Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

The Cause and Effect App LLC (“Cause & Effect,” “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) provides the Cause & Effect App, the Cause & Effect Child app, Effect AI, our websites, and related products and services (collectively, the “Services”).

Our principal business contact information is:

The Cause and Effect App LLC
456 Broadway, Floor 5
New York, NY 10013-5800
United States

Telephone: +1 (315) 547‑6297
Privacy and support: support@causeandeffectapp.com
General inquiries: info@causeandeffectapp.com

2. Scope of This Policy

This Policy applies when you visit causeandeffectapp.com, use our mobile applications, communicate with us, interact with Effect AI, purchase or use a subscription, or otherwise use a Service that links to this Policy.

This Policy does not govern a third party’s independent website, application, or service. For example, Apple, Google, PayPal, social sign-in providers, and other external services maintain their own privacy notices.

Additional written terms may apply to a school, institution, or business customer. If a signed agreement describes privacy or data-processing obligations that differ from this general Policy, the signed agreement controls for that customer to the extent of the conflict.

3. Parents, Schools, and Organizations

The Services may include parent, guardian, child, student, school, employee, and business experiences. The person or organization that creates or manages an account may control which features are enabled and which authorized users can access information in that account.

Parents and guardians

A parent or legal guardian may create or authorize a child profile, manage the child’s experience, review activity associated with the family account, enable optional features, and request access to or deletion of the child’s information.

Schools and institutions

When a school or institution provides the Services to students, it is responsible for obtaining any permission or consent required by law and for using the Services only for authorized educational purposes. Where permitted by applicable law, a school may provide consent on behalf of a parent for collection used solely for that educational context.

Business customers using Effect AI

A business customer is responsible for the lawfulness, accuracy, and content of information it submits or connects to Effect AI. It must provide required notices and obtain required consent from its own customers, visitors, employees, or other individuals.

4. Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on the Service, account type, enabled features, device permissions, and the choices made by the user or account administrator.

We do not collect a list of applications installed on a user’s device.

We ordinarily do not receive or store a complete payment-card number. Full payment credentials are handled by the applicable payment provider. Please do not send complete payment-card numbers through email, forms, or chat.

We may receive information from a parent, guardian, school, institution, business customer, app marketplace, payment processor, social sign-in provider, or other person authorized to provide it.

5. How We Use Information

We may use personal information to:

• provide, configure, personalize, maintain, and support the Services;
• create and manage accounts, profiles, permissions, tasks, rewards, progress, and authorized features;
• process orders, subscriptions, renewals, cancellations, refunds, receipts, and payment-status information;
• respond to questions, support requests, business-intake submissions, and appointment requests;
• generate Effect AI and website-chatbot responses during an interaction;
• send service, security, transaction, support, and administrative communications;
• provide optional notifications when enabled by the user;
• understand performance and usage, diagnose errors, improve accessibility, and develop or improve features;
• protect accounts, users, the public, and the Services; prevent fraud, spam, abuse, and security incidents;
• enforce our agreements and acceptable-use rules;
• comply with law, respond to lawful requests, and establish, exercise, or defend legal claims; and
• carry out another purpose disclosed at collection or authorized by the user.

We do not use children’s personal information or chatbot content to build targeted-advertising profiles.

6. Legal Bases for Processing

Where applicable law requires a legal basis, we process information based on one or more of the following:

• Contract: processing needed to provide a requested Service or perform an agreement;
• Consent: permission given by the individual or, where legally appropriate, a parent, guardian, school, or other authorized person;
• Legitimate interests: operating, securing, improving, supporting, and protecting the Services in ways that do not override applicable privacy rights;
• Legal obligation: processing necessary to comply with law, tax, accounting, safety, or lawful government requirements; and
• Protection of vital interests: processing reasonably necessary to protect someone’s safety.

Consent may be withdrawn where processing relies on consent, but withdrawal does not affect processing that was lawful before withdrawal or processing supported by another lawful basis.

7. When We Share Information

We do not sell personal information. We may disclose information only as reasonably necessary in the following circumstances:

• Authorized users: with a parent, guardian, school, institution, business, or account administrator that is authorized to manage the relevant account or Service;
• Service providers: with companies that provide hosting, infrastructure, artificial-intelligence processing, analytics, security, communications, app distribution, social sign-in, payment processing, subscriptions, customer support, or related operational services;
• Customer-directed integrations: with a third-party service when a customer chooses and authorizes an integration or workflow;
• Legal and safety purposes: when reasonably necessary to comply with law or legal process, protect rights or safety, investigate fraud or abuse, or enforce agreements;
• Business transaction: in connection with a financing, merger, acquisition, reorganization, sale of assets, or similar transaction, subject to appropriate confidentiality and legal safeguards; and
• With permission: when the individual or authorized account administrator directs or consents to the disclosure.

Service providers are permitted to process information only for the services they provide to us or as otherwise allowed by their agreements and applicable law.

8. Effect AI and Website Chatbot Information

Effect AI may use artificial-intelligence models to assist with communication, support, sales, knowledge retrieval, and workflow tasks. AI-generated content can be incomplete, inaccurate, outdated, or unsuitable for a particular purpose. Users should apply appropriate human review and must not rely on an AI response as the sole basis for a legally significant, medical, financial, employment, educational, housing, insurance, or similarly high-impact decision.

Website chatbot

Our current website chatbot does not require visitors to provide a name or email address. A visitor may nevertheless voluntarily include personal information in a message.

Chatbot conversations may be retained on our WordPress website system for up to seven days and are then automatically deleted. The message is also transmitted to our configured AI service provider, such as OpenAI, so that a response can be generated. That provider processes the message under its applicable service terms, privacy commitments, and our configuration.

We do not sell chatbot content, use it for targeted advertising, or intentionally use it to create advertising profiles. Limited technical and security records that do not ordinarily contain the conversation itself may be generated separately to operate, protect, and diagnose the Service.

Do not submit passwords, complete payment-card numbers, government identification numbers, protected health information, or other highly sensitive or confidential information through a chatbot.

Effect AI customer implementations

An Effect AI business customer may connect content, accounts, or third-party services to its implementation. The customer controls the information and instructions it provides and is responsible for obtaining all legally required rights, notices, and consents. A separate written agreement may specify additional data-processing, retention, or security terms.

Effect AI is not configured as a HIPAA-compliant service by default. Protected health information must not be submitted unless we have expressly agreed in writing to an appropriate configuration and entered into any legally required agreement.

9. Children’s Privacy

We design child-facing features to be used under the direction and authorization of a parent, legal guardian, school, or other legally authorized adult or institution. A child may not independently purchase a subscription or create a purchasing account.

Where the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act or another child-privacy law applies, we seek verifiable authorization from a parent or guardian, or rely on a school’s authorization when legally permitted for an educational purpose. We collect only information reasonably necessary for the authorized child-facing feature.

Depending on the features enabled, child-related information may include a profile name or nickname, age or age range, family or school relationship, tasks, rewards, progress, optional task-proof media, and optional location information. We do not use children’s personal information for targeted advertising or sell it.

A parent or guardian may contact us to request access to, correction of, download of, or deletion of their child’s personal information, or to withdraw permission for further collection. We may take reasonable steps to verify the requester’s identity and authority before fulfilling a request.

If we learn that child information was collected without required authorization, we will take reasonable steps to delete it or obtain appropriate authorization.

10. Photos, Videos, and Task-Completion Proof

A parent, guardian, or authorized school may enable a feature that allows a child or other user to upload a photo or video as evidence that a task was completed. Use of the feature is optional.

Task-proof media is used to provide the feature, allow review by authorized account users, maintain account records, address support or safety concerns, and protect the Service. It is not used for targeted advertising.

Users should avoid including unrelated people, private documents, precise identifying details, or sensitive information in task-proof media. An authorized account user may delete media through available account controls or request deletion by contacting us, subject to limited backup, legal, fraud-prevention, and safety-retention requirements.

11. Location Information

We collect device location only when:

1. a location-enabled feature is available and turned on;
2. the device user grants operating-system permission; and
3. the information is needed to provide the enabled feature.

Location permission can be changed through the device’s settings. Turning it off may prevent the relevant feature from working. We do not use location information for targeted advertising or sell it.

12. Cookies, Analytics, and Security Tools

Our websites may use cookies, local storage, pixels, and similar technologies to:

• keep the website and account functions working;
• remember preferences and sessions;
• protect logins, checkout, forms, and other features from fraud, spam, and abuse;
• understand website performance and usage; and
• diagnose errors and improve the Services.

Where configured, Google services such as Site Kit, analytics tools, Firebase services, and reCAPTCHA may process technical, device, usage, or interaction information. reCAPTCHA or a similar security tool may be used on checkout, login, registration, or other forms to distinguish legitimate activity from spam or abuse.

