Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

ChorePulse ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy and the privacy of your children. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our family organization platform.

We take children's privacy seriously and comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and other applicable privacy laws.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

• Family Member Information: Names, roles (parent/child/admin), and assigned colors
• Avatar Selection: Emoji avatars chosen by users (no photo uploads required for profiles)
• Contact Information: Email addresses (optional, for parents only)
• Authentication: 4-digit PINs for secure access
• Task Information: Chore descriptions, schedules, and completion records
• Task Completion Photos: Optional photos uploaded when completing tasks (can be reviewed/deleted by parents)
• Points and Rewards: Points earned and reward redemptions

2.2 Information We Do NOT Collect

• User photographs or profile pictures
• Social Security Numbers or government IDs
• Precise geolocation data
• Children's email addresses
• Biometric information
• Personal information from children without parental consent

2.3 Automatically Collected Information

• Usage data (task completion times, login frequency)
• Device information (browser type, operating system)
• IP addresses (for security purposes only)

4. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information to:

• Provide and maintain the chore management service
• Track task completion and award points
• Send optional email invitations and notifications
• Display family calendar events (with your permission)
• Generate progress reports and analytics
• Improve app functionality and user experience
• Ensure security and prevent fraud
• Display relevant advertisements (Google Ads and other ad networks)
• Provide personalized product recommendations through affiliate partnerships
• Create anonymized, aggregated data for research and market analysis

5. Data Storage and Security

5.1 Security Measures

• Encryption: All data transmitted is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS
• Secure Storage: Data stored in Supabase with industry-standard security
• PIN Protection: User PINs are hashed and never stored in plain text
• Access Controls: Role-based access ensures only authorized users can view data
• Regular Backups: Automatic backups to prevent data loss

5.2 Data Retention

We retain your data as long as your account is active. When you delete your account or a family member, all associated data is permanently deleted within 30 days. You can request immediate deletion by contacting us.

6. Data Sharing and Disclosure

6.1 Personal Information Protection

We will NEVER sell, rent, or trade your personally identifiable information or your children's personally identifiable information to third parties. This includes names, email addresses, photos, PINs, or any data that could identify you or your family.

6.2 Anonymized Data Sales

We may sell or share anonymized, aggregated data that cannot be linked back to you or your family. This data helps researchers, businesses, and organizations understand family organization trends. Anonymized data includes:

• General usage statistics (e.g., "30% of families complete chores on weekends")
• Aggregated behavioral patterns (e.g., "Average family has 3.2 members")
• Anonymized demographic data (e.g., "Families with children aged 6-12 prefer reward-based systems")

Important: This data is stripped of all personally identifiable information through industry-standard anonymization techniques. Individual families cannot be identified from this data.

COPPA Compliance: We do NOT include children's personal information in any data sales, even in anonymized form. Only aggregated, non-identifiable family usage patterns may be included.

6.3 Advertising and Marketing Partners

We display advertisements through third-party ad networks including:

• Google Ads (AdSense): Google may use cookies and web beacons to display targeted ads based on your browsing behavior across websites. See Google's Privacy Policy for details.
• Other Ad Networks: We may partner with additional ad networks that follow industry-standard privacy practices

You can opt out of personalized advertising through:

• Google Ads Settings: google.com/settings/ads
• Network Advertising Initiative: optout.networkadvertising.org
• Your browser's "Do Not Track" settings

6.4 Affiliate Partnerships & Disclosures

Our website contains affiliate links to products and services we recommend. When you click these links and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. This helps support the development and maintenance of ChorePulse.

FTC Disclosure: We only recommend products we believe will benefit families. Affiliate relationships do not influence our editorial content or reviews. All opinions are our own.

Current affiliate partnerships may include: Amazon Associates, meal kit services, organizational products, and family-friendly apps.

6.5 Limited Sharing for Service Delivery

We share personal information only in these limited circumstances:

• Service Providers: Trusted third-party services (Supabase for database hosting, Stripe/PayPal for payments, Resend for email delivery) who assist in operating our app under strict confidentiality agreements
• Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or to protect rights and safety
• With Your Consent: When you explicitly authorize sharing
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, user data may be transferred (you will be notified)

7. Third-Party Services

7.1 Google Calendar Integration (Optional)

If you choose to connect your Google Calendar, we access your calendar data with read-only permissions to display events on your family wall. We do not modify or store your Google Calendar data permanently. You can disconnect at any time.

7.2 Payment Processors

• Stripe: Payment processing for subscriptions (PCI DSS compliant)
• PayPal: Alternative payment method (PCI DSS compliant)

Payment processors collect payment information directly. We do not store full credit card numbers on our servers.

7.3 Advertising Services

• Google AdSense: Serves ads on our website and may use cookies for ad targeting
• Google Analytics: Tracks website usage and visitor behavior (anonymized IP addresses)

7.4 Email Service Provider

Resend: We use Resend to send transactional emails including welcome emails, password resets, and optional marketing communications.

Email Engagement Tracking: When we send you emails, we may track whether you:

• Open emails: We use tracking pixels to know if an email was opened
• Click links: We track which links you click to understand engagement

We use this information to:

• Improve our email content and timing
• Identify engaged leads for our drip campaign
• Measure the effectiveness of our communications
• Personalize future email content based on your interests

Opting Out: You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the unsubscribe link at the bottom of each email. Transactional emails (password resets, account notifications) cannot be disabled as they are essential to the service.

7.5 Infrastructure Providers

• Supabase: Database and authentication services (GDPR compliant)
• Vercel: Application hosting (SOC 2 Type II certified)

10. International Users

If you are accessing our service from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where our servers are located.

We comply with applicable data protection laws including GDPR (Europe) and CCPA (California).

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. We will notify you of significant changes via email (if provided) or by displaying a notice in the app. Your continued use of the service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.