Privacy Policy

Who we are

Briar Creek Tech LLC (“Briar Creek Tech,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a software company based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. We build and operate the mobile applications described in this policy. We are the controller responsible for the information described here.

You can reach us at any time at carl@briarcreektech.com.

What this policy covers

This policy explains what information our mobile applications collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, and what control you have over it. It applies to the following applications and to this website:

• InflationBuddy — Track the prices of the things you buy, scan receipts, and see your own inflation rate.
• HartSquare — A free iPhone app with no accounts and no sign-in required.

Our applications differ from one another in what they collect. The app-by-app summary below tells you exactly what applies to the app you are using.

Information we collect

Information you provide to us

Some of our apps let you create an account. In InflationBuddy an account is optional: the app starts with an anonymous guest account identified only by a random identifier, and you can create an account with an email address and password to keep your data across devices. Your password is handled by our authentication provider and is never stored by us in readable form. None of our apps use Sign in with Apple or social sign-in.

We also store the content and settings you create inside the app so that they persist and stay available on your devices.

Information collected automatically

Our apps do not include analytics, crash-reporting, or advertising tools. When an app connects to our backend, our hosting provider necessarily processes technical information such as your IP address, device and operating system type, and app version, to deliver the service and keep it secure. If you have chosen in iOS Settings to share analytics with app developers, Apple may also give us aggregated, anonymous download and crash statistics.

Purchase and subscription information

For apps that offer subscriptions, we receive the status of your purchase — for example whether a subscription is active, when it renews, and which product you bought. Purchases are processed by Apple. We never receive or store your payment card number, billing address, or Apple Account credentials.

Camera and receipt photos

InflationBuddy uses your camera only when you scan a receipt, or a photo only when you choose one to scan. The image is sent to Google’s Gemini AI service solely to read the items, prices, store, and date on the receipt, which you review before anything is saved. We do not store receipt photos.

Location

InflationBuddy asks for your location only when you look for stores or prices near you. Your location is sent to Google Places to find nearby stores and is used to show prices near you; we do not store your location or keep a location history. The stores you choose are saved with your items.

Information we never collect

We do not collect your contacts, microphone input, or health data, and HartSquare collects nothing at all. We do not use third-party advertising networks, and we do not track you across other companies’ apps and websites.

App-by-app summary

Community price data

InflationBuddy lets everyone compare prices at stores nearby. When you save a price with a store, the item name, price, any discount, purchase date, and store (its name and location) are added to a community price dataset that other InflationBuddy users can see. Community entries never include your name, email address, or account identifier.

When you delete a price, an item, or your account in the app, we remove the community entries linked to them and update that store’s averages. Entries contributed through earlier versions of the app were not linked to their source, so they cannot be matched to you or removed individually; they contain no information that identifies you.

How we use information

We use the information described above only to:

• Provide, operate, and maintain the app and its features.
• Create and secure your account, and keep your data synchronized across your devices.
• Determine whether you have an active subscription and what content or features you are entitled to.
• Read the items and prices on receipts you scan, and find stores and prices near you when you ask.
• Show anonymous community prices for stores near you.
• Fix bugs and improve reliability, including from problems you report to us.
• Respond to your support requests and communicate with you about the app.
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Use.

We do not use your information to build advertising profiles, and we do not make automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about you.

Third-party services we rely on

We use a small number of established service providers to run our apps. They process information on our behalf, under their own privacy commitments, and only for the purposes described here.

• Google Firebase (Google LLC) — provides our hosted database (Cloud Firestore), user authentication, and backend infrastructure. Firebase processes your account identifier, the content you save, and technical information such as IP address and device type. We do not use Firebase Analytics or Crashlytics. See the Firebase privacy information and Google Privacy Policy.
• Google Gemini API (Google LLC) — reads the items and prices on receipt photos you scan in InflationBuddy. Photos are sent to Google for processing and are not stored by us. See the Gemini API terms.
• Google Places (Google LLC) — finds stores near you in InflationBuddy. It receives your location and the store names you search for, under the Google Privacy Policy.
• CoinGecko and APILayer — provide historical Bitcoin, gold, and currency exchange rates. Requests include only a currency, an amount, and a date — no information about you.
• RevenueCat (RevenueCat, Inc.) — manages subscription status and entitlements for apps that offer subscriptions. RevenueCat receives a subscriber identifier and purchase information from Apple, not your payment details. See the RevenueCat Privacy Policy.
• Apple (Apple Inc.) — distributes our apps, processes all purchases and subscriptions. Your payment relationship is with Apple. See the Apple Privacy Policy.

