Approve Idea

1. Introduction

Approve Idea ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our website and services. By using our Service, you consent to the data practices described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

Information You Provide:

Account information (email address, password hash)
Business ideas and validation requests you submit
Payment information (processed securely by Stripe - we do not store card details)
Communications with us (support emails, feedback)

Information Collected Automatically:

Device information (browser type, operating system)
IP address and approximate location
Usage data (pages visited, features used, timestamps)
Cookies and similar tracking technologies

3. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information to:

Provide, operate, and maintain our Service
Process your idea validations using AI technology
Process payments and manage subscriptions
Send transactional emails (receipts, account updates)
Send marketing communications (with your consent, you may opt out)
Respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
Analyze usage patterns to improve our Service
Detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, and security issues
Comply with legal obligations

4. AI Processing and Your Business Ideas

How We Process Your Ideas:

Your business ideas are sent to third-party AI providers (such as Google Gemini) for analysis
AI providers process your ideas to generate validation reports
We store your submitted ideas and generated reports in our database
Your ideas are associated with your account for your future reference

Important Disclosures:

We do NOT sell your business ideas to third parties
We do NOT use your ideas to train our own AI models
Third-party AI providers may have their own data retention policies
AI providers typically do not use API data for model training, but you should review their privacy policies
We cannot guarantee absolute confidentiality of ideas processed through third-party AI services

By using our Service, you acknowledge that your ideas will be processed by third-party AI systems and accept any associated risks.

5. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information with:

Service Providers: Third parties that help us operate our Service (hosting, analytics, payment processing, AI providers)
Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or government request
Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets
Protection: To protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property, or that of others

We do NOT sell your personal information to advertisers or data brokers.

6. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

Stripe - Payment processing (PCI-DSS compliant)
Supabase - Authentication and database hosting
Google (Gemini AI) - AI-powered idea analysis
Vercel - Website hosting and deployment
Resend - Transactional email delivery

These services have their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review them.

7. Data Security

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

Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
Secure password hashing
Access controls and authentication
Regular security reviews

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

8. Data Retention

We retain your data as follows:

Account data: Until you delete your account
Approval history: Until you delete your account or specific approvals
Payment records: As required by law (typically 7 years for tax purposes)
Server logs: Up to 90 days

After account deletion, we may retain anonymized data for analytics purposes.

9. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

Access: Request a copy of your personal data
Correction: Request correction of inaccurate data
Deletion: Request deletion of your account and data
Portability: Request export of your data in a portable format
Opt-out: Unsubscribe from marketing communications
Restriction: Request restriction of certain processing

To exercise these rights, contact us at the email below. We will respond within 30 days.

10. Cookies and Tracking

We use:

Essential cookies: Required for the Service to function (authentication, session management)
Analytics cookies: To understand how users interact with our Service

We do not use advertising cookies or sell data to advertisers. You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings.

11. International Data Transfers

Your data may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own, including the United States. These countries may have different data protection laws. By using our Service, you consent to such transfers. We take steps to ensure your data is treated securely regardless of location.

12. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately.

13. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act:

Right to know what personal information is collected, used, shared, or sold
Right to delete personal information
Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell your data)
Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights

14. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation, including:

Right to access, rectify, or erase your personal data
Right to restrict or object to processing
Right to data portability
Right to withdraw consent
Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

Our legal basis for processing includes: performance of contract, legitimate interests, and consent.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. For significant changes, we may also send an email notification. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

16. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at support@approveidea.com