VenSync Privacy Policy

Last Updated: February 6, 2025

1. Introduction

VenSync ("we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application ("Service"). We adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), leveraging services compliant with these regulations, including Adalo for our database infrastructure.

Information We Collect

A) Personal Information:

1. From Users (Venues, Vendors):

• Name

• Email address

• Website

• Social media links

B) Special Categories of Data:

Vendor and Venue Specifics:

• Images and videos of vendors (food, menu, food truck)

• Vendor's food or music type

• Videos of music performances (musician(s))

• Pictures and videos of venue amenities (e.g., stage, food truck parking space)

• Venue’s name, address, category

• Food truck license plate number

C) Location Data: We collect location data via Google Maps API for real-time location services. This data is required to provide accurate search results within a specific radius, offer directions to venues, and notify venues of a vendor's arrival at events. Location data is used on a need-to-use basis and is not stored persistently unless necessary for the functionality of these services.

3) How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for:

1. Service Provision: Facilitating scheduling, event management, and communication.

2. Marketing and Communications: Sending opt-in marketing communications, which include our newsletter. This newsletter outlines new features, updates about new venues and vendors in your area, and other relevant information to enhance your experience with our platform.

3. Improvement of Service: Using standard analytics to understand user behavior, preferences, and feature requests to continually enhance the app. This includes analyzing:

1. User interactions with the app interface.

2. Feature usage patterns to prioritize development.

3. Feedback and suggestions from users to improve service quality

D) Security: Protecting against fraud, spam, and abuse.

E) Legal Compliance: Meeting legal obligations and resolving disputes.

4) Sharing Your Information

We may share your information with:

1. Service Providers: We might use additional analytical tools to further improve our services and user experience. These could include:

• Google Analytics for detailed traffic and user behavior insights.

• Facebook Pixel for tracking advertisement effectiveness and creating custom audiences.

• Hotjar for understanding user interactions through heatmaps and session replays.

• Mixpanel for in-depth user behavior analytics.

• Amplitude for product usage analysis.

• Segment for managing customer data across various platforms.

• Plausible Analytics or Matomo for privacy-compliant tracking.

• Fathom Analytics for lightweight privacy-focused analytics.

• Heap for capturing and analyzing user interactions without predefined events.

2. Data Collected: The specific data collected by these tools may include browsing behavior, device information, interaction patterns, and conversion data. All data collected by these services is used in accordance with their respective privacy policies, which are designed to comply with privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA.

3. Purpose: These tools help us understand how our services are used, improve our offerings, tailor marketing efforts, and enhance user experience.

4. Legal Requirements: In response to legal processes or to protect rights.

5. Business Transfers: In case of merger, acquisition, or asset sale.

6. Consent: With your explicit consent or where required by law.

5) Cookies

1. Usage: We use cookies to maintain user profiles, ensure you remain logged in, and enhance your experience by remembering your preferences and providing personalized content.

2. Cookie Types:

• Essential Cookies: Necessary for the operation of the app (e.g., session cookies for logging in).

• Analytical Cookies: Used to gather data on how users interact with our app to improve functionality.

• Marketing Cookies: Help us deliver relevant advertising by tracking user behavior within and outside the app.

3. Managing Cookies:
   

1. Current Limitation: At present, our app does not offer direct in-app controls for managing cookies. However, we are working on introducing these features soon.

2. Browser Controls: You can manage cookies through your device's web browser or mobile settings:

• To Block All Cookies: Adjust your browser or device settings to refuse all cookies. This might impact the usability of many apps, including ours.

• To Delete Existing Cookies: Clear cookies from your browser settings at any time, though this will log you out and might affect saved preferences.

Here's how to manage cookies in some common environments:

• Mobile Browsers:

• Safari on iOS: Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > Block All Cookies.

• Chrome on Android: Settings > Site settings > Cookies.

B) Web Browsers on Desktop:

• Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data.

• Firefox: Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data.

• Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Cookies and website data.

• Edge: Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Choose what to clear > Cookies and other site data.

