NovusNest Privacy Policy

AK Novus LLC ("we", "us", "our") operates NovusNest, a family management application. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application.

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information:

Account Information:

• Name and display name
• Email address (not required for child accounts)
• Username (optional)
• Encrypted password
• Profile avatar image (if uploaded)
• Account type and role (parent, child, admin, member)

Family & App Data:

• Family group membership and invite codes
• Grocery lists and items
• Task/todo lists and task assignments
• Calendar events
• Task verification photos (uploaded by users)
• Recipe imports, saved recipes, and recipe photos (uploaded by users)
• Shopping session history (completed grocery trips)
• Activity log (actions performed within family groups)

Device & Technical Data:

• Push notification tokens (for sending notifications)
• Device type and operating system
• Biometric authentication preference (stored locally on device only; no biometric data is transmitted to our servers)
• App usage analytics (via Firebase Analytics)

AI-Processed Data:

• Photos of recipes submitted for AI extraction are sent to Anthropic's servers for processing and are subject to Anthropic's privacy policy
• Extracted recipe data (ingredients, instructions, metadata) is stored in your account
• We do not retain the original photo after AI processing is complete

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and maintain the NovusNest app and its features
• Facilitate family group collaboration (shared lists, tasks, events)
• Send push notifications for task reminders, grocery updates, and family activity
• Process subscription and billing transactions
• Improve app performance and user experience
• Respond to customer support inquiries
• Detect, prevent, and address technical issues or security threats

3. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may collect or process data:

• Firebase Analytics & Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) — for analytics and push notifications (Google LLC)
• Google Play Billing / Apple In-App Purchase — for subscription payment processing
• MinIO Object Storage — for secure photo and file storage (self-hosted on our infrastructure)
• Anthropic (Claude AI) — for AI-powered recipe extraction from photos. Recipe photos are sent to Anthropic's servers for processing
• Unsplash — for sourcing dish photos to display alongside recipes. Photos are provided under the Unsplash License with photographer attribution. No user data is shared with Unsplash

These services may collect information as described in their respective privacy policies. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of Google, Apple, Anthropic, and Unsplash for more information.

4. Data Storage & Transfer

Your data is stored on servers located in the United States. If you access NovusNest from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where our servers are located.

Certain third-party services we use (such as Firebase and Anthropic) may process data on servers in various locations. By using NovusNest, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and other locations where these services operate.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our services. When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal data within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal or compliance purposes.

Historical data (completed tasks, shopping sessions, past events) is retained based on your subscription tier:

• Free Tier: Completed items are soft-deleted and accessible for 14 days (full access) and up to 60 days (limited preview). Data older than 365 days may be permanently purged
• Premium Tier: All historical data is retained and fully accessible with no time restrictions

Task verification photos are retained for the duration of the task's lifecycle and may be deleted by family administrators at any time or when verification is approved.

6. Biometric Data

NovusNest supports optional biometric authentication (fingerprint, face recognition) for app login. We handle biometric data as follows:

• Biometric authentication is processed entirely on your device using your device's built-in biometric hardware
• No biometric data (fingerprints, facial scans) is ever transmitted to or stored on our servers
• Only a boolean preference indicating whether biometric login is enabled is stored locally on your device
• Authentication tokens are stored securely on your device using platform-provided secure storage (Keychain on iOS, Keystore on Android)
• You can enable or disable biometric login at any time in app settings

7. Children's Privacy (COPPA)

NovusNest supports child accounts that are created and managed by parent/guardian users within a family group. We are committed to complying with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

• Child accounts can only be created by a parent/guardian who has an existing account
• We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent
• Parents can review, modify, or delete their child's information at any time through the app
• Child accounts have limited functionality as determined by their parent/guardian

If you believe a child has provided us with personal information without parental consent, please contact us immediately so we can take appropriate action.

8. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your account and associated data
• Opt out of non-essential push notifications through app settings
• Export your data upon request

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information below.

9. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including:

• The right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose about you
• The right to request deletion of your personal information
• The right to opt out of the sale of personal information — we do not sell your personal information to third parties
• The right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

To submit a CCPA request, please contact us at support@aknovus.com. We will verify your identity before processing any request. We will respond to verified requests within 45 days.

10. Do Not Track Signals

NovusNest does not currently respond to "Do Not Track" (DNT) browser signals or similar mechanisms. However, we do not engage in cross-site tracking of our users. You can control analytics data collection by adjusting your device settings or contacting us to opt out.

11. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information, including encrypted passwords, secure HTTPS connections, and access-controlled storage. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Google Play Data Safety

In compliance with Google Play Store requirements, we provide a summary of our data practices:

• Data collected: Name, email address, app activity, device identifiers, and user-generated content (lists, tasks, events, photos)
• Data shared: Recipe photos are shared with Anthropic for AI processing. Analytics data is shared with Firebase (Google). No personal data is sold to third parties
• Data encryption: All data is encrypted in transit via HTTPS
• Data deletion: Users can request account and data deletion through the app or by contacting support@aknovus.com

For the complete Data Safety declaration, please refer to our Google Play Store listing.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy within the app and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of NovusNest after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.