Privacy Policy

1Information We Collect

1.1 Account Information

When you create an account, we collect:

• Name and email address (through Clerk authentication)
• Profile picture (optional)
• Account preferences and settings

1.2 Pod and Family Information

When you create or join a Pod, we collect:

• Pod name and member information
• Family member roles and permissions
• Display names and nicknames
• Adult/child status designations

1.3 Journal Content

We store all content you create in Sprout Diary, including:

• Journal entries and text content
• Custom templates you create
• Comments and interactions within your Pod

1.4 Images and Media

For Pro subscribers, we store:

• Images uploaded to journal entries
• Photos that may include family members, including children
• Media files associated with your journal content

1.5 Usage Information

We automatically collect:

• Device information (browser type, operating system)
• Usage patterns and feature interactions
• Error logs and performance data
• IP address and general location information
• Analytics data through Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity (see Section 9.3)

1.6 Payment Information

Subscription payments are processed by Clerk. We receive:

• Subscription status and plan information
• Payment success/failure notifications
• Billing period and renewal dates

Note: We do not store credit card numbers or payment details directly.

2How We Use Your Information

2.1 Service Provision

We use your information to:

• Provide and maintain Sprout Diary services
• Enable Pod creation and family journaling
• Store and display your journal content
• Process and display uploaded images
• Generate PDF exports of your journals

2.2 Account Management

We use your information to:

• Authenticate and authorize access
• Manage Pod memberships and permissions
• Process subscription changes
• Provide customer support

2.3 Service Improvement

We may use aggregated, non-personal information to:

• Analyze usage patterns and improve features
• Monitor service performance and reliability
• Develop new features and capabilities

2.4 Communications

We may use your contact information to:

• Send service-related notifications
• Provide customer support responses
• Send important updates about our service
• Process subscription and billing communications

3Information Sharing and Disclosure

3.1 Within Your Pod

Information is shared within your Pod as intended by the service design:

• Journal entries are visible to all Pod members
• Images are accessible to all Pod members
• Member names and roles are visible within the Pod

3.2 Service Providers

We share information with trusted service providers who help us operate Sprout Diary:

• Clerk: Authentication and subscription management
• Vercel: Hosting and image storage (Vercel Blob)
• Neon: Database hosting and management

3.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required by law or to:

• Comply with legal processes or government requests
• Protect our rights, property, or safety
• Protect the rights, property, or safety of our users
• Investigate potential violations of our Terms of Service

3.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to the same privacy protections.

4Data Security

4.1 Security Measures

We implement industry-standard security measures including:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest
• Secure authentication through Clerk
• Regular security audits and updates
• Access controls and monitoring

4.2 Image Security

Images uploaded to Sprout Diary are:

• Stored securely using Vercel Blob storage
• Accessible only to members of your Pod
• Protected by authentication and authorization controls
• Not used for any purpose outside of your journal

5Children's Privacy

5.1 COPPA Compliance

Sprout Diary is designed for family use and may be used by children under 13 with parental supervision. We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA):

• Pod administrators must be adults (18+)
• Children's use must be supervised by a parent or guardian
• We do not knowingly collect personal information from children without parental consent
• Parents can review and delete their children's information

5.2 Parental Rights

As a Pod administrator, you have the right to:

• Review all content created by children in your Pod
• Delete any content or images
• Control who can access your Pod
• Manage permissions for all Pod members
• Request deletion of your Pod and all associated data

6Your Rights and Choices

6.1 Access and Control

You have the right to:

• Access and review your personal information
• Update or correct your account information
• Delete journal entries and uploaded images
• Leave a Pod or delete your account

6.2 Data Portability

You can export your journal data through:

• PDF export feature (Pro subscribers)
• Requesting a data export from our support team

6.3 Account Deletion

You can delete your account at any time. Upon deletion:

• Your personal information will be removed
• Your journal entries may remain visible to other Pod members
• Images you uploaded will be deleted from our servers
• Some information may be retained for legal or operational purposes

7Data Retention

7.1 Active Accounts

We retain your information for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide our services.

7.2 Deleted Accounts

After account deletion, we may retain some information for:

• Legal compliance requirements
• Fraud prevention and security
• Backup and disaster recovery (up to 90 days)

7.3 Images and Media

Uploaded images are deleted when:

• You manually delete them from journal entries
• Your account is deleted
• Your Pod is deleted by the administrator

8International Data Transfers

Sprout Diary is hosted in the United States. If you are accessing our service from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for such transfers.

9Third-Party Services

9.1 Authentication (Clerk)

We use Clerk for authentication and subscription management. Clerk's privacy practices are governed by their own privacy policy.

9.2 Hosting and Storage

We use Vercel for hosting and image storage, and Neon for database services. These providers have their own privacy and security practices.

9.3 Analytics Services

We use the following analytics services to understand how users interact with Sprout Diary:

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to collect information about how visitors use our website. Google Analytics collects information such as how often users visit our site, what pages they visit, and what other sites they used prior to coming to our site. We use the information we get from Google Analytics to improve our site and services.

• Google Analytics uses cookies to collect this information
• The information generated is transmitted to and stored by Google
• Google may use this information to evaluate your use of our website
• To opt-out of Google Analytics, you can install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on

For more information on how Google uses data, please visit Google's Privacy Policy.

Microsoft Clarity

We use Microsoft Clarity to understand how users interact with our website through behavioral metrics, heatmaps, and session recordings. Clarity helps us improve the user experience by showing us how users navigate our site.

• Clarity collects information about device type, browser, and operating system
• It records mouse movements, clicks, and scrolls to create heatmaps
• Session recordings are anonymized and do not capture sensitive information
• Clarity uses cookies and similar technologies to collect this data

For more information, please visit Microsoft's Privacy Statementand Microsoft Clarity's Terms of Use.

Your Choices

You can control the use of cookies and tracking technologies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website.

10Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Posting the updated policy on our website
• Updating the "Last updated" date
• Sending email notifications for significant changes

11Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:

12State-Specific Rights

12.1 California Residents (CCPA)

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

• Right to know what personal information we collect
• Right to delete personal information
• Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights

12.2 European Residents (GDPR)

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

• Right of access to your personal data
• Right to rectification of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to object to processing