The Smart Elf

1. Scope of This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy governs the collection, use, and protection of personal data across all services provided by The Smart Elf ("we", "our", or "us"), including:

• Our official website and web application accessible at https://www.thesmartelf.org
• Our iOS mobile application (Tilly - The Smart Elf), available on the Apple App Store
• Our Android mobile application (The Smart Elf), available on Google Play

Whether you access The Smart Elf via an iPhone, iPad, Android phone, tablet, or web browser, the same strict privacy protections apply.

2. Information We Collect and How We Use It

We only collect the minimal information necessary to deliver holiday budgeting, gift recommendations, and group gift exchanges:

A. Holiday Budgets, Recipient Lists & Wishlists

Information you enter—including recipient names, allocated budgets, gift items, price values, and status tags (Idea, Bought, Wrapped, Delivered)—is saved in your device's local sandbox storage. If you choose to sign in for Cloud Sync, your lists are encrypted and synchronized via Google Firebase Cloud Firestore so you can seamlessly access your holiday plans across your iPhone, Android, and web browsers.

B. AI Gift Finder Prompts

When you use our gift quiz or AI search bar, your selections (age group, interests like outdoors, cooking, crafts, tech, and target budget envelope) are transmitted ephemerally to our AI recommendation engine (hosted on Google Cloud Run powered by Google Gemini AI). These queries are processed in real-time to retrieve curated product suggestions and live retailer links. Prompts are never used to build personal advertising profiles.

C. Camera & Photo Access (Receipt Scanner OCR)

On iOS and Android, with your explicit system permission, The Smart Elf accesses your camera or photo library solely to scan printed store receipts. Optical character recognition (OCR) parses the merchant name, date, and line items so you can file expenses into your budget envelopes. Raw receipt photos are not stored on public servers or shared with third parties.

D. Microphone Access (Voice Expense Logger)

On iOS and Android, with your explicit system permission, The Smart Elf accesses your microphone to allow voice dictation of holiday purchases (e.g., "Bought Lego set for Liam for $29.99"). Speech audio is converted to text strictly to log budget entries. Audio recordings are never retained or saved on our servers.

E. Secret Santa Exchanges & Wishlists

If you organize a Secret Santa exchange, you provide participant names and optional contact information (phone numbers or emails) solely so that you can send them private direct SMS or WhatsApp invitation links. Participants view their secret match and submit wishlists via private, unlisted magic web links without requiring an account.

F. Account & Authentication Data

If you optionally sign in (via Google Sign-In or Email Link), we receive your email address, display name, and an authentication identifier from Firebase Authentication. You may also use the entire application in Guest Mode without providing any email or account credentials.

3. Payments & In-App Purchases (iOS, Android & Web)

We offer an optional one-time Holiday Season Pass ($2.99) that unlocks unlimited features for the entire season. Financial transactions are processed strictly through platform-native secure channels:

• iOS App: Billed and processed exclusively by Apple Media Services using your Apple ID. Subscriptions, purchase restoration, and refunds are managed directly at reportaproblem.apple.com.
• Android App: Billed and processed exclusively by Google Play Billing using your Google account. Subscriptions and refund requests are managed directly via Google Play.
• Web Application: Secure 256-bit encrypted checkout processed via Stripe (supporting Credit/Debit Cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay).

The Smart Elf never collects, processes, or stores your credit card numbers, bank details, or billing addresses. We only receive a secure cryptographic receipt confirming your Season Pass entitlement.

4. Third-Party Service Providers

We partner with trusted industry infrastructure providers strictly to execute app and website functionality:

None of these providers are authorized to use your personal information for their own marketing or advertising.

5. No Tracking, Advertising, or Data Selling

Under Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework, Google Play privacy policies, GDPR, and CCPA:

• We do NOT track you across apps and websites owned by other companies.
• We do NOT collect Apple IDFA or Google Advertising ID (GAID) for advertising tracking.
• We do NOT sell, rent, or trade your personal data, shopping habits, or contact lists to data brokers or advertisers.
• We do NOT display third-party advertisements inside our website or mobile apps.

6. Data Retention, Control & Account Deletion

You maintain complete ownership of your holiday data across all platforms:

• Self-Service Data Wipe: In the iOS app, Android app, or web application, open your Profile avatar > select "Reset to Clean Slate". This immediately purges all envelopes, wishlists, and gift records from your device and cloud storage.
• Permanent Cloud Account Deletion: If you created an account and wish to permanently erase your email, credentials, and all synchronized cloud records, email us at [email protected] with the subject "Delete Account Data". We verify and permanently delete all records within 24 hours.

7. Children's Privacy

The Smart Elf is designed as a family-friendly holiday planner for adults and families. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 (or under 16 in certain jurisdictions) without parental consent. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at [email protected], and we will delete the information immediately.

8. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact our Data Protection Officer: