Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how Lowerated Inc. ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, and discloses information about individuals who use our websites, applications, tools, and features (collectively, the "Service"). For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, "you" and "your" means you as the user of the Service, whether you are a customer, website visitor, or another individual whose information we have collected pursuant to this Privacy Policy.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By using any of the Service, you agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, please do not use or access the Service.

1. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, in which case we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. If we make material changes to the way in which we use or disclose information we collect, we will use reasonable efforts to notify you (such as by emailing you at the last email address you provided us, or by posting notice of such changes on the Service) at least 14 days before the changes take effect. If you do not agree to any updates, please do not continue using the Service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

Some features of the Service may require you to directly provide us with certain information. You may elect not to provide this information, but doing so may prevent you from using or accessing these features. Information that you directly submit includes:

• Account Information: Your name, email address, username, and password (or authentication via Google). We use this information to create and maintain your account and to communicate with you.
• Profile Information: Profile photo, bio, social links, primary role, skills, and work status — all optional. We use this to personalize your experience and enable community features.
• Payment Information: When you subscribe to a paid plan, Stripe (our payment processor) collects and securely handles your payment details. We do not store your full credit card number on our servers. We use this information to process your payment and provide the Service.
• Content: Scripts, screenplays, character profiles, storyboards, production documents, images, and any other material you create or upload ("Your Content"). We use this to provide the Service and generate AI-powered outputs at your request.
• Communications: Messages you send to us through support channels or feedback forms. We use this to respond to your inquiries and improve the Service.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

We and certain third parties automatically collect certain information about your interaction with the Service ("Usage Data") through the use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Usage Data includes:

• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, device type, and screen resolution.
• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, timestamps of activity, and interactions with the platform (such as AI feature usage and export counts).
• Log Data: IP addresses, referral URLs, approximate geographic location (derived from IP address), and error logs for debugging and security purposes.

We use Usage Data to tailor features and content to you, run analytics, measure and better understand user interaction with the Service, and improve performance.

2.3 Information from Third Parties

If you sign in using Google OAuth, we receive a limited set of information from your Google Account. Specifically, we request access to the following Google OAuth scopes:

• Email address (email): Used to create and identify your Lowerated account.
• Basic profile information (profile): Your name and profile photo, used to personalize your account.
• OpenID Connect (openid): Used to authenticate your identity securely.

We do not request access to your Google Drive, Gmail, Calendar, Contacts, or any other Google services. We do not receive or store your Google password. For full details on how we handle Google user data, see Section 6 below.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, operate, and maintain the Service.
• Process transactions and manage your subscriptions.
• Personalize your experience, including AI-powered recommendations and suggestions.
• Send you service-related communications (account verification, billing notifications, feature updates, and trial status updates).
• Monitor usage patterns to improve performance, fix bugs, and develop new features.
• Enforce our Terms of Service and protect against misuse.
• Comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use Your Content (scripts, projects, etc.) to train AI models.

We may deidentify or anonymize your information such that it cannot reasonably be used to identify you, and we may use such deidentified information for any purpose, including analytics and improving the Service. We will maintain and use such information in deidentified form and not attempt to reidentify the information.

4. How We Share Your Information

We may disclose your information to third parties in the following limited circumstances:

• Service Providers: We use trusted third-party services to operate the platform, including Stripe (payments), Amazon Web Services (hosting, storage, and AI services), and authentication providers. These services only receive the minimum information necessary to perform their function and are contractually obligated to protect your data.
• AI Providers: When you use AI features, your prompts and relevant context are sent to AI service providers (such as OpenAI and Anthropic) to generate responses. These providers process data in accordance with data processing agreements that prohibit the use of customer data for model training.
• Collaborators: When you invite collaborators to a project, they will be able to view your name, profile photo, and any content within that project based on their assigned role. You control who has access to your projects.
• Community Features: If you set your profile to public, other users may see your name, bio, roles, portfolio links, and public projects. You can switch your profile to private at any time.
• Business Transactions: We may share personal information with a prospective buyer, seller, or new owner as necessary in relation to a merger, acquisition, asset sale, or similar business transaction.
• Professional Advisors: We may share information with auditors, law firms, or accounting firms as necessary.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government request, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Lowerated, our users, or the public.

5. AI Features and Your Data

Lowerated uses AI services to power features like script assistance, story development, casting suggestions, image generation, and speech-to-text transcription. When you use AI features:

• Your prompts and relevant context (such as scene text or character descriptions) are sent to our AI providers to generate responses.
• We do not use Your Content to train, fine-tune, or improve AI models. Your creative work remains yours.
• Our AI providers process data in accordance with their own data processing agreements, which prohibit the use of customer data for model training.
• AI-generated content (scripts, images, suggestions) is stored in your account and treated as Your Content under this policy.

