Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Advising Alpha ("we," "us," "our," or "Company") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website at advisingalpha.com and use our Service, including our mobile applications (collectively, the "Service").

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Service.

2. Information We Collect

A. Information You Provide Directly

When you create an account, subscribe to Pro, or contact us, we collect:

• Full name
• Email address
• Password (hashed and encrypted)
• Account preferences and settings
• Communication history with our support team
• Any information provided in support requests or feedback

B. Payment Information

For Pro subscriptions, we collect payment information processed through Stripe:

• Credit card details (processed securely via Stripe; we do NOT store card numbers)
• Billing name and address
• Transaction history and subscription status

Important: Advising Alpha does not directly collect or store credit card numbers. All payment processing is handled by Stripe, our PCI-DSS compliant payment processor. We only store tokenized payment references and transaction records.

C. Automatically Collected Information

When you use our Service, we automatically collect:

• Device information (device type, operating system, browser type and version)
• IP address and general location data
• Pages visited and content accessed
• Time and date stamps of your activity
• Referring URL and links clicked
• Search queries and features used
• Interaction data with Service features (clicks, scrolls, etc.)

D. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies:

• Session Cookies: To maintain your login session and remember your preferences
• Persistent Cookies: To remember you across visits and improve your experience
• Analytics Cookies: To understand how users interact with the Service
• Third-Party Tracking: Via Google Analytics and similar services

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information to:

• Create and maintain your account
• Process subscription payments and billing
• Send transactional emails (receipts, confirmations, password resets)
• Provide customer support and respond to inquiries
• Improve, maintain, and optimize the Service and user experience
• Monitor and analyze usage patterns and trends
• Detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent or unauthorized activity
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service
• Send periodic updates, newsletters, or promotional communications (with your consent)
• Aggregate data for analytics and business intelligence (anonymized)

We do NOT sell your personal information to third parties. We do NOT use your data for purposes other than those described in this Privacy Policy without your explicit consent.

4. Third-Party Services and Data Sharing

We share your information only with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating the Service:

A. Payment Processing

Stripe: Payment processor for subscription billing. Stripe handles all credit card data and is PCI-DSS compliant. See Stripe's Privacy Policy for details: stripe.com/privacy

B. Analytics

Google Analytics: We use Google Analytics to understand user behavior and optimize the Service. Google Analytics collects device information, pages visited, and interaction data. See Google's Privacy Policy: policies.google.com/privacy

C. Data Processing Agreements

All third-party service providers are contractually bound to use your information only as necessary to provide services and to maintain data security and confidentiality.

D. Legal Disclosure

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government request, or when necessary to:

• Protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property
• Protect against fraud or unauthorized activity
• Enforce our Terms of Service
• Respond to legal process (subpoena, court order, etc.)

5. Data Security

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

• SSL/TLS encryption for data transmitted over the internet
• Encrypted data storage for sensitive information
• Restricted access to personal data (employee and contractor access control)
• Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Secure password storage using cryptographic hashing

Important Disclaimer: While we use reasonable security measures, no system is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your information. You use the Service at your own risk. We are not responsible for unauthorized access, data breaches, or security incidents beyond our reasonable control.

6. Your Privacy Rights

A. Access and Portability

You have the right to request a copy of your personal information held by Advising Alpha. We will provide this in a commonly used, machine-readable format within 30 days of your request.

B. Correction and Deletion

You may request corrections to inaccurate information or deletion of your personal data. We will comply with deletion requests within 30 days, subject to legal retention requirements. Some information may be retained for billing, legal, or compliance purposes.

C. Opt-Out of Marketing Communications

You may opt out of promotional emails by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or updating your communication preferences in your account settings. Transactional emails (receipts, notifications) cannot be opted out of.

D. Exercising Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@advisingalpha.com with a clear description of your request. We will respond within 30 days.

7. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for, and we do not knowingly collect information from, individuals under 18 years of age. If we become aware that we have collected information from a child under 18, we will delete that information immediately.

By using the Service, you represent that you are at least 18 years of age.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to:

• Maintain your account and provide the Service
• Comply with legal and regulatory obligations
• Resolve disputes and enforce agreements
• Conduct analytics and improve the Service

When you delete your account, we will delete your personal information within 30 days, except where retention is required by law or for legitimate business purposes (e.g., transaction history for tax/audit purposes, fraud prevention).

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on the Service and updating the "Effective Date" at the top. Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, your personal information, or our privacy practices, please contact us at:

Email: privacy@advisingalpha.com

Website: advisingalpha.com

We will respond to your inquiry within 30 days.