privacy policy.

1. what we collect

five categories, and that's the whole list:

• your email — only when you give it to us. waitlist signups, event RSVPs, operator applications, brand activation inquiries, the aura+ waitlist, field notes subscriptions, tip and purchase receipts via stripe.
• basic application data — for operator and brand applications, you also give us a name, city, and a couple of paragraphs about what you do. that's the form. nothing else.
• purchase records — if you buy the full reading or the AI portrait, we store your stripe checkout reference, your email, and the generated reading or portrait itself, so we can deliver it and re-send it if you lose it.
• print orders — if you order a print, we collect the name, shipping address, and email you enter, because a human has to mail you the print.
• operational metadata — your IP address (hashed before storage, used for spam and rate-limit protection), and your browser's user agent string (so we can debug if something breaks). we never tie these to a real-world identity.

we don't collect your location, browsing history, or any third-party data brokers' info about you. we don't run cross-site ad tracking today. if we ever switch on ad pixels for paid campaigns (meta or tiktok), we'll update this page first — see section 5.

2. your camera & photos.

this is the one that matters most, so it gets its own section.

when you open the reader at aura.refractventures.co/reader and grant camera permission, your browser hands the camera feed to the page. all processing happens locally on your device. the page reads pixels from your camera frame, extracts a dominant color band, and renders the aura portrait — all in your browser, using your machine's processor.

the camera frame itself is never uploaded. we don't have a server that sees your face. when you click "save aura," the resulting PNG is downloaded directly to your device from the canvas in your browser. it never touches our infrastructure.

four exceptions, all opt-in:

• the paid full reading and AI portrait — if you buy either, the photo you captured is sent to our AI provider (google gemini) to generate your reading or portrait. we store the generated result (not your camera feed) against your purchase so we can deliver and re-send it. google processes the image under its API terms.
• "send to my email" — if you use the share-by-email feature, the rendered aura PNG is uploaded once to our serverless function, attached to an email, and sent to the address you typed. we don't keep a copy after sending.
• "scan QR to my phone" — if you use the QR share feature, the rendered aura PNG is uploaded to temporary storage (vercel blob) so your phone can download it. these files auto-delete within 7 days.
• event mode — at a hosted event, each capture you choose to take is saved to the event's gallery so the host can hand you your photos. ask the host (or us) to delete yours any time.

every one of these is opt-in, only triggered when you tap the button, and surfaced clearly in the interface. if you only use the default "save aura" button, your image never leaves your device.

3. why we collect what we do.

each thing has a job:

• emails — to send you what you asked for (a waitlist invite, an event RSVP confirmation, a response to your application, a tip receipt).
• application details — to evaluate operator and brand-partner fit and reply to you about it.
• hashed IP + user agent — to prevent spam, debug errors, and keep the forms from being abused by bots.

that's the complete list. we don't sell or rent any of this. we don't share it for marketing purposes. we don't use it to build profiles of users.

4. who we share with.

we use a small set of third-party services to operate the site. each one only sees the minimum data needed to do its job:

• vercel — hosts the site and runs our serverless functions. sees standard request logs (URL, IP, user agent).
• vercel blob — temporary storage for the QR-share feature only. holds PNG files for up to 7 days, then auto-deletes.
• stripe — processes tips, the paid reading and portrait, and print orders. stripe sees your name, payment method, and email. we see the purchase, the amount, and your email.
• google gemini — generates the paid full reading and AI portrait, only when you buy one. sees the single photo you captured for that purchase, nothing else.
• neon — our database provider. stores the emails, applications, purchase records, and event captures described above, encrypted at rest.
• formspree — handles operator applications, brand-partner inquiries, and field notes newsletter signups. they see the form fields you submitted and your email.
• sendgrid — sends transactional email: the "send aura to my email" share, purchase deliveries, and partner login codes. sees the recipient email, the attachment, and the subject line.

we also run vercel's built-in web analytics — aggregate, cookie-less page counts so we know which pages people visit. it doesn't identify you or follow you across other sites. beyond the list above: no ad networks, no tag managers, no chat widgets, no data brokers.

5. cookies & tracking.

we don't set cross-site tracking cookies. the only things stored in your browser are functional: your selected social-format preference in the reader (so it remembers between sessions), and stripe's checkout session cookies when you complete a purchase. neither is shared with anyone.

we don't use google analytics or ad pixels today. if we ever run paid ads, we may add meta or tiktok pixels to measure them — and if we do, we'll update this page and this section first, before any pixel goes live.

6. your rights.

regardless of where you are, you can:

• ask what we have on you — email privacy@refractventures.co and we'll send back everything tied to your email within 30 days.
• ask us to delete it — same email. we'll remove your record from our database and confirm within 30 days.
• ask us to correct it — let us know what's wrong and we'll fix it.
• withdraw consent — unsubscribe from any list you joined, or ask us to remove you. links are in every email.

if you're in the EU, UK, EEA, or California, you have additional rights under GDPR, UK-GDPR, or CCPA respectively. we honor all of them — including the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you think we've handled your data badly.

7. how long we keep things.

email signups (waitlist, newsletter, aura+) — until you ask us to delete them or unsubscribe (which auto-deletes after 30 days).

operator and brand applications — for 24 months from submission, then deleted.

tip and purchase receipts — kept as long as legally required for tax purposes (typically 7 years in the US), then deleted.

paid readings and portraits — kept so you can re-open them from your receipt link; email us to delete yours sooner.

event-mode captures — kept for the event's gallery; deleted on request from you or the host.

print-order shipping details — kept until the order ships plus the return window, then reduced to the receipt.

QR-share image uploads — auto-deleted after 7 days.

email-share PNGs — not stored after sending.

request logs — 30 days, then rotated out.

8. security.

we use industry-standard practices: HTTPS everywhere, encrypted database storage, environment-variable secrets management, and no plaintext credentials in code. no system is unbreakable. if a breach happens, we'll notify affected users within 72 hours of discovery, as required by law.

9. children.

aura.refract is for people 13 and over. we don't knowingly collect data from children under 13. if you're a parent who believes your child has shared data with us, email privacy@refractventures.co and we'll delete it.

10. international users.

aura.refract is operated from the united states. by using the site, you understand that any data we do collect is processed in the US. if you're in the EU, UK, or another jurisdiction with stricter data protection laws, our practices are designed to meet those standards (minimal collection, explicit purpose, opt-in consent for anything beyond strictly necessary).

11. changes to this policy.

if we materially change how we handle data, we'll update this page and the "last updated" date at the top, and post a notice on the homepage for at least 30 days. for users who've given us an email, we'll send a notification.

12. contact.

privacy questions, deletion requests, anything else: privacy@refractventures.co

operating entity: refract ventures, LLC (USA).

if you'd prefer a postal address, email first and we'll provide one.