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Privacy Policy
Last Updated: July 3, 2026
Our Commitment: PatriotCompass is a U.S.-only iOS app committed to protecting your privacy. We believe in transparency and have designed the app to minimize data collection while providing you with a great experience. This policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, and how we protect it.
1. Information We Collect
1.1 Information You Provide
- Account Information: To create an account you provide your email address, and optionally a display name. Authentication is handled by our identity provider, Clerk; we do not create or store account passwords ourselves. If you sign in with Google, we receive your email address from that sign-in.
- Profile Preferences: Optional settings you choose — such as your home state, branch of service, app theme, and notification preferences — help us personalize the content you see.
- Subscription Information: For members, payment is processed by Apple (in-app purchase) or Stripe (web checkout). We store only your subscription status and identifiers (such as a customer or subscription ID and an expiration date). We never receive or store your full credit-card number.
- Saved Library: Quotes and historical events you choose to save are synced to your account so they are available across your devices.
- Support Messages: If you contact us through the in-app Help & Support form, we receive the message you send and basic context (such as app version) to help us respond.
1.2 Automatically Collected Information
- Diagnostics & Usage: We use Sentry to collect crash reports and basic usage events to keep the app stable. This includes information such as device model, iOS and app version, your plan status (free or member), and whether you are signed in. It does not include your browsing history.
- Push Notification Token: If you enable notifications, we store your Apple Push Notification service (APNs) device token so we can deliver the daily story, optional quote, and reminders you have turned on.
- Advertising Identifier (IDFA): If you are on the free tier and you grant permission through Apple’s App Tracking Transparency prompt, your device’s advertising identifier may be shared with our ad providers (Google AdMob, Meta) to support advertising and ad measurement. If you do not grant permission, this identifier is not shared.
- Product Analytics: We use PostHog and Google Analytics to understand how the app and website are used (for example, which features are opened and where visitors come from), so we can improve them. For signed-in users, this activity is associated with your account.
- Ad Measurement: If you arrive at our website or app from an advertisement, we and our advertising partner (Meta) use cookies, similar technologies, and privacy-preserving frameworks provided by Apple (SKAdNetwork / AdAttributionKit, Aggregated Event Measurement) to measure whether our ads led to a visit, sign-up, or membership. For web purchases, we may send Meta a purchase confirmation that includes a hashed (unreadable) version of your email address to measure ad performance.
1.3 Information We DO NOT Collect
- We DO NOT track your web browsing history
- We DO NOT collect your location or contacts
- We DO NOT collect personal information beyond what’s necessary for the app to function
- We DO NOT sell your data to third parties
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- Provide the App: To deliver daily historical events, quotes, flag status, widgets, and your saved library
- Account & Membership: To authenticate you and manage your subscription
- Notifications: To send the daily and reminder notifications you have enabled
- Email: To send our newsletter and product updates. The newsletter is opt-in — you receive it only if you subscribe. When you become a paying member, we also enroll you to receive occasional product news and feature updates about your membership; you can opt out at any time in Settings or via the unsubscribe link in any email
- Advertising: To show ads to free-tier users (members see no ads), and to measure whether our own advertising is effective
- Analytics: To understand feature usage and improve the app and website
- Stability & Support: To monitor crashes, fix bugs, and respond to your inquiries
- Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws and regulations
3. Advertising and App Tracking Transparency
- We show native ads through Google AdMob to free-tier users only. Members do not see ads.
- Before any tracking that uses your device’s advertising identifier (IDFA), we present Apple’s App Tracking Transparency prompt. Ads are served whether or not you allow tracking; your choice only affects whether the IDFA is shared for personalization.
- You can change your tracking choice at any time in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.
- For members, no ads are shown and no advertising identifier is shared.
- Google’s ad practices are described at policies.google.com/technologies/ads.
4. Data Storage and Security
4.1 Where Your Data is Stored
- On Your Device: Some preferences (such as widget order, theme, and notification toggles) are stored locally on your device.
- AWS Cloud: Account information, your saved library, and content are stored on Amazon Web Services (AWS) servers in the United States with industry-standard encryption.
4.2 Security Measures
- All communications between the app and our servers use HTTPS encryption
- Authentication uses signed tokens (JWT) issued by Clerk, with expiration
- AWS infrastructure includes DDoS protection and regular security review
- Access to backend systems is restricted and monitored
5. Third-Party Services
PatriotCompass relies on the following third-party services, each of which may process the data described above:
- Clerk (Authentication): Manages sign-in and your account identity (email, optional name)
- Apple (In-App Purchases): Processes App Store subscriptions
- Stripe (Web Payments): Processes membership purchases made through web checkout
- Amazon Web Services (AWS): Cloud hosting and data storage (United States)
- Beehiiv (Newsletter): Delivers our email newsletter to users who opt in
- Sentry (Crash & Diagnostics): Collects crash reports and basic diagnostics, and receives in-app support messages
- Google AdMob (Advertising): Serves native ads to free-tier users
- PostHog (Product Analytics): Measures feature usage on the app and website so we can improve them
- Google Analytics (Website Analytics): Measures website traffic and visitor sources
- Meta (Ad Measurement): Measures whether our advertising on Facebook and Instagram leads to visits, sign-ups, and memberships
6. Your Rights and Choices
6.1 Access and Control
You have the right to:
- Access the personal information we have about you
- Request correction of inaccurate information
- Delete your account and associated data
- Opt in to, or out of, our marketing email at any time
- Manage notifications and tracking in your iOS Settings
6.2 Deleting Your Account
You can delete your account at any time from within the app (the “Delete account” option on the YOU tab). Deletion is permanent and, in a single step, will:
- Cancel any active subscription purchased through web checkout
- Remove you from our newsletter list
- Delete your saved quotes and events
- Delete your registered notification device token
- Delete your account record and identity
This is a hard deletion; your data cannot be recovered afterward. Subscriptions purchased through Apple are managed and cancelled in your App Store account settings.
6.3 How to Exercise Your Rights
You can delete your account directly in the app. For any other request, contact us at privacy@patriotcompass.us and we will respond within 30 days.
7. Data Retention
- Active Accounts: We retain your account data while your account is active.
- Deleted Accounts: When you delete your account, your personal information is permanently removed from our systems.
- Expired Memberships: If your subscription lapses, your account remains on the free tier until you choose to delete it.
8. Children’s Privacy
PatriotCompass is intended for general audiences and does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately, and we will delete such information.
9. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make changes:
- We will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page
- For material changes, we will notify users via email or in-app notification
- Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy
10. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)
PatriotCompass is operated in the United States, and our servers and data are located in the United States. California residents have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):
- Right to know what personal information is collected
- Right to know if personal information is sold or disclosed
- Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information
- Right to deletion
- Right to non-discrimination for exercising CCPA rights
Note: PatriotCompass does NOT sell personal information to third parties. Some of our advertising-measurement practices (such as the Meta pixel on our website) may be considered “sharing” for cross-context behavioral advertising under the CPRA.
Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
To opt out of this “sharing”:
- In the app: decline (or revoke) tracking permission in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking
- On the website: email privacy@patriotcompass.us with the subject “Do Not Sell or Share” and we will honor your request; most browsers’ tracking-protection and Global Privacy Control settings are also respected
11. Data Breach Notification
In the unlikely event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will:
- Notify affected users without undue delay after discovery
- Provide details about what information was compromised
- Offer guidance on protective measures you can take
- Report the breach to relevant authorities as required by law
12. Contact Us