBud account; emailed requests are answered within 45 days.
Does ToolBud sell my data or track me across other apps?
No. ToolBud does not sell your personal data, does not use advertising identifiers, and has no advertising or cross-app tracking in it.
What does ToolBud send to AI services?
Photos you upload for tool identification and receipt scanning, project reference images you add, files and links you import, the messages you send to Bud, the search terms Bud uses to look for project inspiration, and a voice note you choose to record with feedback. ToolBud never adds your email address, phone number, home address, or name to those requests — when it drafts a "looking for a tool" post for you, it sends a placeholder and fills your display name in afterwards on our own servers. What you upload is sent as you provided it, so a receipt photo may show an address printed on the receipt. The Privacy Policy lists every provider.
Does ToolBud know my location?
ToolBud never asks for location permission and does not use GPS, so it does not know where your phone is. The location information it does have comes from the address you typed in yourself: the address, and map coordinates worked out from that address so communities near you can be found. Neither is shown to other members.