Privacy Policy

1. What This App Is

flowCircle is a web-based productivity platform I built as a student project. It helps people study and focus together using:

• Collaborative study rooms with real-time features
• Synchronized Pomodoro timers
• Real-time messaging between users
• Personal todo lists and notes
• Background music and customizable environments

2. Information I Collect

2.1 Account Information

• Google Sign-In: When you sign up with Google, I receive your email, name, and profile picture.
• Email Sign-Up: When you create an account with email/password, I store your email and chosen password (encrypted).
• Profile Data: Your display name and any profile information you provide.

2.2 Your Content

• Todo Lists & Notes: Personal productivity content you create
• Room Messages: Messages you send in study rooms (visible to other room members)
• Room Data: Rooms you create or join, session history
• Preferences: Wallpaper choices, music preferences (stored in your browser)

2.3 Technical Information

• Basic Usage: When you use the app, which features you interact with
• Browser Info: Your browser type, device info (for technical compatibility)
• Connection Data: IP address, session tokens (managed by Supabase)

3. How I Use Your Information

• Make the App Work: Authenticate you, save your data, enable real-time features
• Connect You with Others: Show your name/picture to other users in shared rooms
• Remember Your Preferences: Save your settings and customizations
• Learn and Improve: Understand how the app is used to fix bugs and add features (as part of my learning)

4. Data Storage & Security

Where Your Data Lives

• Supabase: Your account info, todos, notes, and messages are stored in a Supabase (PostgreSQL) database
• Your Browser: Preferences like wallpapers and UI settings are saved locally
• No Analytics: I don't use Google Analytics or tracking tools

Security Measures

• Data is encrypted when sent between your browser and the server
• Passwords are encrypted before storage
• Database has user-level security rules (you can only access your own data)
• Regular security updates as I learn about best practices

5. Sharing Your Information

I don't sell or share your personal information. Here's when others might see it:

Within the App

• Study Rooms: Other users in the same room can see your name, profile picture, and messages you send
• Public Rooms: Room names and participant counts are visible in the public rooms list

Third-Party Services

• Supabase: Handles authentication and data storage (they have their own privacy policy)
• Google: For Google Sign-In authentication only
• YouTube: For background music (embedded player, no data shared)
• Freepik: Some wallpaper images are from Freepik (no data sharing)

6. Your Rights & Controls

What You Can Do

• Access Your Data: You can see all your data within the app dashboard
• Update Information: Change your profile, todos, and settings anytime
• Delete Content: Remove your todos, notes, and messages
• Leave Rooms: Exit any study room at any time
• Sign Out: End your session and clear local data

Account Deletion

Currently working on an account deletion feature. For now, if you want your account deleted, contact me directly (see contact info below) and I'll manually remove your data.

7. Data Retention

• Your Account: Kept until you delete it or request deletion
• Room Messages: Stored while rooms are active, cleaned up when rooms are deleted
• Personal Data: Todos and notes are kept until you delete them
• Inactive Accounts: May be cleaned up after extended periods of inactivity (will implement this later)

8. Third-Party Content

• Freepik Images: Some background wallpapers come from Freepik.com under their free license
• YouTube Music: Background music is streamed from YouTube (no personal data shared)
• Google Fonts: Typography loaded from Google Fonts service

9. Age Requirements

You must be at least 13 years old to use flowCircle. If you're under 18, please make sure you have permission from a parent or guardian before using the app.

10. Changes to This Policy

As I learn more about privacy and add new features, I may update this policy. I'll update the "Last updated" date at the top and try to notify users of major changes within the app when possible.

11. Contact Me

This is a student project, so I don't have a formal customer support team. But I do care about your privacy! If you have questions, concerns, or want your data deleted:

12. Student Project Disclaimer