Overview
BillBoard ("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 the BillBoard application and website (collectively, the "Service"). Please read this policy carefully. If you disagree with its terms, please discontinue use of the Service.
1. Information We Collect
We collect information you provide directly, information generated automatically when you use the Service, and — in limited cases — information from third parties.
Account information: When you register, we collect your email address and a password hash. You may optionally provide your first name and zip code. Your zip code is used solely to identify your Congressional representatives and is never shared with third parties or sold.
Usage data: We collect information about how you interact with the Service — which bills you view, topics you filter on, and features you use. This data is used to personalise your feed and improve the product. It is never used to infer your political affiliation or sell advertising.
Device & log data: Like most web services, we automatically collect IP address, browser type, operating system, referral URL, and pages visited. This data is retained for up to 90 days for security and debugging purposes.
Communications: If you contact us via support or email, we retain a copy of your correspondence to help resolve your request.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
• Provide, maintain, and improve the Service.
• Identify your elected representatives based on your zip code.
• Personalise your bill feed based on topics you engage with.
• Send transactional emails (account confirmation, password reset).
• Monitor for fraud, abuse, and security incidents.
• Comply with legal obligations.
We do not use your information for targeted advertising, political micro-targeting, or profiling based on your political views. BillBoard does not sell, rent, or trade any personal information to third parties.
3. Your Political Stances Are Private
When you vote "Support" or "Oppose" on a bill inside BillBoard, that stance is stored privately in your account and is never shared publicly, disclosed to political organisations, or used to infer your party affiliation. Aggregate, anonymised engagement data (e.g., "72% of users support HR 1234") may be displayed in the app but cannot be traced back to individual accounts.
4. Cookies & Local Storage
We use essential cookies and browser local storage to keep you signed in and remember your preferences (e.g., notification settings, topic filters). We do not use third-party tracking cookies or advertising pixels. You may clear local storage at any time through your browser settings; doing so will sign you out.
5. Third-Party Services
BillBoard integrates with the following third-party services:
• Congress.gov API — bill metadata and text (U.S. government public data).
• Firebase (Google) — authentication, database, and cloud functions. Google's privacy policy applies to data processed through Firebase.
• Anthropic / OpenAI — AI-generated bill summaries. Bill text is sent to the AI provider; no personal account information is included in these requests.
• OpenStreetMap Nominatim and the FCC Census Block API — optional live-location lookups for state, ZIP code, and congressional district. When you use live location, precise coordinates are sent to these services only to resolve your representatives.
We do not sell data to any third party, including the services listed above.
6. Data Retention
We retain your account information for as long as your account is active. You may request deletion of your account at any time by emailing privacy@billboard.app. Upon deletion, your personal information is removed within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.
7. Security
We implement industry-standard technical and organisational measures to protect your information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include TLS encryption in transit, hashed password storage, and role-based access controls on our infrastructure. No method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
8. Children's Privacy
The Service is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
9. Your Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:
• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate data.
• Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten").
• Object to or restrict certain processing.
• Data portability (receive a copy of your data in a machine-readable format).
To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@billboard.app. We will respond within 30 days.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email or by a prominent notice in the Service before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Service after any change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
11. Contact Us
If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
BillBoard — Privacy Team
privacy@billboard.app