Privacy Policy

At Snootit, Inc. (“Snootit,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), we are committed to protecting your privacy and the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website (snootit.com), use our mobile application, purchase our QR smart pet tags, or use our biometric pet identification services.

By using Snootit's services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use our services.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Personal Information You Provide

When you create an account, make a purchase, or interact with our services, we may collect:

• Account Information: Name, email address, and password
• Billing Information: Payment card details (processed securely through Stripe; we never store full card numbers), billing address, and transaction history
• Shipping Information: Delivery address, shipping preferences, and order tracking data
• Pet Profile Information: Pet name, breed, age, weight, color, distinguishing marks, microchip number (if applicable), veterinary contact, and emergency contact details
• Communication Data: Messages, emails, and support tickets you send to us

1.2 Biometric Data

Snootit uses advanced, non-invasive biometric technology to create a unique digital identity for your pet. This includes:

• Dog Nose Print Data: High-resolution images of your dog's nose print, processed into a unique biometric template using AI-powered pattern recognition
• Cat Facial Recognition Data: Photographs of your cat's face, analyzed to create a distinct facial geometry profile
• Biometric Templates: Mathematical representations derived from the above data, used solely for pet identification purposes

Important: We do not collect human biometric data. All biometric data pertains exclusively to pets. Biometric templates are encrypted at rest and in transit. Raw images are processed and discarded after template creation unless you explicitly opt in to storing them.

1.3 Automatically Collected Information

• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, device model, unique device identifiers
• Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent, click patterns, referring URLs, and interaction data
• Location Data: Approximate location based on IP address (we do not collect precise GPS location unless you explicitly enable Lost Mode)
• Cookies and Tracking: We use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies for analytics, personalization, and advertising. See Section 8 for cookie management options

1.4 QR Tag Scan Data

When someone scans a Snootit QR smart tag, we may collect the scanner's approximate location (based on IP), device type, and timestamp. This data helps reunite lost pets and is shared with the pet's registered guardian through the Recovery Room feature. Scanners are never required to provide personal information.

1.5 Connected Accounts (Optional)

If you choose to connect your phone's calendar or your Gmail account, we use limited information from them to suggest vet appointments, grooming visits, and pet purchases for your pet's care record. These connections are off unless you turn them on. Section 4 explains exactly what we access, what we keep, and how to disconnect.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information for the following purposes:

• Service Delivery: To create and manage your account, process orders for QR smart pet tags, and maintain your pet's digital identity profile
• Pet Safety: To power Lost Mode alerts, Recovery Room communications, biometric pet identification matches, and QR tag scans
• Order Fulfillment: To process payments, ship QR smart tags and pet accessories, and provide order tracking and shipping updates
• Communication: To send transactional emails (order confirmations, shipping notifications), safety alerts, and product updates
• Improvement: To analyze usage patterns, improve our AI-powered nose print and facial recognition algorithms, enhance user experience, and develop new features
• Security: To detect and prevent fraud, unauthorized access, and misuse of our platform
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share information in the following limited circumstances:

• Service Providers: Trusted third-party vendors who assist with payment processing (Stripe), email delivery (Amazon SES), cloud hosting (Amazon Web Services), analytics (Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity), and shipping fulfillment
• Pet Recovery: When a lost pet is found and a QR tag is scanned, we share limited pet profile information (as configured by the guardian) with the finder through the Recovery Room to facilitate safe reunion
• Legal Requirements: When required by law, regulation, subpoena, court order, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others
• Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of the transaction
• With Your Consent: When you explicitly authorize sharing with third parties, such as veterinary services or pet insurance providers

4. Gmail and Calendar Connections

Snootit can find pet-care details you already have, such as a vet appointment in your calendar or a receipt for pet food in your email, and suggest adding them to your pet's care record. Both connections are optional and off by default. Nothing is added to your pet's record until you review the suggestion and tap Add.

4.1 Your Phone's Calendar

• Permission: We only read your calendar after you grant calendar access in your phone's settings (for example, Apple Calendar on iPhone). You can revoke this at any time in your phone's settings.
• What we read: The title, date, time, and location of upcoming events. We do not read attendees, notes, or attachments.
• What we keep: Events that name one of your pets or are clearly about pet care (for example, a vet visit, vaccination, or grooming appointment) become suggestions. All other events are discarded immediately and never stored.
• Adding to your calendar: When you tap “Add to my calendar” on a Snootit appointment, we create that one event in your calendar. We never change or delete your other events.

