Privacy Policy

1.1Information You Provide Directly

Account Information

• Full name
• Username (unique identifier)
• Email address
• Password (encrypted and hashed)
• Date of birth (collected at registration to verify minimum age eligibility and retained for ongoing compliance and audit purposes)

Profile Information

• Profile picture
• Bio/description
• Institution or educational affiliation
• Field of study
• Website URL
• Social media links (optional)

Educational Interests

• Academic subjects (e.g., Physics, Biology, Computer Science)
• Content format preferences (e.g., Lectures, Lab Talk, Explainers)
• Academic majors or fields of interest

Content You Create

• Videos you upload
• Video titles, descriptions, and metadata
• Comments and replies
• Likes and engagement data

Communications

• Messages you send through our support channels
• Feedback and survey responses

1.2Information We Collect Automatically

Usage Information

• Videos you watch, like, or save
• Search queries and browsing history
• Time spent on videos and screens
• Interaction patterns (scrolling, tapping, swiping)

Device Information

• Device type and model
• Operating system and version
• Unique device identifiers
• Mobile network information
• Screen resolution and device settings

Location Information

• Approximate location based on IP address (country/region level)
• We do NOT collect precise GPS location

Log Data

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Access times and dates
• Pages viewed
• App crashes and performance data

1.3Information from Third Parties

Cloudinary (Video Storage)

• Video upload metadata
• Video processing information
• Storage and delivery metrics

Analytics Services

• Aggregated usage statistics
• Performance metrics
• Error reports

2.1Provide and Improve Our Services

• Create and manage your account
• Deliver personalized video feeds based on your interests
• Process and display your uploaded videos
• Enable social features (following, commenting, liking)
• Send notifications about platform activity
• Provide customer support
• Improve platform functionality and user experience

2.2Personalization and Recommendations

• Recommend videos based on your interests and viewing history
• Suggest users to follow
• Customize your feed based on engagement patterns
• Display trending content relevant to your preferences

2.3Communication

• Send account-related notifications (follows, likes, comments)
• Respond to your inquiries and support requests
• Send important platform updates and announcements
• Future: Send promotional content (with your consent)

2.4Safety and Security

• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security threats
• Enforce our Terms of Service
• Comply with legal obligations
• Protect the rights and safety of our users
• Verify minimum age eligibility: We use your date of birth to confirm you meet our 16-year minimum age requirement at registration. Your date of birth is retained as a compliance record in accordance with applicable regulations (GDPR, COPPA, and applicable US state laws)

2.5Analytics and Research

• Analyze platform usage and performance
• Conduct research to improve educational content delivery
• Generate aggregated, anonymized statistics
• Monitor trending topics and content performance

2.6Advertising (Future)

3.1Public Information

The following information is publicly visible to all platform users:

• Username
• Profile picture
• Bio/description
• Videos you upload (including titles, descriptions, thumbnails)
• Comments and replies
• Likes on videos (visible to video creators)
• Follower/following counts
• Educational interests (visible on your profile)

3.2Service Providers

We share information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating the platform:

Cloudinary

• Purpose: Video storage, processing, and delivery
• Data Shared: Videos you upload, video metadata
• Privacy Policy: cloudinary.com/privacy

Cloud Infrastructure Providers

• Purpose: Database hosting, caching, server infrastructure
• Data Shared: All data necessary to operate the platform
• Security: Industry-standard encryption and access controls

Analytics Providers

• Purpose: Platform performance monitoring and usage analytics
• Data Shared: Aggregated, anonymized usage data
• No personally identifiable information is shared

3.3Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law or in response to:

• Valid legal process (subpoenas, court orders, search warrants)
• Government or regulatory requests
• Protection of our rights, property, or safety
• Protection of our users or the public
• Enforcement of our Terms of Service

3.4Business Transfers

If Brevity Networks, LLC is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred. We will notify you via email and/or prominent notice on our platform before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

3.5What We Do NOT Share

• We do NOT sell your personal information to third parties
• We do NOT share your email address publicly
• We do NOT share your password (it is encrypted)
• We do NOT share your precise location data
• We do NOT share your private messages or direct communications
• We do NOT share your viewing history publicly

