Pollchat (we,us, or our) is committed to transparency and protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and share information when you use our mobile app. By using the Pollchat app, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy should be read in conjunction with our Terms of Service.The Terms of Service outline your rights and obligations while using the Pollchat app, and together with this Privacy Policy, govern your access to and use of our services.

Pollchat does not, and will never, sell your personal information to third parties.

Pollchat is not affiliated with any school or education institution, and Pollchat will never disclose your identity or anonymous posts unless required by law or to law enforcement to ensure the safety of our communities.

1. Account Creation and Verification

When creating a Pollchat account, you’ll need to verify your phone number through a verification code and upload your contacts. During this process, we receive confirmation that you’ve successfully signed in and verified your community, which also confirms your association with the correct community.

You can invite friends to join Pollchat by sending them a text message with a link to install the app. The invitation may include your communities name and the name of your contact. We do not automatically send messages to your friends on your behalf. Instead, you have to send the message yourself. This means you are always in control of what messages get sent to your friends.

2. Content Creation and Public Sharing

When you interact with the Pollchat app, we collect the information and content you create. For example, we collect poll data and metadata regarding such polls that may collect the identity of the user and any users that participate with. All polls are public and are publicly displayed in each community. They may be viewed, shared and modified by our users, us and others for commercial or personal purposes (consistent with the rights and licenses in our Terms of Use).

Please keep in mind that if you include information that could identify you in the text of a poll, people who see it may determine your identity. As with any text or message that you send via any service, the recipient or member in the same community might share your poll publicly via a screenshot or screen recording.

Pollchat has no obligation to keep private any information that you disclose to other users or the public using these functions. You should exercise caution when deciding to publish or disclose any information, including personal Information through the use of these tools or functions. We strongly recommend that you do not post any information through the Services that allow individuals to identify or locate you or that you otherwise do not want to share with the public.

We strongly urge you to only share information you are comfortable with making public or saying directly to someone in person – otherwise do not post it. Do not post phone numbers or addresses.

3. Location Data

Before creating an account on Pollchat, you have the option to give Pollchat access to your approximate location data. Not providing this information will prevent you from using the Services. We will use your approximate location to suggest nearby to join and to determine if Pollchat is available in your area.

Your approximate location data is not stored or linked to your identity, and we do not track your location after your account is created.

If you choose to change your community, we will request your location again to verify you belong to that new community.

4. Device and App Activity Data

When you use Pollchat, we automatically collect certain information about your device (such as the type of device, operating system, IP address, and unique identifiers) and how you interact with Pollchat (such as the actions you take and how long you use the app). We use this information to improve Pollchat, create new features, and keep our systems secure.

5. Data Sharing Practices

Pollchat does not sell, rent, or lease your data. However, we may disclose it to the following third parties:

• Service Providers - such as hosting services, customer support services, and analytics services.
• Professional Advisors - such as lawyers and accountants.
• Business Transaction Recipients - including counterparties and others assisting with a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, bankruptcy, receivership, dissolution, asset sale, or similar transaction involving our business.
• Legal and Safety - government authorities or regulators or other third parties where required by law or legal process or to protect Pollchat, users, or other third parties rights and safety.

6. Other Collected Information

We gather information about how you use Pollchat, including access times, poll posts, and device information (e.g., model, OS). This information helps us improve and personalize Pollchat’s services and ensure user safety.

Usage Information: We collect information about your use of the Services, including access times, pages and posts viewed, user and poll interactions and other information about your interactions with us, the Services and other users. We use this information to, among other things, personalize your experience, provide and improve the Services, and monitor and analyze use of the Services.

Device Information: We collect information about the device you use to access our Services, which may include the hardware model, operating system and version, browser type and language, unique device identifiers and mobile network information. Among other things, we use this information to customize the Service for your device, to provide customer service and support, to deliver the products and services you request, to deliver notifications, for user safety, and for analytics and authentication.

Information Collected by Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies:Like most websites and applications, we and our service providers use cookies, web beacons and other technologies to collect information. Cookies are small data files stored on your hard drive or in device memory that help us and our service providers to, among other things, improve our Services and your experience by seeing which areas and features of our Services are popular.

