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Privacy Policy

Your trust matters. Here is exactly what we collect and why.

PetAura - Privacy Policy

Effective Date: To be set at launch Last Updated: To be set at launch

1. Who We Are

PetAura ("we," "our," or "us") operates the PetAura mobile application (the "App") and the website at petaura.pet (the "Site"). PetAura is a personalized pet health and care tracking platform designed to help pet owners monitor their pets' health, set care reminders, and access AI-powered insights.

Contact: Email: petaura.mobileapp@gmail.com Website: petaura.pet

Our data infrastructure is hosted on Google Cloud Platform in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada region (northamerica-northeast2).

2. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly, information generated through your use of the App, and limited technical information.

2.1 Account Information

When you create a PetAura account, we collect:

  • Email address - used as your login identifier
  • Password - stored as a one-way cryptographic hash (bcrypt); we never store your plaintext password
  • Name (optional)
  • Location - country, province/state, city, and postal code (used to personalize local pet service recommendations)
  • Notification preferences - your settings for reminders, health insights, and daily tips

2.2 Pet Profile Information

For each pet you add to the App, we collect:

  • Name, species (dog or cat), primary and secondary breed, mixed-breed indicator
  • Birthdate, sex, spayed/neutered status
  • Weight, goal weight, size class, activity level
  • Adoption date, home environment (house/apartment), indoor/outdoor status
  • Household context (multi-pet household, children in home)
  • Pet photo (uploaded to and stored in Google Cloud Storage)
  • Pet postal code and city

2.3 Health Records and Veterinary Information

Within the Health Records section, we collect and store:

  • Known conditions - chronic or ongoing health conditions you enter
  • Allergies - food, environmental, or medication allergies
  • Current medications - name, dosage, frequency
  • Surgical history - procedures and dates
  • Primary veterinarian - name, clinic, phone, address
  • Emergency veterinarian - name, clinic, phone, address
  • Microchip number
  • Pet insurance - provider name, policy number, status

2.4 Daily Health and Activity Logs

When you use the logging features, we collect entries you create including:

  • Food - brand, type, feeding times, treats
  • Activity - type, duration, intensity
  • Mood - your observation of your pet's mood
  • Weight - measured weight entries
  • Bathroom - frequency and quality observations
  • Sleep - duration and quality observations
  • Symptoms - any symptoms you observe and record

Log entries may include text notes and photos. Photos are uploaded to and stored in Google Cloud Storage.

2.5 Reminders

When you create reminders, we store:

  • Reminder type (vaccine, medication, grooming, vet visit, preventative care, training, custom)
  • Title, description, due date, recurring schedule
  • Completion status and completion date

2.6 AI Assistant Interactions

When you use the AI Assistant feature:

  • Your queries (the questions you submit) are transmitted to Abacus AI (a third-party artificial intelligence service) for processing. See §4 for details.
  • Both your query and the AI-generated response are stored in our database to enable usage tracking and service improvement.
  • The number of AI queries and AI insights you use each day is recorded for the purpose of enforcing usage limits.

We do not use your AI queries to train AI models. Your queries are processed by Abacus AI's systems in accordance with their data handling practices.

2.7 Uploaded Documents

When you upload veterinary documents, vaccination records, or other files through the Health Records section:

  • Files are stored in Google Cloud Storage (bucket: petaura-uploads-prod, region: Toronto, Canada)
  • We store metadata including file name, file type, category, and an internal reference path
  • Access to uploaded files is controlled via time-limited signed URLs generated by our server

2.8 Local Services Search

When you use the Local Pet Services feature to find vets, groomers, or pet stores:

  • Your postal code (already stored in your profile) is used to filter a pre-loaded database of service providers
  • We do not access your device's GPS or real-time location
  • We do not transmit your postal code or location to any external mapping or location service (such as Google Maps or Google Places)
  • The number of service searches you perform is recorded for usage-limit purposes

2.9 Push Notification Tokens

If you grant the App permission to send notifications:

  • Your device push notification token is stored in our database
  • As of the current version of the App, push notifications are not yet sent - tokens are stored to enable this feature in a future update

2.10 Subscription and Usage Data

We store:

  • Your subscription tier (free or premium), status, and subscription start and expiry dates
  • Daily usage counts for AI queries, AI insights, and service searches

2.11 Automatically Collected Technical Data

We collect limited technical information when you use the App, including device type, operating system version, and app version, primarily for debugging and service reliability purposes.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Provide the Service - create and manage your account, display your pet's health data, generate trends and charts, send reminders, and process service searches
  • Personalize your experience - tailor health insights, care recommendations, and breed-specific guidance based on your pet's profile
  • Operate the AI Assistant - transmit your queries to our AI provider (Abacus AI) and return responses; track daily usage limits
  • Store and retrieve your files - manage uploaded veterinary documents via Google Cloud Storage
  • Manage your subscription - track your tier, trial period, and feature access
  • Improve the App - analyze aggregate, anonymized usage patterns to identify issues and improve features
  • Communicate with you - respond to support requests submitted through the App or our website

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We do not use your pet health data for advertising purposes.