4.2 Gmail

• Permission: When you connect Gmail, Google asks you to let Snootit read your email (the read-only Gmail permission). We cannot send, delete, or change your email.
• What we look at: About once a day, and when you tap “Sync now,” we search your inbox for recent messages likely to be about your pets: vet appointment confirmations and reminders, receipts for pet food, medication, and supplies, and vet invoices or records. We do not look at other email.
• How it is processed: Those messages are processed automatically to pick out a few details, such as the clinic, date, and time of an appointment, or the store, items, quantities, and prices on a receipt. We use an AI model that runs for us on Amazon Bedrock, Amazon Web Services' AI service, for this. Amazon Bedrock processes the text only to return those details to us. It does not keep the text, use it to train models, or share it with the model's developer.
• What we keep: Only the details we picked out, and the message's ID so we never suggest the same email twice. We do not store email bodies, attachments, or your inbox. Messages that turn out not to be about your pets are discarded.
• No human reading: No one at Snootit reads your email. The only exceptions are when you ask us to look at a specific message to help you, when it is needed for security (such as investigating abuse), or when the law requires it.

4.3 How We Use and Protect This Data

• One purpose only: We use calendar and Gmail data only to suggest items for your pet's care record, and to show you what was found.
• No advertising or sale: We never use this data for advertising, never sell it, and never share it with data brokers or advertisers.
• No AI training: We do not use data from Google APIs to develop, improve, or train generalized artificial intelligence or machine learning models.
• Sharing: We share it only with the service provider that runs this feature for us: Amazon Web Services (hosting, storage, and the automatic processing described above, through Amazon Bedrock). We may also disclose it if the law requires, or as part of a merger or acquisition with your notice.
• Security: Your Gmail access token is encrypted with AES-256 using keys held in AWS Key Management Service, and is used only by our servers. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest.
• Private to you: Suggestions are visible only to you. Once you add one to a pet's record, it can be seen by that pet's other guardians, like anything else in the record.

4.4 Disconnecting and Deletion

• You can disconnect Gmail at any time in the Snootit app under Connected accounts, or from your Google Account's third-party access page. When you disconnect, we revoke and delete your access token, and delete the suggestions from that account that you did not add.
• Items you already added to your pet's record stay there until you delete them.
• If you delete your Snootit account, all calendar and Gmail data we hold is deleted with it.

4.5 Google API Services User Data Policy

Snootit's use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

5. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data:

• Encryption: All data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest (AES-256)
• Biometric Protection: Pet biometric templates are stored separately from personal information and are cryptographically hashed
• Access Controls: Role-based access controls, multi-factor authentication for internal systems, and regular security audits
• PCI Compliance: Payment processing is handled by PCI DSS-compliant processors; we never store sensitive cardholder data on our servers
• Privacy by Design: The public pet profile is a whitelist system. Only fields you explicitly enable are visible. Sensitive data (guardian contact, address, veterinary info) is never exposed to scanners

6. Your Rights and Choices

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

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate personal information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated data (subject to legal retention requirements)
• Data Portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Opt-Out of Marketing: Unsubscribe from promotional emails at any time via the link in each email
• Cookie Preferences: Manage your cookie preferences through our cookie consent banner or your browser settings
• Biometric Data Deletion: Request deletion of your pet's biometric templates at any time by contacting support@snootit.com

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

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. Pet profile and biometric data remain active as long as the associated account exists, to ensure continuous pet safety coverage. If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your data within 90 days, except where retention is required by law (e.g., financial transaction records retained for 7 years). QR tag scan logs are retained for 12 months and then automatically purged. Calendar and Gmail suggestions are kept until you add or dismiss them; a dismissed suggestion keeps only its details and message or event ID, so it is not suggested again, until you disconnect that account or delete your Snootit account.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use the following types of cookies:

• Essential Cookies: Required for authentication, security, and core functionality
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website (e.g., Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity)
• Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences and settings
• Marketing Cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements and measure campaign effectiveness

Microsoft Clarity: On our website, we partner with Microsoft Clarity and Microsoft Advertising to capture how you use and interact with our pages through behavioral metrics, heatmaps, and session replay (for example, clicks, scrolling and mouse movement). We use this to improve the site and our marketing. Website usage data is captured using first- and third-party cookies and other tracking technologies. Clarity masks what you type into form fields, and we do not use it on pet profile, QR tag, lost-pet report or invite pages. If you decline cookies in our banner, Clarity runs without setting cookies. For more information about how Microsoft collects and uses your data, see the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

You can manage cookie preferences through the cookie consent banner displayed on your first visit, or by adjusting your browser settings.

9. Children's Privacy

Snootit's services are not directed to children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected data from a child under 13, we will promptly delete it. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@snootit.com.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

11. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected, the purposes for collection, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it. You also have the right to request deletion and to opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information. To exercise your rights, contact support@snootit.com or call us with the subject line “CCPA Request.”

12. 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 email and/or by posting a prominent notice on our website. The “Last Updated” date at the top of this page indicates when this policy was last revised. Your continued use of Snootit after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of those changes.

13. Contact Us

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