Privacy Policy

1. Information we collect

Account information: Email address and authentication method (Google sign-in, email/password, or magic link). We do not require your real name.

Pet profiles: Pet name, species, breed, and birth year — all entered by you voluntarily.

Acoustic features: When you save a recording, we store numerical features extracted from the audio: fundamental frequency (F₀), duration, spectral flatness, harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR), RMS intensity, pitch contour, and nonlinear phenomena flags. These are numbers, not audio.

Audio recordings: By default, raw audio is saved to your account in Firebase Storage so you can play it back later. You can turn this off in Settings > Audio, in which case only numerical features are saved and the audio is discarded after analysis. Audio is processed in your browser before any upload occurs.

Payment information: Handled entirely by Stripe. We never see or store your credit card number. We store your Stripe customer ID and subscription status.

Usage data: We use our own first-party, cookieless analytics to count anonymous page views and product events (such as recordings started). It stores no cookies, no personal information, and never stores your IP address, so no consent banner is required. No advertising or third-party tracking is used.

2. How audio is processed

All audio analysis (FFT, pitch detection, HNR computation, YAMNet classification) runs locally in your browser using the Web Audio API and TensorFlow.js. Audio does not leave your device during analysis.

After analysis, if audio saving is enabled (the default), the audio file is uploaded to Firebase Storage under your account. If audio saving is disabled, only the numerical features are transmitted.

We use Google's YAMNet model (running in your browser, not on our servers) to verify that recordings contain pet vocalizations. No audio is sent to Google for this classification.

3. How we use your information

• Provide the BarkScope service: journal, trends, observations, constellation visualizations
• Process payments and manage your subscription via Stripe
• Send transactional emails (sign-in links, trial reminders, receipts)
• If you opt in to the Research program (off by default): use anonymized acoustic features to improve our analysis models. Audio is never shared for research — only numerical features. Your identity is not attached.

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.

4. Third-party services

We use the following services to operate BarkScope:

• Firebase (Google Cloud) — authentication, database, file storage. Data is stored in the United States. Firebase Privacy
• Stripe — payment processing. PCI-compliant. Stripe Privacy
• Cloudflare — hosting and CDN. Cloudflare Privacy
• Resend — transactional email delivery. Processes email addresses for sending. Resend Privacy
• BarkScope Analytics (first-party) — our own cookieless analytics running on Cloudflare. Stores only anonymous, aggregate usage data (page views, referrers, country, device type). No cookies, no personal data, and no raw IP addresses are stored.
• TensorFlow.js / YAMNet — runs entirely in your browser. No data is sent to Google for classification.

Each service operates under its own privacy policy. We have data processing agreements in place where required.

5. Data retention

• Free accounts: Recording features visible for 7 days. Older features remain in storage but are hidden from the UI.
• Pro accounts: Full history retained indefinitely while the subscription is active.
• Audio files: Retained as long as your account exists and audio saving is enabled. Deleted when you delete a recording or your account.
• Deleted accounts: 30-day soft-delete period, then permanently removed including all recordings, pets, audio files, and account data.

6. Your rights

Regardless of where you live, you can:

• Export your data — Settings > Data > Download JSON export
• Export recordings as CSV — Journal > Export CSV (Pro)
• Delete individual recordings — from the recording detail page
• Delete all data — Settings > Data > Delete all my data
• Opt out of audio storage — Settings > Audio
• Opt out of research — Settings > Research (off by default)

California residents (CCPA/CPRA): You have the right to know what personal information we collect, request deletion, and opt out of sale (we do not sell data). We do not use automated decision-making technology as defined under CPRA. To exercise your rights, use the in-app controls above or contact us.

7. European Economic Area (GDPR)

If you are in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, the following applies:

Legal basis for processing:

• Contract: We process account data, pet profiles, and acoustic features to provide the BarkScope service you signed up for.
• Legitimate interest: We process basic usage data (page views, recording counts) to improve the product. You can object to this processing by contacting us.
• Consent: Marketing emails (weekly digest, product updates) are sent only with your opt-in. You can withdraw consent at any time in Settings.

Your rights under GDPR: In addition to the rights in Section 6, you have the right to:

• Data portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format (JSON export in Settings)
• Restrict processing — request that we limit how we use your data
• Object to processing — object to processing based on legitimate interest
• Lodge a complaint — file a complaint with your local data protection authority (e.g., the ICO in the UK, CNIL in France, BfDI in Germany)

International data transfers: Your data is processed in the United States via Firebase (Google Cloud), Stripe, Resend, and Cloudflare. These transfers are governed by Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) as adopted by the European Commission, and where applicable, the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.

Data protection contact: We are a small company and are not required to appoint a Data Protection Officer. For privacy inquiries, contact us at [email protected].

8. Cookies

BarkScope uses only strictly necessary cookies for authentication (Firebase Auth session). We do not use analytics cookies, advertising cookies, or third-party tracking cookies. Because these cookies are essential to provide the service, no consent banner is required under the ePrivacy Directive.

9. Children

BarkScope is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

10. Security

Data at rest in Firebase is encrypted using AES-256. Data in transit is encrypted via TLS 1.2+. Audio files in Firebase Storage are access-controlled per user. Stripe handles all payment data in PCI-compliant infrastructure. We do not store passwords in plaintext — Firebase Auth handles credential management.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email or in-app notification. The "last updated" date at the top will always reflect the current version. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

12. Contact

Questions or data requests? Email us at [email protected]

SES Technology Ventures LLC
3255 Lawrenceville Suwanee Rd, Suite P888
Suwanee, GA 30024