4. How We Share Your Information

We share your information only as described below.

4.1 Abacus AI (AI Assistant Processing)

When you use the AI Assistant, your query text is transmitted to Abacus AI (abacus.ai) for processing via their API. Abacus AI acts as a data processor on our behalf. The model used is gpt-4o-mini. We recommend reviewing Abacus AI's privacy policy for details on how they handle data transmitted to their systems.

4.2 Google Cloud Platform (Infrastructure)

Our backend, database, and file storage run on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), operated by Google LLC. This includes:

  • Cloud Run (application hosting, Toronto region)
  • Cloud SQL (database, Toronto region)
  • Google Cloud Storage (file storage, Toronto region)

Google processes data on our behalf as a data processor under Google's Data Processing Addendum.

4.3 Apple App Store and Google Play (Billing)

Subscription purchases are processed directly by Apple (through the App Store) or Google (through Google Play). We do not receive or store your payment card details. Your billing relationship for subscriptions is governed by Apple's or Google's own terms and privacy policies.

4.4 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by applicable law, regulation, court order, or governmental authority, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of PetAura, our users, or others.

4.5 Business Transfers

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. Specifically:

  • Account data, pet profiles, logs, reminders, and health records - retained until you delete your account
  • Uploaded files - retained in Google Cloud Storage until your account is deleted or you delete the specific file
  • AI conversation history - retained as long as your account exists
  • Daily usage records - retained for service operation and may be retained in aggregate anonymized form after account deletion
  • Push notification tokens - retained until you delete your account or remove the App

Upon account deletion, we will permanently delete your personal data within 7 business days, except where retention is required by applicable law (e.g., financial or legal record-keeping obligations) or where data has been anonymized and aggregated.

6. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information:

  • Passwords are hashed using bcrypt and never stored in plaintext
  • All data transmitted between the App and our servers uses HTTPS/TLS encryption
  • Database and storage infrastructure is hosted on Google Cloud Platform (Toronto region) with access controls enforced via Google's IAM system
  • Sensitive configuration values (database credentials, API keys) are stored in Google Cloud Secret Manager and never committed to source code

No method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

  • Access - request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
  • Correction - request correction of inaccurate information
  • Deletion - request deletion of your account and personal data (see §8)
  • Portability - request your data in a portable format
  • Objection - object to certain uses of your data
  • Withdrawal of consent - where processing is based on consent, withdraw that consent at any time

Canadian residents (PIPEDA): You have the right to access and correct your personal information and to withdraw consent to its collection or use, subject to legal and contractual restrictions.

EU/UK residents (GDPR): You have additional rights including the right to restrict processing and the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

California residents (CCPA/CPRA): You have the right to know, delete, and opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. We do not sell your personal information.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at: petaura.mobileapp@gmail.com

8. Account Deletion

You may request deletion of your PetAura account and all associated personal data in two ways:

  1. In the App - the app's Settings → Account screen
  2. On our website - visit /delete-account and submit a deletion request (no login required)

Upon receiving a valid deletion request, we will:

  • Permanently delete your account, pet profiles, health logs, reminders, AI conversation history, uploaded documents, and subscription records within 7 business days
  • Remove your push notification token(s) from our database
  • Retain only data we are legally required to keep, in anonymized or legally mandated form

9. Children's Privacy

PetAura is not directed at children under the age of 13 (or 16 where applicable under GDPR). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at petaura.mobileapp@gmail.com and we will delete that information promptly.

10. Third-Party Links and Services

The App may display links to third-party websites (e.g., local pet service provider websites). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third-party sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you by updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, by sending a notification through the App or by email. Your continued use of the App after any change constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

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

PetAura Email: petaura.mobileapp@gmail.com Website: /support

Privacy questions?

Email us at petaura.mobileapp@gmail.com or visit our support page.

Request account deletion