Log Information: We collect information in our log files when you use the Services. This includes, among other things, your browser and device type, language, access times, pages viewed, your IP address, and the URL you visited before navigating to our websites. We use log information to provide, understand, and improve our Services.

7. Information Shared Outside of Pollchat

When you use the Services, certain information may be shared with other users and the public. For example:

• Any poll posted to the Services is public and, as a result, others may be see the text contents of your post, and the community in which you posted your poll.
• If you invite others to try Pollchat via SMS, email or otherwise, those individuals may see your name, phone number, email address or other contact information associated with the invites.

We may also share information as follows or as otherwise described in this Privacy Policy:

• With vendors, consultants and other service providers who need access to such information to carry out work on our behalf;
• If we believe your actions are inconsistent with our user agreements or policies, or to protect the rights, property and safety of Pollchat or others;
• In connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing or acquisition of all or a portion of our business by another company;
• Between and among Pollchat, and its current and future parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, and other companies under common control and ownership;
• In order to comply with a law, regulation, legal process, governmental request or law enforcement action, the compliance of which is either legally required or, at Pollchat’s discretion, to law enforcement to ensure the safety of our communities.

We may also share aggregated or de-identified information, which cannot reasonably be used to identify you.

8. External Sharing and Social Features

When using Pollchat’s social sharing features (such as inviting friends), you may share information with your friends (such as your phone number or email address).

When you use the Services, certain information may also be shared with other users and the public. For example:

• Any poll posted to the Services is public and, as a result, others may see the text contents of your post and the community in which you posted your message. Deleting a poll does not guarantee that it was not saved by another member in the community or that has access to the community.
• If you invite others to try Pollchat via SMS, email or otherwise, those individuals may see your name, phone number or other contact information.

9. Account Management and Content Deletion

Deleting Content: Your content remains public, so long as you or we do not delete them from the Services. You may choose to delete your individual polls at any time, and we will then remove them from the Services. However, it is important to note that your deleted posts may remain in storage in our systems until they are no longer deemed necessary for legal, business, safety, or system backup reasons, and they may remain accessible in cached and archived pages of the Services or elsewhere if others have chosen to copy or save them.

Deleting Your Account: If you wish to delete your account, you can click the ‘delete my account’ button in settings from inside the application. You can also delete your account by emailing help@poll.chat, but note that we may retain certain information as required by law, for legitimate business purposes or for the safety of Pollchat (including its users) and others. We may also retain cached or archived copies of information about you for a certain period of time.

10. Other information you may provide to us

You may provide other information directly to us. For example, we may collect information when you fill out a form, update your account, apply for a job at our company, communicate with us via third-party social media sites, request customer support or otherwise communicate with us.

11. Where Information Is Processed

Pollchat LLC is based in the United States and the information we collect is governed by U.S. law. By accessing or using the Services or otherwise providing information to us, you consent to the processing and transfer of information in and to the U.S. and other countries.

You also agree to abide by applicable law concerning your use of the Services and your agreements with us. Any persons accessing the Services from any jurisdiction with laws or regulations governing the use of the Internet, including personal data collection, use and disclosure, different from those of the jurisdictions mentioned above may only use the Services in a manner lawful in their jurisdiction. If your use of the Services would be unlawful in your jurisdiction, you may not use the Services, and your information may be made available in response to government or law enforcement requests.

12. Data Security

We prioritize the security of your information, using industry-standard measures to protect your data. While we take every precaution, we cannot guarantee absolute security against unauthorized access.

13. Cross-Border Data Transfers

Pollchat is based in the United States. As a result, Personal Information that we collect in and through the Services and on the Site may be transferred to our U.S. offices. In addition, we may work with third-party service providers in the U.S. and in other countries to support our business activities. Thus, Personal Information may be transferred to, stored on servers in, and accessed from the United States and countries other than the country in which the Personal Information was initially collected. In all such instances, we use, transfer, and disclose Personal Information solely for the purposes described in this Privacy Notice and in compliance with applicable laws.

