Privacy Policy

Politely Privacy Policy

Effective Date: January 1, 2026

At Politely, feedback is meant to be easy to give, constructive to receive, and respectful of your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have.

1. Information We Collect

a. Information You Provide

• Account details: Name, email, and/or phone number if you create an account.

• Profile details: Screen name, avatar, and other optional profile information. Your screen name, not your real name or contact details, is what businesses see by default.

• Feedback: The content you share about businesses, places, or products, including any photos, videos, or attachments you choose to upload.

• Support inquiries: Any messages or attachments you send to our support team.

b. Information We Collect Automatically

• Usage data: How you interact with the app (e.g., taps, screens viewed, features used, time spent).

• Device data: IP address, device identifiers, browser type, operating system, app version, and similar technical information.

• Location data: If you enable location services, we may collect approximate or precise location to suggest nearby businesses and improve your in-app experience. You can control this through your device settings.

c. Information Processed by AI Services

To provide AI-powered moderation, tone adjustment, and analytics, the content of your feedback may be sent to third-party AI providers acting on our behalf. These providers process the text (and, where applicable, related metadata) only to deliver the services we describe here.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Operate and improve Politely: Run the app, personalize your experience, and develop new features.

• Deliver your feedback to businesses: Send your feedback privately to the business you select, typically associated with your screen name rather than your real identity, unless you choose otherwise.

• Provide AI moderation and insights: Help rewrite feedback for tone and clarity, detect abusive content, and surface trends and analytics to businesses in aggregate or de‑identified form.

• Communicate with you: Send you confirmations, updates, security alerts, and support responses. You can opt out of non-essential emails.

• Maintain safety and integrity: Prevent abuse, detect fraud, and enforce our Terms of Service.

• Analyze and improve the service: Use aggregated and de‑identified data to understand how Politely is used and to improve performance, reliability, and product decisions.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

3. How We Share Your Information

We only share your information in the following situations:

• With businesses (when you submit feedback):
  When you choose to submit feedback to a business, we share the feedback content and your chosen identity (for example, your screen name and avatar) with that business. By default, we do not share your real name, email, or phone number, unless you explicitly choose to include or reveal this information in your feedback.[3][1]

• With service providers:
  We work with trusted third-party companies to help operate Politely, such as cloud hosting, email delivery, analytics, and AI moderation providers. They may process your information on our behalf and only according to our instructions.

• For legal and safety reasons:
  We may disclose information if we believe it is reasonably necessary to:

  • Comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, or government requests.

  • Protect the rights, property, or safety of Politely, our users, businesses, or the public.

• In the event of a business transaction:
  If Politely is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Privacy Policy.

Politely does not have a friend feed or public feed feature, and your feedback is not posted publicly through the app. Feedback is private by default and is shared directly with the business you select.

4. Your Choices and Controls

You have control over how your information is used and displayed:

• Profile and identity:

  • You can edit your screen name, avatar, and certain profile details at any time.

  • By default, businesses see your screen name, not your real name or contact information. If you choose to share your real identity in your feedback content, that is under your control.

• Feedback management:

  • You can view your past feedback within the app.

  • You may delete specific feedback from your account; in some cases, a copy may remain in business records or backups where required for legitimate business, legal, or security reasons, but it will no longer appear in your account.

• Account deletion:

  • You can request deletion of your account at any time from within the app or by contacting us.[1]

  • After account deletion, we may retain limited information as required by law, for security purposes, or in aggregated/de‑identified form.

• Location settings:

  • You can enable or disable location services at the device level. Some features (like showing nearby businesses) may not work fully if location is disabled.

• Email preferences:

  • You can unsubscribe from non-essential marketing or update emails at any time by using the link in the email or your account settings. We may still send you important transactional or security messages.

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5. Data Security

We use industry-standard technical and organizational measures to help protect your information, including encryption in transit and restricted access to personal data. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to safeguarding your information and continually improving our protections.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the service, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

Where possible, we use aggregation or de‑identification so that information can no longer be linked to you personally when used for analytics and product improvement.

7. Children’s Privacy

Politely is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can take appropriate steps to delete it.

8. International Use

Politely may be used in different regions, and your information may be processed and stored in the United States or other countries where we or our service providers operate. These locations may have data protection laws that differ from those in your country. Where required, we take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, or legal requirements. If we make significant changes, we will notify you through the app, by email, or by posting an updated policy with a new effective date. Your continued use of Politely after any changes means you accept the updated policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, or if you wish to exercise any of your privacy rights, you can contact us at hello@politely.app.