Privacy Policy

Introduction

vakaflow ("we," "our," or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application ("App").

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By using vakaflow, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use our App.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide to Us

Account Information

• Email Address: Collected when you sign in with Apple ID or Google Sign-In
• Name: Collected during authentication (if provided by your authentication provider)
• Profile Image: Collected from your Apple ID or Google account (if available)

User Profile Information

• Profile avatar (photo you upload)
• Bio/About Me information
• Contact information (email address, WhatsApp number) - optional
• Investor profile data:
  • Risk tolerance preferences (Conservative, Moderate, Aggressive)
  • Investment experience level (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
  • Investment goals (Income Generation, Capital Growth, Portfolio Protection, Speculation)
  • Trading frequency preferences
  • Maximum loss tolerance

Financial and Trading Data

• Portfolio information (stock positions, options holdings)
• Trading recommendations you save or track
• Feedback on recommendations (profit/loss outcomes)
• Tracked stocks and symbols
• Historical trading analysis data

Social Features Data

• vakacircle memberships and participation
• Discussion posts and comments
• Chat messages within vakacircles
• Circle invitations and QR codes
• Recommendation ratings and reviews
• Expert tips and payment records

Terms Agreement

• Record of terms and conditions acceptance
• Agreement version and timestamp
• IP address (if collected during agreement)

1.2 Automatically Collected Information

Device Information

• Device type and model
• iOS version
• App version
• Device identifiers

Usage Information

• Features you access within the App
• Time spent in the App
• Interaction patterns
• Crash reports and performance data

Stock Market Data

• Stock symbols you search or track
• Real-time stock prices (via Yahoo Finance API)
• Cryptocurrency data (via CoinGecko API)
• Options chain data

1.3 Information from Third-Party Services

Authentication Providers

• Apple Sign-In: User ID, email (if provided), name (if provided)
• Google Sign-In: User ID, email, name, profile image URL

Financial Data Providers

• Yahoo Finance: Stock prices, options data, market information
• CoinGecko: Cryptocurrency prices and market data

AI Services (when used for analysis)

• OpenAI (ChatGPT): Analysis requests and responses
• Google Gemini: Analysis requests and responses
• Anthropic (Claude): Analysis requests and responses

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

2.1 Core App Functionality

• Account Management: Create and manage your user account
• Authentication: Verify your identity and maintain secure access
• Personalization: Customize your experience based on your investor profile
• Recommendations: Generate personalized trading recommendations based on your preferences and portfolio

2.2 Trading and Financial Services

• Portfolio Tracking: Monitor and display your stock positions and options holdings
• Real-time Data: Provide current stock prices, options chains, and market data
• AI Analysis: Generate AI-powered stock and options analysis (when you request it)
• Historical Analysis: Track recommendation accuracy and performance over time

2.3 Social Features

• vakacircles: Enable you to join trading communities and share insights
• Discussions: Facilitate conversations about trading strategies and recommendations
• Invitations: Generate and share QR codes for circle invitations

2.4 Communication and Support

• Customer Support: Respond to your inquiries and provide technical support
• Notifications: Send you alerts about trading opportunities, recommendations, and app updates (with your permission)

2.5 App Improvement

• Analytics: Understand how users interact with the App to improve features and user experience
• Bug Fixes: Identify and resolve technical issues
• Feature Development: Develop new features based on usage patterns

2.6 Legal Compliance

• Terms Enforcement: Ensure compliance with our Terms of Service
• Legal Obligations: Comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes

3. Data Storage and Security

3.1 Local Storage

• Primary Storage: Most of your data is stored locally on your device using iOS UserDefaults
• Device-Specific: Data is tied to your specific device and is not automatically synced across devices
• Encryption: Sensitive data (when stored in Keychain) is encrypted using iOS security features

3.2 Cloud Storage (Optional)

• CloudKit: If you enable iCloud sync, some data may be synced to Apple's CloudKit service
  • CloudKit data is encrypted in transit and at rest
  • You control which data is synced via iCloud settings
  • Apple's CloudKit Privacy Policy applies to synced data

3.3 Security Measures

• Authentication: Secure sign-in via Apple ID or Google Sign-In (industry-standard OAuth)
• Data Encryption: Sensitive data encrypted at rest (Keychain) and in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
• Access Controls: User data is isolated and accessible only by you (except shared vakacircle data)
• Regular Updates: We regularly update the App to address security vulnerabilities

3.4 Data Retention

• Active Accounts: We retain your data while your account is active
• Account Deletion: You can delete your account at any time, which will remove your personal data from local storage
• Backup Data: If you use iCloud backup, your App data may be included in your device backup (subject to Apple's privacy policies)

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

4.1 Service Providers

• Financial Data APIs: We share stock symbols and search queries with Yahoo Finance and CoinGecko to fetch market data (no personal information is shared)
• AI Services: When you request AI analysis, we send your query (which may include stock symbols or trading strategies) to the AI service you selected. We do not send your personal financial data unless you explicitly include it in your query.

