Privacy Policy
Area 246 LLC ("Area 246," "we," "us," or "our") operates products that help businesses and communities access practical tools through platforms they already use. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your information when you use our products and services (collectively, "Services").
By using our Services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.
1. Information We Collect
1.1 Information You Provide
Information you may provide includes:
- Account & Profile Details: Name, email address, business name, business type, business description, location (territory), business contact information (email, phone number, website URL), and currency preference.
- Transaction Records: Expenses, revenues, merchant or client names, amounts, dates, payment methods, categories, descriptions, notes, and tax information (including subtotals, tax amounts, rates, and merchant tax identification numbers).
- Receipt and Media Uploads: Images, videos, audio files, documents (including PDFs), and other media submitted through the Services.
- Calendar and Scheduling Data: Event details, client names, appointment times, service descriptions, and related metadata.
- Messages: Text and media content sent and received through WhatsApp in the course of using the Services.
1.2 Information We Collect Automatically
We may automatically collect information such as:
- Usage Data: Message frequency, features accessed, response times, workflow operation counts, and service interaction patterns.
- Device Data: Device type and operating system (as provided via WhatsApp).
- Server Logs: Timestamps, errors, and performance metrics.
- Consent and Authorization Records: Timestamps of privacy notice delivery, terms of service acceptance, and related consent metadata.
1.3 Information We Do Not Collect
We do not collect:
- Payment card numbers (handled directly by our payment processors)
- Login passwords for connected third-party services beyond the encrypted authentication credentials needed to maintain the integration
- Information about other people unless you choose to share it
- Your precise GPS location
- Browsing or activity data from other websites or apps
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for purposes including:
- Provide, operate, and maintain our Services
- Process your requests and transactions
- Improve and personalize your experience
- Understand how users interact with our Services
- Develop new features and functionality
- Communicate with you about service updates and support
- Detect, prevent, and address technical issues or fraudulent activity
- Comply with legal obligations
- Process payments and subscriptions
- Process and store encrypted authentication credentials for connected third-party services (such as calendar integrations) on your behalf
3. AI and Natural Language Processing
Our Services use artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs) to understand your messages and provide natural, conversational responses.
We do not sell your personal information. We do not share it with third parties for their independent marketing purposes. Information shared with service providers (described in Section 4) is limited to what is needed to operate and improve the Services.
4. Third-Party Services
We work with third-party service providers to deliver our Services. These providers may have access to your information to perform specific tasks on our behalf. They include but are not limited to:
- WhatsApp Business Platform (Meta): Message transmission via Meta or authorized providers such as Twilio
- Cloud Infrastructure Providers: Compute, storage, and database services
- AI Language Model Providers: Your messages, conversation history, uploaded media (such as receipt images), and relevant business context are sent to third-party AI providers for natural language understanding and data extraction. We do not use your data to train or fine-tune AI models.
- Payment Providers: Subscription and payment processing. We do not store your payment card details.
- Calendar and Business Management Services: Calendar integration and related business services through providers such as Google
- Government Databases: Government and public data sources such as PriceCheck Barbados
Your use of these third-party services is also subject to the terms described in our Terms of Service.
5. Analytics and Tracking
Our Services use analytics tools to understand how visitors interact with our pages. These tools may use cookies to collect information such as pages visited, time on site, browser type, and referring URL. This data is aggregated and does not identify you personally. You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings.
6. Connected Third-Party Services
Certain features allow you to connect third-party accounts (such as Google Calendar) to enhance your experience. When you connect a third-party service, we store encrypted authentication credentials to maintain the connection and synchronize data on your behalf.
The use of raw or derived user data received from Workspace APIs will adhere to the Google User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
You may disconnect a connected third-party service at any time by contacting us at legal@area246.com.
7. Data Retention and Storage
All account data, including transaction records, conversation histories, uploaded media, and connected service credentials, is retained for the duration of your account. Upon deletion request or account closure, we will delete your data within 60 days, except where retention is required for tax, accounting, or legal purposes. CSV and Excel export URLs automatically expire after a limited time.
8. Data Security
We implement commercially reasonable security measures to protect your information, including:
- Access controls and authentication requirements
- Secure cloud infrastructure
- Auto-expiring download links for sensitive exports
However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
You can help protect your information by:
- Avoiding sharing sensitive personal information that is not required for the Services
- Using the Services from a device you trust and keep secured
- Not sharing access to your WhatsApp account or other connected accounts with others
- Reporting any suspected security issues to us promptly at legal@area246.com
If we become aware of a security incident that has compromised your personal information, we will:
- Investigate the incident promptly
- Notify affected users where there is a significant risk to your rights or wellbeing
- Describe what information was affected and any steps you should take
- Take corrective action to reduce the risk of recurrence
9. Your Rights and Choices
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:
- Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- Correction: Request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information
- Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information. Upon receiving a verified request, we will delete your account data, stored media, conversation history, connected service credentials, and other personal information within 60 days.
- Export: Request a copy of your data in a portable format by contacting us at legal@area246.com. Export scope includes transaction records and other account data.
- Opt-Out: Stop using our Services at any time by ceasing to send messages
To exercise these rights, contact us at the information provided below. We will respond to verified requests within 30 days. If we need additional time due to the complexity of your request, we will notify you of the extension within the initial 30-day period.
10. Children's Privacy
Our Services are not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us immediately.
11. International Data Transfers
Your information may be stored and processed in multiple countries, including the United States, where our service providers operate. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from your country of residence.
12. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated policy on this page and update the "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of our Services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
13. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, please contact us:
- Email: legal@area246.com
- Company: Area 246 LLC
14. Regional-Specific Information
For California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)
If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), including the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to deletion, and the right to opt-out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. We do not sell your personal information.
For European Economic Area (EEA) and UK Residents (GDPR)
If you are in the EEA or UK, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right to access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability, and the right to object to processing. Our legal basis for processing your information includes:
- Contractual Necessity: Processing necessary to provide our Services
- Legitimate Interests: Improving our Services, fraud prevention, and business operations
- Consent: Where you have provided explicit consent
- Legal Obligation: Compliance with applicable laws