Privacy Policy

Last Updated: November 8, 2025

1. Introduction

IdeaValidator ("we", "us", "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our Service.

2. Information We Collect

Account Information (via Clerk)

  • Email address
  • Name (if provided)
  • Profile picture (optional)
  • Authentication tokens

Usage Data

  • Startup ideas you submit for validation
  • AI-generated validation results
  • Feature usage (evolutions, competitor research, etc.)
  • Timestamps of activity
  • Subscription tier and billing history

Technical Data

  • IP address (truncated for privacy)
  • Browser type and version
  • Device information
  • Page views and navigation patterns
  • Error logs (sanitized)

Payment Information (via Stripe)

  • We do NOT store credit card numbers
  • Stripe handles all payment processing
  • We receive: transaction ID, payment status, billing email

3. How We Use Your Data

  • Provide the Service: Process validations, generate AI insights, save history (Pro/Enterprise only)
  • Improve the Service: Analyze usage patterns, fix bugs, develop new features
  • Billing: Process payments, send invoices, prevent fraud
  • Communication: Send service updates, feature announcements, support responses
  • Security: Detect abuse, enforce rate limits, audit logging
  • Legal Compliance: Comply with laws, respond to legal requests

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

Clerk (Authentication)

Anthropic Claude (AI Processing)

  • Processes your ideas to generate validation insights
  • Anthropic does not train models on customer data
  • Privacy Policy: anthropic.com/privacy

Stripe (Payment Processing)

  • Handles all payment transactions securely
  • We never see or store your full credit card number
  • Privacy Policy: stripe.com/privacy

Vercel (Hosting)

5. Data Retention

  • Free Tier: Validation results NOT saved. Deleted immediately after display.
  • Pro/Enterprise: Full validation history saved indefinitely (or until account deletion)
  • Account Data: Retained while account is active
  • Billing Records: Retained for 7 years for tax/legal compliance
  • Audit Logs: Retained for 90 days
  • After Cancellation: Data deleted within 30 days (except billing records)

6. Your Privacy Rights

You have the right to:

  • Access: Request a copy of all data we have about you
  • Correction: Update inaccurate or incomplete data
  • Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated data
  • Export: Download your validation history (Pro/Enterprise)
  • Opt-out: Unsubscribe from marketing emails
  • Object: Object to certain processing activities

To exercise these rights, email us at privacy@myideavalidator.com

7. Data Security

We protect your data using:

  • HTTPS encryption for all data transmission
  • Encrypted database storage
  • Rate limiting to prevent abuse
  • Input sanitization to prevent injection attacks
  • Access controls and authentication
  • Regular security audits
  • Minimal data retention (Free tier)

However, no system is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

8. Cookies & Tracking

We use cookies for:

  • Essential: Authentication, session management (required)
  • Analytics: Usage patterns, feature popularity (optional)
  • Preferences: UI settings, language (optional)

You can disable non-essential cookies in your browser settings.

9. International Data Transfers

Our services are hosted in the United States (East Coast region via Vercel). If you access our Service from outside the United States, your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States. By using the Service, you consent to this transfer and processing.

10. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for users under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe we have collected data from a child, contact us immediately at privacy@myideavalidator.com.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email. Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

For privacy-related questions or to exercise your rights:

  • Privacy Officer: privacy@myideavalidator.com
  • General Support: support@myideavalidator.com
  • Data Deletion Requests: privacy@myideavalidator.com (subject: "Data Deletion Request")

We will respond to privacy requests within 30 days.

13. GDPR & CCPA Compliance

For EU Users (GDPR)

  • Legal basis for processing: Consent and legitimate interests
  • Right to lodge complaint with supervisory authority
  • Data Protection Officer: dpo@ideavalidator.com

For California Users (CCPA)

  • We do NOT sell your personal information
  • Right to opt-out of data sharing (not applicable as we don't share)
  • Right to non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights