Privacy Policy

Social Spork ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

Currently, Social Spork does not require user accounts. If you interact with our platform:

• Recipe Submissions: URLs you submit are logged temporarily for processing
• Contact Information: If you email us, we collect email addresses and message content
• Future Accounts: If implemented, we will collect email, name, and password (encrypted)

1.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you visit Social Spork, we automatically collect:

• Usage Data: Pages viewed, time spent, click patterns, search queries
• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, device type, screen resolution
• Location Data: General geographic location (city/country level) via IP address
• Referral Data: Websites that referred you to Social Spork
• IP Address: Logged for security and analytics purposes

1.3 Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies:

• Essential Cookies: Required for basic site functionality
• Analytics Cookies: Google Analytics tracks usage patterns
• Advertising Cookies: Google AdSense and partners (when implemented)
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may limit site functionality.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information to:

• Provide Services: Process recipe extractions, display content, maintain functionality
• Improve Platform: Analyze usage to enhance user experience and fix bugs
• Personalization: Recommend recipes based on browsing history
• Analytics: Understand traffic patterns, popular content, user demographics
• Security: Detect fraud, abuse, and technical issues
• Communication: Respond to inquiries and provide customer support
• Legal Compliance: Comply with laws and respond to legal requests
• Monetization: Display relevant advertisements and track affiliate conversions

3. Information Sharing and Disclosure

3.1 Third-Party Service Providers

We share information with trusted third parties who assist our operations:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS): Cloud hosting and infrastructure
  • Purpose: Data storage, computing, content delivery
  • Data shared: All platform data and user interactions
  • Privacy: AWS Privacy Policy
• MongoDB Atlas: Database hosting
  • Purpose: Recipe and user data storage
  • Data shared: All recipe content and metadata
  • Privacy: MongoDB Privacy Policy
• OpenAI: AI processing services
  • Purpose: Recipe extraction, enhancement, analysis
  • Data shared: Video transcriptions, recipe descriptions
  • Privacy: OpenAI Privacy Policy
• Google Analytics: Website analytics
  • Purpose: Traffic analysis and user behavior tracking
  • Data shared: Anonymous usage statistics
  • Privacy: Google Privacy Policy
• Google AdSense: Advertising platform (when implemented)
  • Purpose: Display advertisements and track performance
  • Data shared: Page views, click behavior, demographics
  • Privacy: Google Ads Privacy

3.2 We Do NOT Sell Personal Information

Social Spork does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.

3.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required by law or in good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

• Comply with legal obligations or court orders
• Protect and defend our rights or property
• Prevent fraud or security issues
• Protect safety of users or the public

4. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information:

• Encryption: HTTPS/TLS encryption for all data transmission
• Access Controls: Limited employee access to personal data
• Secure Storage: AWS Secrets Manager for API keys and credentials
• Regular Audits: Security reviews and vulnerability assessments
• Monitoring: AWS CloudWatch for suspicious activity detection
• Backups: Regular automated backups with encryption

However, no internet transmission is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Data Retention

We retain information as follows:

• Recipe Data: Stored indefinitely unless removed by content creator
• Analytics Data: Retained for 26 months (Google Analytics default)
• Processing Logs: Lambda logs retained for 30 days via CloudWatch
• Submitted URLs: Temporary storage during processing, then deleted
• User Accounts (future): Until account deletion requested

6. Your Privacy Rights

6.1 General Rights

You have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Correction: Update inaccurate information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from communications (when implemented)
• Cookie Control: Manage cookies via browser settings

6.2 California Residents (CCPA)

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

• Know what personal information is collected
• Know whether information is sold or disclosed
• Opt-out of sale of personal information (we don't sell data)
• Request deletion of personal information
• Non-discrimination for exercising rights

To exercise these rights, email privacy@social-spork.com

6.3 European Users (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area, you have rights under GDPR:

• Access, correction, and deletion of personal data
• Object to processing or request restriction
• Data portability (receive your data in structured format)
• Withdraw consent at any time
• Lodge complaints with supervisory authority

Our legal basis for processing: Legitimate interests (service provision), consent (cookies), legal obligations.

7. Children's Privacy

Social Spork is not intended for children under 13 years of age.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we discover we have collected data from a child under 13, we will delete it immediately. If you believe a child has provided information, contact us at privacy@social-spork.com.

8. International Data Transfers

Social Spork is operated from the United States. If you access our service from outside the US:

• Your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States
• US privacy laws may differ from your country's laws
• By using our service, you consent to this transfer
• We use appropriate safeguards for international transfers

9. Third-Party Links

Social Spork contains links to external websites:

• Original recipe videos on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube
• Creator social media profiles
• Affiliate product links (when implemented)
• Partner websites

We are not responsible for third-party privacy practices. Review their policies before providing information.

10. Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers transmit "Do Not Track" (DNT) signals. Currently, there is no industry standard for responding to DNT. Social Spork does not currently respond to DNT signals. You can control tracking through:

• Browser cookie settings
• Google Analytics opt-out: Opt-out browser add-on
• Advertising opt-out: NAI Opt-Out Tool

11. Changes to Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. Changes will be effective when posted with an updated "Last Updated" date. Material changes will be communicated via:

• Prominent notice on our website
• Email notification (if accounts are implemented)

Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

12. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach affecting personal information:

• We will investigate and assess the breach within 72 hours
• Affected users will be notified via email (if available)
• We will notify relevant authorities as required by law
• We will take immediate steps to mitigate harm and prevent recurrence

13. Contact Us

For privacy-related questions, requests, or concerns:

14. Summary of Key Points