Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 23, 2025

Welcome to StackFetch (“we,” “us,” or “our”). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your information when you use our web application and related services (collectively, the “Service”). By using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read and understand the practices described in this Policy.

If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use the Service. We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, and any changes will be posted here with a revised effective date.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Automatically Collected Data

IP Address & Device Information: When you visit or interact with StackFetch, our systems and certain third parties (e.g., Vercel for hosting, Upstash Redis for rate limiting) may automatically collect your IP address, browser type, operating system, and related technical information. We use IP addresses primarily to prevent abuse (e.g., rate limiting) and to maintain the security and stability of our Service.

Analytics Data: We use Google Analytics (and potentially other analytics providers) to collect information about how users navigate and use our Service. This may include pages viewed, time spent on pages, and referral URLs. These tools may use cookies or other tracking technologies to collect and store data about your usage.

1.2 Creator & Search Information

Search Queries: We collect the queries you enter (e.g., a creator's name or username) to retrieve publicly available data about that creator. The results and related data are stored on our backend (e.g., Firebase) and are not tied to your personal identity.

Public Data From Third-Party APIs: We retrieve publicly available profile images, usernames, and other publicly disclosed information about creators via APIs (e.g., YouTube API, Google Custom Search API, Perplexity, OpenAI) and display that information to you. We do not store personal user information about you beyond what is described above.

1.3 No User-Generated Content

Our Service does not currently offer functionality for you to upload, post, or otherwise submit user-generated content (UGC). We therefore do not collect or store any such user submissions.

2. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We may use or allow third parties (such as Google Analytics) to use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect information automatically about your device and interaction with our Service.

Types of Cookies: We do not set our own first-party cookies for tracking or marketing. However, third-party analytics providers may set cookies to help us understand how users engage with our Service.

Managing Cookies: You can disable or remove cookies through your browser settings. Please note that blocking or disabling certain cookies may impact your experience on the Service.

3. How We Use Your Information

Service Operations: We use IP addresses and search queries to process your requests, manage rate limits, and provide functionality like retrieving relevant public data about creators.

Analytics & Improvements: We use aggregated, anonymized data (e.g., number of searches or clicks) to understand user engagement and improve the Service.

Security & Abuse Prevention: Collecting IP addresses helps us identify suspicious activity, prevent abuse, and maintain a stable Service.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (EU/EEA Visitors)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), we process your information based on the following legal grounds:

Legitimate Interests: For analytics, service improvements, and security measures. We ensure our processing does not override your fundamental rights.

Consent: For any optional cookies or tracking (if required by local law).

Compliance with Laws: If needed to comply with legal obligations or respond to lawful requests.

We do not target or market our Service specifically to EU users; however, EU residents who use our Service do so at their own discretion.

5. Data Sharing & Disclosure

Third-Party Providers: We rely on services like Vercel (hosting), Firebase (database), Upstash Redis (rate limiting), and Google Analytics (analytics). These third parties may have access to certain data (e.g., IP addresses in logs) to perform services on our behalf.

Legal Obligations: We may disclose your information if required by law or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, comply with judicial proceedings, court orders, or other legal processes.

Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or other business transaction, your information may be transferred as part of the assets involved. You will be notified if such a transfer is subject to different privacy terms.

No Selling of Personal Data: We do not sell personal data or IP information to third parties.

6. International Data Transfers

Our servers and service providers may be located in the United States or other jurisdictions. By using the Service, you understand that your information may be transferred to and processed in the U.S. or elsewhere. We will take reasonable steps to ensure adequate protection for personal data transferred outside your region.

7. Data Retention

We retain IP addresses and relevant logs for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy (e.g., security, rate limiting, analytics). Search queries and results may be stored indefinitely for historical or analytical purposes. If you have questions about a specific retention period, please contact us at contact@stackfetch.com.

8. Security Measures

Data is stored using reputable third parties like Firebase, Upstash Redis, and Vercel, which offer built-in security features (e.g., encryption at rest, secure connections).

We limit administrative access to those who need it, and we use strong authentication methods to protect backend systems.

Despite our efforts, no transmission method or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact contact@stackfetch.com so we can investigate and delete the data if necessary.

10. Your Rights & Choices

Opt-Out of Analytics: You can opt out of Google Analytics by using the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on.

Access or Delete Data (If Applicable): If you reside in a jurisdiction with data protection laws (e.g., GDPR), you may have the right to request access to or deletion of certain information we hold about you. We generally do not store personal data tied to individual identities, but if you believe we do, contact us at contact@stackfetch.com.

Do Not Track (DNT): Our site does not currently respond to DNT signals due to a lack of common industry standards.

11. Third-Party Sites & Services

Our Service may contain links to or data from third-party websites and APIs (e.g., YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X, or Google Search). We do not control these external websites or services and are not responsible for their content, privacy policies, or practices.

12. Monetization & Affiliate Links

StackFetch participates in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. When users click on these affiliate links and make purchases on Amazon, we earn a commission at no additional cost to the user.

Our affiliate links are contextually relevant to the health stacks we document. When a public figure or creator mentions specific products as part of their health routine, we may provide Amazon affiliate links to those exact or similar products. These links are identified with our affiliate code (tag=myfeeder-20) in the URL.

We do not sell user data or personally identifiable information to Amazon or any other third parties. Our monetization is solely based on commissions earned when users choose to purchase products through our affiliate links.

If we introduce additional monetization models in the future, we will update this Policy and notify users where legally required.

13. Disclaimer on Medical or Health Information

Any "health stack" information displayed on StackFetch is generated from public sources or AI queries. It is not provided by a medical professional and should not be considered as medical or health advice. Please consult qualified professionals for personalized guidance.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our data practices or applicable laws. If we make material changes, we will post the updated version on this page with a new "Effective Date." We encourage you to review this Policy periodically to stay informed.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or if you would like to exercise any rights that may apply to you, please contact us at contact@stackfetch.com.