• Third-Party Tools: If you've opted into services like Google Analytics or advertising features, you might visit their respective websites to opt out of their cookies:

• Future Update: We are actively developing in-app controls to manage cookie preferences, which will include options to opt-out of non-essential cookies and review your cookie settings. We aim to incorporate these features in an upcoming update. We will notify users once this functionality is available.

D) Privacy Notice: Blocking or deleting cookies might prevent you from using some parts of our service effectively or require you to log in more frequently. However, we understand the importance of user privacy and are committed to providing you with better control over your data.

6) User Consent for Media

1. Consent Mechanism: By uploading images or videos to our service, you acknowledge and agree to the following:

"By uploading this media, you grant VenSync permission to use, store, and share this content within the VenSync community in accordance with our Privacy Policy. This includes the use of your media for the purposes of marketing your public events or your venue within our platform and associated marketing channels. You confirm that you have the necessary rights to this content, including any copyrights or permissions from individuals depicted in the media, and that its use by VenSync will not infringe on any third-party rights."

2. Withdrawal of Consent:

• Right to Withdraw: You have the right to withdraw your consent for the use of your media at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

• Process to Withdraw: To withdraw consent, please:

• Contact us directly at [insert contact email] or through the "Contact Us" section of our app, specifying which media you wish to have removed or no longer used for marketing purposes.

• Use any in-app feature we may introduce in the future for managing or revoking media consent.

Upon receiving your withdrawal request, we will:

• Remove or Cease Use: We will promptly remove your media from our marketing materials and cease its use where possible. However, please note that:

• Public Sharing: If the media has been shared publicly or used in marketing before your withdrawal, it might not be possible to remove all instances due to the nature of online sharing.

• Archival or Backup Systems: We might not be able to erase media from backup systems immediately but will ensure it is not accessible or used in our live systems.

3. User Awareness:

• We encourage you to read this section carefully before uploading any media. This consent is part of our broader Privacy Policy, which is accessible from our app's settings or our website.

• Active Acknowledgment: Before uploading media, you might be asked to acknowledge or agree to these terms through a checkbox or button stating, "I have read and agree to the terms in the Privacy Policy regarding media uploads."

7) Your Rights Under GDPR and CCPA

GDPR Rights:

• Right to Access: Request information about your data.

• Right to Rectification: Correct inaccuracies in your data.

• Right to Erasure: Delete your personal data.

• Right to Restrict Processing: Limit how we process your data.

• Right to Data Portability: Get a copy of your data in a portable format.

• Right to Object: Object to data processing.

CCPA Rights:

• Right to Know: What personal information is collected.

• Right to Delete: Request deletion of your data.

• Right to Opt-Out of Sale: We do not sell data but provide this right.

• Right to Non-Discrimination: No discrimination for exercising your rights.

8) Data Security

1. Implementation of Security Measures: We employ specific security measures to protect your personal data, including:

• Access Controls: We implement strict access controls to ensure that only authorized personnel can access your data. This includes user authentication protocols and role-based access restrictions.

• Regular Audits: We conduct regular security audits to identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities. These audits help us maintain and improve our security posture over time.

• Firewalls and Network Security: We deploy firewalls and maintain robust network security configurations to protect against unauthorized access and cyber threats. These measures help in safeguarding the data flow between users, our app, and our databases.

2. Third-Party Hosting and Databases:

• Reliance on Third Parties: We utilize third-party services for hosting our app and databases. These partners are chosen based on their security practices, specifically in areas of access control, auditing, and network security.

• Due Diligence: We perform due diligence to ensure these third parties adhere to high security standards, including:

• Review of their security practices related to access controls, audits, and network security.

• Contractual obligations to maintain these aspects of data security and privacy.

3. Data Minimization: We only collect and retain data necessary for the purpose it was collected, reducing the risk of data breaches by limiting exposure.

4. Employee Training: Our employees are trained on security practices relevant to access control, regular audits, and network security, with regular updates to ensure adherence to our security standards.

5. Incident Response: We have an incident response plan focused on these security measures to react swiftly to any data security breach:

• Detection and Assessment: Immediate steps to detect and assess any breach, particularly focusing on unauthorized access attempts or network intrusions.

• Containment and Recovery: Actions to contain the breach, leveraging our access control systems and network security.

