Privacy Policy

Introduction

Paid Panelist ("we," "our," or "us") operates the website paidpanelist.com (the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website and use our services.

Please read this privacy policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the site or use our services.

Information We Collect

Personal Information

When you register for an account, we may collect:

• Name and email address
• Account credentials (passwords are encrypted)
• Profile information (demographics, interests, location preferences)
• Payment information (processed securely via Stripe)

Usage Information

We automatically collect certain information when you use our Service:

• Device information (browser type, operating system)
• IP address and approximate location
• Pages visited and features used
• Search queries and alert preferences
• Timestamps of activity

AI API Keys (Optional)

If you choose to enable semantic search features, you may provide your own AI API keys (e.g., OpenAI, Google Gemini). These keys are encrypted using AES-256-GCM encryption before storage and are only used to process your search queries.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage your account
• Provide personalized research study alerts based on your profile
• Process subscriptions and payments
• Send important service notifications (new studies, account updates)
• Improve and optimize our Service
• Respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
• Detect and prevent fraud or abuse
• Comply with legal obligations

Information Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

Service Providers

We work with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our Service:

• Supabase - Database hosting and authentication
• Stripe - Payment processing (PCI-DSS compliant)
• Vercel - Website hosting
• Cloudflare - CDN and security services

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or government agency).

Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to:

• Provide our services to you
• Comply with legal obligations
• Resolve disputes and enforce our agreements

When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within 30 days, unless we are legally required to retain it.

Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information:

• All data transmitted over HTTPS/TLS encryption
• Passwords hashed using secure algorithms
• API keys encrypted with AES-256-GCM
• Regular security audits and monitoring
• Row-level security (RLS) policies on database tables
• Rate limiting to prevent abuse

While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

• Access - Request a copy of your personal data
• Correction - Update or correct inaccurate data
• Deletion - Request deletion of your personal data
• Portability - Receive your data in a portable format
• Opt-out - Unsubscribe from marketing communications
• Restriction - Request limitation of data processing

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@paidpanelist.com.