We are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application, Dissonance. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use the App.
We reserve the right to make changes to this Privacy Policy at any time and for any reason. We will alert you about any changes by updating the "Last Updated" date of this Privacy Policy below. You are encouraged to periodically review this Privacy Policy to stay informed of updates. You will be deemed to have been made aware of, will be subject to, and will be deemed to have accepted the changes in any revised Privacy Policy by your continued use of the App after the date such revised Privacy Policy is posted.
1. Information We Process
When you use the Dissonance App, we process certain information. This includes:
A. Information You Provide to Us
The following information is collected only if you choose to register for an account:
Account Information: When you register for an account, we collect your email address, username and password. Your password is not stored in plain text; it is stored using a strong, one-way hashing algorithm. We also temporarily store codes related to email verification and password resets.
User-Generated Content: We collect the content you create within the App, including any comments you post on news articles and a record of the articles and comments you like. This information is linked to your user account.
User Preferences: We collect your preferred news sources and categories to personalize your "TruthFlow" feed.
B. Information Collected Automatically
Push Notification Tokens: If you grant permission, we collect a push notification token from your device. This token is provided by your device's operating system and Expo's services and allows us to send you notifications. It is not tied to your personal identity outside of the App.
Usage and Technical Data: We may collect limited technical data, such as your language preferences, to customize your experience. We also collect server logs, which may include your IP address, request details, and timestamps for debugging and security purposes.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
To Provide and Maintain the Service: To create and secure your account, authenticate you, and allow you to use the App's features, such as commenting and liking.
To Communicate With You: To send you essential transactional emails, such as account verification codes and password reset instructions.
To Personalize Your Experience: To display content in your preferred language, and tailor the "TruthFlow" feed to your interests based on your selected preferred sources and categories.
To Send Notifications: To send you push notifications about new content if you have opted-in to receive them.
For Safety and Security: To monitor for and prevent fraudulent or illegal activity and to debug and improve the stability of our App.
3. Disclosure of Your Information
We do not sell your personal data. We share information only in the limited circumstances described below with trusted third-party service providers who help us operate the App.
By Law or to Protect Rights: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect and defend our rights or property, or protect the personal safety of users of the App or the public.
Third-Party Service Providers: We share information with third-party services that perform essential functions on our behalf:
Brevo (Email Delivery): We use Brevo to send transactional emails for account verification and password resets. To do this, we share your email address and username with Brevo.
Hosting Providers: Our backend infrastructure is hosted by service providers who store the App's data, including your hashed password and email. We select these providers carefully and require them to maintain the confidentiality and security of the information they process on our behalf, using it only for the purposes for which it was disclosed.
Push Notification Service (Expo): Push notifications are delivered through Expo's notification service. We share your push notification token with this service to send you notifications.
Google (Gemini AI): To provide content analysis and identify potential contradictions, we send the public text of news articles to Google's Gemini AI models for processing. We do not send your personal account information to this service as part of the analysis.
With Your Consent: For any other purpose, if we have your explicit consent.
4. Security of Your Information
We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical security measures designed to protect your information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or destruction. This includes hashing passwords and using secure connections (HTTPS) for data transmission.
However, please be aware that no security system is impenetrable. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information, and any transmission of information is at your own risk.
5. Data Retention
User Account Data: We retain your account information (username, email, etc.) and your user-generated content (comments and likes) for as long as your account is active. If you choose to delete your account via the Settings page, this data will be permanently and irreversibly deleted from our systems.
News Items: To manage our database and focus on current events, we automatically delete news articles and their associated AI analysis data, likes, and comments from our servers after they are 7 days old.
6. Your Privacy Rights
If you have created an account with us, you have the following rights regarding your personal information, depending on your jurisdiction:
Access and Update: You can access and update your account information, such as your username and password, through the "Settings" page in the App.
Account Deletion: You can permanently delete your account at any time from the "Settings" page. This action is irreversible and will delete your account information and all associated content, such as your comments and likes.
Push Notifications: You can opt-out of receiving push notifications at any time by changing the notification settings on your mobile device.
To exercise other rights you may have under applicable law (such as objection to processing, restriction of processing, or data portability), please contact us using the details below.
7. Children's Privacy
The App is not directed to individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information (such as email addresses) from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us so we can promptly obtain parental consent or remove the information.
8. Links to Other Websites/Services
The App provides access to news articles from third-party sources and may include links from AI analysis. This Privacy Policy does not apply to these third-party sites or services. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.
9. Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at: