DRAFT — not legal advice. Have a lawyer review before publishing.

Privacy Policy

what are we? — whatarewe.app

Effective date: [EFFECTIVE DATE] Last updated: [LAST UPDATED DATE]

This policy explains what information "what are we?" (the "app") and the website whatarewe.app (the "site") collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have.

"We", "us" and "our" mean [COMPANY LLC], [ADDRESS]. You can reach us at [privacy@whatarewe.app].

The short version

Your messages stay on your Mac. The app reads your iMessage history on your own computer. We do not upload your message history to our servers.
AI features are opt-in, one by one. Some features can send selected text to an AI model provider. Nothing is sent until you turn that feature on. You can turn it off at any time.
Party games share only the quotes in the game. As the host, you see every quote before your friends do.
The network is optional and has two separate switches. One switch shares relationship labels (never message text). The other switch lets other members look you up. Both are off until you turn them on.
We never give out information about people who have not joined and agreed. You cannot look up someone who has not turned on "Let others look me up".
We do not sell your personal information. We do use advertising tools (the Meta Pixel and the Meta Conversions API) on the site to measure our ads. See "Advertising and analytics" and "Your choices".
You must be 18 or older.

1. Who this policy covers

This policy covers:

People who visit the site or join the waitlist.
People who download and use the app ("users").
Users who join the optional network ("members").
Friends who join a party game from a link on their phone ("guests").
People who appear in a user's messages but do not use the app. See "Other people in your chats".

2. What the app reads on your Mac

The app works only after you give it Full Disk Access in macOS System Settings. You can remove this access at any time in System Settings.

With that access, the app reads:

Your iMessage database (~/Library/Messages/chat.db). This includes message text, the time each message was sent, who sent it, the phone numbers and email addresses in each conversation, group chat names, and reactions.
Your Contacts (optional). Only if you allow it. The app uses names from Contacts to show "Alex" instead of a phone number.

Where this is processed: on your Mac. The app builds your stats, key moments and relationship analysis locally. We do not copy your message history or your Contacts to our servers.

What the app stores on your Mac: the results of its analysis (for example stats and saved key moments) and your settings. [CONFIRM: storage location, whether this data is encrypted, and how a user deletes it.]

The app does not change, send or delete your messages.

3. AI features (optional, per feature)

Some features may use an AI model provider to analyze text. We have not yet decided which features will use one. Before any feature sends text off your Mac, we will:

Tell you, inside the app, which feature wants to send text.
Tell you which categories of data that feature sends (see the table).
Name the provider (for example Anthropic).
Ask for your consent for that feature only.

You can turn each AI feature on or off separately in the app settings. Turning one on does not turn on any other.

Category	What it is	Sent only when
Selected message text	Excerpts from the conversation you chose to analyze	You turn on that AI feature and start an analysis
Names or nicknames	The names shown in those excerpts	Same as above. [DECIDE: replace names with placeholders before sending?]
Message timing	Dates and times of the selected messages	Same as above
Your question or prompt	What you typed into the feature	You submit it

We do not send your full message history to an AI provider. We send only the text the feature needs.

What the AI provider does with it: the provider processes the text to return a result to you. [CONFIRM per provider: whether the provider stores inputs, for how long, and that it does not use them to train its models under our contract.]

The current list of AI providers is in "Who we share information with".

4. Party games

When you host a party game (for example "Who said it?" or friendship trivia):

The app picks quotes from your chats on your Mac.
You see every quote first. You can remove any quote before the game starts.
Only the quotes you approve are sent to our servers so your guests can play.
Guests join from their phones through a link.

What we collect from guests: the display name they type, their answers and scores, and basic technical data needed to run the game (for example device type and IP address). Guests do not need an account.

How long we keep game data: [RETENTION PERIOD, for example "deleted [X] hours after the game ends"].

Remember that the quotes include words written by other people. Choose quotes with care.

5. The network (optional)

The network is an optional feature for members. It has two separate switches. Each switch needs its own consent. Both are off by default.

Switch 1: "Contribute my relationship labels"

If you turn this on, the app sends us labels that it derives from your own chats. A label describes a relationship, for example:

friend
crush
situationship
relationship

Each label can include start and end dates. [CONFIRM: how the other person is identified, for example a one-way hash of a phone number or email address.]

We never receive message text through the network.

You can review the labels before they are sent. [CONFIRM this flow.]

Switch 2: "Let others look me up"

If you turn this on, other members can look you up.

Lookups return results only about members who turned on "Let others look me up". If you have not turned it on, a lookup returns nothing about you.
Results show counts as ranges, not exact numbers (for example "3–5 situationships").
When someone looks you up, we notify you that a lookup happened. We do not tell you who looked you up.

