Pickle PHD ("we", "us", or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our website, web app, and related services (collectively, the "Platform").

1. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of data:

• Contact Information: Your email address, login credentials, and any other information you provide during account creation or communication with us.
• Usage Data: Number of videos created, prompts submitted, interaction patterns, feature usage statistics, time spent on platform, and general usage behavior.
• Content Data: Any PDFs, videos, links, text prompts, or other materials you upload, along with the generated scripts, videos, and associated metadata. This includes draft content, saved preferences, and output history.
• Device & Technical Data: IP address, browser type and version, OS, device type and identifiers, language preferences, time zone settings, installed plugins, screen resolution, and device capabilities.
• Location Data: General location information inferred from IP address (not precise GPS location).
• Payment Data: Transaction history, subscription status, and payment method details (processed securely through Stripe).
• Communication Data: Customer service interactions, feedback submissions, and any correspondence with our team.

2. How We Use Your Information

• Provide and improve our services, including personalizing content and recommendations.
• Generate AI-driven videos and manage your content library.
• Monitor usage patterns and improve user experience through analytics and A/B testing.
• Handle subscriptions, payments, and billing (via Stripe).
• Enforce our Terms and prevent abuse, fraud, or unauthorized access.
• Send service updates, security alerts, and administrative messages.
• Comply with legal obligations and respond to law enforcement requests.
• Debug issues and maintain platform security.
• Aggregate anonymized data for internal analytics and research.

Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR): We process your data based on:

• Contract performance (providing our services)
• Legal obligations (tax, security, law enforcement)
• Legitimate interests (improving services, preventing fraud)
• Your consent (marketing communications)

3. AI and Content Processing

We use third-party AI tools (including OpenAI and DeepSeek AI) to generate character scripts and video content. These outputs are fictional and for entertainment purposes only.

Important disclosures about AI processing:

• Content you upload may be processed by AI models to generate outputs.
• AI models may retain information for training purposes according to their privacy policies.
• We implement strict data handling procedures with our AI providers.
• Generated content may be imperfect, biased, or contain unintended elements.
• We do not guarantee accuracy, appropriateness, or factual reliability of any AI-generated content.

Data Transfer Notice: AI processing may involve data transfers to servers worldwide. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for international data transfers.

4. Data Retention & Deletion

We retain different types of data for varying periods:

• Account Data: Retained while your account is active
• Generated Content: Stored for 90 days after creation
• Payment Records: Kept for 7 years (legal requirement)
• Usage Logs: Retained for 30 days
• Security Logs: Kept for 1 year

Account Deletion Process:

• Contact contact@picklephd.com to request account deletion
• We'll verify your identity and process the request within 30 days
• Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone
• Some data may be retained for legal compliance
• Anonymized/aggregated data may be kept indefinitely

5. Cookies and Tracking

We use the following types of cookies and similar technologies:

• Essential: Required for basic functionality (cannot be disabled)
• Functional: Remember preferences and settings
• Analytics: Help us understand usage patterns
• Marketing: Track effectiveness of our campaigns (optional)

Cookie Management:

• Control cookies through browser settings
• Use our cookie preference center
• Opt-out of analytics via Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on
• Note: Blocking essential cookies may impact functionality

6. Third-Party Services

We use and share necessary data with the following service providers:

• Stripe – Payment processing
• Firebase – Authentication, hosting, database
• Vercel – Web deployment
• Google Cloud Platform – Data storage and computing
• Google Analytics – Site analytics
• OpenAI & DeepSeek AI – AI-generated content
• ElevenLabs – Text-to-speech (for some character voices)

These services may process data in accordance with their own privacy policies.

7. Children's Privacy

The Platform is not intended for children under 13.

If you are under 18, you must enable our safe mode content filter. While we try to reduce explicit content, some material may still slip through due to the nature of AI generation.

8. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including:

• End-to-end encryption for data transmission
• Regular security audits and penetration testing
• Multi-factor authentication options
• Employee access controls and training
• Automated threat detection and prevention
• Regular backups and disaster recovery procedures

Security Incident Response:

• We monitor for breaches 24/7
• Will notify affected users within 72 hours of discovery
• Coordinate with law enforcement when necessary
• Maintain an incident response plan

While we implement these protections, no system is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute protection against unauthorized access, hardware failure, or sophisticated attacks.

9. Legal Compliance

We align with major data protection regulations including:

• GDPR (EU): Data minimization, lawful processing, data subject rights
• CCPA/CPRA (California): Consumer privacy rights, data sale opt-out
• PIPEDA (Canada): Fair information principles
• LGPD (Brazil): Data protection requirements
• APPI (Japan): Personal information protection

Additional Compliance Measures:

• Regular compliance audits
• Employee privacy training
• Data protection impact assessments
• Vendor security assessments
• Privacy by design principles

10. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights to:

• Access or receive a copy of your data
• Correct inaccurate data
• Delete your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Restrict or object to processing
• Data portability (receive data in a usable format)
• Withdraw consent for optional processing
• Lodge a complaint with supervisory authorities

To exercise your rights:

• Email: contact@picklephd.com
• Response time: Within 30 days
• Identity verification required
• No fee for reasonable requests
• May decline excessive or unfounded requests

11. Updates to this Policy

Policy Update Process:

• 30 days notice for material changes
• Email notification for significant updates
• Change log maintained on website
• Prior versions available upon request

Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance. If you disagree with changes, you must stop using the Platform and delete your account.

12. Contact

Questions or concerns?
contact@picklephd.com