• Notification: We will notify affected users according to legal requirements if a breach occurs that poses a risk to their rights and freedoms.

6. Continuous Improvement: Security is an ongoing process. We continually assess and update our security measures and ensure our third-party providers do the same, focusing on access controls, audits, and network security enhancements.

7. Limitation of Liability: While we strive to protect your data through these measures, we rely on third-party services for critical operations, and no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security but commit to using these industry-standard practices and ensuring our partners do the same to safeguard your information.

8. User Responsibilities: We also encourage you to protect your account by using strong, unique passwords and not sharing your login details.

9) Data Retention

1. Retention Policy: We retain your personal data only for as long as you have an active account with us. Once you delete your account, we will:

• Initiate Data Deletion: Begin the process to erase your personal data from our active systems.

• Completion of Deletion: Aim to complete the deletion within a reasonable timeframe after your request, ensuring no personal data is retained beyond this point unless required by law.

2. Legal Requirements: In some cases, we might be legally obligated to retain certain data for a longer period, such as:

• For compliance with legal, tax, or regulatory obligations.

• To resolve disputes or enforce our agreements.

3. Backup Systems: Please note that while we strive to remove your data from live systems upon account deletion, data might remain in backup systems for a short period. However, this data is not accessible for use and will be automatically purged according to our backup retention schedule.

10) International Data Transfers

1. Data Storage: Your data is stored in databases managed by Adalo, which are compliant with GDPR and CCPA.

2. No Intentional Transfers: We do not knowingly transmit or transfer your personal data outside of the jurisdiction where our hosting services are located, which currently complies with GDPR and CCPA standards.

11) Children's Privacy

1. Age Restriction: Our Service is not intended for, and is not directed at, individuals under the age of 18. We prohibit users under 18 from registering for or using our service.

2. No Data Collection: We do not knowingly collect, use, or disclose personal information from individuals under 18 years of age. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete that information as quickly as possible.

3. Parental Notification and Deletion: If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at [insert your contact email]. We will take immediate steps to remove such information from our records.

4. Age Verification: We may use reasonable methods to verify the age of users during registration or through periodic checks to ensure compliance with our age policy. However, no age verification system is foolproof, and we rely on users to provide accurate information.

5. Educational Outreach: We encourage parents to discuss the importance of online privacy and safety with their children, teaching them not to provide personal information over the internet without permission.

12) Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify users of any changes by updating the 'Last updated' date of the policy and by sending an email or providing an in-app notification if the changes are significant. You can find the latest privacy policy on the privacy policy page on our website (www.vensync.app).

13) Contact Us

For privacy concerns, data access, rectification, or deletion, contact us at vensyncapp@gmail.com.

14) Data Breach Notification

1. Notification Method: In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you via the email address you used to register your account.

2. Timeliness: Under GDPR, we are committed to notifying you of a data breach without undue delay and, where feasible, within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach, unless the breach is unlikely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms.

3. Content of Notification: The notification will include:

• Details of the breach, including when it occurred and what data was compromised.

• Steps we are taking to mitigate the breach's impact.

• Recommendations on how you can protect yourself, such as changing passwords or monitoring account activity.

4. Additional Communication Channels: Should the email notification fail or if we believe the breach represents a significant risk, we may also consider:

• Posting a notice on our website or within our app.

• Utilizing in-app notifications if available.

• Contacting you through any alternative contact information you might have provided (if applicable).

5. Legal Compliance: Our notification procedures are designed to comply with GDPR, which requires notification unless the breach is unlikely to result in a risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals.

6. User Responsibility: We encourage users to keep their contact information up-to-date to ensure they receive important notifications like these.

15) Data Access, Deletion, and Management

1. Data Access Requests:

1. Verification: We will verify your identity using the email associated with your account or other personal identifiers.

2. Process: Upon verification, we will provide you with a detailed report of your data in our system within one month, as stipulated by GDPR.

2. B) Data Deletion Process:

1. Request: Users can request data deletion via email or through an in-app feature once developed.

2. Verification: We verify identity to ensure the request is legitimate.

3. Execution: We will delete all personal data from our live systems and ensure no backups or archives retain your data post-deletion unless legally required. We'll confirm deletion via email.