Privacy Policy

Effective Date: April 20, 2025

Welcome to NicheConnect ("NicheConnect", "we", "our", or "us"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our website and mobile application (collectively, the "Service"). Please read this policy carefully. If you do not agree with its terms, please discontinue use of the Service.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

• Account information: When you sign in via Manus OAuth, we receive your name and email address.
• Profile preferences: Niche interests, confidant selections, and notification preferences you configure within the app.
• Chat messages: The text messages you send to AI companions within the Service.
• Feedback: Ratings, written feedback, and niche suggestions you submit voluntarily.
• Payment information: Billing is processed by Stripe. We store only a Stripe Customer ID and Subscription ID — we never see or store your full card number, CVV, or billing address.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Usage data: Pages visited, features used, and interaction timestamps.
• Device data: Browser type, operating system, and general location (country/region) derived from IP address.
• Cookies and session tokens: We use a signed session cookie to keep you logged in. No third-party advertising cookies are used.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, operate, and improve the Service.
• Personalize confidant responses based on your niche interests.
• Process payments and manage your subscription.
• Send proactive messages from your AI companions (based on your frequency preferences).
• Respond to your support requests and feedback.
• Monitor for safety concerns, including crisis detection, and provide appropriate resources.
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We do not use your chat content to train AI models beyond what is necessary to deliver your current session.

3. Confidant Conversations

Messages you send to AI companions are processed by our large language model (LLM) provider to generate responses. Conversations are stored in our database so that your chat history persists across sessions. You may delete individual conversations at any time from within the app. We retain conversation data for up to 12 months after your last activity, after which it is automatically purged.

Crisis safety: The Service includes automated detection of messages that may indicate a mental health crisis. If such content is detected, the AI will respond with supportive resources (e.g., crisis hotline numbers). No human review of your messages is triggered by this process.

4. Sharing Your Information

We may share your information with:

• Service providers: Stripe (payment processing), our LLM API provider (message generation), and cloud infrastructure providers. These parties are contractually bound to protect your data.
• Legal requirements: If required by law, court order, or to protect the rights and safety of NicheConnect or others.
• Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email or in-app notice.

5. Data Retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will delete your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law or for legitimate business purposes (e.g., fraud prevention records).

6. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Delete your account and associated data.
• Opt out of proactive AI messages (via Settings → Message Frequency → Off).
• Data portability: Request a copy of your data in a machine-readable format.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

7. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the European Economic Area). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

8. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including encrypted connections (HTTPS), signed session cookies, and access controls on our database. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Third-Party Links

The Service may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the effective date. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at: