Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes Circit LLC's policies and procedures on the collection, use, and disclosure of your information when you use Aethyl (the "Service") and tells you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

We use your personal data to provide and improve Aethyl. By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Data Linked to You

The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:

• Contact Info. Your email address (used for authentication via a one-time code), display name, and chosen handle.
• User Content. Comments, votes, accuracy reports, and scan reports you submit while using the Service.
• Scan Data. URLs you submit for analysis, media files downloaded from those URLs, extracted metadata (title, uploader, platform, duration), detection results, and a content fingerprint used to avoid re-analyzing duplicates.
• Identifiers. User ID (created to identify your account), device identifiers, push notification tokens, and IP address.
• Usage Data. App and website usage information such as features used, screens viewed, and interaction patterns.
• Diagnostics. Crash reports, performance metrics, and other diagnostic information used to improve reliability.

How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to:

• Create and maintain your account
• Run AI-generated content detection on URLs you submit
• Display detection results, comments, and community activity
• Send transactional email (one-time sign-in codes) and push notifications you've opted in to
• Enforce quota limits on free and paid tiers
• Provide customer support
• Analyze and improve the Service
• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and attempts to exploit the Service
• Moderate user-generated content (comments, reports)
• Comply with legal obligations

Data Storage and Security

Your information is stored in secure cloud database services (Firebase / Google Cloud) and object storage (Cloudflare R2). We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access or disclosure, including TLS encryption in transit, access controls, and authentication tokens. We are committed to maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of your data through rigorous security protocols and best practices.

AI Detection Processing

When you submit a URL, the extracted media frames or the media itself are sent to third-party AI providers — Google Gemini, OpenAI, and xAI Grok — strictly for the purpose of returning a detection verdict.

• No account context shared. We do not share your email address, handle, or any other user-identifying information with AI providers. Only the media and analysis prompts are sent.
• No model training (where offered). We send media under API settings that exclude your data from model training, where each provider offers that setting.
• Short-lived processing. AI providers process the media to produce a detection result and are not given long-term storage rights beyond what their API policies require.

Data Retention and Account Deletion

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active. You can delete your account at any time through the app's Settings menu. When you delete your account:

• Your profile, handle, email address, push notification tokens, and notification history are permanently removed from our systems within 7 days
• Comments you've posted and scans you've submitted are anonymized — identifying fields are removed and your handle is replaced with "[deleted]" — but the content itself may remain visible so other users can keep thread and scan context intact
• Accuracy votes and comment votes you cast may remain as anonymous counts to preserve community signals, but are not linked to your identity
• We may retain certain information in anonymized form for analytics, or retain some information if required by law or for legitimate business purposes such as fraud prevention

Once you initiate account deletion, the process cannot be reversed. You will need to create a new account if you wish to use our services again.

Third-Party Services

Aethyl uses third-party services that may collect and process information about you. These third-party service providers have their own Privacy Policies:

• Firebase — authentication, database, analytics, crash reporting, and push delivery
• Cloudflare — web hosting, media storage, and content delivery
• Railway — backend API hosting
• Resend — email delivery
• Google Gemini — AI detection
• OpenAI — AI detection
• xAI Grok — AI detection

These third-party services may collect information sent by your device such as device identifiers, IP address, and app usage data. This information is used primarily to monitor app performance, analyze user behavior, and improve our services.

Sharing Your Information

We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

• With service providers who help operate Aethyl and have agreed to maintain confidentiality
• For business transfers, such as a merger, acquisition, or asset sale
• As required by law, such as to comply with legal processes
• When necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or investigate potential fraud or abuse
• With your consent

Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request deletion of your personal data
• Object to or restrict the processing of your data
• Export your data in a portable format

To exercise these rights, please contact us at support@aethyl.ai.

Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at support@aethyl.ai.

Child Safety and Content Moderation

We are committed to protecting children and ensuring the safety of all users on our platform. We have a zero-tolerance policy for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and any form of child exploitation or abuse.

• Age Restrictions. Our platform is designed for users 13 years and older. We do not knowingly permit children under 13 to use our services.
• Reporting Mechanisms. We provide tools within the app for users to report abusive, exploitative, or inappropriate content and behavior. All reports are treated with urgency and confidentiality. You can also contact us directly at support@aethyl.ai.
• Cooperation with Authorities. We report instances of CSAM or child exploitation to appropriate legal authorities, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and local law enforcement.
• Content Review. Our team reviews reported content promptly and takes appropriate action, including content removal and account suspension when violations are identified.

Changes to This Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time at our discretion. When we make changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy. Your continued use of our services after any changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our practices, please contact us at support@aethyl.ai.