Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

1.1. About This Policy

This Privacy Policy ("Policy") describes how StockRecommender.com ("we", "us", "our", or "the Service") collects, uses, processes, and protects your personal information when you use our stock analysis and investment research platform.

1.2. Your Consent

By creating an account, using our Service, or otherwise providing information to us, you agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with this Policy, please do not use our Service.

1.3. Scope

This Policy applies to all users of StockRecommender.com, including:

• Free trial users
• Paid subscribers
• Beta testers
• Visitors to our website

1.4. Definitions

"Personal Data" or "Personal Information" means any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual, including but not limited to name, email address, financial preferences, and usage data.

2. Personal Data We Collect

2.1. Account Information

When you create an account with us, we collect:

• Email address
• Password (securely stored via Firebase Authentication)
• Display name
• Profile photo (if provided via Google OAuth)
• Unique user identifier (Firebase UID)
• Email verification status

2.2. Subscription and Payment Information

When you subscribe to our paid service, we collect:

• Subscription tier (Free Trial, Basic, Premium)
• Subscription status and dates (trial start/end, billing period)
• Payment processing information via Stripe (we do NOT store credit card details directly; Stripe handles all payment data securely)
• Stripe customer ID and subscription ID
• Beta access codes (if applicable)

2.3. Financial Research Data

To provide our investment research services, we collect and store:

• Watchlist data: Stock tickers you're monitoring, target prices, notes, position sizes, and average costs
• Price alerts: Stock tickers, alert types (price thresholds, percentage changes), and alert preferences
• Saved valuations: Stock tickers analyzed, valuation methods used, calculation inputs, fair value results, and your notes
• Portfolio information: Investment goals, initial/monthly contribution amounts, time horizon, risk tolerance, stock holdings, target allocations, and transaction history (buy/sell/dividend records)

2.4. Learning and Engagement Data

When you use our Academy educational content, we collect:

• Topics and articles viewed
• Progress completion percentages
• Time spent on educational content
• Quiz attempts, scores, and answers
• Achievement badges earned
• Last access timestamps

2.5. Usage and Technical Information

We automatically collect:

• Stock search queries (stored locally in your browser only)
• Recent stock searches (stored in browser local storage, not on our servers)
• Last login timestamp
• IP address and user agent (only when activating beta access codes for fraud prevention)
• API request logs for debugging purposes (does not include sensitive personal data)

2.6. Communications

We retain records of:

• Emails sent to you (welcome, trial confirmation, payment confirmation, cancellation notices)
• Support inquiries you send to us
• Feedback and survey responses (if provided)

3. How We Collect Your Information

We collect personal information from the following sources:

3.1. Directly From You

• Information you provide when signing up for an account
• Data you enter when using our watchlist, portfolio builder, and valuation tools
• Preferences you set in your account settings
• Feedback or support requests you submit

3.2. Automatically Through Your Use of the Service

• Login activity and timestamps
• Feature usage patterns (which tools you use most)
• Educational content completion

3.3. From Third-Party Authentication Providers

• Google: (if you sign in with Google OAuth): email, name, profile photo
• Firebase Authentication: user identity verification data

3.4. From Payment Processors

• Stripe: Payment status, subscription events, customer ID

4. How We Use Your Personal Data

4.1. To Provide Our Services

We use your personal data to:

• Create and maintain your account
• Authenticate your identity and manage login sessions
• Provide stock analysis, valuations, and AI-powered investment research
• Store and retrieve your watchlists, portfolios, and saved valuations
• Send price alerts (when implemented)
• Track your learning progress in our Academy
• Process your subscription payments and manage billing

4.2. To Communicate With You

We use your email address to:

• Send welcome emails and onboarding information
• Confirm your free trial activation
• Send payment confirmations and receipts
• Notify you of subscription changes or cancellations
• Respond to support inquiries
• Send service announcements and important updates

You can opt out of non-essential emails by updating your email notification preferences in your account settings.

4.3. To Improve Our Service

We may use aggregated, anonymized data to:

• Understand how users interact with our features
• Identify popular stocks and investment topics
• Improve our AI analysis algorithms
• Debug technical issues and optimize performance

4.4. To Prevent Fraud and Ensure Security

We use your data to:

• Prevent trial abuse through email normalization and IP tracking (beta codes only)
• Detect unauthorized access or suspicious activity
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service

4.5. Legal and Compliance Purposes

We may process your data to:

• Comply with applicable laws, regulations, or legal processes
• Respond to lawful requests from government authorities
• Protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property
• Enforce our agreements and policies

5. How We Share Your Personal Data

We do NOT sell your personal information to third parties. We only share your data in the following limited circumstances:

5.1. Third-Party Service Providers

We share necessary information with trusted service providers who help us operate our business:

5.2. Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government regulation, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to:

• Comply with legal obligations
• Protect our rights or property
• Prevent fraud or security threats
• Protect the safety of our users or the public

5.3. Business Transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your personal information may be transferred to the acquiring entity. We will notify you of any such change via email or prominent notice on our website.

5.4. With Your Consent

We may share your information for other purposes with your explicit consent.

6. Data Retention

6.1. Active Account Data

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our Service.

