Trust Circle — Privacy Policy

Trust Circle ("we", "our", "us") operates the Trust Circle Shopify app ("the App"). This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and the rights you have over your data.

By installing or using the App, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

This policy applies to:

• Merchants — Shopify store owners who install and use the App.
• End customers — Shoppers who submit product reviews on a merchant's storefront.

3.1 Merchant Data

When a merchant installs the App we receive and store:

• Shopify store domain (myshopify.com URL)
• OAuth access tokens required to call the Shopify Admin API
• App configuration preferences (widget colors, email templates, approval settings, etc.)
• Billing plan and subscription status
• SMTP credentials (if the merchant configures custom email sending — stored encrypted)

3.2 Customer Review Data

When a customer submits a product review through the storefront widget we collect:

• Name and email address (required to attribute the review)
• Star rating, review title, and review body text
• Photos or videos attached to the review (stored on Shopify's CDN)
• Whether the reviewer made a verified purchase (matched against order records)
• IP address and browser fingerprint (used only for fraud/duplicate detection, not stored long-term)

3.3 Review Request Data

When a merchant enables automated post-purchase emails, we store:

• Order ID, product ID, and customer email (sourced from Shopify's order webhooks)
• Email send status and timestamps

3.4 Analytics Data

We generate aggregate analytics (review counts, average ratings, conversion rates) from stored review data. No additional personal data is collected for analytics purposes.

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal data. We share data only with:

• Shopify Inc. — The App runs inside the Shopify platform. Data flows are governed by Shopify's terms of service and privacy policy.
• Hosting provider (Railway) — Our servers run on Railway's infrastructure. Data is stored in PostgreSQL databases hosted on Railway in the United States.
• Email service providers — Merchants may configure their own SMTP server; those credentials are used only to send review request emails on the merchant's behalf.

• Reviews — Retained indefinitely unless the merchant or end customer requests deletion, or the merchant uninstalls the App.
• Session tokens — Deleted when the App is uninstalled.
• App settings — Deleted when the App is uninstalled.
• Review request records — Retained for 12 months to prevent duplicate sends.
• Shop data after uninstall — Per Shopify's GDPR requirements, all shop-level data is purged within 48 hours of the App being uninstalled and a shop/redact webhook being received.

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, you have the following rights:

• Right of access — Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification — Ask us to correct inaccurate data.
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten") — Request deletion of your personal data.
• Right to restriction — Ask us to restrict processing of your data.
• Right to data portability — Receive your data in a machine-readable format.
• Right to object — Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Right to withdraw consent — Where processing relies on consent, withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at developerspoint1@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.

California residents have the right to know what personal information is collected, to request deletion, and to opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information. To exercise your rights, contact developerspoint1@gmail.com.

The App itself (merchant admin panel) uses a single session cookie required for authentication. The storefront review widget does not set any cookies. We do not use advertising trackers or analytics pixels on storefronts.

We implement industry-standard safeguards including:

• All data in transit is encrypted with TLS 1.2+.
• Database at rest is encrypted by the hosting provider.
• SMTP passwords are stored encrypted and never returned to the browser.
• Shopify OAuth tokens are stored in an isolated session table and never logged.
• Access to production data is restricted to authorised personnel only.

The App is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where changes are material, notify merchants via the App. Continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

For privacy-related questions, data requests, or to report a concern: