Privacy Policy

1 Overview & Scope

Welcome to Collab Notes (“we,” “our,” or “us”). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application (“App”) and related web services (collectively, the “Service”).

By downloading, installing, or using the App, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with its terms, please discontinue use of the Service immediately.

2 Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly to us and information generated through your use of the Service.

• Account Information: When you register, we collect your name (display name), email address, and optionally a phone number and profile color preference.
• Authentication Data: If you sign in with Google, we receive your Google account name, email, and profile photo URL via Google Sign-In. We do not store your Google password.
• Note Content: The text, blocks, tags, titles, and metadata of notes you create or edit are stored in Firebase Realtime Database and are associated with your account.
• Collaboration Data: When you invite collaborators, we store the email addresses and user IDs of those collaborators, along with their permission levels (view or edit).
• Profile Settings: Optional profile information including gender (if provided), purpose/bio, and notification preferences.

• Usage Data: We may collect information on how the Service is accessed and used, including the time and date of access, device type, and app version.
• Firebase Analytics: Basic app usage events may be collected by Firebase Analytics (crashes, session length) to help us improve the Service.
• Local Storage: We use on-device local storage solely to remember whether you have completed the onboarding flow, so you are not shown it again on subsequent launches.

• We do not collect payment or financial information (the App is free).
• We do not collect your contacts, SMS messages, or camera roll beyond what you explicitly share.
• We do not use persistent advertising identifiers or serve third-party ads.

3 How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage your user account and authenticate you securely.
• Store, sync, and retrieve your notes in real-time across all your devices.
• Enable collaboration features — sharing notes with invited users and managing permissions.
• Allow you to search, filter, tag, and organize your notes.
• Send you service-related notifications (e.g., a collaborator editing your note) if you have enabled them.
• Improve, debug, and optimize the Service based on aggregate usage patterns.
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service.

We do not use your note content for advertising, machine learning model training, or sale to third parties.

4 Information Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share information only in the following limited circumstances:

• With Other Users (Your Choice): When you share a note with collaborators, those collaborators can see the note content, your display name, and profile information associated with the note. You control who has access at all times.
• Service Providers: We use Google Firebase as our primary infrastructure provider. Your data is stored and processed by Firebase under Google's privacy and security standards.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request.
• Protection of Rights: We may disclose information to protect the rights, property, or safety of Collab Notes, our users, or the public.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred. We will notify you of any such change.

5 Firebase & Third-Party Services

Collab Notes is powered by Google Firebase, which provides:

• Firebase Authentication: Manages user sign-in securely (email/password and Google Sign-In).
• Firebase Realtime Database: Stores your notes and user data with real-time synchronization.
• Google Sign-In: Allows one-tap sign-in with your Google account.

Your data is stored on Google's servers and is subject to Google's Privacy Policy. Firebase data is stored in Google Cloud infrastructure with industry-standard security practices.

We also use:

• Google Fonts (Inter): Loaded from Google's CDN for typography. This may log your IP address on Google's servers per Google's privacy policy.

6 Data Security

We take data security seriously and implement reasonable technical and organizational measures, including:

• Firebase Security Rules: Database access is restricted so that only authenticated users can read or write their own data, and only collaborators with explicit access can view shared notes.
• HTTPS/TLS: All data in transit between your device and Firebase servers is encrypted using TLS.
• Authentication: Firebase Authentication uses industry-standard OAuth 2.0 and secure token management.
• No Plaintext Passwords: Email/password accounts are managed by Firebase Authentication, which handles password hashing and secure storage — we never see your password.

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7 Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. Specifically:

• Notes: Your notes are retained until you delete them or delete your account. Deleted notes are removed from Firebase immediately.
• Account Data: Your profile information is retained until you delete your account via the Profile page.
• Local Storage: The onboarding flag stored on your device persists until you uninstall the App or clear app data.

When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within a reasonable timeframe, except where retention is required by law.

8 Children's Privacy

Collab Notes is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the European Economic Area). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under these ages.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us immediately at the address provided below. We will take steps to delete such information from our systems.

9 Your Rights & Choices

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:

• Access & Portability: You can view and export your notes at any time within the App.
• Correction: You can update your profile information (name, phone, bio, gender) via the Profile page in the App.
• Deletion: You can delete individual notes or your entire account via the Profile page. Account deletion removes all your personal data from our Firebase database.
• Revoke Google Access: If you signed in with Google, you can revoke our access via your Google Account settings at myaccount.google.com/permissions.
• Notifications: You can toggle notification preferences in the Profile > Settings section of the App.
• Collaboration Access: You can remove any collaborator from your notes at any time via the Share Note screen.

If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the UK, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

10 Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by:

• Posting the new Privacy Policy at this URL with an updated “Last Updated” date.
• Displaying an in-app notification for material changes that affect your rights.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Your continued use of the Service after any modifications constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

11 Contact Us

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

• App: Collab Notes
• Developer: Srivatsa (Collab Notes Team)
• Email: privacy@collabnotes.app

We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 days.