14. Data Retention

We keep information related to your Account for as long as it is needed to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, to provide our services, to deal with possible legal claims, to comply with our business interests and/or to abide by all applicable laws. Thereafter, we either delete your information about you or de-identify it. Please note that even if you request the deletion of Personal Information about you, we may be required (by law or otherwise) to retain the Personal Information and not delete it. However, once those requirements are removed, we will delete Personal Information about you in accordance with your request.

15. California Residents

California Civil Code Section 1798.83 requires certain businesses that share customer Personal Information with third parties for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes to respond to requests from California customers asking about the businesses’ practices related to such information-sharing. We currently do not share or disclose your Personal Information to third parties for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes.  If we change our practices in the future, we will implement an opt-out policy as required under California laws.

Furthermore, subject to certain exemptions, California residents have the following rights with respect to Personal Information we may have collected about them.

Rights of California Residents

Request to Know: You have the right to request that we disclose:

• The categories of Personal Information we have collected about you;
• The categories of Personal Information about you we have sold or disclosed for a business purpose;
• The categories of sources from which we have collected Personal Information about you;
• The business or commercial purposes for selling or collecting Personal Information about you;
• The categories of Personal Information sold or shared, if any, about you, as well as the categories of third parties to whom the Personal Information was sold, by category of Personal Information for each party to whom Personal Information was sold; and
• The specific pieces of Personal Information collected.

You may submit a request to know viahelp@poll.chat. The delivery of our response must take place electronically. We are not required to respond to requests to know more than twice in a 12-month period.

We do not sell, and have not in the prior 12 months sold, Personal Information about California residents. Therefore, we have not included a “Do Not Sell My Personal Info” link on our app or site. If our practices change, we will update this Privacy Policy and take any other necessary action to comply with applicable law. We do, however, disclose Personal Information for business purposes as described in the “Third Parties We Share Personal Information With” section above.

Request to Delete: You have the right to request that we delete any Personal Information about you that we have collected. Upon receiving a verified request to delete Personal Information, we will do so unless otherwise required or authorized by law. You may submit a request to delete Personal Information via emailing us athello@poll.chat.

Methods for Submitting Consumer Requests and Our Response to Requests

You may submit a request for access and requests to delete Personal Information about you via email at hello@poll.chat.

Upon receipt of a request, we may ask you for additional information to verify your identity. Any additional information you provide will be used only to verify your identity and not for any other purpose.

We will acknowledge the receipt of your request within 10 days of receipt. Subject to our ability to verify your identity, we will respond to your request within 45 days of receipt. If we require more time (up to 90 days), we will inform you of the reason and extension period in writing.  In order to protect your privacy and the security of Personal Information about you, we verify your request by asking you to login to your user account.

Any disclosures we provide will only cover the 12-month period preceding the verifiable consumer request's receipt. The response we provide will also explain the reasons we cannot comply with a request, if applicable.

We do not charge a fee to process or respond to your verifiable consumer request unless it is excessive, repetitive, or manifestly unfounded. If we determine that the request warrants a fee, we will tell you why we made that decision and provide you with a cost estimate before completing your request.

Non-Discrimination: Pollchat will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights. Unless permitted by the CCPA, we will not:

• Deny you goods or services.
• Charge you different prices or rates for goods or services, including through granting discounts or other benefits, or imposing penalties.
• Provide you a different level or quality of goods or services.
• Suggest that you may receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services.

However, we may offer you certain financial incentives permitted by the CCPA that can result in different prices, rates, or quality levels. Any CCPA-permitted financial incentive we offer will reasonably relate to your personal information’s value and contain written terms that describe the program’s material aspects. Participation in a financial incentive program requires your prior opt in consent, which you may revoke at any time.

16. Changes to this Privacy Policy

Our Privacy and Security Policies are regularly reviewed and updated as necessary. This Privacy Policy may change as we enhance and expand our Services. The Last Updated date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.

By continuing to use the Pollchat app, you agree to periodically review this Privacy Policy. Pollchat and its affiliates will not be liable for any failure to do so. If you have questions about any terms or conditions in our policies, you can reach out to us via email at help@poll.chat.

Your continued use of our Services after any changes to this Privacy Policy signifies your acceptance of those changes.

17. Contact Information

For questions or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please email us at help@poll.chat.