4.1Where We Store Your Data

• Database: Apache Cassandra (distributed NoSQL database)
• Video Storage: Cloudinary (secure cloud storage)
• Caching: Redis (temporary data caching)
• Location: United States (with plans to expand globally)

4.2How We Protect Your Data

Technical Safeguards

• Encryption in Transit: All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using TLS/SSL
• Encryption at Rest: Sensitive data is encrypted in our databases
• Secure Token Storage: Authentication tokens stored in device Keychain/Keystore (not plain text)
• Password Security: Passwords are hashed using industry-standard algorithms (never stored in plain text)

Access Controls

• Role-based access control for our team members
• Multi-factor authentication for administrative access
• Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Automated monitoring for suspicious activity

4.3Data Security Limitations

5.1Access and Portability

• Right to Access: Request a copy of your personal information
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• In-App: Go to Settings → Export My Data to generate an immediate JSON export (rate limited to 2 exports per 24 hours)
• Via Email: Contact admin@brevityu.com with subject "Data Export Request" within 30 days

5.2Correction and Update

• Right to Correction: Update inaccurate or incomplete information
• How to Exercise: Edit your profile directly in the app or contact us

5.3Deletion

• Right to Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information
• How to Exercise: Use the "Delete Account" feature in Settings or contact us
• See Section 11 for the detailed account deletion process

5.4Objection and Restriction

• Right to Object: Object to certain processing of your information
• Right to Restriction: Request limitation of processing in certain circumstances
• How to Exercise: Contact us at admin@brevityu.com

5.5Opt-Out of Communications

• Account Notifications: Manage in app Settings
• Marketing Communications: Unsubscribe via email links (when implemented)
• Essential Communications: Cannot be opted out (account security, legal notices)

5.6Do Not Sell My Personal Information

5.7Response Time

• 30 days (standard)
• 45 days (for complex requests, with notification)

6.1Age Requirement

Technical Enforcement (as of March 2026): We actively enforce this requirement through a mandatory age verification gate at registration. All users — whether registering with an email address or via Google Sign-Up — must provide their full date of birth before an account can be created. The date of birth is validated on both the client and our server; any registration attempt by a person under 16 is hard-blocked and no account is created.

6.2Parental Consent

• Users under 18 should obtain parental consent before using the platform
• Parents can contact us to review or delete their child's information

6.3If We Discover an Underage User

• We will immediately disable and permanently delete the account and all associated data
• We will take additional steps to prevent future access from that user
• Parents or guardians will be notified if we have their contact information
• We will review and strengthen our technical controls to prevent recurrence

7.1Current Operations

BrevityU currently operates primarily in the United States. Your information is stored on servers located in the United States.

7.2Future Expansion

• European Union (within 2–4 months)
• Global Markets (within 4–6 months)

7.3Cross-Border Transfers

If you access BrevityU from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States. The United States may have different data protection laws than your country. By using BrevityU, you consent to this transfer.

7.4European Union Users

For EU users, we will implement appropriate safeguards including Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission, adequacy decisions where applicable, and additional security measures as required by GDPR.

8.1Cloudinary (Video Storage and Processing)

What They Do

• Store and host your uploaded videos
• Process videos (compression, format conversion, thumbnail generation)
• Deliver videos to users efficiently

Data Shared

• Videos you upload
• Video metadata (title, description, upload time)
• User ID (for associating videos with accounts)

Their Privacy Policy: cloudinary.com/privacy

8.2Analytics Services (Future)

• Purpose: Improve user experience and platform performance
• Data: Aggregated, anonymized usage statistics
• No personally identifiable information is shared

8.3Advertising Partners (Future)

8.4Third-Party Links

The platform may contain links to external websites or services. We are NOT responsible for their privacy practices. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before clicking external links.

9.1Mobile App Tracking

As a mobile application, BrevityU does NOT use traditional web cookies. However, we use similar technologies:

Local Storage

• App preferences (theme, language)
• Cached content for performance
• Session management

Device Identifiers

• Unique device IDs for analytics
• Installation IDs for app updates
• Advertising IDs (for future ad features)

9.2Types of Data Collected

Essential Data

• Authentication tokens (stored securely in Keychain/Keystore)
• User preferences
• App configuration

Analytics Data

• Screen views and navigation patterns
• Feature usage statistics
• Performance metrics
• Error logs

9.3Your Control

iOS Users

• Limit Ad Tracking in iOS Settings
• Reset Advertising Identifier

Android Users

• Opt out of Ads Personalization in Google Settings
• Reset Advertising ID

All Users

• Clear app cache in Settings
• Disable analytics in app Settings (when available)

10.1Active Accounts

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services.

Content Data

• Videos: Retained until you delete them or your account
• Comments: Retained until you delete them or your account
• Likes: Retained until you unlike or delete your account

Usage Data

• Viewing history: Retained for personalization (can be cleared)
• Search history: Retained for 90 days
• Analytics data: Aggregated and retained indefinitely

10.2Deleted Accounts

Immediate Deletion (within seconds of confirmation)

• Email address and full name
• Date of birth and password hash
• Profile picture, bio, and social media links
• Private messages and follower/following relationships
• All active session tokens (immediately invalidated)
• Account ID and username are cryptographically anonymized

Retained for Legal Compliance

• Financial transaction records (7 years, if applicable)
• Legal dispute evidence (until resolved)
• Fraud prevention and audit logs (90 days)
• Immutable audit trail of the deletion event (for regulatory accountability)

10.3Backup Data

• Backups may retain deleted data for up to 30 days
• Backup data is not accessible for normal operations
• Backup data is automatically purged after retention period

11.1How to Delete Your Account

In-App (Recommended)

1. Go to Settings → Account Management
2. Tap "Delete Account"
3. Confirm your decision (we'll ask twice for safety)
4. Your account is immediately disabled and all PII is erased
5. A confirmation email is sent with a 30-day recovery link

Via Email

• Contact admin@brevityu.com with subject "Account Deletion Request"
• Include your username and registered email address
• We will process your request within 48 hours

11.2What Happens When You Delete

Immediate Effects (within seconds of confirmation)

• Account disabled — cannot log in; all active sessions invalidated
• All personally identifiable information (PII) permanently erased
• Account ID and username cryptographically anonymized
• Profile removed from search results and all public listings
• A Kafka account.deleted event is broadcast to all downstream microservices

Content Anonymization

Your videos and comments remain on the platform but are attributed to "[Former User]". No link between anonymized content and your former identity is retained or reconstructable. This preserves the integrity of community discussions and educational resources.

11.3Grace Period (30 Days)

You can recover your account within 30 days of deletion. A recovery link is sent to your registered email at the time of deletion. After 30 days, deletion is permanent and irreversible.

Recovery Process

1. Open the recovery link from your email on your mobile device
2. The BrevityU app opens automatically to the Account Recovery screen
3. Confirm you want to restore your account
4. Your profile, content, and settings are fully restored
5. You are logged in immediately

11.4Data Export Before Deletion

Before deleting your account, you can export all your data (your right under GDPR Article 20 — Right to Data Portability).

In-App Export (Immediate)

1. Go to Settings → Export My Data
2. Tap "Export" to generate your data package immediately
3. Delivered as a structured JSON file including profile info, videos, comments, and preferences
4. Rate limited to 2 exports per 24 hours

12.1Updates

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices, legal or regulatory requirements, new features or services, or user feedback.

12.2Notification

Material Changes

• Email notification to registered users
• Prominent in-app notification
• 30-day notice before changes take effect

Non-Material Changes

• Updated "Last Updated" date at the top
• Notification in app Settings

12.3Continued Use

Your continued use of BrevityU after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

13.1Privacy Inquiries

For questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices:

• Email: admin@brevityu.com
• Subject Line: "Privacy Inquiry"
• Response Time: Within 5 business days

13.2Data Subject Requests

To exercise your privacy rights (access, deletion, correction):

• Email: admin@brevityu.com
• Subject Line: "Data Subject Request - [Your Request Type]"
• Include: Full name, registered email, username, and specific request details
• Response Time: Within 30 days (45 days for complex requests)

13.3Security Concerns