This policy explains what data Ask A Shop Owner ("we", "us"), based in North Carolina, United States, collects, why we collect it, and the choices you have. We aim for plain language.
1. What we collect
- Account data: name, email, password hash, business profile (trade, size, location).
- Usage data: questions you ask, messages, saved plays, feature interactions.
- Technical data: IP address, browser, device, timestamps for security and reliability.
- Communications: messages you send us through forms or email.
2. How we use it
- To operate the Service and respond to your questions.
- To improve answer quality and the curated corpus.
- To prevent abuse and secure the Service.
- To send transactional emails (account, security, product notices).
3. What we do not do
- We do not sell your data.
- We do not train third-party models on your conversations.
- We do not use your account data for advertising.
4. Service providers
We rely on trusted vendors for hosting, database, email delivery, and AI inference. These vendors process data on our behalf under contract and only as needed to provide the Service. We also share the data necessary to process payments (name, email, billing address, and transaction details) with Stripe, Inc., our payment processor. Stripe acts as an independent data controller for payments, subscription management, tax compliance, invoicing, and fraud prevention. See Stripe's Privacy Policy for details.
4a. Legal basis for processing
- Contract: to provide the Service you signed up for, including account management and support.
- Legitimate interests: to secure the Service, prevent abuse, improve answer quality, and operate our business.
- Legal obligation: to comply with tax, accounting, and other applicable laws (including payment records held by our payment processor).
- Consent: where required, for optional cookies or marketing communications. You can withdraw consent at any time.
5. Data retention
We keep account and conversation data while your account is active. You can request deletion at any time; some records may be retained briefly for legal or security reasons.
6. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, export, or delete your data. Contact us and we will respond within a reasonable period.
7. Security
We use industry standard safeguards including encryption in transit, encrypted storage, access controls, and audit logging. No system is perfectly secure; report any concerns to us.
8. Children
The Service is not intended for children under 16. Do not use it if you are under 16.
9. International transfers
We may process data in countries other than your own. Where required, we use appropriate safeguards for cross-border transfers.
10. Changes
We will notify you of material changes through the Service or by email.
11. Contact
Privacy questions go to our contact page.