Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of information:

• Account information. When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, and profile image. If you sign in through a third-party provider such as Google, Facebook, or Apple, we receive these details from that provider based on the permissions you grant.
• Authentication data. Account creation and session management are handled by our authentication provider, Clerk. Clerk stores credentials, session tokens, and related security metadata on our behalf.
• Usage data. We collect information about how you interact with CivicWatch, including representatives you track, polls you participate in, pages you view, and features you use.
• Billing information. If you subscribe to a paid plan, payment is processed by Stripe. We do not store full payment card numbers on our servers; Stripe stores them securely and provides us with a customer reference, plan status, and the last four digits of your card.
• Device and log data. We automatically collect information your browser or device sends when you use CivicWatch, including IP address, browser type, operating system, referring pages, and timestamps.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage your account.
• Provide and improve CivicWatch features, including tracked representatives, poll results, personalized civic alerts, and AI-powered accountability analysis powered by Google Gemini.
• Process subscription payments and send billing receipts.
• Send service-related emails, including account notifications, security alerts, and (if you opt in) civic updates.
• Detect, investigate, and prevent fraud and abuse.
• Comply with legal obligations.

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only with:

• Service providers who help us operate CivicWatch, including Clerk (authentication), Supabase (database hosting), Stripe (payments), Vercel (web hosting), and Google (AI features via Gemini). These providers are bound by contracts that restrict how they can use your data.
• Legal authorities when required by valid legal process, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of CivicWatch, our users, or the public.
• Successors in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, with notice to you when required by law.

4. Data from Facebook, Google, and Apple Sign-In

When you sign in using Facebook, Google, or Apple, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture from that provider. We use this information solely to create and authenticate your CivicWatch account. We do not post to your social accounts, access your contacts, or share data back to those providers beyond what is required for authentication. You can disconnect a third-party login at any time from your account settings, and you can revoke our access from your provider's app settings (for example, Facebook → Settings → Apps and Websites).

5. Cookies and Similar Technologies

CivicWatch uses cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember preferences, and measure how the service is used. You can control cookies through your browser settings, but disabling them may affect functionality such as staying signed in.

6. Data Retention

We retain your account information for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we delete or anonymize your personal information within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal, tax, or fraud prevention purposes. See our Data Deletion Instructions for details on how to request deletion.

7. Your Rights

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

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate information.
• Delete your account and associated data.
• Export your data in a portable format.
• Opt out of marketing communications at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at support@civicwatch.app.

8. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants you additional rights regarding your personal information.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for monetary or other valuable consideration.

As a California resident, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell about you.
• Delete personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions.
• Correct inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
• Opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information (we do not sell data, but you may still make this request).
• Non-discrimination — we will not discriminate against you for exercising any CCPA rights.

To exercise your California privacy rights, email us at support@civicwatch.app with the subject line "CCPA Request" or visit our Data Deletion page. We will respond within 45 days as required by law.

9. International Users and GDPR

CivicWatch is operated from the United States. If you access CivicWatch from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States.

Where European data protection law (GDPR) applies, we process your personal information on the following legal bases:

• Contract performance — to create and manage your account and provide the CivicWatch service you signed up for.
• Legitimate interests — to improve our service, prevent fraud, and ensure security, where these interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Legal obligation — to comply with applicable laws and regulations.
• Consent — for optional communications such as marketing emails, which you may withdraw at any time.

If you are in the European Economic Area, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. To exercise any GDPR rights, contact us at support@civicwatch.app.

10. Security

We use industry-standard technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including TLS encryption in transit, encryption at rest for sensitive data, and strict access controls. No system is 100% secure, however, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data.

11. Children's Privacy

CivicWatch is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. If the changes are material, we will notify you by email or through a notice in the app.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, contact us at support@civicwatch.app.