What we never do

We do not provide information about people who have not joined the network and turned on "Let others look me up". A lookup about a person who has not consented returns no result. This is true even if other members have contributed labels that involve that person. [CONFIRM: what happens to labels that involve a non-member. Options: not stored, or stored but never shown.]

Turning a switch off

Turn off "Contribute my relationship labels": we delete the labels you contributed. [RETENTION: deletion within [X] days, including backups within [Y] days.]
Turn off "Let others look me up": you stop appearing in lookups at once, and we delete your lookup profile and lookup notifications. [CONFIRM scope.]
You can turn either switch off at any time, in the app or by emailing [privacy@whatarewe.app].

Legal basis and sensitive data

Relationship labels can reveal information about a person's sex life or sexual orientation. Some laws treat this as sensitive personal information (for example the CPRA in California) or special category data (GDPR Article 9). We process it only with your explicit consent, given separately for each switch. You can withdraw consent at any time.

6. What we collect on the site and from your account

Category	Examples	Source
Waitlist details	Email address, and phone number if you give one	You
Account details	Email address, [LOGIN METHOD]	You
Purchases	Products bought, credits used, amount, date. Stripe handles your card. We do not see or store your full card number.	You and Stripe
Usage of free credits	How many credits you used and when	The app
Device and technical data	IP address, browser type, operating system, app version, crash reports	Your device, Sentry
Site and app activity	Pages visited, buttons clicked, downloads, sign-ups	Your browser, the Meta Pixel, [Amplitude]
Support messages	What you write to us	You

7. How we use information

We use information to:

Run the app, the party games and the network.
Process payments and track free credits.
Send you waitlist updates and product messages. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Send text messages only if you gave a phone number and agreed to receive them. [CONFIRM SMS use and consent wording.]
Fix bugs and keep the service secure.
Measure and improve our ads and the product.
Follow the law and enforce our Terms of Service.

We do not use your message text to train AI models. [CONFIRM.]

8. Advertising and analytics

Meta Pixel. The site uses the Meta Pixel. It sets cookies and sends Meta information about your visit, for example the pages you view and actions such as a download.

Meta Conversions API. Our server sends Meta events for download, sign-up and purchase. These events can include a hashed (scrambled) email address or phone number, IP address and browser data, so that Meta can match the event to a Meta account. We never send message content, Contacts, relationship labels or network data to Meta.

Amplitude [IF USED]. Product analytics that tell us how people use the site and app.

Sentry [IF USED]. Crash and error reports. We configure Sentry so that reports do not include message content. [CONFIRM configuration.]

Under some US state laws, sharing data with Meta for ads can count as "sharing" for cross-context behavioral advertising or "targeted advertising". See "Your choices" and "California privacy rights" for how to opt out.

9. Who we share information with

We do not sell your personal information for money. We share it only as described here:

Service providers that work for us under contract: hosting, payments (Stripe), email, SMS, analytics, crash reports and AI model providers. Full list: [SUBPROCESSORS LIST or link].
Meta, for advertising measurement, as described above.
Other members, only through the network and only as you chose (see section 5).
Your party game guests, only the quotes you approved and the game results.
For legal reasons, if the law requires it, or to protect the safety of a person.
In a business transfer, for example a merger or sale. The new owner must follow this policy or tell you before it changes.

10. Other people in your chats

Your messages contain information about other people: what they wrote, their phone numbers and email addresses, and their names in your Contacts. These people have not agreed to use the app.

We limit this as follows:

Local processing. Their messages are processed on your Mac. We do not upload your message history.
AI features are opt-in. Text leaves your Mac for an AI provider only if you turn on that feature, and only the excerpts the feature needs.
Party games: only quotes you approved are shared, and only with your guests.
The network never receives message text, and it never shows information about a person who has not joined and turned on "Let others look me up".
Your responsibility: do not use the app to harass, expose or track anyone. Do not share screenshots or quotes that would hurt someone. See the Terms of Service.

If you are not a user and you believe we hold information about you, email [privacy@whatarewe.app].

11. How long we keep information

Data	How long
Message history	We do not hold it. It stays on your Mac.
Analysis results on your Mac	Until you delete them or uninstall the app. [CONFIRM]
Party game quotes and results	[RETENTION PERIOD]
Network labels	Until you turn off "Contribute my relationship labels" or delete your account
Lookup profile and notifications	Until you turn off "Let others look me up" or delete your account
Account and purchase records	While your account is open, then [RETENTION PERIOD]. Some payment records must be kept longer for tax law.
Waitlist details	Until you unsubscribe or [RETENTION PERIOD]
Analytics and crash reports	[RETENTION PERIOD]

12. Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect information, for example encryption in transit. No system is fully secure. If a breach affects your personal information, we will tell you as the law requires.

