Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 2024-08-13

Introduction

Better, PBC (“we,” “us,” “our”) operates Unize including specific services such as www.unize.org (“Unize Website”), app.unize.org (“Unize App”), and api.unize.org (“Unize AI API”). Collectively, these are referred to as the “Services”. The following Privacy Policy describes the privacy considerations enacted by us relating to the collection, use, protection, sharing, and processing of your personal information. This policy also discusses your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

We use your personal information to provide and improve our Services. By using our Services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide Directly

Here is the personal information that you provide us when you use our Services and hereafter shall be collectively called “Personal Data”:

Account information. When you create an account with us, you are required to provide us with an email address and a log-in password.
Content you create. This includes any text, photo, video, and files (collectively called “Content”) that you upload to the services and content you produce by using our Services. For example, you may write a text or upload a file, upload an image or a video, generate a graph, and other content that you create throughout the course of your usage of Services.
Information from actions you take. We collect information about your use of our Services and your activities on the services. This includes information such as the people you invite, the users you engage with, the spaces (defined as an organized collection of pages) you create or join, the pages you create or are invited to collaborate in, your roles and permissions in spaces, the properties and relationships you create, and information about purchases you make including what you purchased, and other related actions.
Payment information. If you subscribe to any of our paid plans, you may need to submit a valid payment method and associated billing information, including your full name and billing address. Our payment processor, Stripe, receives and processes your payment information. We may also receive and store certain billing information, including the last four digits of the credit card number associated with the transaction.
Other data not specifically listed here. There may be other data not listed above which we will use as described in this Privacy Policy or as otherwise disclosed at the time of collection.

Information Collected Automatically

Here are the information we collect as you use our Services and hereafter shall be called “Usage Data”:

Information about your device. We collect information about the device you are using to access the Services. For example, this includes information like your IP address, operating system information, browser information, and information about your device settings, such as your microphone and/or camera. We gather this information to ensure the compatibility of our Services with your devices.
Information about your use of Services. For example, we collect log and event information related to how and when you use our Services (such as the sites, spaces, and pages you visit, the activities you engage in, the features you use, and the surfaces or embedded content you interact with). We may display this information publicly or provide it to others. However, we do not disclose personally identifying information other than as described herein.
Other information that we collect automatically. When you take certain actions on other sites, we may receive information about you. For example, when we advertise for our Services on third party platforms, if you click on the ad, we may receive information about which ad you saw and on which platform. Similarly, we may also receive certain information when you click on a referral link, such as which website you came from.

We may receive information from cookies (small text files placed on your computer or device) and similar technologies. Cookies are used to maintain session information, remember your preferences, and track your interactions with the Services, which helps us tailor and improve your experience. Users who do not wish to have cookies placed on their computers should set their browsers to refuse cookies before using Services, with the drawback that certain Services features may not function properly without the aid of cookies.

Use of Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes or as otherwise described at the time of collection:

Providing you with our Services. In order for us to provide you with our Services, we use your personal information accordingly. For example, we use the information you provide to us to create and manage your account and to facilitate your purchases. We also collect and store the text, photos, and videos you upload and display them to you directly. We also process the text you provide us to generate different views that we directly display to you or allow you to export to various formats.
Improving our Services. We use the information you provide us such as feedback, bug reports, error logs, and others which you may have communicated to us directly or we gathered automatically, to fix errors, develop new features, and overall improve the Services we offer.
To safeguard the user experience in our Services. We use your information to monitor for and take action against users and content that violate our Terms of Service and other policies. This includes responding to user reports, generating transcriptions of content as part of our investigation, detecting fraud and malware, and proactively scanning attachments and other content for illegal or harmful activity. We also use certain information, which may include content reported to us and content that violates our Terms of Service, to create systems and models that can be automated to more swiftly detect, categorize, and take action against prohibited content or conduct.
To contact you and provide customer service. We use your information to contact you in connection with your account (such as for verification purposes) or to respond to your questions about our Services. We may also use your information to contact you about important product or policy changes and to send you information about products you have purchased.
To comply with the law and protect rights. We process your information to comply with legal obligations, protect rights, privacy, and safety of ourselves, our affiliates, any third parties, and you – the user. We use user information to respond appropriately to lawful requests and legal processes, including subpoenas and government inquiries. Additionally, we use your information to audit our internal processes to ensure compliance with various legal, contractual, and internal policy requirements. We retain information where we are required by law or if we are compelled to do so by a court order or regulatory body. This comprehensive approach ensures we responsibly safeguard your information while adhering to all applicable laws.

Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell or share your personal information with third-parties for interest-based advertising purposes. We may disclose your personal information as described below and for other purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy:

When you provide us with any content via WYSIWYG editors or via file upload, you are giving us permission to make available said content on our Services. You have full control on who can access – via roles and permissions – your Content. We may also disclose your information as you otherwise instruct us or provide us your consent to do so.
We may share your Personal Data with third-party service providers who assist us with services such as payment processing, data analysis, email delivery, hosting services, and customer service. We ensure these parties operate under strict confidentiality and data protection terms similar to ours.
If we believe that a disclosure is required by law, to meet national security or to comply with law enforcement requirements, then we may disclose some or all information requested. Where allowed and feasible, we will attempt to provide you with prior notice before disclosing your information in response to such a request.
We may need to disclose information if Better, PBC, or any of its assets, is involved in a transaction such as a merger, acquisition, reorganization, bankruptcy, or sale, transfer, or change in ownership.

Data Security and Retention

We are committed to maintaining, recording, and storing the information collected from users only for the duration necessary to provide our Services to you, or to fulfill the specified purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy such as resolving disputes, safety and security reasons, and for complying with the law.

We retain personal information for as long as you have an active account with our Services and are using or visiting our Services. You can delete some user information and Personal Data directly from the Services. However, there is information that we may need to retain for a certain period beyond account deletion for business and legal purposes.

Content Deletion

You have the right to edit or delete your Content from our Services when you are the rightful owner of the Content and have authorization and permission to modify the Content from any other user or part of the Services if applicable. We will retain your Content (this excludes Content you have on spaces owned by other users) on our Services for as long as you choose to keep it. When you delete your Content from our Services, it will no longer be accessible by you or other users and will be removed from our systems, unless we have an obligation to retain it.

Account Deletion

We retain your Personal Data and Usage Data as long as your account in our Services is active to enhance your user experience. Such insights help us continuously improve our offerings and develop features that meet user preferences. In some cases, specific information may be retained for extended periods for defined purposes, as further outlined in our policies.

You have the option to delete your account at any time. Upon initiating account deletion, your account will be placed on a temporary hold for 15 business days to allow for recovery in case of accidental deletion. Following this period, we will proceed to anonymize or delete Personal Data and Usage Data that is no longer necessary for us to retain.

Data Retention Purposes

Legal Compliance. Information required for legal obligations, such as retaining transaction records for tax purposes and Billing Information for accounting and tax compliance, will be held for the period required by the applicable law.
Dictated by the Authorities. In instances where law enforcement or other governmental agencies mandate the retention of a user’s Personal Data, compliance with these directions will be strictly followed, and Personal Data and Content deletion will only occur once clearance is received from the respective authority.
Safety and Security. Information related to flagged users or violations will be retained indefinitely to ensure the ongoing safety and security of our Services and all its users, and to prevent fraud.
Resolve Disputes and Establish Legal Defenses. Information from direct interactions, like communications with customer support, will be retained for an indefinite period to manage potential disputes or legal claims.
Provide Services to Other Users. Content in spaces not exclusively owned by the user is retained unless users with sufficient permissions delete the Content.
Pursue Legitimate Business and Public Interest Purposes. We retain your Personal Data and Usage Data for business and public interest archival purposes as outlined below:
When you join another space that requires you to use your real identity, your real identity will continue to be displayed even after account deletion. If the space does not require its users to join with their real identity, you can opt to replace your display name with a pseudonym when you delete your account.
Personally identifiable information (PII) related to security and reputation is salted and hashed once you delete your account. Personal Data and Usage Data associated with your deleted account that is pertinent to our security needs or the reputation tracking needs of spaces you have contributed to will be stored alongside salted and hashed PII and cannot be removed from our Services. Salted and hashed PII cannot be tied back to your identity unless you provide us with matching PII when requesting to rejoin our Services, in which case we will reassociate stored Personal Data and Usage Data with your rejoin request to determine your eligibility to rejoin. If you successfully rejoin, stored Personal Data and Usage Data will be associated with your new account.

