Privacy Policy

At AutoChats ("we," "our," or "us"), we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our social media automation platform and services (the "Service").

By using our Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Service.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide to Us

• Account Information: When you register for an account, we collect your email address, username, password (hashed), first name, last name, and subscription tier.
• Authentication Information: If you use OAuth authentication (Google, Instagram), we collect your OAuth provider ID, email, username, and avatar URL.
• Social Media Account Information: When you connect social media accounts, we collect access tokens, refresh tokens, account IDs, account names, and connection metadata.
• Content and Posts: We collect the content you create, schedule, or publish through our Service, including text, media files, scheduled times, and engagement metrics.
• Automation Settings: We collect your trigger words, automation configurations, and response templates.
• Video Content: We collect video files you upload, video processing tasks, generated clips, and related metadata.
• User Preferences: We collect your notification settings, interests, curated posts, and timezone preferences.

1.2 Information Automatically Collected

• Usage Data: We automatically collect information about how you interact with our Service, including pages visited, features used, and time spent.
• Device Information: We may collect information about your device, browser type, operating system, and IP address.
• Log Data: Our servers automatically record information when you access our Service, including IP addresses, request timestamps, and error logs.
• Cache Data: We store cached data related to hashtag searches, trending content, and social media API responses to improve performance.

1.3 Information from Third-Party Services

When you connect third-party social media accounts (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, etc.), we receive information from these platforms in accordance with their privacy policies and the permissions you grant.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Service Provision: To provide, maintain, and improve our Service, including scheduling posts, managing social media accounts, and automating responses.
• Account Management: To create and manage your account, authenticate your identity, and process your subscription.
• Content Processing: To process, store, and deliver your content, including video processing, clip generation, and content curation.
• Automation Features: To execute automation workflows, monitor triggers, and send automated responses based on your configurations.
• Communication: To send you notifications, updates, security alerts, and support messages.
• Analytics and Improvement: To analyze usage patterns, improve our Service, develop new features, and optimize performance.
• Legal Compliance: To comply with legal obligations, enforce our terms of service, and protect our rights and the rights of our users.
• Security: To detect, prevent, and address security issues, fraud, and unauthorized access.

3. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

3.1 Service Providers

We may share information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as cloud hosting, payment processing, analytics, and customer support. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.

3.2 Social Media Platforms

When you use our Service to post content or interact with social media platforms, your content and actions are shared with those platforms in accordance with their privacy policies and terms of service.

3.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or governmental regulation, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

3.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the acquiring entity, subject to the same privacy protections.

4. Third-Party Services

Our Service integrates with third-party platforms and services. When you use these integrations, your information is subject to their privacy policies:

• Meta (Instagram): When you connect your Instagram account, your use is governed by Meta's Privacy Policy and Instagram API Terms. AutoChats is a Meta-Verified Partner with official API integration.
• Google: When you use Google authentication to sign in, your use of Google services is governed by Google's Privacy Policy.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these third-party services to understand how they collect, use, and share your information.

5. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit using TLS/SSL protocols
• Hashing of passwords using secure algorithms
• Secure storage of authentication tokens
• Regular security assessments and updates
• Access controls and authentication requirements
• Monitoring for security threats and vulnerabilities

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide our Service, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Specifically:

• Account Data: Retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period after account deletion to comply with legal obligations.
• Content and Posts: Retained until you delete them or request account deletion.
• Cache Data: Automatically expired based on configured time-to-live (TTL) settings.
• Log Data: Retained for security and troubleshooting purposes, typically for 90 days.

When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information in accordance with applicable law, except where we are required to retain it for legal or legitimate business purposes.

7. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

7.1 Access and Portability

You have the right to access your personal information and receive a copy of your data in a portable format. You can access most of your information through your account settings.

7.2 Correction

You can update or correct your personal information at any time through your account settings or by contacting us.

7.3 Deletion

You have the right to delete all your personal data at any time. AutoChats provides a one-click data deletion option in your account settings that immediately and permanently removes all your data from our systems. When you use this option, we will:

• Delete your account information, posts, and content
• Disconnect and remove all connected social media accounts
• Delete your automation settings, triggers, and preferences
• Remove cached data associated with your account
• Delete uploaded files and video processing tasks
• Remove all contact and CRM data collected through your automations

This action is irreversible. Once deleted, your data cannot be recovered. You can also choose to delete individual posts, disconnect specific social media accounts, or export your data before deletion.

Some information may be retained for legal or legitimate business purposes, such as transaction records required for accounting or legal compliance.

7.4 Objection and Restriction

You have the right to object to certain processing of your information or request restriction of processing in specific circumstances.

7.5 Withdrawal of Consent

Where processing is based on consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing before the withdrawal.

7.6 Opt-Out Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information. We do not sell personal information, but you can contact us to exercise your rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

7.7 Exercising Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in the "Contact Us" section below. We will respond to your request within 30 days, or as required by applicable law.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience, analyze usage, and improve our Service. Types of cookies we use:

8.1 Essential Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the Service to function properly, including authentication tokens stored in your browser's local storage.

8.2 Functional Cookies

These cookies remember your preferences and settings to provide a personalized experience.

8.3 Analytics Cookies

These cookies help us understand how users interact with our Service to improve functionality and user experience.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling certain cookies may limit your ability to use some features of our Service.

9. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from those in your country. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws.

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom, we rely on appropriate legal mechanisms, such as Standard Contractual Clauses, to transfer your data to countries outside the EEA.

10. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for individuals under the age of 13 (or the minimum age required in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.

If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the updated Privacy Policy on this page
• Updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Sending you an email notification (for significant changes)
• Displaying a notice in our Service

Your continued use of our Service after any changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes acceptance of those changes. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

For users in the European Union, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe we have not addressed your concerns adequately.