Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 9, 2025

The Short Version (Plain English Summary)

📊 What we collect:

  • Account and billing info
  • Content you upload
  • Usage and technical data

🚫 What we do NOT do:

  • Sell your data to third parties
  • Use tracking cookies on the marketing site
  • Collect unnecessary personal information

✋ Your control:

  • Access, export, and delete your data anytime
  • Cancel subscription and request account deletion
  • Opt out of marketing emails

🔒 Security:

  • Data stored in US-East region
  • Industry-standard encryption and security measures
  • Trusted sub-processors with data protection agreements

📧 Questions? Contact support@asksite.co

Introduction

Ask Site ("Ask Site", "we", "us", or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Service.

This policy applies to two types of users:

  1. Platform Customers: Individuals and organizations who create and manage Ask Site-powered Q&A sites
  2. End Users: Visitors who ask questions on Ask Site-powered sites

By using our Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Platform Customers (Account Holders)

When you create a Ask Site account, we collect:

Account Information:

  • Name and email address
  • Company/organization name (if applicable)
  • Authentication credentials (managed by Clerk)
  • Team member information

Billing Information:

  • Payment method details (processed and stored by Stripe - we do not store credit card numbers)
  • Billing address
  • Transaction history
  • Subscription plan and status

Content You Upload:

  • Videos, articles, and documents you import
  • Transcripts generated from your content
  • Q&A sites you create
  • Custom domain configurations
  • API keys and credentials

Usage Data:

  • Sites created and managed
  • Processing hours used
  • Questions answered on your sites
  • Team member activity
  • API usage metrics
  • Feature usage analytics

Technical Data:

  • IP address
  • Browser type and version
  • Device information
  • Operating system
  • Referral source
  • Pages visited and time spent
  • Cookies and similar tracking technologies (on app.asksite.co only)

1.2 End Users (Site Visitors)

When someone visits your Ask Site-powered Q&A site, we may collect:

Questions and Interactions:

  • Questions submitted
  • Votes and feedback
  • Timestamps of interactions

Technical Data:

  • IP address (for abuse prevention only)
  • Basic device/browser information (via privacy-friendly analytics)

Important: The marketing website (asksite.co) uses Fathom Analytics, which is privacy-focused and does not use cookies or collect personal data. No cookie consent banner is required for the marketing site.

2. How We Use Your Information

2.1 Platform Customers

We use your information to:

Provide the Service:

  • Create and manage your account
  • Process your subscription and billing
  • Import and process your content
  • Generate transcripts and answers
  • Provide custom domain functionality
  • Deliver API access
  • Provide customer support

Improve the Service:

  • Analyze usage patterns
  • Identify bugs and technical issues
  • Develop new features
  • Train and improve AI models (using anonymized data)
  • Conduct research and analytics

Communicate with You:

  • Send service-related notifications
  • Provide customer support
  • Send billing statements
  • Notify you of service updates or changes
  • Send promotional emails (you can opt out)

Ensure Security and Compliance:

  • Prevent fraud and abuse
  • Enforce our Terms of Service
  • Comply with legal obligations

2.2 End Users

We use visitor information solely to:

  • Provide the Q&A functionality
  • Prevent abuse and spam
  • Generate aggregate analytics for site owners

3. How We Share Your Information

We do NOT sell your personal information to third parties.

We share your information only in the following circumstances:

3.1 Service Providers and Sub-Processors

We use trusted third-party services to operate Ask Site. These providers have access to your information only to perform specific tasks on our behalf:

Authentication & User Management:

  • Clerk (clerk.com) - User authentication, team management, and identity verification

Payment Processing:

  • Stripe (stripe.com) - Payment processing, subscription billing, and fraud prevention

Content Processing:

  • AssemblyAI (assemblyai.com) - Audio and video transcription services
  • YouTube API (Google) - Video metadata retrieval and content access

Infrastructure & Hosting:

  • Vercel (vercel.com) - Application hosting and custom domain management
  • PlanetScale (planetscale.com) - Database hosting (US-East region)

Analytics & Monitoring:

  • Fathom Analytics (usefathom.com) - Privacy-friendly website analytics (marketing site only)

All sub-processors are contractually required to protect your data and use it only for the purposes we specify. We will notify you of any material changes to our sub-processors via email.

3.2 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to:

  • Court orders or legal process
  • Government or regulatory requests
  • Requests to protect our rights, property, or safety
  • Investigations of fraud or security issues

3.3 Business Transfers

If Ask Site is involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your information may be transferred. We will provide notice before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

3.4 With Your Consent

We may share your information with third parties when you explicitly consent to such sharing.

4. Data Storage and Security

4.1 Data Location

Your data is primarily stored in:

  • United States (US-East region) - PlanetScale database servers
  • Global CDN - Vercel hosting infrastructure

By using the Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and other countries where our service providers operate.

