Privacy policy

**Effective Date: January 13, 2025**

Brooke Rogers ("we," "us," or "our") operates the Capsy mobile application (the "Service"). This Privacy Policy informs you of our policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of personal data when you use our Service and the choices you have associated with that data.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Personal Information You Provide

- **Account Information**: Phone number (for authentication), username, first name, and profile picture

- **Content**: Photos and videos you upload to capsies, captions, and messages

- **Social Information**: Friend connections, friend requests, and capsy invitations

- **Communications**: Any messages or feedback you send to us

1.2 Information Automatically Collected

- **Device Information**: Device type, operating system, unique device identifiers

- **Usage Data**: Features used, actions taken, time spent in app, crash reports

- **Location Data**: We do NOT collect precise location data

- **Push Tokens**: To send notifications about your capsies

1.3 Information from Third Parties

- **Contacts**: If you grant permission, we access contacts to help find friends (not stored)

- **Firebase Services**: Authentication and analytics data from Google Firebase

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for various purposes:

- **Provide the Service**: Enable you to create, share, and unlock capsies with friends

- **Account Management**: Authenticate users and maintain accounts

- **Communications**: Send notifications about capsy unlocks, friend activity, and updates

- **Improve Service**: Analyze usage patterns to enhance user experience

- **Safety & Security**: Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, or security issues

- **Content Moderation**: Review reported content and enforce community standards

- **Legal Compliance**: Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information. We may share information in the following situations:

3.1 With Other Users

- **Friends**: Your profile, capsies, and activities are visible to your friends

- **Capsy Members**: Content you add to shared capsies is visible to all members

- **Public Profile**: Username and profile picture may be searchable by other users

3.2 With Service Providers

- **Firebase/Google Cloud**: For authentication, storage, and infrastructure

- **Vonage**: For SMS verification during sign-up

- **Analytics Services**: Aggregated data for service improvement

3.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required to:

- Comply with legal obligations or court orders

- Protect the rights and safety of users

- Investigate potential violations of our Terms

4. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to provide the Service:

- **Active Accounts**: Data retained while account is active

- **Content**: Capsy content retained until manually deleted or capsy expires

- **Deleted Accounts**: Personal data deleted immediately upon account deletion

- **Shared Content**: Photos/videos in shared capsies are preserved but anonymized

- **Backups**: Deleted data may persist in backups for up to 30 days

- **Analytics**: Anonymized aggregate data may be retained indefinitely

5. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data:

- **Encryption**: Data encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest

- **Access Controls**: Limited access to personal data on need-to-know basis

- **Secure Infrastructure**: Firebase/Google Cloud security standards

- **Regular Updates**: Security patches and vulnerability assessments

However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure.

6. Your Rights and Choices

6.1 Access and Portability

You can access your information through the app or request a copy by contacting us.

6.2 Correction

You can update your profile information directly in the app.

6.3 Account Deletion

You have the right to delete your account at any time:

**How to Delete Your Account:**

- Go to Settings in the app

- Tap "Delete Account" at the bottom

- Confirm your decision after reading what will happen

**What Gets Deleted:**

- Your user profile (username, name, phone number, profile picture)

- All friend connections and friend requests

- Your personal app preferences and settings

- Your device tokens and notification settings

- Your authentication data

**What Is Preserved:**

- Photos and videos you added to shared capsies remain visible to other members

- Your contributions are anonymized and attributed to "Former Member"

- Shared capsies continue to exist for remaining members

- This ensures your friends can still access their shared memories

**Timeline:**

- Account deletion is immediate and cannot be undone

- Most data is deleted instantly

- Some data may take up to 30 days to be removed from backups

- Anonymized aggregate data may be retained for analytics

**Alternative Options:**

- Delete individual capsies or content through the app before account deletion

- Leave specific capsies without deleting your account

- Contact us at brooke@getcapsy.com for assistance

6.4 Communication Preferences

- Manage push notifications through your device settings

- Opt-out of promotional communications (if any)

6.5 Friend Visibility

- Control who can find you and send friend requests

- Leave shared capsies at any time

7. Children's Privacy

Capsy is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we discover such information, we will promptly delete it.

8. Content Moderation and Safety

8.1 Community Standards

We maintain community standards to ensure a safe and positive environment for all users. Content that violates these standards may be removed and users may face account restrictions.

8.2 Content Reporting

Users can report inappropriate content, including:

- Photos and videos that violate our terms

- Inappropriate usernames or profile content

- Harassment or abusive behavior

- Spam or promotional content

8.3 Information We Collect for Moderation

When content is reported, we may collect:

- The reported content (photos, videos, usernames, etc.)

- Reporter's user ID and username

- Details provided by the reporter

- Metadata about the content (timestamps, associated capsy information)

8.4 How Reports Are Processed

- All reports are reviewed by our moderation team

- Reports are stored securely and used only for safety purposes

- We may contact users involved in reports for additional information

- Actions taken may include content removal, warnings, or account suspension

8.5 User Blocking

Users can block other users to prevent unwanted contact. When you block someone:

- They cannot send you friend requests or capsy invitations

- Existing friend connections are removed

- Both users are removed from each other's shared capsies

8.6 Automated Content Filtering

We use automated systems to detect potentially inappropriate content, including:

- Text filtering for inappropriate language

- Basic pattern recognition for harmful content

- Automated flagging of accounts with multiple reports

8.7 Data Retention for Safety

Safety-related data is retained as follows:

- Reports and moderation decisions: 2 years

- Blocked user lists: Until manually unblocked by user

- Content removal logs: 1 year

- Account suspension records: Permanently (for repeat offenders)

9. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence, including the United States. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for such transfers.

10. Third-Party Links

The Service may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of such third parties.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by:

- Posting the new Privacy Policy in the app

- Updating the "Effective Date" at the top

- Sending push notifications for material changes

12. California Privacy Rights

California residents have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

- Right to know what personal information is collected

- Right to know if personal information is sold or disclosed

- Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell data)

- Right to non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

**Data Controller**: Brooke Rogers

**Email**: brooke@getcapsy.com

**Location**: Wyoming, United States

For privacy-specific inquiries, you may also use: brooke@getcapsy.com

14. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

For users in the European Economic Area, we process personal data based on:

- **Consent**: For optional features like contact syncing

- **Contract**: To provide the Service you requested

- **Legitimate Interests**: For service improvement and security

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*This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of Wyoming, United States.*