# CauseMe Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-09-26
Version: 2026-09-26

## 1. Who we are

CauseMe (“we”) is a mobile app with a catalog of cosmetics and skincare products, user ratings, and photo-based product recognition.

The service is run by a private individual, not a company; that individual is also the data controller. For any question about data processing, contact support@causeme.app. Full controller details are provided on request sent to that address.

## 2. Data we collect

- Account data: username, email, password hash, verification status
- Device identifiers for guest sessions and push delivery (FCM token when enabled)
- Photos: the image you send for identification is processed and not stored on the server; we keep only the photos you contribute to the shared preview catalog (available to registered users)
- Product interactions: ratings, favorites, scan history, reports about photos and about users (including the text you submit)
- Crash diagnostics: app crash reports — error stack, device model, OS version, installation identifier (Firebase Crashlytics)
- Technical logs needed to operate and secure the service

## 3. How we use data

- Provide identification, catalog browsing, ratings, favorites, and notifications
- Build and moderate the shared UGC preview catalog
- Prevent abuse (rate limits, bans, report handling)
- Diagnose crashes, improve reliability, and support users

Uploaded photos are processed automatically: a computer-vision model determines the product name, manufacturer, and category. Results are cached by image hash so identical photos are not processed twice. We also keep a technical record of each request — image hash, outcome, and model version, without the image itself — for diagnostics and abuse prevention. This automated processing makes no legally significant decisions about you.

We do not sell your personal data and do not share it for advertising.

## 4. Legal bases for processing

- Performance of our contract with you (the Terms of Service) — account, identification, catalog, favorites
- Your consent — contributing photos to the shared catalog and push notifications; you can withdraw consent at any time by revoking a photo or disabling notifications
- Our legitimate interest — service security, abuse prevention, crash diagnostics
- Compliance with legal obligations

## 5. What other users can see

Some data is public inside the app. Other users can see your username, registration date, your scan/rating/photo counts, your photos in the product catalog (with product name and date), and your most recent ratings (product, brand, star count, date). Catalog photos are credited with your username.

Only you can see your email, password, scan history, favorites, and the reports you submit. Public profiles are hidden for suspended accounts. You can remove all public data by deleting your account, or remove a single photo with “Revoke photo” on the product screen.

## 6. Sharing

We share data only with processors the service depends on:

- Google — Firebase Cloud Messaging (push notifications) and Firebase Crashlytics (crash reports)
- Resend — delivery of verification emails
- Cloudflare R2 — photo storage
- The hosting provider running our server and database

Some processors are located outside your country, so data may be processed abroad. We may disclose data if required by law or to protect users and the service.

## 7. Retention

Account data is kept while your account exists. Incomplete signups (unverified email) are deleted automatically. Guest scan history is limited to a rolling window of recent scans: older entries are deleted automatically and cannot be restored, and guest scan photos are never stored on the server.

Deleting your account in the app removes your account data, scan history, ratings, favorites, submitted reports, and your photos from the shared catalog together with their image files. Copies may persist in service backups, which exist for disaster recovery and are not accessible from the app.

## 8. Your rights

You may request access to your data, its correction or deletion, restriction of or objection to processing, a copy of your data, withdrawal of consent, and you may lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

Some of this is available directly in the app:

- View and change your profile email
- Delete your account
- Disable push notifications
- Revoke your photo from the catalog
- Report an inappropriate catalog photo or a user

For anything else, write to support@causeme.app; we respond within 30 days.

## 9. Security

We use industry-standard safeguards (encrypted transport, hashed passwords, access controls). No method is perfectly secure.

## 10. Children

CauseMe is not directed at children under 13 (or the minimum age in your jurisdiction). Do not register if you are under that age.

## 11. Changes

We may update this policy. Continued use after changes means you accept the updated policy. Material changes will be reflected by the “Last updated” date above.

## 12. Contact

Privacy questions: support@causeme.app