1. Introduction
BeatBuddy ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our service.
BeatBuddy is operated by App Factory, a trading name of App Factory Dev Ltd, registered in England and Wales (Company No. 16567409).
2. Information We Collect
Account Information: When you create an account or join our waitlist, we collect your email address, name, and any other information you provide.
Query Data: We log your queries and the responses provided for audit trail purposes. This data is associated with your account.
Usage Data: We automatically collect information about how you interact with our service, including timestamps, feature usage, and session duration.
Device Information: We may collect information about your device, including device type, operating system, and unique device identifiers.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Provide, maintain, and improve our service
- Maintain an audit trail for your accountability and protection
- Process your subscription and send related information
- Send you technical notices, updates, and service communications
- Respond to your comments, questions, and support requests
- Monitor and analyse usage patterns to improve the service
- Detect, prevent, and address technical issues and misuse
4. Audit Trail
BeatBuddy maintains a log of all queries and responses. This audit trail:
- Serves as evidence that you sought guidance before taking action
- Is retained for accountability and professional protection purposes
- May be disclosed in response to lawful requests from appropriate authorities
- Is encrypted and stored securely in UK-based data centres
You can request access to your query history at any time.
5. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services.
Query audit data is retained for a minimum of 7 years to support potential accountability requirements, unless you request earlier deletion (subject to any legal retention requirements).
We will retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.
6. Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction:
- All data is encrypted in transit using TLS 1.3
- Data at rest is encrypted using AES-256
- Data is stored in UK-based data centres
- Access to personal data is restricted to authorised personnel only
- Regular security audits and penetration testing
7. Data Hosting
Your data is processed and stored in the United Kingdom. We use UK-based cloud infrastructure to ensure compliance with UK data protection requirements and to maintain data sovereignty.
8. Your Rights (UK GDPR)
Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:
- Access your personal data
- Rectify inaccurate personal data
- Request erasure of your personal data (subject to legal retention requirements)
- Restrict processing of your personal data
- Data portability — receive your data in a structured format
- Object to processing of your personal data
To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@app-factory.dev.
9. Lawful Basis for Processing
We process your personal data on the following lawful bases:
- Contract: Processing necessary to provide the service you've subscribed to
- Legitimate interests: Maintaining audit trails, improving our service, ensuring security
- Consent: Where you've explicitly consented to certain processing (e.g., marketing)
- Legal obligation: Where we're required to process data by law
10. Cookies
We use essential cookies to enable core functionality. We may also use analytics cookies to understand how visitors interact with our website. You can control cookies through your browser settings.
11. Third-Party Services
We may use third-party services that collect, monitor and analyse data. These include:
- Payment processors (for subscription billing)
- Analytics services (for service improvement)
- Cloud hosting providers (UK-based)
- AI model providers (for query processing)
Each third-party service has its own privacy policy and we ensure appropriate data processing agreements are in place.
12. Children's Privacy
Our service is intended for professional use by police officers and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18.
13. Force Licence Users
If you access BeatBuddy through a force licence, your force may have access to aggregated usage data and may be a joint data controller for certain processing activities. Specific data sharing arrangements will be detailed in your force's agreement with us.
14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. Significant changes will be communicated via email.
15. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
- Data Protection queries: privacy@app-factory.dev
- General enquiries: hello@app-factory.dev
- Website: app-factory.dev
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe we have not handled your data appropriately.