Who We Are
CivicPulse ("we," "us," or "our") is a civic reporting application designed for Los Altos, California residents. The app allows community members to report local infrastructure issues such as potholes, broken streetlights, and graffiti, and to track their resolution.
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding your data.
Information We Collect
We collect information in three ways: information you provide directly, information collected automatically, and information from third-party services.
How We Use Your Information
We use your information exclusively to provide and improve the CivicPulse service:
- To create and manage your account
- To display your issue reports on the community feed and map
- To send notifications about your report status changes
- To enable community features such as upvoting and commenting
- To allow administrators to manage and resolve reported issues
- To improve the app based on usage patterns
We do not use your information for advertising, sell it to third parties, or share it with data brokers.
Data Storage & Security
All data is stored in Google Firebase, which provides enterprise-grade security including encryption at rest and in transit. Firebase complies with SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, ISO 27001, and other security standards.
Access to your data is restricted to authenticated users. Only you can edit or delete your own reports. Admin users (designated by CivicPulse) can manage issue statuses but cannot access your private account information beyond what is publicly visible in the app.
Third-Party Services
CivicPulse uses the following third-party services:
- Google Firebase — authentication, database, and file storage
- Google Maps — map display and location services
- Google Sign-In — account authentication
Each of these services has their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review Google's Privacy Policy at policies.google.com/privacy.
Data Retention
We retain your account information and submitted reports for as long as your account is active. Issue reports may remain visible after account deletion as they are part of the community record. You may request deletion of your personal data at any time by contacting us.
Children's Privacy
CivicPulse is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate data
- Request deletion of your account and associated data
- Export your data in a portable format
- Opt out of any non-essential data collection
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the address below.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please reach out: