1|PRIVACY POLICY FOR PSYCHPAL
2|
3|Last Updated: December 5, 2025
4|
5|---
6|
7|1. INTRODUCTION
8|
9|Welcome to PsychPal ("we," "our," or "us"). PsychPal is operated by Jules Poiron, a private individual based in Somerset, Manitoba, Canada.
10|
11|This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application and web services (collectively, the "Service"). Please read this privacy policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the Service.
12|
13|We reserve the right to make changes to this Privacy Policy at any time. We will alert you about any changes by updating the "Last Updated" date of this Privacy Policy. Any changes or modifications will be effective immediately upon posting the updated Privacy Policy, and you waive the right to receive specific notice of each such change or modification.
14|
15|---
16|
17|2. INFORMATION WE COLLECT
18|
19|We collect several types of information from and about users of our Service:
20|
21|2.1 Personal Information
22|- Email address
23|- Name
24|- Profile information (age, gender, location - optional)
25|- Profile picture (optional)
26|
27|2.2 Therapeutic and Mental Health Data
28|- Daily mood assessments and questionnaires
29|- Journal entries and personal notes
30|- Voice recordings from voice journaling sessions
31|- Conversation history with AI therapist
32|- Appointment notes and schedules
33|- Mental health insights and patterns
34|- Therapeutic memory and progress tracking
35|
36|2.3 Payment Information
37|Payment processing is handled by Stripe. We do not store your full credit card information. Stripe collects and processes your payment information in accordance with their Privacy Policy.
38|
39|2.4 Usage Data
40|- Device information (type, operating system, unique device identifiers)
41|- Log data (IP address, browser type, pages visited, time spent)
42|- App usage patterns and feature interactions
43|- Analytics data to improve Service performance
44|
45|2.5 Voice and Audio Data
46|When you use our voice journaling feature, we collect and process your voice recordings to provide transcription and AI-powered analysis services.
47|
48|---
49|
50|3. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
51|
52|We use the information we collect to:
53|
54|3.1 Provide Core Services
55|- Deliver personalized AI-powered therapeutic conversations
56|- Analyze your mood patterns and provide mental health insights
57|- Generate conversation starters and therapeutic prompts
58|- Track your emotional wellness progress over time
59|- Provide voice transcription and analysis
60|
61|3.2 Service Improvement
62|- Improve and optimize our AI models and algorithms
63|- Understand how users interact with PsychPal
64|- Develop new features and functionalities
65|- Conduct research and analytics (anonymized data only)
66|
67|3.3 Communication
68|- Send you important Service updates and notifications
69|- Respond to your inquiries and support requests
70|- Send subscription renewal reminders
71|- Provide customer service
72|
73|3.4 Legal and Security
74|- Comply with legal obligations
75|- Protect against fraud and abuse
76|- Enforce our Terms of Service
77|- Maintain the security of our Service
78|
79|---
80|
81|4. THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDERS
82|
83|We share your information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf:
84|
85|4.1 AI and Machine Learning Services
86|- OpenAI: We use OpenAI's GPT models to power our AI therapist conversations, analyze sentiment, and generate insights. Your conversations are processed by OpenAI in accordance with their data usage policies.
87|
88|4.2 Payment Processing
89|- Stripe: Handles all payment processing for premium subscriptions. Stripe's use of your personal information is governed by their Privacy Policy.
90|
91|4.3 Communication Services
92|- Twilio: Used to send SMS notifications and alerts. Your phone number (if provided) is processed by Twilio in accordance with their Privacy Policy.
93|
94|4.4 Video and Avatar Services
95|- D-ID: Used for AI avatar generation and video features. Your data is processed in accordance with D-ID's Privacy Policy.
96|
97|4.5 Database and Hosting
98|- MongoDB Atlas: Securely stores your account and therapeutic data with encryption at rest and in transit.
99|- Cloud hosting infrastructure: Your data is hosted on secure cloud servers.
100|
101|4.6 Analytics
102|- We may use analytics services to understand app usage patterns (anonymized data only).
103|
104|These third-party service providers have access only to the information necessary to perform their specific functions and are obligated to maintain the confidentiality and security of your information.
105|
106|---
107|
108|5. DATA SECURITY
109|
110|We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information:
111|
112|- Encryption: All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using industry-standard SSL/TLS protocols
113|- Secure storage: Data at rest is encrypted in our database
114|- Access controls: Strict access controls limit who can access user data
115|- Regular security audits: We regularly review and update our security practices
116|- Password protection: User passwords are securely hashed and never stored in plain text
117|
118|However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
119|
120|---
121|
122|6. DATA RETENTION AND DELETION
123|
124|6.1 Active Accounts
125|We retain your personal information and therapeutic data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with the Service.
