Privacy Policy

Your privacy is important to us. This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.

Last updated: December 15, 2024

Privacy at a Glance

Secure by Design

Your data is encrypted and stored securely using industry best practices.

Your Control

You can access, modify, or delete your personal data at any time.

GDPR Compliant

We comply with global privacy regulations including GDPR and CCPA.

Information We Collect

Personal Information

Name and email address when you create an account
Profile information you choose to provide
Payment information for subscription services (processed securely by Stripe)
Communication preferences and settings

Plant Data

Photos you upload for plant identification
Plant collection information and care schedules
Care reminders and notifications settings
Plant health tracking data you input

Usage Information

How you interact with our platform
Features you use and frequency of use
Device information and browser type
IP address and general location (city/region level)

How We Use Your Information

Core Services

Provide plant identification and care recommendations
Maintain your plant collection and care schedules
Send care reminders and notifications
Process payments and manage subscriptions

Platform Improvement

Improve our AI identification accuracy
Develop new features and services
Analyze usage patterns to enhance user experience
Conduct research to expand our plant database

Communication

Send important service updates and notifications
Provide customer support and respond to inquiries
Share educational content about plant care (if opted in)
Send promotional materials (with your consent)

Information Sharing and Disclosure

Service Providers

We work with trusted third-party service providers to operate our platform:

Stripe: Payment processing (they never see your plant data)
Plant.id & Perenual: Plant identification and information APIs
Cloud Infrastructure: Secure hosting and data storage
Analytics Services: Anonymous usage analytics to improve our service

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, such as to comply with a subpoena or similar legal process, or to protect our rights and safety.

What We Don't Do

We never sell your personal information to third parties
We don't share your plant photos without explicit consent
We don't use your data for advertising outside our platform
We don't track you across other websites

Data Security and Storage

Security Measures

All data transmitted is encrypted using industry-standard SSL/TLS
Passwords are hashed and salted using secure algorithms
Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
Access controls and authentication for all systems
Regular backups with encryption at rest

Data Retention

Account information: Retained while your account is active
Plant photos: Deleted after identification unless saved to your collection
Usage analytics: Anonymized and retained for up to 2 years
Communication records: Retained for 1 year for support purposes

Your Rights and Choices

Account Control

Update your personal information at any time in account settings
Download all your data in a portable format
Delete your account and all associated data
Opt out of promotional communications

GDPR Rights (EU Residents)

Right to access your personal data
Right to rectification of inaccurate data
Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
Right to data portability
Right to object to processing
Right to withdraw consent at any time

California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

Right to know what personal information is collected
Right to delete personal information
Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information
Right to non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights

Cookies and Tracking

Essential Cookies

We use cookies that are necessary for the platform to function:

Authentication and session management
Security and fraud prevention
Remembering your preferences and settings

Analytics Cookies

With your consent, we use cookies to understand how you use our platform:

Anonymous usage statistics
Performance monitoring
Feature usage analytics

You can control cookie settings through your browser, but disabling essential cookies may affect platform functionality.

Children's Privacy

Our platform is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.

If we discover that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will delete such information from our systems promptly.

International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data according to this privacy policy.

For EU residents, we use Standard Contractual Clauses and other approved transfer mechanisms to ensure your data receives adequate protection.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. We will notify you of any material changes by:

Posting the updated policy on our website
Sending you an email notification
Displaying a prominent notice on our platform

Your continued use of our platform after the effective date of the revised policy constitutes acceptance of the changes.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Email: privacy@botanicbuddy.com

Address: BotanicBuddy Privacy Office, 123 Green Street, Plant City, PC 12345, United States

Data Protection Officer: dpo@botanicbuddy.com

For EU residents, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe we have not addressed your concerns adequately.

BotanicBuddy