For inquiries regarding our data retention practices, or to address concerns regarding Content or account deletion, please contact us at [email protected].

User Rights

Your Rights Under the GDPR

We are committed to safeguarding the confidentiality of your Personal Data and ensuring you can effectively exercise your rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) if you are within the European Union (EU):

The Right to Access. You have the right to request access to the Personal Data we hold about you. You can often access, update, or delete your Personal Data directly within your account settings. If you need assistance, please contact us to facilitate these actions.
The Right to Rectification. You have the right to have any incorrect or incomplete Personal Data we hold about you corrected or completed
The Right to Erasure. You have the right to request that we erase your Personal Data when it is no longer necessary for us to retain it – such as when you no longer wish to use our Services.
The Right to Restrict and Object Processing. You may restrict or object to our processing of your personal information where we are relying on a legitimate interest as the legal basis for our processing, particularly if there is something about your specific situation that makes you want to restrict or object to our processing on this ground. You also have the right to restrict or object to our processing of your Personal Data for direct marketing purposes.
The Right to Data Portability. You have the right to have your Personal Data transferred to you or a third party in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format. This right applies only to the information you have provided to us, either with your consent or under a contract with you.
The Right to Withdraw Consent. You may withdraw consent for us to use your Personal Data. Please note that withdrawing consent may affect our ability to provide you with specific functionalities of the service.

You have the right to exercise these rights by contacting us directly at [email protected]. We may request verification of your identity before we can fulfill your request. We aim to respond to your requests promptly.

You have the right to complain to a Data Protection Authority about our collection and use of your Personal Data. For more information, if you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), please contact your local data protection authority in the EEA.

Your Rights as a California Resident

We adhere to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), regulations set forth by the State of California to protect the privacy of its residents. If the CCPA applies to your personal information, this Privacy Policy outlines your rights and our obligations regarding your personal information.

Collection and Use of Personal Information. We do not sell your personal information for interest-based advertising purposes. Your personal information is only shared as described in this Privacy Policy. Detailed information about the personal information we have collected over the past 12 months, including the categories and sources of such information, can be found in the “Information We Collect” section of this document. Please refer to this section for an explanation of third-party cookies we use. The purposes for collecting personal information are detailed in the “Use of Information” section.

Sharing of Personal Information. We disclose personal information to third parties as outlined in the “Data Sharing and Disclosure” section.

Rights of California Residents. As a California resident, you have the right to request that we disclose certain information to you about our collection and use of your Personal Data over the past 12 months, the right to request deletion of your Personal Data, the right to opt-out of the sale of your Personal Data, and the right not to be discriminated against for exercising any of your privacy rights. To exercise your rights under the CCPA, please contact us via email at [email protected]. We will verify your request using your registered information associated with our Services, such as your email address and full name. We may require government-issued identification to verify your identity before processing your request.

Changes to Our Privacy Practices. We commit to informing you of any significant changes to our data practices as required by law. Such changes will be reflected in subsequent updates to this Privacy Policy.

International Visitors

For users residing outside the United States, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection and privacy regulations may not offer the same level of protection as in other parts of the world. We employ safeguards like standard contractual clauses approved by various governing bodies to ensure your information is protected adequately.

Your continuous use of the Services constitutes your permission for us to process your Personal Data in the United States in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Changes to the Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to make changes to this Privacy Policy at any time at our sole discretion. When we do, we will let you know by appropriate means such as by posting the revised policy on this page with a new “Last Updated” date. Any changes to this Privacy Policy will become effective when posted unless indicated otherwise. We encourage visitors to frequently check this page for any changes to its Privacy Policy. Your continued use of the Services after any change in this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of such change.

Contact Information

You can email us at [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns not already addressed in this Privacy Policy.