Privacy policy
Effective August 10, 2026
Ladder is a social platform for public-market investors, operated from the United States. This policy describes what we collect, what is public, and the choices you have. We have tried to write it the way we write everything else: plainly.
What we collect
Account information. When you create an account we collect your email address. If you sign in with Google, Google shares your name, email address, and profile picture with us. If you sign in by phone, we collect your phone number. You choose a username, which is public.
Content and activity. Posts, comments, and reports you submit, and votes you cast. If you report a post or comment, your report and its reason go to Ladder moderators.
Portfolio verification. If you connect a brokerage account to verify your portfolio, we receive what is needed to confirm your capital range and whether you hold a position in a given security. This is the heart of Ladder, so the promise is worth stating precisely: your portfolio scale appears only as a range unless you choose to show an exact figure, position disclosures are shown without direction or size, and you can hide them entirely. We do not receive the ability to trade or move money in your brokerage account.
Technical basics. Like most services, we receive standard technical information such as IP address and browser type when you use Ladder. We use privacy-focused analytics to understand aggregate usage; we do not use advertising trackers.
What is public and what is private
Public: your username, your posts and comments, your profile, aggregate vote counts, and, if you have not hidden them, your disclosed portfolio range and position disclosures.
Private: your email address and phone number, how you individually voted (only totals are ever shown), your reports to moderators, your brokerage connection and everything in it beyond the disclosures described above, and hidden or undisclosed portfolio details.
How we use information
To run Ladder: operating accounts and sign-in, showing content and vote totals, verifying portfolio disclosures, moderating reported content, sending transactional email such as sign-in links, and keeping the service secure. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not show ads.
Who we share with
Service providers that run Ladder’s infrastructure on our behalf: Supabase (database and authentication), Vercel (hosting and analytics), Postmark (transactional email), Twilio (text-message sign-in codes, only if you sign in by phone), and Google (only if you sign in with Google). Each receives only what its role requires. Beyond that, we share information only if the law requires it or to protect Ladder and its users.
Cookies
We use cookies and similar storage to keep you signed in, remember preferences such as your theme, and control access during our private beta. If you sign in with Google, we also store your name, email address, and profile photo on your device for up to 60 days so the sign-in screen can recognize you. We do not use third-party advertising cookies.
Retention and deletion
We keep your information while your account exists. If you delete your account, your account data and votes are deleted; public posts and comments may remain, without changes, under your then-current username. To request deletion, contact us at the address below.
Your choices
You can edit your username, choose whether your portfolio shows a range or an exact figure, and show or hide position disclosures at any time from your profile. Depending on where you live, you may also have legal rights to access, correct, or delete your personal information; contact us and we will honor them.
Security
We work to protect your information with access controls and encryption in transit. No service can promise perfect security, so we do not.
Children
Ladder is not for anyone under 18.
Changes
If this policy changes materially, we will post the new version here and update the effective date.