Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

MentalityMate ("we", "our", "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our website and mobile application (collectively, the "Service").

We take the privacy and security of your personal information very seriously, particularly given the sensitive nature of mental health data. This policy outlines our practices concerning the collection and processing of your data, including special categories of personal data such as health information.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By accessing or using our Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by all the terms outlined in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect several types of information from and about users of our Service, including:

Personal Information

• Account Information: Name, email address, password, date of birth, and profile information.
• Contact Information: Physical address, phone number, and emergency contact details.
• Payment Information: Credit card details, billing address, and transaction history (note that payment processing is handled by secure third-party payment processors).
• Identity Verification: For therapists, we may collect professional credentials, license information, and verification documents.

Health and Therapy Information

• Mental Health Data: Information you provide about your mental health, well-being, symptoms, diagnoses, or treatment history.
• Therapy Session Content: Text, audio, or video communications with AI systems or therapists.
• Assessment Responses: Answers to questionnaires or assessments related to mental health.
• Journal Entries: Content you create in the journaling feature.

Technical and Usage Information

• Device Information: IP address, device type, operating system, browser type, and mobile device identifiers.
• Usage Data: How you interact with our Service, including pages visited, features used, time spent, and navigation paths.
• Geolocation Data: General location information based on IP address or more precise location if you grant permission.

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We understand the sensitive nature of mental health information and take great care in how we share your data. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

With Your Consent

We will share your personal information with third parties when you have given us explicit consent to do so. For example, when you choose to share specific information with a therapist.

Service Providers

We may share your information with third-party vendors, service providers, contractors, or agents who perform functions on our behalf, such as:

• Payment processors to handle transactions
• Cloud storage providers to securely store your data
• Analytics providers to help us understand service usage
• Customer service and support providers

All service providers are contractually obligated to use your information only for the services they provide to us and are prohibited from sharing this information with others.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or government agency). This includes:

• Compliance with legal obligations
• Protection of our rights, privacy, safety, or property
• Prevention of fraud or illegal activity
• Mandatory reporting situations (e.g., imminent risk of harm to self or others)

Business Transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or a prominent notice on our Service of any change in ownership or uses of your personal information.

5. Data Storage and Security

We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information:

• Encryption: All sensitive data is encrypted both in transit and at rest using industry-standard encryption protocols.
• Access Controls: We restrict access to personal information to authorized personnel and third parties who require access to perform their functions.
• Regular Audits: We conduct regular security assessments and audits to ensure that our systems remain secure.
• Secure Infrastructure: Our systems are hosted in secure, certified data centers with physical and technical security measures.

Despite our efforts, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

6. HIPAA Compliance

As a platform that connects clients with healthcare providers, certain aspects of our Service are subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). We maintain HIPAA compliance for relevant data and functions, including:

• Implementation of required administrative, physical, and technical safeguards
• Regular risk assessments and management procedures
• Business Associate Agreements with relevant third parties
• Training for all staff with access to protected health information
• Breach notification procedures

For more detailed information about our HIPAA compliance, please see our separate HIPAA Privacy Policy.

7. Your Privacy Preferences

You can review and adjust your privacy preferences in your account settings. These options include:

• Controlling which information is displayed in your profile
• Managing communication preferences
• Adjusting data usage settings for AI features
• Controlling what data is shared with your therapist

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect and track information about how you use our Service. These technologies help us understand user behavior, remember your preferences, and improve your experience.

Types of cookies we use:

• Essential Cookies: Required for the basic functionality of our Service.
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences.
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our Service.
• Marketing Cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements and track campaign performance.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling certain cookies may limit functionality of our Service.

For more information about our use of cookies, please see our Cookie Policy.

9. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for children under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us, and we will delete such information from our systems.

For parents or legal guardians who wish to use our Service for a child's benefit, we require the creation of a supervised account where the parent/guardian manages all access and provides all necessary consents.

10. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including:

• Access: You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: You can request corrections to any incomplete or inaccurate information we hold about you.
• Deletion: You can request that we delete your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Restriction: You can request that we restrict processing of your personal information.
• Data Portability: You can request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Objection: You can object to our processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information provided in the "Contact Information" section below.

11. International Data Transfers

We operate globally and may transfer your information to countries that may have different data protection laws than your country of residence. We ensure that such transfers comply with applicable data protection laws and that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information.

For users in the European Economic Area (EEA), we rely on mechanisms such as Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission to transfer data outside the EEA.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date.

For significant changes, we will provide a more prominent notice, which may include email notification to users. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

13. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at:

MentalityMate Privacy Team
Email: privacy@mentalitymate.com
Address: 123 Wellness Street, Suite 456, San Francisco, CA 94105