4.2 vakacircle Sharing

• Within Circles: Data you post in vakacircles (discussions, messages, recommendations) is visible to other members of that circle
• Circle Invitations: QR codes and invitation links may be shared with others to join circles

4.3 Legal Requirements

• Legal Compliance: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government regulation
• Protection of Rights: We may disclose information to protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property, or that of our users

4.4 Business Transfers

• If vakaflow is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction (with notice to users)

5. Third-Party Services

vakaflow integrates with the following third-party services. Each service has its own privacy policy:

5.1 Authentication Services

• Apple Sign-In: Apple Privacy Policy
• Google Sign-In: Google Privacy Policy

5.2 Financial Data Providers

• Yahoo Finance: Yahoo Privacy Policy
• CoinGecko: CoinGecko Privacy Policy

5.3 AI Analysis Services

• OpenAI (ChatGPT): OpenAI Privacy Policy
• Google Gemini: Google Privacy Policy
• Anthropic (Claude): Anthropic Privacy Policy

5.4 Cloud Services

• Apple CloudKit: Apple Privacy Policy (if iCloud sync is enabled)

6. Your Privacy Rights

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

6.1 Access and Portability

• Access: You can view most of your data within the App
• Export: Request a copy of your data (contact us for assistance)

6.2 Correction and Update

• Edit Profile: Update your profile information, investor profile, and preferences directly in the App
• Update Data: Modify or delete portfolio data, recommendations, and social content

6.3 Deletion

• Account Deletion: Delete your account and associated data at any time through the App settings
• Data Removal: Request deletion of specific data items (contact us for assistance)

6.4 Opt-Out Rights

• Notifications: Manage notification preferences in iOS Settings → vakaflow → Notifications
• Location Services: We do not collect location data, but you can manage iOS location permissions
• Analytics: Some analytics may be collected automatically; contact us to opt out

6.5 California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights:

• Right to Know: Request information about personal information collected, used, and shared
• Right to Delete: Request deletion of personal information
• Right to Opt-Out: Opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell your data)
• Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights

6.6 European Privacy Rights (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have additional rights:

• Right to Access: Obtain confirmation of whether we process your personal data
• Right to Rectification: Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data
• Right to Restrict Processing: Limit how we use your data
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to Object: Object to processing of your data
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent for data processing at any time

To exercise these rights, contact us using the information provided in Section 9 (Contact Us).

7. Children's Privacy

vakaflow is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18 (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately, and we will delete such information.

8. International Data Transfers

Your information may be processed and stored in the United States or other countries where our service providers operate. By using vakaflow, you consent to the transfer of your information to these countries, which may have different data protection laws than your country of residence.

We take appropriate measures to ensure your data is protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable laws, including:

• Using standard contractual clauses approved by data protection authorities
• Ensuring service providers comply with applicable data protection laws

9. 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 material changes by:

• Posting the updated Privacy Policy in the App
• Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
• Providing in-app notifications for significant changes (when possible)

Your continued use of vakaflow after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

10. Contact Us

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

• Email: support@vakaflow.app
• App Support: Visit Support Page
• Privacy Inquiries: privacy@vakaflow.app

11. Additional Disclaimers

11.1 Financial Information Disclaimer

vakaflow provides trading recommendations and analysis for informational purposes only. We are not a registered investment advisor, broker-dealer, or financial advisor. All trading decisions and their consequences are your sole responsibility. vakaflow is not liable for any financial losses resulting from your use of the App.

11.2 Data Accuracy

While we strive to provide accurate market data and analysis, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any information provided through the App or third-party services.

11.3 Third-Party Content

vakaflow may contain links to third-party websites, services, or content. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these third parties.

12. Consent

By using vakaflow, you consent to:

• The collection and use of your information as described in this Privacy Policy
• The processing of your data in the United States and other countries
• The sharing of information with third-party services as described in this policy

If you do not consent to any aspect of this Privacy Policy, please do not use the App.