Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy governs the collection, processing, use, and protection of personal information by PollAsk ("PollAsk," "we," "us," or "our") in connection with the PollAsk social polling platform, website, and all related services (collectively, the "Service"). By accessing or using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy in its entirety and consent to the data practices described herein. If you do not agree, you must cease use of the Service immediately.

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of information when you use the Service:

• Account data: full name, email address, date of birth, gender (where voluntarily provided), and authentication credentials, whether submitted directly or obtained through Google OAuth.
• User-generated content: all polls, voting activity, written options, tags, categories, and any other content you publish or interact with on the platform.
• Communications: any reports, abuse submissions, support requests, or other direct correspondence you initiate with us.
• Technical and behavioral data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device identifiers, referral URLs, pages visited, session duration, click patterns, and interaction sequences.
• Cookies and persistent storage: we use cookies, local storage, and equivalent technologies to sustain authenticated sessions, preserve user preferences such as language and display theme, and support internal analytics.

2. How We Use Your Information

We process the information we collect strictly for the following purposes:

• To operate, maintain, and continuously improve the Service, including feed personalization and feature development.
• To authenticate your identity, secure your account, and manage access to the platform.
• To compute and display aggregated, anonymized poll results visible to other users.
• To deliver in-platform notifications regarding activity on your content, including votes received and moderation actions.
• To detect, investigate, and remediate fraudulent activity, abuse, security breaches, and technical failures.

3. Disclosure of Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. Disclosure is limited strictly to the following circumstances:

• Authorized processors: we engage vetted third-party service providers — including infrastructure hosts, analytics platforms, and identity providers such as Google — who are contractually bound to process data solely on our behalf and under strict confidentiality obligations.
• Legal obligation: we will disclose information when required to do so by applicable law, enforceable court order, regulatory mandate, or governmental authority.
• Protection of rights and safety: we reserve the right to disclose information when we have a good-faith basis to believe such disclosure is necessary to prevent imminent harm, enforce these policies, or protect the integrity of the platform.

4. Data Retention and Deletion

Personal data is retained for the duration your account remains active or as strictly required to fulfill the purposes described in this policy. Upon account deletion — whether initiated by you or by us — your personal information will be permanently purged from our systems within 30 days. Residual anonymized or aggregated data that cannot be linked to any individual may be retained indefinitely for analytical purposes. Data may also be retained beyond this period where required by law or to resolve outstanding disputes or enforce our agreements.

5. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, you hold the following rights with respect to your personal data:

• Right of access and portability: you may request a complete export of your personal data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to rectification: you may request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete data associated with your account.
• Right to erasure: you may permanently delete your account and all associated data at any time via the account settings page. Deletion is irreversible.
• Right to restrict processing: you may manage notification preferences and limit certain data uses through your settings. Note that disabling cookies may degrade or prevent certain Service functionality.

6. Age Restriction and Enforcement

The Service is strictly prohibited for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect, process, or retain personal information from minors. If we determine — through any means, including age verification, reports, or internal review — that an account belongs to a user under 18, that account will be immediately and permanently deleted without notice, along with all associated data, content, and activity. No appeal process is available for accounts terminated under this provision. If you have reason to believe a minor has registered on the platform, you are required to report it to privacy@pollask.com immediately.

7. Security Measures

We apply rigorous technical and organizational safeguards to protect your personal information, including:

• End-to-end encryption of data in transit enforced via TLS 1.2 or higher.
• Cryptographic password hashing using bcrypt with high-entropy salting.
• Adaptive rate limiting, anomaly detection, and automated abuse-prevention systems.
• Periodic security audits, vulnerability assessments, and infrastructure hardening.
• Strict role-based access controls ensuring personal data is accessible only to personnel with a demonstrated operational need.

8. International Data Transfers

PollAsk operates across multiple jurisdictions. Your personal data may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in countries outside your country of residence, including countries that may not provide the same level of data protection as your home jurisdiction. By using the Service, you expressly consent to such transfers. We implement appropriate technical and contractual safeguards to ensure your data receives a consistent level of protection regardless of where it is processed.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to amend this Privacy Policy at any time. All amendments become effective upon publication on this page. Material changes will be indicated by an updated effective date and, where warranted, communicated through in-platform notices. Your continued use of the Service following any amendment constitutes binding acceptance of the revised policy. If you object to any change, you must discontinue use of the Service immediately.

10. Contact

For inquiries, data requests, or concerns related to this Privacy Policy, contact our data team at privacy@pollask.com. We are committed to responding within a reasonable and legally compliant timeframe.