Privacy Policy

1) Information We Collect

• Account data from Clerk (email, name, profile image, and authentication identifiers).
• Research activity such as saved papers, projects, notes, and search history.
• Content you provide for AI processing (queries, prompts, uploaded text snippets) that may be sent to third-party models.
• Technical data for security and compliance (IP address, user agent, timestamps) including consent logs (terms/privacy versions and acceptance time).
• Payment and billing metadata handled by Stripe (we do not store full payment card details; Stripe does).

2) How We Use Information

• To provide core features: search, retrieval, AI summaries, saved libraries, and project management.
• To operate and secure the service (fraud prevention, abuse detection, debugging, and support).
• To comply with legal obligations, demonstrate consent, and manage subscription or billing flows.
• To improve the product (quality checks, usage analytics in aggregate or de-identified form).

3) Third-Party Services and Transfers

LibKitt uses trusted vendors to deliver the service. These providers process data under their own terms and privacy notices:

• OpenAI/LLM APIs for summarization, rewriting, and retrieval support.
• OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, and arXiv for scholarly content and metadata.
• Supabase/Postgres for application data storage; Vercel for hosting.
• Stripe for payments; Clerk for authentication.
• PostHog for opt-in product analytics.

Data may be processed in the United States or other regions where these providers operate. When possible, we minimize personal data sent to third parties (for example, stripping direct identifiers from prompts).

4) Cookies and Similar Technologies

We may use cookies or similar technologies for authentication, session continuity, and product analytics. Product analytics cookies are only enabled if you opt in. You can control cookies through your browser settings, though some features may not function without them.

5) Data Retention

We retain account data while your account is active. Saved research artifacts and search history are kept until you delete them or delete your account. Consent logs (including IP address and user agent) are kept to demonstrate agreement with the Terms and Privacy Policy. We may retain limited logs for security, debugging, and legal compliance.

6) Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures (network segregation, access controls, encryption provided by our cloud vendors) to protect data. No service is perfectly secure; please notify us if you suspect unauthorized access.

7) Your Choices and Rights

You can update profile details in Clerk, manage saved content in the app, and request deletion of your account and associated data. Depending on your region (including GDPR/EEA/UK), you may have rights to access, correct, delete, object to, or port your data. Contact us to exercise these rights.

8) International Users and Legal Basis

LibKitt is operated in the United States. By using the service, you understand your data may be transferred to and processed in the US. For GDPR-covered users, processing is based on performance of a contract (providing the service), legitimate interests (security, product improvement), and consent (where required, such as marketing communications).

9) Children

LibKitt is not directed to children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect their personal data.

10) Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as we add features or comply with legal requirements. The effective date and version above will change when updates occur. Material changes will be communicated, and continued use indicates acceptance of the updated policy.

11) Contact

For privacy questions or requests, contact privacy@libkitt.com or review our Terms of Service.