4.2 Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your information, including:

  • Encryption in transit (TLS/SSL)
  • Encryption at rest for sensitive data
  • Access controls and authentication
  • Regular security assessments
  • Secure credential management

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

5. Data Retention

5.1 Account Data

We retain your account information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service.

Active Accounts: Data is retained while your account exists (including free Hobby plan accounts).

Cancelled Subscriptions (Downgraded to Free): When you cancel a paid subscription, you revert to the free Hobby plan. We retain all your data, including:

  • Account information
  • Your sites and content
  • Questions and answers
  • All data remains accessible subject to free plan limits

Deleted Accounts: Only when you explicitly request account deletion (by contacting support@asksite.co), we:

  • Delete account information within 30 days
  • Retain billing records for 7 years (for tax and legal compliance)
  • Retain anonymized usage data indefinitely (for analytics and improvement)

5.2 Content Data (Account Deletion Only)

When you explicitly request account deletion:

  • Your uploaded content is deleted within 30 days
  • Questions and answers on your sites are deleted within 30 days (grace period for data export)
  • Backups may retain data for up to 90 days

5.3 Data Deletion Requests

You may request deletion of your data at any time by contacting support@asksite.co. We will process requests within 30 days, subject to legal retention requirements.

6. Your Rights and Choices

6.1 Access and Export

You can:

  • Access your account information through your account settings
  • Export your data (sites, questions, content) at any time
  • Request a copy of your personal data by emailing support@asksite.co

6.2 Correction and Updates

You can update your account information directly through your account settings or by contacting us.

6.3 Deletion

You can:

  • Delete individual sites, questions, or content through the Service
  • Cancel your paid subscription at any time (reverts to free Hobby plan - no data deleted)
  • Request full account deletion by contacting support@asksite.co (all data deleted within 30 days)

6.4 Marketing Communications

You can opt out of promotional emails by:

  • Clicking "unsubscribe" in any promotional email
  • Updating preferences in your account settings

You cannot opt out of service-related communications (billing, security alerts, etc.).

6.5 Cookie Preferences

Marketing Site (asksite.co): No cookies are used. Fathom Analytics is cookieless and privacy-friendly.

Application (app.asksite.co): Essential cookies are required for authentication and functionality. By using the application, you consent to these necessary cookies. No cookie banner is required as we only use strictly necessary cookies.

7. GDPR Compliance (European Users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

7.1 Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data based on:

  • Contract Performance: To provide the Service you've subscribed to
  • Legitimate Interests: To improve and secure our Service
  • Legal Obligations: To comply with applicable laws
  • Consent: Where explicitly provided (e.g., marketing communications)

7.2 Your GDPR Rights

You have the right to:

  • Access your personal data
  • Rectify inaccurate data
  • Erase your data ("right to be forgotten")
  • Restrict processing of your data
  • Data portability (receive your data in a structured format)
  • Object to processing based on legitimate interests
  • Withdraw consent at any time (where processing is based on consent)
  • Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

To exercise these rights, contact us at support@asksite.co.

7.3 International Transfers

When we transfer data from the EEA/UK to the United States, we rely on:

  • Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) with our sub-processors
  • Adequacy decisions where applicable
  • Other approved transfer mechanisms

7.4 Data Protection Officer

For GDPR-related inquiries, contact: support@asksite.co

8. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

  • Know what personal information we collect, use, and share
  • Delete your personal information (with certain exceptions)
  • Opt-out of "sale" of personal information (we do not sell your data)
  • Non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

To exercise these rights, email support@asksite.co.

9. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us, and we will delete such information.

10. Third-Party Links

The Service may contain links to third-party websites or services not operated by us (e.g., YouTube videos, external articles). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

11. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

11.1 What We Use

Marketing Website (asksite.co):

  • Fathom Analytics: Privacy-friendly, cookieless analytics. No personal data collected. GDPR-compliant. No consent banner required.

Application (app.asksite.co):

  • Essential Cookies: Required for authentication (Clerk), session management, and core functionality
  • Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences (theme, language)

We do NOT use:

  • Advertising cookies
  • Third-party tracking cookies
  • Non-essential analytics cookies

11.2 Cookie Consent

By using app.asksite.co, you consent to essential cookies required for the Service to function. No cookie banner is displayed because we only use strictly necessary cookies.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but this may affect Service functionality.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons.

We will notify you of material changes by:

  • Email to your registered address
  • Prominent notice in the Service
  • Updating the "Last updated" date at the top

Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

13. Contact Us

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

For GDPR-specific inquiries or to exercise your data rights, please use the email above with the subject line "GDPR Request" or "Privacy Rights Request".