AetherSoul

1. Introduction

AetherSoul, Inc. ("Company," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use AetherSoul.ai ("Service"). This policy is designed to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), California Senate Bill 243 (SB 243), and other applicable privacy regulations.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

Account Information: Name, email address, and authentication credentials when you create an account.
Age Verification Data: Confirmation of age eligibility as required by SB 243. We store only the verification status and timestamp, not identity documents.
Conversation Data: Messages you send to AI characters within the Service.
Payment Information: Billing details processed through our third-party payment processor (Stripe). We do not store full credit card numbers.
Preferences: Settings and preferences you configure within the Service.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

Usage Data: Session duration, feature usage, message counts, and interaction patterns.
Device Information: Browser type, operating system, and device identifiers.
Safety Monitoring Data: Automated analysis of conversations for crisis detection and content safety, as required by SB 243.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

Service Delivery: To provide, maintain, and improve the Service, including AI character interactions and personalization.
Safety and Compliance: To detect crisis situations, provide emergency resources, enforce age requirements, and comply with SB 243 and other regulations.
Memory and Personalization: To enable AI characters to remember context from previous conversations and provide a more personalized experience.
Account Management: To manage your account, process payments, and communicate with you about the Service.
Analytics: To understand usage patterns and improve the Service. We use aggregated, anonymized data for analytics purposes.
Security: To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents.

4. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

Service Providers: With trusted third-party providers who assist in operating the Service (e.g., payment processing via Stripe, AI model providers). These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data.
Safety Obligations: When required to protect the safety of users, including sharing crisis-related information with emergency services when there is an imminent risk of harm.
Legal Requirements: When required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request.
Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, with appropriate notice to users.

5. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. Specifically:

Account Data: Retained until you delete your account.
Conversation Data: Retained for the purpose of maintaining character memory and personalization. You may request deletion at any time.
Safety Logs: Crisis detection events and compliance logs are retained for a minimum period as required by applicable regulations.
Payment Records: Retained as required by financial regulations and tax law.

6. Your Rights (CCPA and California Residents)

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights under the CCPA:

Right to Know: You may request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
Right to Delete: You may request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
Right to Opt-Out: You have the right to opt out of the sale of your personal information. As stated above, we do not sell personal information.
Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.
Right to Correct: You may request correction of inaccurate personal information.

To exercise these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to verified requests within 45 days.

7. SB 243 Compliance

In compliance with California Senate Bill 243, we implement the following measures:

AI Disclosure: All users are informed that they are interacting with AI characters before and during conversations.
Age Verification: All users must verify they are 18 years or older before accessing the Service.
Crisis Detection: Automated systems monitor for signs of self-harm, suicidal ideation, or other crisis situations, with immediate provision of crisis resources.
Session Monitoring: Session duration tracking with periodic reminders to encourage healthy usage patterns.
Transparency: Clear documentation of how AI systems work and how user data is processed.
Compliance Logging: All safety-related events are logged for audit and regulatory compliance purposes.

8. Data Security

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

Encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest.
Secure authentication and session management.
Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments.
Access controls limiting employee access to personal data on a need-to-know basis.

While we strive to protect your information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 18. If we learn that we have collected information from a minor, we will take immediate steps to delete that information and terminate the associated account.

10. Third-Party Services

The Service may integrate with third-party services for functionality purposes. These services have their own privacy policies, and we encourage you to review them:

Stripe: Payment processing — stripe.com/privacy
AI Model Providers: Conversation processing — data is processed in accordance with our data processing agreements and is not used to train third-party models.

11. International Users

The Service is operated from the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States. By using the Service, you consent to such transfer and processing.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on the Service and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at:

AetherSoul, Inc.
Privacy Team
Email: [email protected]
Website: aethersoul.ai