Where required, we request consent before using non-essential cookies. Browser controls may be used to delete or block cookies, although doing so may affect website functionality.

Because there is no single universally binding standard for browser-based “Do Not Track” signals, our Services may not respond to every such signal. Where applicable law requires recognition of a legally valid opt-out preference signal, we honor it for the processing to which it applies.

13. Advertising and Sale of Personal Information

We do not display third-party advertising in the Services. We do not sell personal information, and we do not use or share personal information for cross-context behavioral or targeted advertising.

If our practices change, we will update this Policy and provide any notice, consent mechanism, or opt-out right required by applicable law before the changed practice begins.

14. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including providing the Services, maintaining security, complying with law, resolving disputes, and enforcing agreements.

Retention considerations include:

• account information is ordinarily retained while the account remains active and for a limited period afterward to complete deletion, address disputes, prevent fraud, and satisfy legal obligations;
• tasks, rewards, progress, and task-proof media are retained while needed for the authorized account or until deleted by an authorized user, subject to limited backup and legal-retention periods;
• order, transaction, tax, refund, and subscription records may be retained for periods required by tax, accounting, payment, fraud-prevention, and other laws;
• support and privacy-request records may be retained as needed to respond, document, and resolve the request;
• diagnostic and security records are retained for a limited period appropriate to operational and security needs;
• location information is retained only as needed for the enabled feature, security, or an authorized account history; and
• website chatbot conversations may be retained on our WordPress website system for up to seven days and are then automatically deleted.

When information is no longer required, we delete, de-identify, or securely isolate it. Limited copies may remain in access-controlled backups until they are overwritten through the ordinary backup cycle.

15. Security

We use administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information. Depending on the Service, these may include encrypted network connections, access controls, authentication protections, security monitoring, backups, software updates, and restrictions on administrative access.

No website, application, transmission, or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure. Users are responsible for protecting their passwords, devices, and account access and should notify us promptly of suspected unauthorized activity.

Security concerns may be reported to support@causeandeffectapp.com.

16. Privacy Rights and Choices

Depending on where a person lives and subject to legal exceptions, they may have the right to:

• know whether we process their personal information and obtain access to it;
• request correction of inaccurate information;
• request deletion of personal information;
• receive certain information in a portable format;
• object to or restrict certain processing;
• withdraw consent where processing relies on consent;
• opt out of certain sale, sharing, or targeted-advertising practices, although we do not currently engage in those practices;
• appeal a decision on a privacy request where applicable; and
• not receive unlawful discriminatory treatment for exercising a privacy right.

Parents and guardians may exercise applicable rights for a child. An authorized agent may submit a request where local law permits, but we may require proof of authority and identity.

To make a request, email support@causeandeffectapp.com with the subject line “Privacy Request”. For a request involving a child, use “Child Privacy Request.” Please describe the request and identify the relevant account or email address. Do not send identity documents unless we specifically request them through an appropriate method.

We may verify identity and authority before fulfilling a request. We will respond within the period required by applicable law. If a request is denied in whole or in part, we will explain the reason and available appeal or complaint options where required.

A person may also complain to the privacy or data-protection authority in their jurisdiction.

17. International Processing

We are based in the United States, and our service providers may operate in the United States and other countries. Information may therefore be processed in a country whose privacy laws differ from those of the user’s location.

Where required, we use an appropriate legal mechanism and safeguards for international transfers, such as contractual protections, consent, or another lawful transfer basis.

18. Third-Party Services

Depending on the Service and features used, third-party providers may include:

• website, WordPress, cloud-hosting, database, backup, and security providers;
• OpenAI or another configured artificial-intelligence service provider;
• Google services, which may include app distribution, Firebase, Site Kit, analytics, sign-in, and reCAPTCHA;
• Apple services, including app distribution and optional platform features;
• WooCommerce and subscription-management tools;
• PayPal or another enabled payment provider;
• social sign-in providers selected by a user;
• email-delivery and customer-support providers; and
• integrations selected by an Effect AI business customer.

The providers and features in use may change as we improve the Services. Each independent third party maintains its own privacy terms. We encourage users to review the notice shown by a third-party service before using it.

19. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy to reflect changes to the Services, technology, law, or our practices. The revised Policy will display a new “Last Updated” date.

If a change materially affects privacy rights or how personal information is used, we will provide additional notice or obtain consent when required by applicable law.