126|
127|6.2 Account Deletion
128|When you delete your account, we will immediately delete all of your:
129|- Personal information
130|- Therapeutic data (mood logs, journal entries, conversations)
131|- Voice recordings
132|- Appointment notes and schedules
133|- All other user-generated content
134|
135|6.3 Legal Requirements
136|We may retain certain information if required by law or for legitimate business purposes (e.g., preventing fraud, resolving disputes).
137|
138|6.4 Backup Systems
139|Deleted data may persist in backup systems for up to 30 days before being permanently removed.
140|
141|---
142|
143|7. YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS
144|
145|Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:
146|
147|7.1 Access and Portability
148|- Request access to the personal information we hold about you
149|- Request a copy of your data in a portable format
150|
151|7.2 Correction
152|- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
153|
154|7.3 Deletion
155|- Request deletion of your personal information (right to be forgotten)
156|- Delete your account at any time through the app settings
157|
158|7.4 Objection and Restriction
159|- Object to certain processing of your data
160|- Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
161|
162|7.5 Withdraw Consent
163|- Withdraw consent for data processing where consent is the legal basis
164|
165|To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@psychpal.ca.
166|
167|---
168|
169|8. INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS
170|
171|Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have different data protection laws. By using the Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to Canada and other countries where we or our service providers operate.
172|
173|We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
174|
175|---
176|
177|9. CHILDREN'S PRIVACY
178|
179|PsychPal is not intended for use by children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the European Economic Area). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under these ages.
180|
181|If we discover that a child under the applicable age has provided us with personal information, we will immediately delete such information from our systems. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@psychpal.ca.
182|
183|---
184|
185|10. SENSITIVE INFORMATION
186|
187|PsychPal collects and processes sensitive information related to your mental health and emotional well-being. By using the Service, you explicitly consent to:
188|
189|- The collection and processing of mental health data
190|- AI-powered analysis of your therapeutic conversations
191|- Storage of your mood patterns and emotional insights
192|- Processing of voice recordings for transcription and analysis
193|
194|We treat all mental health data with the highest level of care and confidentiality. Your therapeutic data is:
195|- Never shared with third parties for marketing purposes
196|- Never sold to any third party
197|- Only used to provide and improve the Service
198|- Protected with industry-standard security measures
199|
200|---
201|
202|11. NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL CARE
203|
204|IMPORTANT: PsychPal is designed to support your mental wellness journey but is NOT a substitute for professional mental health care, therapy, or medical treatment.
205|
206|- PsychPal does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment
207|- Our AI therapist is not a licensed mental health professional
208|- In case of emergency or crisis, please contact emergency services (911) or a crisis helpline immediately
209|- For serious mental health concerns, please consult a licensed healthcare provider
210|
211|We do not assume any liability for decisions you make based on information provided by the Service.
212|
213|---
214|
215|12. CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS (CCPA)
216|
217|If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):
218|
219|- Right to know what personal information is collected, used, shared, or sold
220|- Right to delete personal information
221|- Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (Note: We do not sell your personal information)
222|- Right to non-discrimination for exercising your CCPA rights
223|
224|To exercise these rights, contact us at support@psychpal.ca.
225|
226|---
227|
228|13. GDPR COMPLIANCE (European Users)
229|
230|If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
231|
232|13.1 Legal Basis for Processing
233|We process your personal data based on:
234|- Consent: For processing sensitive health data and AI analysis
235|- Contract: To provide the Service you've subscribed to
236|- Legitimate interests: To improve the Service and prevent fraud
237|
238|13.2 Your GDPR Rights
239|- Right to access, rectify, erase, and restrict processing
240|- Right to data portability
241|- Right to object to processing
242|- Right to withdraw consent at any time
243|- Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority
244|
245|Contact us at support@psychpal.ca to exercise your rights.
246|
247|---
248|
249|14. COOKIES AND TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES
250|
251|We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience:
252|
253|- Session cookies: To maintain your login session
254|- Preference cookies: To remember your settings
255|- Analytics cookies: To understand how you use the Service (anonymized)
256|
257|You can control cookies through your browser settings, but disabling cookies may limit certain features of the Service.
258|
259|---
260|
261|15. DO NOT TRACK SIGNALS
262|
263|Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature. Currently, there is no industry standard for responding to DNT signals. We do not currently respond to DNT signals.
264|
265|---
266|
267|16. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
268|
269|We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. For material changes, we will notify you via:
270|- Email notification
271|- In-app notification
272|- Prominent notice on our website
273|
274|Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.
275|
276|---
277|
278|17. CONTACT US
279|
280|If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
281|
282|Email: support@psychpal.ca
283|Operator: Jules Poiron
284|Location: Somerset, Manitoba, Canada
285|
286|We will respond to your inquiry within 30 days.
287|
288|---
289|
290|18. GOVERNING LAW
291|
292|This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the Province of Manitoba and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to conflict of law principles.
293|
294|---
295|
296|BY USING PSYCHPAL, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD THIS PRIVACY POLICY AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY ITS TERMS.
297|
298|---
299|
300|End of Privacy Policy
301|
Psych Pal
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.