Privacy Policy — Book of Houses

Section 1

Introduction

Book of Houses ("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 website, mobile application, and related services (collectively, the "Service").

By accessing or using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use the Service.

Section 2

Information We Collect

Account Information: When you create an account, we collect information such as:

Name and display name
Email address
Phone number
Profile photo or avatar

Profile Information: Information you provide to personalize your experience, including:

Personal preferences and interests
Values and personality traits
House memberships and participation history
Quest progress and achievements
Goals and milestones

Communications: Content you create or share through the Service, including posts, comments, direct messages, and chat messages.

Usage Data: We automatically collect information about how you interact with the Service, including pages visited, features used, actions taken, and time spent on the platform.

Device Information: We may collect information about the device you use to access the Service, including device type, operating system, browser type, and unique device identifiers.

Log Data: Our servers automatically record information when you access the Service, including your IP address, access times, pages viewed, and the page you visited before navigating to our Service.

Section 3

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

Provide, maintain, and improve the Service
Create and manage your account
Send verification codes for account security
Send optional reminders and notifications (with your consent)
Respond to your inquiries, comments, and support requests
Personalize your experience and deliver relevant content
Monitor and analyze usage trends to improve the Service
Detect, prevent, and address technical issues, fraud, and security concerns
Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms

Section 4

SMS Messaging

By providing your phone number, you consent to receive SMS messages from us for the following purposes:

Verification codes: Sent automatically during account registration and login for security purposes
Quest reminders: Optional reminders about active quests and activities (opt-in only, up to 4 messages per quest)
Account notifications: Important updates about your account status or security

Message frequency varies based on your activity and preferences. Message and data rates may apply. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

To opt out of SMS messages, reply STOP to any message. For help, reply HELP or contact us at steven@stevenochs.com.

Section 5

Information Sharing

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

Service Providers: We share information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, including cloud hosting (AWS), SMS delivery, analytics, and infrastructure support. These providers are contractually obligated to use your information only for the purposes of providing services to us.
Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, in response to a subpoena, court order, or other governmental request, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.
Business Transfers: If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change in ownership or control of your personal information.

Important Notice: While we take reasonable measures to protect your data, by using the Service you acknowledge that no electronic transmission or storage method is completely secure. Information transmitted over the internet may be accessed by unauthorized third parties despite our precautions. We cannot guarantee absolute security, and we are not responsible for unauthorized access to your information that occurs despite our reasonable efforts to prevent it.

Section 6

Data Security

The security of your personal information is important to us. We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data, including:

Encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest
Secure authentication mechanisms, including multi-factor authentication
Regular security assessments and monitoring
Access controls limiting who can view or modify your data
Secure cloud infrastructure with leading providers

Security Disclaimer: We implement industry-standard security measures including encryption of data in transit and at rest. However, we cannot and do not guarantee that your information will never be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed by breach of our security measures. No method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure, and no internet-based service can be entirely foolproof. By using our Service, you acknowledge and accept these inherent risks of providing information online. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials and for any activity that occurs under your account.

Section 7

Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with the Service. If you wish to delete your account or request that we no longer use your information, please contact us at steven@stevenochs.com.

We may retain certain information as required by law, for legitimate business purposes, or to resolve disputes and enforce our agreements. Aggregated or anonymized data that can no longer be used to identify you may be retained indefinitely for analytics and service improvement purposes.

Section 8

Your Rights

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

Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
Correction: Request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete information
Deletion: Request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions
Opt-Out: Opt out of certain data processing activities, including marketing communications
Data Portability: Request an export of your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format
Restriction: Request that we restrict the processing of your personal information under certain conditions

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at steven@stevenochs.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

Section 9

Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at steven@stevenochs.com so that we can take appropriate action.

Section 10

Third-Party Links

The Service may contain links to third-party websites, services, or content that are not owned or controlled by us. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of any third-party websites or services.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit. Your interactions with third-party features and services are governed by the respective third party's privacy policy and terms of service.

Section 11

AI and Machine Learning

We may use artificial intelligence ("AI") and machine learning technologies to improve the Service, including but not limited to:

Personalizing your experience and content recommendations
Analyzing usage patterns to improve features and functionality
Generating quest suggestions and goal analysis
Moderating content to maintain community standards
Providing probability estimates and predictive insights related to your goals

AI-generated content, recommendations, probability estimates, and analysis are provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as professional, financial, medical, legal, or other expert advice. You should always exercise your own judgment and seek appropriate professional counsel when making important decisions.

Your interactions with AI-powered features may be used to improve the quality and accuracy of the Service. We take steps to minimize the use of personally identifiable information in AI training processes where feasible.

Section 12

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will notify you by updating the "Effective Date" at the top of this policy and, where appropriate, providing additional notice through the Service or via email.

Your continued use of the Service after any changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.

Section 13

Contact Us

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

Email: steven@stevenochs.com
Website: bookofhouses.com

We will make every effort to respond to your inquiry within a reasonable timeframe.

Section 14

California Residents

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

Right to Know: You may request that we disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the categories of sources from which we collected the information, and the purposes for which we use the information.
Right to Delete: You may request that we delete the personal information we have collected about you, subject to certain exceptions.
Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.
Right to Opt-Out of Sale: We do not sell personal information. If this practice changes in the future, we will provide you with an opt-out mechanism.

To exercise your rights under the CCPA, please contact us at steven@stevenochs.com. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

Section 15

International Users

The Service is operated from the United States. If you are accessing the Service from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country of residence.

By using the Service, you consent to the transfer, storage, and processing of your information in the United States. We will take reasonable steps to ensure that your information is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy regardless of where it is processed.