6.2. Specific Retention Periods

• Cached stock data: Auto-deletes after 5 minutes to 7 days (depending on data type)
• AI analysis cache: Auto-deletes after 7 days
• Email records: Subject to Resend's retention policy (typically 30-90 days)
• Payment records: Subject to Stripe's retention requirements for tax and compliance (typically 7 years)

6.3. Account Deletion

When you delete your account, we permanently delete:

• Your account information (email, name, photo)
• All watchlists and price alerts
• All saved valuations
• All portfolios, holdings, and transaction history
• All Academy progress and achievements
• All beta access code associations

This deletion is irreversible and occurs immediately upon account deletion. Some data may persist in backups for up to 90 days before being permanently purged.

6.4. Legal Obligations

We may retain certain data for longer periods if required by law, for tax purposes, to resolve disputes, or to enforce our agreements.

7. Your Privacy Rights

7.1. Access Your Data

You can access most of your personal data by logging into your account and viewing your:

• Profile settings
• Watchlists and portfolios
• Subscription details
• Academy progress

7.2. Correct Your Data

You can update or correct your personal information at any time:

• Update display name, profile photo, and preferences in account settings
• Edit watchlists, portfolios, and saved valuations directly in the app

If you need assistance updating your data, contact us at stockvaluation01@gmail.com.

7.3. Delete Your Data

You have the right to delete your account and all associated data:

• Go to Settings → Delete Account
• Confirm deletion (this action is irreversible)
• All your data will be permanently deleted as described in Section 6.3

7.4. Export Your Data

Currently, we do not offer an automated data export feature. If you would like a copy of your personal data, please contact us at stockvaluation01@gmail.com, and we will provide it in a commonly used electronic format within 30 days.

7.5. Opt-Out of Marketing Emails

You can opt out of non-essential emails by:

• Clicking "Unsubscribe" in any marketing email
• Updating email notification preferences in your account settings

Note: We will still send you essential transactional emails (e.g., payment confirmations, security alerts) even if you opt out of marketing.

7.6. Withdraw Consent

You may withdraw your consent to our processing of your personal data at any time by:

• Deleting your account
• Contacting us at stockvaluation01@gmail.com

Note: Withdrawing consent may prevent us from providing our Service to you and may result in account termination.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

8.1. What Cookies We Use

Our Service uses minimal cookies for essential functionality:

• Authentication cookies: To keep you logged in and manage your session
• Local storage: To store recent stock searches in your browser (not transmitted to our servers)

8.2. What We DO NOT Use

We do NOT currently use:

• Third-party analytics cookies (e.g., Google Analytics)
• Advertising or tracking cookies
• Cross-site tracking technologies

8.3. Managing Cookies

You can control cookies through your browser settings:

• Block all cookies (may prevent you from using certain features)
• Delete existing cookies
• Receive warnings before cookies are stored

Note: Blocking essential cookies may prevent you from logging in or using our Service.

9. Data Security

9.1. Security Measures We Implement

We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement industry-standard measures:

• Encryption in transit: All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using HTTPS/SSL
• Secure authentication: Passwords are securely hashed and never stored in plain text (managed by Firebase)
• JWT tokens: Short-lived access tokens (30-minute expiration) for API authentication
• Access controls: Strict authorization checks ensure users can only access their own data
• Secure hosting: Data stored on Google Cloud Platform with enterprise-grade security
• Regular security updates: Dependencies and infrastructure are regularly updated

9.2. Payment Security

We use Stripe for payment processing. We do NOT store your credit card details on our servers. All payment information is handled directly by Stripe in compliance with PCI-DSS standards.

9.3. Your Responsibility

You are responsible for:

• Keeping your password confidential
• Logging out of shared devices
• Notifying us immediately of any unauthorized account access at stockvaluation01@gmail.com

9.4. No Guarantee

While we implement strong security measures, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

10. International Data Transfers

10.1. Where Your Data is Stored

Your personal data is stored and processed on servers located in:

• United States (Google Cloud Platform - us-central1 region)
• Firebase servers (may be stored in multiple regions globally)

10.2. Third-Party Transfers

Some of our service providers (Stripe, Resend, Firebase, OpenAI, Grok) may store or process your data in countries outside your residence. By using our Service, you consent to such international transfers.

10.3. Data Protection Standards

When we transfer data internationally, we ensure that:

• Service providers comply with applicable data protection laws
• Appropriate safeguards are in place (e.g., Standard Contractual Clauses, Privacy Shield frameworks where applicable)

11. Children's Privacy

11.1. Age Restriction

Our Service is NOT intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18.

11.2. Parental Notice

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at stockvaluation01@gmail.com, and we will delete such information.

12. Third-Party Links and Services

12.1. External Links

Our Service may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., news sources, stock exchanges). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

12.2. Third-Party Services

Our Service integrates with third-party services (Firebase, Stripe, etc.) as described in Section 5.1. Each service has its own privacy policy that governs their use of your data.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

13.1. Right to Modify

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors.

13.2. Notice of Changes

When we make material changes to this Policy, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
• Notify you via email (if you have an account with us)
• Display a prominent notice on our website

13.3. Continued Use

Your continued use of our Service after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the changes, you must stop using the Service and delete your account.

14. Contact Information

14.1. Privacy Inquiries

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

14.2. Response Time

We aim to respond to all privacy inquiries within 30 business days.

14.3. Data Protection Requests

For data access, correction, export, or deletion requests, please include:

• Your registered email address
• Specific details of your request
• Any supporting documentation (if applicable)