The security of the data on your Mac also depends on your Mac. Use a password and FileVault.

13. Age limit

The app and the site are for people 18 or older only. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If we learn that a person under 18 has an account, joined a party game, or joined the network, we will delete their information. If you think this happened, email [privacy@whatarewe.app].

14. Your choices

Full Disk Access and Contacts: remove them in macOS System Settings at any time.
AI features: turn each one on or off in the app.
Network switches: turn each one off in the app. This deletes what you contributed.
Marketing email and SMS: use the unsubscribe link, or reply STOP to a text.
Cookies and ads: [COOKIE BANNER or "Your Privacy Choices" link]. You can also change ad settings in your Meta account. We honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal as an opt-out of sharing for ads. [CONFIRM.]
Delete your account: in the app or by email to [privacy@whatarewe.app]. [DESCRIBE DELETION FLOW.]

15. US state privacy rights, including California (CCPA/CPRA)

If you live in California or in another US state with a consumer privacy law, you may have these rights:

Know and access: ask what personal information we collected about you, where it came from, why we use it, and who we shared it with.
Delete: ask us to delete personal information we hold about you.
Correct: ask us to fix wrong information.
Opt out of sale or sharing: we do not sell personal information for money. Our use of the Meta Pixel and the Meta Conversions API may count as "sharing" for cross-context behavioral advertising. You can opt out at [YOUR PRIVACY CHOICES LINK] or with the GPC signal.
Limit the use of sensitive personal information: relationship labels in the network may be sensitive personal information. We use it only to provide the network feature you asked for.
No discrimination: we will not treat you worse because you used these rights.

Categories we collected in the last 12 months (CCPA categories):

CCPA category	Examples	Shared with
Identifiers	Email, phone number, IP address, account ID	Service providers, Meta
Commercial information	Purchases, credits	Stripe, service providers
Internet activity	Site and app usage	Meta, [Amplitude], [Sentry]
Sensitive personal information	Network relationship labels (only if you opt in)	Other members, as described in section 5
Inferences	Lookup ranges shown to other members (only if you opt in)	Other members

Message history is processed on your device and we do not collect it on our servers. [LAWYER: confirm whether local processing changes any CCPA category.]

How to make a request: email [privacy@whatarewe.app] or use [REQUEST FORM]. We will verify your identity before we act. You can use an authorized agent. We respond within 45 days, as the law requires.

[LAWYER: add notices for other states (for example Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Texas, Washington's My Health My Data Act if it applies) and a "Notice at Collection".]

16. EU and UK users (GDPR and UK GDPR)

[DECIDE whether the service will be offered in the EU and UK at launch.]

Controller: [COMPANY LLC], [ADDRESS], [privacy@whatarewe.app]. EU representative: [EU REPRESENTATIVE]. UK representative: [UK REPRESENTATIVE].

Legal bases

Purpose	Legal basis
Run the app, party games and your account	Contract (Art. 6(1)(b))
Send selected text to an AI provider	Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)), per feature
Network labels and lookups	Explicit consent (Art. 6(1)(a) and Art. 9(2)(a)), separate for each switch
Payments and tax records	Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)) and contract
Meta Pixel, Conversions API, analytics cookies	Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) and ePrivacy rules)
Crash reports and security	Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): keep the service working and safe
Waitlist and marketing email	Consent

Other people in your chats: when the app processes their messages only on your Mac for your personal use, [LAWYER: assess the household exemption and our role]. When their words leave your Mac (AI features, party games), [LAWYER: confirm the legal basis].

Your rights

You have the right to:

Access your personal data.
Correct it.
Delete it.
Restrict or object to processing.
Receive your data in a portable format.
Withdraw consent at any time. This does not affect processing done before you withdrew.
Complain to your data protection authority. In the UK, this is the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Email [privacy@whatarewe.app] to use these rights. We respond within one month.

International transfers

We are based in the US. Our service providers may process data in the US and other countries. When we transfer personal data out of the EU or UK, we use [the EU-US Data Privacy Framework where the recipient is certified / Standard Contractual Clauses and the UK Addendum]. Ask us for a copy at [privacy@whatarewe.app].

Automated decisions

The app makes automated analyses of your own chats (for example "who invests more"). These are for entertainment and self-reflection. They do not produce legal or similarly significant effects on you. [LAWYER: confirm for lookup results.]

17. Changes to this policy

If we make a material change, we will tell you in the app or by email before it takes effect. We will not use data in a new way that needs consent (for example a new AI feature or a new network use) without asking you first.

18. Contact

[COMPANY LLC] [ADDRESS] [privacy@whatarewe.app]