6. Google OAuth and Google User Data

Lowerated offers Google Sign-In as a convenient way to create an account and log in. This section provides specific details about how we access, use, store, and protect data received from Google APIs, in accordance with the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

6.1 Data We Access from Google

When you choose to sign in with Google, we request access only to the following information through Google OAuth 2.0:

• Name: Your first and last name as set in your Google Account.
• Email address: The primary email address associated with your Google Account.
• Profile photo: Your Google Account profile picture.

We do not request access to your Google Drive files, Gmail messages, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, YouTube data, Google Photos, or any other Google service or content beyond the basic profile scopes listed above.

6.2 How We Use Google User Data

Data received from Google APIs is used strictly for the following purposes:

• Account creation and authentication: Your email address is used as your unique account identifier. Your name is used to pre-populate your display name. Your profile photo is used as your default avatar within the platform.
• Account security: Your email address is used to send account-related security notifications (such as login alerts or password reset requests, if applicable).

We do not use Google user data for advertising, marketing to third parties, or any purpose unrelated to providing and improving the Lowerated platform for you.

6.3 How We Store and Protect Google User Data

Google user data is stored in our primary database (MongoDB Atlas) alongside your Lowerated account record. It is protected by the same security measures described in Section 8 of this policy, including encryption at rest and in transit (TLS/HTTPS). Access to user data is restricted to authorized personnel and automated systems necessary to operate the Service.

6.4 Sharing of Google User Data

We do not sell, rent, or trade Google user data to any third party. Google user data is shared only in the following limited ways:

• Within the platform: Your name and profile photo may be visible to project collaborators you invite and, if you choose to make your profile public, to other Lowerated users.
• Service providers: Our hosting provider (Amazon Web Services) processes and stores this data on our behalf under strict data processing agreements. No other third-party service receives your Google user data.
• Legal obligations: We may disclose data if required by law, as described in Section 4 of this policy.

6.5 Google API Services — Limited Use Disclosure

Lowerated's use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. Specifically:

• We only use Google user data to provide and improve user-facing features that are apparent to the user.
• We do not transfer Google user data to third parties unless necessary to provide or improve user-facing features, to comply with applicable laws, or as part of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale with prior notice to users.
• We do not use Google user data for serving advertisements, including retargeting, personalized advertising, or interest-based advertising.
• We do not allow humans to read Google user data unless we have your affirmative agreement for specific messages, it is necessary for security purposes (such as investigating abuse), it is necessary to comply with applicable law, or our use is limited to internal operations and the data has been aggregated and anonymized.

6.6 Revoking Access and Deleting Google User Data

You can revoke Lowerated's access to your Google Account at any time by visiting your Google Account permissions page and removing Lowerated from the list of connected apps. Revoking access will prevent future Google Sign-In but will not automatically delete your Lowerated account or data.

To delete all Google user data stored by Lowerated, you may:

• Delete your Lowerated account through your account settings, which will remove all associated data (including Google-sourced data) within 30 days.
• Contact us at info@lowerated.com to request deletion of specific Google user data or your entire account.

Upon deletion, all Google user data (name, email, profile photo) will be permanently removed from our systems within 30 days. Certain anonymized or aggregated data that cannot be used to identify you may be retained for analytics purposes.

7. Social and Community Features

Certain features of the Service allow you to share content publicly or interact with other users. These include:

• Public Profiles: If you set your profile to public, other users and visitors may see your name, bio, roles, portfolio links, and public projects.
• Casting Calls: If you create or respond to casting calls, certain information (such as your name, role, and application details) may be visible to the casting call creator or other participants.
• Project Collaboration: When you invite collaborators, they gain access to project content based on their assigned role.

Information you make publicly available through these features may be viewed, collected, or used by others. We are not responsible for information you choose to make public. You can control your profile visibility and collaboration settings at any time through your account settings.

8. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored using industry-standard infrastructure provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS), including:

• Database: Account information, project data, and metadata are stored in MongoDB Atlas with encryption at rest.
• File Storage: Uploaded documents, images, and media are stored in Amazon S3 with access controls.
• Encryption: Data is encrypted in transit (TLS/HTTPS) and at rest.

Despite our reasonable efforts to protect your information, no security measures are impenetrable, and we cannot guarantee "perfect security." We encourage you to use a strong, unique password and enable any available security features on your account.

9. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purposes specified in this Privacy Policy. When determining the length of time to retain your information, we consider:

• Active Accounts: We retain your data for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the Service.
• Trial Periods: During and after a trial period, your projects, scripts, images, and all content remain accessible. Only AI generation features are paused after trial expiry. We do not delete any of your data when a trial ends.
• After Account Deletion: When you delete your account, we will remove your personal data and Content within 30 days. Certain data may be retained longer if required for legal, security, or fraud-prevention purposes.
• Billing Records: Transaction records may be retained for up to 7 years as required by tax and accounting regulations.
• Usage Logs: Anonymized or aggregated usage data may be retained indefinitely for analytics and service improvement.

10. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use a minimal set of cookies and similar technologies to operate the Service:

• Session Cookies: Essential for authentication and maintaining your login state. These are strictly necessary and cannot be disabled.
• Preference Cookies: Store your language and theme preferences.

We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking cookies. We do not participate in cross-site advertising networks. We do not sell or share personal information for targeted advertising purposes.

Most browsers accept cookies automatically, but you may be able to control cookies through your browser settings. Blocking or deleting cookies may cause some features of the Service to work incorrectly.

11. Third Party Websites and Links

The Service may contain links to third-party websites or platforms. If you follow links to sites or platforms that we do not control, you should review their applicable privacy policies and terms. We are not responsible for the privacy or security of, or information found on, these sites or platforms. Our inclusion of such links does not imply any endorsement of the content on such platforms or of their owners or operators.

12. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have some or all of the following rights in relation to personal information that we have collected about you. These rights are not absolute, and in certain cases, we may decline your request as permitted by law.

• Right to Access / Know: Request access to personal information that we hold about you, including the categories of information we have collected or disclosed.
• Right to Correct: Request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to Delete: Request that we delete personal information we maintain about you, subject to legal retention obligations.
• Right of Portability: Request your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format, or request that we transfer it to a third party.
• Right to Restrict Processing: Request that we stop, suspend, or restrict our processing of personal information in certain circumstances.
• Right to Object: Object to the processing of your data for specific purposes.
• Withdrawal of Consent: Where we rely on consent to process your personal information, you may withdraw this consent at any time by contacting us. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@lowerated.com. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights. We may need to collect information from you to verify your identity before providing a substantive response. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

You may also request to delete your account through your account settings or by contacting us at info@lowerated.com. If you delete your account, we aim to delete your personal information from our servers within 30 days.

13. U.S. Residents

This section supplements the rest of this Privacy Policy and applies to you if you are a resident of California or another U.S. state with an applicable consumer privacy law, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA").

13.1 Categories of Personal Information

In the preceding 12 months, we have collected and may have disclosed for a business purpose the following categories of personal information:

13.2 Sale and Sharing of Personal Information

We do not "sell" personal information as defined under the CCPA, nor have we done so in the preceding 12 months. We do not "share" personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. We do not have actual knowledge that we sell or share personal information of residents under 16 years of age.

13.3 Your California Rights

As a California resident, you have the right to:

• Request to know what personal information we have collected, used, disclosed, or sold.
• Request deletion of your personal information.
• Request correction of inaccurate personal information.
• Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information (we do not sell or share, so there is nothing to opt out of).
• Not be discriminated against for exercising your privacy rights.

To exercise these rights, contact us at info@lowerated.com. You may also designate an authorized agent to make requests on your behalf.

13.4 California Residents Under 18

California residents under 18 who have registered to use the Service and posted content visible to others may request removal of such content by contacting us at info@lowerated.com. We will make reasonable efforts to remove the content from prospective public view, though complete removal cannot be guaranteed (e.g., if third parties have republished or cached the content).

14. International Data Transfers

Your data may be processed and stored in regions outside your country of residence, including the United States and other jurisdictions where our service providers operate. Specifically, our servers and primary infrastructure are hosted in the United States via Amazon Web Services (AWS).

When we transfer data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including standard contractual clauses and data processing agreements with our providers.

By using the Service, you acknowledge and, where required by your jurisdiction, consent to the transfer of your personal information to the United States and other countries where we or our service providers operate. If you have questions about our data transfer mechanisms, please contact us at info@lowerated.com.

15. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed at children under 16 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If we become aware that we have unknowingly collected information about a child under 16, we will make commercially reasonable efforts to delete such information. If you are a parent or guardian who believes a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at info@lowerated.com to request deletion.

16. Complaints

If you have complaints about how we process your personal information, please contact us at info@lowerated.com and we will respond to your request as soon as possible.

If you believe we have infringed data protection laws, you may also file a complaint with the data protection supervisory authority in the country in which you live or work, or in any country where you believe we have infringed data protection laws.

17. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Email: info@lowerated.com

18. Language

In the event of any inconsistency between the English language version and any translated version of this Privacy Policy, the English language version will prevail.

By using Lowerated, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.