1. Introduction

Welcome to Sam The Wise ("Sam," "we," "us," or "our"). We're building a study companion app for students, and we respect your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you join our waitlist.

By providing your email address, you agree to this Privacy Policy.

2. What Information We Collect

We currently collect minimal information from our waitlist:

• Email Address: The only personal data we collect when you sign up for early access
• Submission Timestamp: When you joined the waitlist
• Survey Responses: If you complete our optional survey, we collect your feedback about study habits and preferences

We do NOT collect: passwords, payment information, browsing data, or any other personal details at this stage.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your email address for the following purposes:

• Product Updates: To notify you about Sam's development progress and launch timeline
• Beta Access: To invite you to test early versions of Sam before public launch
• Founder Benefits: To grant you special founding pricing and perks
• Survey Follow-ups: To ask additional questions about your study needs (only if you opt in)

We will NEVER:

• Sell your email to third parties
• Spam you with irrelevant content
• Share your data with advertisers
• Use your email for purposes other than Sam-related communications

4. How We Store Your Information

Your email address is stored securely in:

• Google Sheets: Protected by Google's enterprise-grade security and encryption
• Access Control: Only the Sam development team has access to this data
• No Public Access: Your information is never made public or shared with unauthorized parties

5. Your Rights (GDPR Compliance)

As we operate in the EU (Germany), you have the following rights under GDPR:

• Right to Access: Request a copy of your data we hold
• Right to Deletion: Request complete deletion of your email and survey responses
• Right to Rectification: Update or correct your email address
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Unsubscribe from all communications at any time
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a machine-readable format

How to Exercise Your Rights

Email us at [email protected] with:

• Subject line: "Data Request" or "Delete My Data"
• Your email address used for signup
• Your specific request (access, deletion, update, etc.)

We'll respond within 30 days as required by GDPR.

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain your email address:

• Until Sam launches: So we can invite you to beta and grant founder benefits
• After launch: If you create an account, your email transfers to our app database
• If you don't create an account: We'll delete waitlist emails 6 months after launch
• Upon request: We'll delete your data immediately if you ask

7. Cookies and Tracking

Our current waitlist page does NOT use:

• Cookies for tracking
• Analytics tools (no Google Analytics, no Facebook Pixel)
• Third-party advertising trackers

When Sam launches as a full app, we may implement basic analytics. We'll update this policy accordingly.

8. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

• Google Forms & Sheets: For collecting and storing emails (covered by Google's privacy policy)
• Tally Forms: For surveys (GDPR compliant, covered by Tally's privacy policy)

These services have their own privacy policies, and we choose partners that meet GDPR standards.

9. Children's Privacy

Sam is intended for students aged 13 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you're under 13, please do not sign up for our waitlist.

If we discover we've collected data from a child under 13, we'll delete it immediately.

10. International Data Transfers

Your data is primarily stored within the EU (Google's European data centers). If data is transferred outside the EU, it will be protected under GDPR-approved mechanisms like Standard Contractual Clauses.

11. Security

We take security seriously:

• Email data is stored in password-protected Google Sheets
• Access is limited to core team members only
• We use secure HTTPS connections for all data transmission
• Regular security reviews of our data practices

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We do our best, but cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as Sam evolves. When we do:

• We'll update the "Last Updated" date at the top
• We'll notify you via email if changes are significant
• Continued use of Sam after changes means you accept the new policy

13. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

We process your email address based on:

• Consent: You explicitly agreed by checking the privacy policy checkbox
• Legitimate Interest: To communicate about a product you expressed interest in