Privacy Policy

Effective Date: October 8, 2026 • Last Updated: October 8, 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to Equitea ("we", "our", or "us"), available at https://equitea.app. We believe personal and household budgeting should be calm, transparent, and completely respectful of your privacy.

Equitea operates on a mindful, zero-commercialization foundation: we do not sell your data, we do not monetize your personal information, we do not partner with data brokers, and we do not serve advertisements.

2. Information We Collect & What We NEVER Collect

A. Information We Collect

We collect and process only the minimal information strictly necessary to operate your household planning workspace:

Google Account Profile Information: When you authenticate via Google Sign-In, we receive your basic profile data: your Google account name, email address, unique Google User ID (UID), and profile photo URL. This information is used strictly to identify your user session and display your avatar/name.
Self-Reported Financial Planning Data: Numerical figures, expense line items, incomes, tax brackets, deduction preferences, giving designations, subscriptions, and partner invitations that you voluntarily input into your household plan documents.
Household Collaboration Data: Email addresses of partners or household members you invite to co-manage a shared household budget plan.
Technical Diagnostic Data: Standard server logs, browser type, device operating system, and session timestamps for security, error monitoring, and performance stability.

B. What We NEVER Collect or Access (Bank-Free Architecture)

Equitea is strictly a self-reporting estimation tool. Unlike traditional financial aggregators:

No Bank Account Linking: We never integrate with Open Banking aggregators (such as Plaid, MX, or Yodlee). We never have access to your bank login credentials.
No Account Numbers or Cards: We never collect, store, or process bank account numbers, routing numbers, debit card numbers, credit card numbers, or PINs.
No Government Identifiers: We never ask for or store Social Security Numbers (SSNs), Tax IDs, passports, or driver's license numbers.
No Independent Financial Verification: All figures entered into Equitea are self-reported estimates. We do not inspect, verify, or audit your actual bank balances or tax filings.

3. Religious Giving, Church Tithes & Sensitive Data

Equitea includes an optional Church Tithe & Charitable Giving section allowing users to model charitable contributions and faith-based giving percentages.

GDPR Article 9 & CPRA Sensitive Personal Information Notice: Information revealing religious beliefs or philosophical convictions receives heightened legal protections under global data protection regulations (including GDPR Article 9 and the California Consumer Privacy Act / CPRA).

Tracking church tithes or faith-based organizations in Equitea is completely voluntary. By entering religious causes or choosing a tithe calculation rule, you provide explicit consent for Equitea to store and process this self-reported data solely for the purpose of computing your household budget.

You may withdraw consent, zero out tithes (using the "No Tithe" option), or permanently delete these line items at any time directly in the dashboard.

4. How We Use Your Information

Your data is used exclusively to operate and deliver the Equitea web application:

To authenticate and manage your user account session via Google OAuth2.
To calculate mathematical financial projections, estimated tax withholdings, and monthly surplus/deficit figures.
To synchronize household financial documents across devices in real time for you and your invited household members.
To send essential transactional notifications, including welcome onboarding and account deletion verification codes.
To diagnose bugs, troubleshoot system errors, and maintain platform stability.

Our Commitment to Data Privacy: We will never sell, lease, or monetize your personal or financial planning data. We do not share your financial numbers with third-party marketers, advertisers, credit agencies, or data brokers.

5. Cloud Infrastructure & Security Architecture

To ensure enterprise-grade availability and security, Equitea relies on trusted cloud infrastructure partners:

Google Firebase (Google Cloud Platform): Used for Google OAuth2 authentication and Cloud Firestore database storage. Data is encrypted in transit using TLS 1.3 and at rest using AES-256 bit encryption. Access is governed by strict Firestore Security Rules.
Vercel Inc.: Serves static web application assets, content delivery network (CDN), and transactional email dispatch.

6. Collaborative Sharing & Household Permissions

Equitea allows household owners to invite partners or family members by email. When you invite another user to your household plan:

Invited members can view and modify all financial figures, income sources, and expenses within that specific household plan.
Only the household owner can permanently delete the household document or remove members.
Members from separate households cannot view, access, or modify your household plans.

7. Data Portability, Export & Erasure Rights

You have complete control and absolute ownership over your data:

Instant Machine-Readable JSON Export (Data Portability): In compliance with GDPR (Art. 20) and CCPA/CPRA, you can download a complete, machine-readable JSON copy of your profile, household configurations, and self-reported financial planning data at any time directly under Settings > Privacy & Security > Export Account Details (JSON).
Automated In-App Account Deletion (Right to Erasure): You can permanently erase your user account and all owned household records directly in-app under Settings > Privacy & Security > Permanently Delete Account. Deletion requires email 2FA verification and immediately purges your records irreversibly.
Household Deletion: Household owners can permanently delete their household plan at any time directly within the application under Settings > Manage Household > Delete Household.

8. Jurisdiction-Specific Privacy Rights (GDPR & CCPA/CPRA)

Depending on your location, you have statutory rights under applicable privacy laws:

EEA & UK Residents (GDPR): You have the right to access, rectify, restrict processing of, port, or erase your personal data, and to withdraw consent at any time without affecting lawful processing prior to withdrawal.
California Residents (CCPA/CPRA): You have the right to notice of collection, the right to know what personal information is collected, the right to delete personal information, the right to correct inaccurate information, and the right not to receive discriminatory treatment. We do not sell personal information or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

9. Children's Privacy

Equitea is intended for individuals aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 18.

10. Contact Information

If you have any questions or feedback regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact:

Equitea Engineering & Privacy
Support Email: help@equitea.app
Website: https://equitea.app