Privacy Policy

Local Minutes is a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) AI chatbot service that provides access to public documents. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it through our compliance with this Privacy Policy​. This Policy describes the types of information we collect from you and how we collect, use, maintain, protect, and disclose that information​. It applies to all users of the Local Minutes website and chatbot. This Policy does not apply to any third-party websites or services that may be linked through Local Minutes (such sites have their own privacy policies)​.

We collect various types of information to provide and improve our services​:

• Account Information: When you create an account, we may collect personal information such as your name and email address, and a password. This also includes any profile details you provide to us. If you contact us directly (for example, for support), we will collect the information you give us (such as your contact details and the content of your communications).
• Chatbot Interactions: We collect and log the content of your interactions with the Local Minutes chatbot. This includes the questions or requests you submit and the chatbot’s responses. These logs may be used to operate the service, to troubleshoot issues, and to improve the accuracy of the AI system. Please do not include sensitive personal information in your chatbot queries.
• Usage Data: Like many online services, we automatically collect certain technical information when you use Local Minutes. This may include your IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, unique device identifiers, pages or features you access, the dates/times of your visits, and referring website information​. This data helps us analyze how users interact with our service.
• Cookies and Analytics Data: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience and gather analytics data. For example, we use Google Analytics to collect information about usage of our site (such as which pages are visited, for how long, and what actions are taken)​. Cookies are small text files placed on your device that allow us to recognize you on future visits and obtain usage statistics. You can control cookies through your browser settings (see User Rights & Choices below).
• Payment Information: If you make a purchase or subscribe to a paid plan, payment details (such as credit card information) are collected and processed securely by our third-party payment processor, Stripe. Local Minutes does not store your credit card numbers or financial account information on our servers – that information is handled by Stripe in accordance with their privacy policy​. We may retain basic transaction information (e.g., amount, date, and product/service purchased) for record-keeping.

Local Minutes uses the collected information to operate, maintain, and improve our services​. Specifically, we use your data for the following purposes:

• Providing and Improving the Service: We use your information to operate the AI chatbot and retrieve relevant public documents in response to your queries. This includes processing your questions and using your interactions to improve the chatbot’s accuracy and capabilities over time​. We may analyze usage patterns to debug issues, train our algorithms, and develop new features that enhance your experience.
• Personalization: Information about your use of Local Minutes may be used to personalize the service for you. For example, we might remember your preferences or frequently accessed documents to streamline your experience. We also analyze user interactions in aggregate to understand trends and user needs​.
• Analytics: We utilize third-party analytics tools (like Google Analytics) to understand how our users engage with the website and chatbot​. This helps us evaluate the performance of our platform, see which features are most used, and make informed decisions about improvements. Analytics data is typically aggregated and does not directly identify individual users.
• Communication: We may use your contact information (such as your email address) to send you service-related communications. These include confirmations, technical or security notices, updates about new features, or important announcements about the service. We do not send marketing or promotional emails to you without your consent. If you do opt in to a newsletter or updates, you can opt out at any time (see User Rights & Choices). We might also respond to you with support if you reach out with questions.
• Payment Processing: If you engage in any financial transactions (e.g., subscription payments), we use the necessary personal information to process those payments and manage billing​. This includes working with Stripe to charge your credit card or other payment method. (As noted, Stripe processes sensitive payment data on our behalf, and we do not retain your card details.)
• Security and Fraud Prevention: We use data (such as IP addresses and activity logs) to help monitor, prevent, and detect fraud, abuse, or security issues. This includes using certain information to verify accounts, detect bot activity, safeguard against improper use of the public document access, and protect the integrity of our systems​.
• Legal Compliance: Your information may be used as necessary to comply with applicable laws and regulations. For example, we might retain transaction records for tax or accounting purposes, or use data to fulfill legal requests. We also may use and disclose information to enforce our Terms of Service or to establish or exercise our legal rights, or defend against legal claims.

We will never sell your personal data or use it for purposes unrelated to providing our service, as detailed above. We use your information only for the purposes compatible with those described in this Policy.

We store your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as long as your account remains active, whichever is longer​. In practice, this means we will retain your data for the duration that you maintain a Local Minutes account and actively use the service.

If you choose to delete your account or request that we delete your personal data, we will take steps to remove your personal information from our active systems. Generally, upon verification of your deletion request, your account data (including personal details and chatbot logs associated with you) will be deleted or anonymized within a reasonable timeframe.

Please note that we may retain certain information even after account deletion, if necessary for legitimate business or legal reasons. For example, we might keep minimal records to comply with financial reporting, tax laws, or to resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, or as required by law​. Additionally, your data may persist for a limited time in routine backups. If so, we will continue to protect that information and securely delete it according to our backup retention schedule.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their own marketing or other independent uses​. We only share your data in a few specific circumstances, outlined below, and always under appropriate safeguards:

• Service Providers: We share information with trusted third-party service providers who help us operate and support Local Minutes. This includes services such as website hosting, data storage, analytics, and payment processing. For example, we use Google Analytics to analyze usage of our site and Stripe to process payments, so these providers will process certain data about you as needed for those functions​. These third parties are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.
• Legal Compliance and Protection: We may disclose your information if we are required to do so by law, or in response to a valid subpoena, court order, or governmental request​. We may also share information if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to (a) comply with the law, (b) protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of our users or the public, or (c) investigate or enforce compliance with our Terms of Service or other agreements.
• Business Transfers: If Local Minutes (or the company/organization that operates it) is involved in a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or reorganization, your user information may be transferred to the successor or acquiring entity as part of that transaction​. In such cases, we will ensure the new owner continues to honor the privacy commitments made in this Policy or provide you notice and choices before your data is used in any new manner.
• With Your Consent: We may share your personal information with third parties in other scenarios if you give us your explicit consent to do so. For instance, if you specifically request that we share data with a third-party or integrate Local Minutes with another service that requires sharing your data, we will do so with your permission.

Outside of the situations above, Local Minutes will not share your personal data with third parties. In particular, we do not disclose user contact information or chatbot content to any advertisers or external entities unrelated to providing the Local Minutes service.

We are committed to protecting the privacy of children. Users under the age of 13 are allowed to use Local Minutes, but only with the involvement and consent of a parent or guardian. If you are under 13, please get your parent or guardian’s permission before using our website or chatbot, and we encourage parents to supervise their children’s use of our service.

Local Minutes does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent​. We do not target our services specifically toward young children, and the content is generally intended for a general audience interested in public documents. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child under 13 without proper consent, we will take immediate steps to delete that information from our records as soon as possible​.

Parents or guardians who believe that we might have any information from or about their child under 13 may contact us (see Contact Information below). We will be happy to review, update, or delete such information as required. By teaching children about online safety and monitoring their internet use, parents can help ensure children's personal information is protected.

We take the security of your personal information very seriously and implement a variety of technical and organizational measures to protect it​. These measures are designed to prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the appropriate use of information. Key security practices include:

• Encryption: We use encryption protocols to protect sensitive data. For instance, any information exchanged with our website is encrypted in transit using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS) technology. Certain sensitive data may also be encrypted at rest in our databases.
• Access Controls: Personal data is stored on secure servers, and we limit access to your information to authorized personnel who need it to operate or improve our service. Strict access controls and authentication measures are in place to prevent unauthorized staff or contractors from viewing your data.
• Security Testing and Updates: We regularly update our software and infrastructure to address security vulnerabilities. Our systems are monitored for possible attacks or intrusions, and we use firewalls and other safeguards to protect against security threats.
• Payment Security: All payment transactions are handled by Stripe, which is a PCI-DSS compliant payment processor. Your payment information is transmitted securely to Stripe; we never see or store your full credit card details on our systems.

While we strive to protect your information with strong security measures, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security of your data​. However, we continuously review and enhance our security practices to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or alteration. In the unlikely event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you as soon as possible and take all necessary steps to mitigate the issue.

We believe you should have control over your personal information. Accordingly, you have the following rights and choices regarding the data you provide to Local Minutes:

• Access and Correction: You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you and to request corrections or updates to that information to ensure it is accurate and complete​. Most of your basic account details can be reviewed and edited by you through your account profile settings on our website. If you are unable to correct inaccurate information yourself, please contact us and we will help update your data.
• Data Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information (for example, if you decide to close your account)​. You can typically delete your account through your profile settings, or you may contact us directly to request deletion. Upon such a request, we will remove or anonymize the personal data we have about you, except for information we are required to retain for legal or legitimate business purposes (as explained in Data Storage & Retention above). We will confirm with you once your account has been deleted.
• Opt-Out of Communications: If you have subscribed to any optional communications (such as a newsletter or product updates), you can opt out at any time​. Every marketing or promotional email we send will include an unsubscribe link. You can also contact us to be removed from our mailing lists. Please note that even if you opt out of marketing messages, we may still send you essential service or transaction-related communications (e.g., password resets, billing notices) when necessary.
• Cookies & Analytics Choices: You can control or disable the use of cookies and tracking technologies. Most web browsers allow you to refuse new cookies, delete existing cookies, or be notified before a cookie is set. If you do not want us to use cookies or Google Analytics on your visits, you can adjust your browser settings to block cookies​. You may also install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on provided by Google to prevent data from being used by Google Analytics. Please be aware that blocking or deleting cookies may affect certain features of the service (for example, staying logged in or remembering preferences).
• Do Not Track: Our website does not currently respond to "Do Not Track" signals from web browsers. If we develop the capability to honor such signals in the future, we will update this Privacy Policy accordingly.
• California or EU Privacy Rights: As noted in the Legal Compliance section, Local Minutes is not explicitly subject to CCPA or GDPR. However, if you are a California or EU user and you contact us with a request related to those laws (such as an access or deletion request), we will consider it and do our best to honor it even though the service is not legally bound by those statutes.

To exercise any of these rights or choices, you can use the tools available within your account or contact us via email (see Contact Information below). We will respond to your request as promptly as possible, typically within 30 days. Please note that for security reasons, we may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests (such as access or deletion requests) to ensure that we do not disclose or delete data to the wrong person.

Local Minutes is designed for and focused on users in Vermont, USA. We have not tailored this service to adhere to international privacy laws like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)​. In other words, we do not specifically comply with the requirements of GDPR or CCPA at this time. Users in those jurisdictions should be aware that the specific rights and provisions of those laws may not apply to information provided to Local Minutes.

That said, we care about all users’ privacy and strive to uphold high standards of data protection and transparency​. We handle personal information in accordance with U.S. federal and applicable state laws, and we aim to follow industry best practices for privacy. For example, although not mandated by GDPR/CCPA, we will promptly notify users in the event of a data breach or unauthorized access incident that compromises personal information, consistent with applicable laws and our commitment to data security​. We also enable all users to access or delete their data as described in User Rights & Choices, even if those rights are not legally required by GDPR/CCPA for our service.

By using Local Minutes, you acknowledge that your information will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy and U.S. law. If you are located outside of Vermont or the United States, please be advised that you are transferring your personal data to us in the U.S., and by continuing to provide your data you consent to that transfer.

We may update or revise this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of the policy. If we make any material changes to how we collect or use personal information, we will notify you by e-mail (sent to the e-mail address associated with your account) or by prominently posting a notice on our website prior to the change becoming effective​. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.

Your continued use of Local Minutes after any changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms. If you do not agree with the changes, you should discontinue use of the service and/or delete your account before the new policy takes effect.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help and address any issues you might have. You can reach us by email at support@localminutes.org​.

We will respond to inquiries as soon as reasonably possible, generally within a few business days. For security and confidentiality reasons, we may need to verify your identity before assisting with certain requests (such as data access or deletion requests).

Thank you for trusting Local Minutes. We value your privacy and are committed to safeguarding your personal information.