Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

• Account Information: When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, username, and profile information (including display name, bio, avatar, skills, and portfolio links). Account creation and authentication is managed through our third-party provider, Clerk.
• Project Information: If you create a project, we collect project titles, descriptions, media (images, videos, audio), development updates, team information, and other content you choose to publish.
• Communication Data: Messages you send through the Platform's messaging system, comments on development updates, and any correspondence you send to us directly.
• Payment Information: When you subscribe to a project, tip a creator, or subscribe to a creator plan, payment information is collected and processed directly by Stripe, our third-party payment processor. IndiForge does not directly store your full credit card number or bank account details. We do store transaction records, including amounts, dates, payment types, and subscription tier information.
• Identity Verification: If you are a creator receiving payouts, Stripe Connect may collect additional identity verification information (such as government-issued ID, date of birth, and address) as required by financial regulations. This information is collected and stored by Stripe, not by IndiForge.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Usage Data: We collect information about how you interact with the Platform, including pages visited, features used, actions taken, timestamps, and referring URLs.
• Device and Browser Information: We collect your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, and screen resolution.
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to maintain your session, remember your preferences, and analyze Platform usage. See Section 6 (Cookies) for more detail.
• Log Data: Our servers automatically record information including your IP address, access times, pages viewed, and the page you visited before navigating to our Platform.

1.3 Information from Third Parties

• Authentication Provider (Clerk): When you sign in using Clerk, we receive your authentication token, user ID, email address, and profile information that you have authorized Clerk to share.
• Payment Processor (Stripe): We receive transaction confirmations, subscription status, payout status, and dispute/chargeback notifications from Stripe. We do not receive your full payment card details from Stripe.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Platform Operations: To create and manage your account, facilitate project creation and team collaboration, process subscriptions and payments, and deliver Platform features.
• Communication: To send you notifications about your account, subscriptions, project activity, payment confirmations, and other Platform-related communications.
• Payment Processing: To process supporter subscriptions, tips, creator payouts, and to maintain transaction records for accounting and dispute resolution purposes.
• Analytics and Improvement: To understand how users interact with the Platform, identify usage patterns, diagnose technical issues, and improve Platform features and performance.
• Security and Fraud Prevention: To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorized access to accounts and Platform systems. This includes maintaining reserve balances and risk tier assessments for creators.
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, or governmental requests, including tax reporting obligations (e.g., 1099-K forms for U.S.-based creators earning $600 or more per year).
• Enforcement: To enforce our Terms of Service and protect the rights, property, and safety of IndiForge, our users, and the public.

3. How We Share Your Information

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

3.1 With Other Users

• Public Profile Information: Your display name, username, avatar, bio, skills, and portfolio links are visible to other Platform users and may be visible to the general public.
• Project Information: Project details, media, and public development updates are visible to all Platform users. Subscriber-only development updates are visible only to users with an active subscription to that project.
• Supporter Activity: If you subscribe to a project, the Project Owner can see your username and subscription tier. Tips designated as "public" display your username and message to other users. Tips designated as "anonymous" hide your identity from other users but may be visible to the Project Owner for record-keeping purposes. Tips designated as "private" are visible only to the Project Owner.

3.2 With Service Providers

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

• Clerk (Authentication): Processes your sign-in credentials and manages your authentication session.
• Stripe (Payment Processing): Processes payments, manages subscriptions, facilitates creator payouts, and handles identity verification for creators.
• Supabase (Database and Storage): Hosts our database and file storage infrastructure. Data is stored securely in Supabase's cloud infrastructure.
• Vercel (Hosting): Hosts and serves the IndiForge web application.

3.3 For Legal Reasons

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, or if we believe in good faith that such action is necessary to: (a) comply with a legal obligation or valid legal process; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of IndiForge; (c) prevent fraud or address security issues; or (d) protect the personal safety of users or the public.

3.4 Business Transfers

If IndiForge is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email or a prominent notice on the Platform before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

4. Data Storage and Security

4.1 Data Storage

Your data is stored on servers operated by our infrastructure providers (Supabase and Vercel), which may be located in the United States or other jurisdictions. By using the Platform, you consent to the transfer and storage of your information in these locations.

4.2 Security Measures

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit using TLS/SSL.
• Row-Level Security (RLS) policies on our database to ensure users can only access data they are authorized to view.
• Secure authentication through Clerk with session management and token-based access.
• Service-role-only access for sensitive financial operations (transactions, chargebacks, payouts), preventing direct client modification.
• Trigger-based protection on balance fields to prevent unauthorized manipulation.

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

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with Platform services. Specifically:

• Account Information: Retained until you request account deletion.
• Transaction Records: Retained for a minimum of seven (7) years to comply with tax and financial reporting obligations.
• Communication Data: Messages and comments are retained as long as the associated project or account remains active.
• Usage and Log Data: Retained for up to twenty-four (24) months for analytics and security purposes, after which it is aggregated or deleted.

When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within thirty (30) days, except where retention is required by law or for legitimate business purposes (such as transaction records for tax compliance).

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

6.1 What We Use

IndiForge uses the following types of cookies and similar technologies:

• Essential Cookies: Required for the Platform to function, including session management and authentication. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the Platform, which pages are most visited, and how features are used. This data is used to improve the Platform.
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences (such as display preferences) to provide a more personalized experience.

6.2 Third-Party Cookies

Our third-party service providers (Clerk, Stripe) may set their own cookies when you interact with their services through our Platform. These cookies are governed by the respective third party's cookie and privacy policies.

6.3 Your Choices

Most web browsers allow you to manage cookie preferences through browser settings. You may disable non-essential cookies, but this may affect Platform functionality.

7. Your Rights and Choices

7.1 Access and Correction

You may access and update your profile information at any time through your account settings on the Platform.

7.2 Account Deletion

You may request deletion of your account by contacting us at hello@indiforge.io. Upon account deletion, we will remove your personal information in accordance with our data retention policy (Section 5). Content you have shared publicly or with subscribers may be retained in anonymized form.

7.3 Communication Preferences

You may manage your email notification preferences through your account settings. Note that certain transactional communications (such as payment confirmations and security notices) cannot be opted out of while your account is active.

7.4 Data Portability

You may request a copy of your personal data in a structured, machine-readable format by contacting us at hello@indiforge.io. We will respond to such requests within thirty (30) days.

7.5 Rights for California Residents

If you are a California resident, you have the right under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) to: (a) know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose; (b) request deletion of your personal information; (c) opt out of the sale of your personal information (we do not sell personal information); and (d) not be discriminated against for exercising your rights. To exercise these rights, contact us at hello@indiforge.io.

7.6 Rights for EEA/UK Residents

If you are located in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, you may have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right to: (a) access your data; (b) rectify inaccurate data; (c) request erasure of your data; (d) restrict processing; (e) data portability; and (f) object to processing. To exercise these rights, contact us at hello@indiforge.io.

8. Children's Privacy

IndiForge is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or the applicable age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at hello@indiforge.io.

9. Third-Party Links

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites or services that are not operated by IndiForge. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of third-party websites or services. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting a notice on the Platform or by sending an email to the address associated with your account. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised. Your continued use of the Platform after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

IndiForge LLC
Email: hello@indiforge.io
Website: https://indiforge.io