1. Philosophy
Stealth Friend was built on a single conviction: your research is yours alone. Every architectural decision we make prioritizes your privacy and data sovereignty. We collect only what is necessary to deliver the service, we never share your data with third parties for their own purposes, and we never use your content to train AI models.
2. Information We Collect
Account Information
When you create an account, we collect only what is necessary to provide the service: your email address and authentication credentials. We do not require your real name, institution, or any identifying information beyond what you choose to provide.
Usage Data
We collect anonymized, aggregate usage metrics to improve service quality. This includes query counts, feature usage frequency, and general performance metrics. These metrics are never tied to individual accounts or specific query content.
Conversation & Research Data
To provide you with a seamless experience, your conversations and research interactions are stored securely in our database. This allows you to revisit your previous work, pick up where you left off, and maintain continuity across sessions. This data is stored exclusively for your benefit; we do not share it with any third party, sell it, or use it to train any AI or machine learning models. You may request deletion of your conversation history at any time.
Payment Information
Payment processing is handled entirely by Stripe. We never store, access, or process your credit card numbers, bank account details, or other financial information directly. We only retain a transaction reference ID for billing support purposes.
3. How We Use Your Information
The information we collect is used exclusively for:
- Providing and maintaining the Stealth Friend service
- Storing your conversation history so you can access and review your previous research sessions
- Authenticating your account and managing your subscription
- Improving service performance and reliability through anonymized, aggregate metrics
- Communicating service updates, security alerts, and account-related notices
- Complying with legal obligations when required by law
We do not use your data for advertising. We do not sell or share your information with third parties for their own purposes. We do not use your queries, conversations, or research content to train any AI or machine learning models.
4. Data Sovereignty & Architecture
Your conversation and research data is stored in encrypted databases with strict access controls. Only you can access your data through authenticated sessions. Our infrastructure is designed with the following principles:
- Your data, your control: Conversation history is retained so you can review, continue, and build upon your previous work. You can request full deletion at any time.
- No cross-user data access: Your research data is logically isolated and never accessible to other users, partners, or any external entity.
- No model training: Your queries and conversations are never used to train, fine-tune, or improve any AI models, whether ours or any third party's.
5. Third-Party Services
We integrate with a limited number of third-party services, each selected for their security practices and data handling standards:
- Authentication & Infrastructure: We use industry-standard authentication and database services to manage your account and securely store your data. These providers are governed by their own privacy policies and data processing agreements.
- Payment Processing: Payments are handled entirely by Stripe. We never store or process your credit card numbers or banking details directly. We retain only a transaction reference for billing support. Stripe's handling of your payment data is governed by their privacy policy.
- AI Processing Infrastructure: We employ a combination of our own AI models and trusted third-party AI providers to process your research queries, depending on the specific use case and requirements. All queries are transmitted via encrypted channels and processed in real-time. When using third-party providers, they are contractually bound to not retain, log, or use your data for model training or any purpose beyond fulfilling the immediate request. Our own models are designed with privacy-first principles and operate under the same strict data handling standards.
6. Data Retention
We retain your Personal Information and conversation data while your account is active or as needed to provide the Services to you. Your conversation history is retained to allow you to revisit and build upon previous research sessions. Upon account deletion, your conversation data and Personal Information are permanently deleted from our active databases within 30 days. Residual copies may persist in encrypted backups for up to 90 days, used solely for disaster recovery purposes, after which they are purged.
7. Data Security
We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information, including encrypted data transmission (TLS 1.3), secure authentication protocols, and regular security audits.
8. Cookies & Local Storage
Stealth Friend uses only essential cookies required for authentication and session management. We do not use tracking cookies, analytics cookies, or any form of cross-site tracking. Your browser's local storage is used exclusively for application preferences and local context management.
9. Your Rights
You have the right to:
- Access and export your account information and conversation history at any time
- Request deletion of your account and all associated data, including conversation history
- Opt out of non-essential communications
- Request a copy of any data we hold about you
- Withdraw consent for data processing at any time by closing your account
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@stealthfriend.com. We will respond to all verified requests within 30 days.
10. Children Under 16
The Services are not directed to individuals under the age of sixteen (16) and we do not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under the age of sixteen (16). If you believe that we have unknowingly collected any Personal Information from someone under the age of sixteen (16), please contact us immediately at privacy@stealthfriend.com and the information will be deleted.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Protocol from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email and an in-app notification at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use of the service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
12. Contact
For privacy-related inquiries, data requests, or concerns, reach us at privacy@stealthfriend.com.