We require that any third party with whom we share user data — including analytics tools, advertising networks, and third-party SDKs, as well as any parent, subsidiary, or other related entity that has access to user data — provides the same or equal protection of user data as stated in this Privacy Policy. We do not permit these providers to use your information for their own independent purposes, and we do not authorize them to sell it.

How we share information

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We share information only in these circumstances:

• With the service providers listed above, so they can perform their functions for us.
• When we are required to by law, such as in response to a valid subpoena, court order, or other lawful request.
• To protect the rights, property, or safety of our users, the public, or Briar Creek Tech, including to investigate fraud or abuse.
• In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case we will notify you before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

How long we keep information

We keep account information and the content associated with your account for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, we delete the account record and its associated content from our production systems, and it is removed from routine backups within 30 days.

Community price entries remain until the price, item, or account they are linked to is deleted, as described above. We may keep information longer where we are required to do so by law, or where it is needed to resolve a dispute or enforce our agreements.

Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access — ask what personal information we hold about you.
• Correction — ask us to correct information that is inaccurate.
• Deletion — ask us to delete your account and personal information.
• Portability — request a copy of your information in a portable format.
• Objection and restriction — object to or ask us to restrict certain processing.
• Withdraw consent — where we rely on consent, withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at carl@briarcreektech.com. We will respond within the time required by applicable law, generally within 45 days. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

You can also turn off camera or location access for an app at any time in iOS Settings, and stop all collection by deleting the app.

California residents

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the CPRA gives you the rights described above, including the right to know, delete, and correct your personal information, and the right to opt out of sale or sharing. As stated above, we do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising, and we have not done so in the preceding twelve months.

Users in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom

If you are located in the EEA or the UK, we process your information on the following legal bases: to perform our contract with you (providing the app and your account), our legitimate interests (keeping the app secure, reliable, and improved), your consent where we ask for it, and compliance with legal obligations. You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

Deleting your account and data

In InflationBuddy, open the Profile tab and, under Account, tap Delete Account (or Delete My Data if you never created an account). Deleting permanently removes your account, everything you saved, and the community price entries linked to it.

If you cannot access the app for any reason, email us at carl@briarcreektech.com from the address associated with your account and we will delete your account for you.

Deleting your account does not automatically cancel an active subscription, because subscriptions are billed by Apple. To stop billing, cancel the subscription in iOS Settings as described on our support page.

Apps without accounts

For apps that have no account or sign-in, there is no account record to delete. Deleting the app from your device stops all further collection. If you would like us to delete any records our backend holds that relate to your installation, email us and we will do so — please include your device model and the approximate dates you used the app so we can locate the records.

Withdrawing consent

Where we rely on your consent to process information, you can withdraw it at any time, and doing so is as easy as giving it. You can turn off camera or location access in the iOS Settings app under Privacy & Security, stop all collection by deleting the app, or email us to withdraw consent for any specific processing. Withdrawing consent does not affect processing we carried out before you withdrew it.

Children’s privacy

Our apps are not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

Security

We use industry-standard safeguards to protect your information, including encryption in transit, access controls on our systems, and reputable infrastructure providers. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we take these obligations seriously and will notify you and the appropriate authorities of a breach where required by law.

International users

We are based in the United States, and our service providers process and store information in the United States and other countries. If you use our apps from outside the United States, you understand that your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission’s standard contractual clauses for these transfers.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the effective date at the top of this page. If the changes are material, we will provide a more prominent notice, such as an in-app notice. Continuing to use the apps after an update means you accept the revised policy.

Contact us

If you have questions about this policy or how we handle your information, contact us:

• Email: carl@briarcreektech.com
• Phone: 704.641.5514
• Briar Creek Tech LLC, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States