Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 10, 2025

Breakdown ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect information about you when you use our mobile and web applications, websites, and related services (the "Services").

Last updated: October 10, 2025

Quick Summary

  • Data Collection: We collect only what's needed to provide our services—account info, usage data, and optional location data.
  • No Selling: We never sell your personal information. Period.
  • Your Control: Access, download, correct, or delete your data anytime. We respond within 30 days.
  • Transparency: We list every service provider and explain exactly why we share data.
  • Security: End-to-end encryption, regular audits, and SOC 2 compliance.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information in three ways: (1) information you provide directly, (2) information we collect automatically, and (3) information from third parties.

Information You Provide

  • Account Information: When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, and password (hashed and salted). If you use Sign in with Apple or Google, we receive your name, email, and a unique identifier from those services.
  • Profile & Preferences: Policy issues you follow, representatives you track, bills you save, notification preferences, display settings (theme, language), and saved searches.
  • Political Interest Data: When you follow issues, bills, or vote on legislation, this may reveal your political interests. We treat this as sensitive data and use it only to personalize your experience.
  • Communications: When you contact support or provide feedback, we collect your email content and any attachments you send.
  • Payment Information: If you make a donation, payment processors (Stripe, Apple Pay) collect your billing information. We receive only transaction IDs, amounts, and dates—never full credit card numbers.

Information We Collect Automatically

  • Usage Data: Pages/screens viewed, features used, buttons clicked, time spent in app, session duration, and frequency of use.
  • Device Information: Device type, operating system version, app version, device identifiers (advertising ID—which you can reset), screen size, and language settings.
  • Location Data (Optional): If you grant permission, we collect your precise GPS location or approximate location based on IP address. This helps us show you your correct representatives. You can disable this anytime in device settings.
  • Cookies & Similar Technologies: On our website, we use cookies, local storage, and similar technologies. See Section 13 for details.
  • Log Data: IP addresses, browser type, referring/exit pages, timestamps, and clickstream data. Logs are retained for 90 days.
  • Performance & Crash Data: Error logs, crash reports, performance metrics, and diagnostic information to improve app stability.

Information from Third Parties

  • Authentication Providers: If you sign in with Apple or Google, we receive basic profile information as permitted by those services.
  • Public Government Data: We collect publicly available information about bills, votes, and representatives from official government sources (Congress.gov, House/Senate websites, FEC data).

What We Don't Collect: We do not access your contacts, text messages, photos, microphone, or camera unless you explicitly use a feature that requires them. We do not use background audio or video recording.

2. How We Use Information

  • Provide and maintain the Services.
  • Personalize content you see.
  • Send notifications you opt into and essential service communications.
  • Communicate your votes and interests to your representatives on your behalf.
  • Analyze usage to improve features and reliability.
  • Process payments/donations and provide tax receipts where applicable.
  • Detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, and security incidents.
  • Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms.

3. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only with:

  • Service Providers/Processors: hosting/storage (e.g., Google Cloud Platform), analytics (e.g., PostHog—self-hosted or cloud), crash/diagnostics, email providers, customer support, and payment/donation processors (e.g., Stripe; Apple in-app payments).
  • Compliance & Safety purposes.
  • Business Transfers (e.g., merger or reorganization) as permitted by law.

We may share aggregated or de-identified data that cannot reasonably identify you.

4. Legal Bases (GDPR/UK GDPR)

  • Performance of a contract
  • Legitimate interests (balanced against your rights)
  • Consent (e.g., notifications, location, certain analytics)
  • Legal obligation

5. Your Rights & Choices

  • Access/Correction/Deletion: request a copy, fix inaccuracies, or delete your data/account (in-app where available or email us).
  • Portability: request export of certain data.
  • Opt-outs: manage notifications in app/device settings; toggle analytics where available; unsubscribe from marketing emails.
  • CPRA (California): we do not "sell" or "share" personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. Exercise rights to know, delete, correct, and non-discrimination.
  • EEA/UK: object to processing based on legitimate interests and lodge a complaint with your supervisory authority.

Contact: hello@breakdown.us

6. Data Retention

We retain data only as long as necessary for the purposes above and to meet legal obligations. Account data is retained until you delete your account or request deletion; payments data is retained as required by law; diagnostic logs have shorter retention windows.

7. Security

We use appropriate technical and organizational measures (encryption in transit, access controls, monitoring). No method is 100% secure.

8. International Transfers

If data is transferred internationally (e.g., to the U.S.), we use appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses where required.

9. Children's Privacy

Not directed to children under 13 (or under 16 in the EEA/UK). If you believe a child provided data, contact us to delete it.

10. Do Not Track

We do not respond to DNT signals due to lack of a consistent industry standard. Use the privacy controls described here.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy. We will post the new version and update the effective date. Material changes may be announced in-app.

12. Contact Us

Controller: Breakdown Foundation

Email: hello@breakdown.us

Jurisdiction-Specific Disclosures

California (CPRA)

We do not "sell" or "share" personal information as defined by CPRA. You may exercise rights to know, delete, and correct by emailing hello@breakdown.us.

EEA/UK

If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. You may complain to your local supervisory authority.

Political-interest data

Following an issue or bill may reveal your interests. We use this only to personalize your experience and do not disclose it for third-party marketing. You can clear or delete this data at any time.

Appendix: Key Service Providers

  • Hosting/Storage: Google Cloud Platform
  • Analytics: PostHog (self-hosted or cloud)
  • Payments/Donations: Stripe and/or Apple (in-app purchases)
  • Email/Support: Email delivery/helpdesk providers

(We will update this list if materially changed.)