Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 1 September, 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to Cotyledone! We're committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.

Who We Are: Cotyledone is a community platform that connects people passionate about sustainability, business, action, startups, health, education, etc.

What This Policy Covers: This policy explains how we handle your personal information when you use our website, create an account, or interact with our community.

2. Information We Collect

Information You Give Us:

• Account Details: Name, email address, username, password, profile information
• Profile Content: Bio, location, interests, profile photos
• Community Content: Discussion posts, comments, photos, project updates, media files
• Communications: Messages you send through our platform, contact form submissions, support tickets
• Newsletter: Email address when you subscribe to our newsletter

Information We Collect Automatically:

• Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent, features used
• Device Information: Browser type, device type, IP address
• Cookies: We use cookies to remember your preferences and keep you logged in

Information from Third Parties:

• Social Media: If you connect social media accounts, we may receive basic profile information
• Analytics: We use analytics services to understand how our platform is used

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

Provide Our Services:

• Create and manage your account
• Enable community discussions and messaging
• Show your profile to other users
• Send notifications about platform activity
• Provide customer support

Improve Our Platform:

• Analyze usage patterns to improve features
• Prevent spam and abuse
• Ensure platform security

Communicate With You:

• Send newsletters (if you subscribe)
• Notify you about important updates
• Respond to your questions and support requests

Legal Compliance:

• Comply with applicable laws and regulations
• Protect our rights and prevent misuse

4. Information Sharing

We Do NOT Sell Your Personal Information.

We may share your information only in these situations:

Public Information:

• Your profile information and community posts are visible to other users
• You control what information is public through your privacy settings

Service Providers:

• Trusted third parties who help us operate our platform (hosting, email, analytics)
• These providers are bound by strict data protection agreements

Legal Requirements:

• When required by law or to protect our rights
• To prevent harm or illegal activities

Business Transfers:

• If we merge with or are acquired by another company

• To show you advertisements

5. Data Security

We protect your information using:

• Encryption: All data is encrypted during transmission and storage
• Access Controls: Only authorized personnel can access your data
• Backups: We maintain secure backups of your information
• Security Monitoring: We monitor for unauthorized access attempts

6. Your Rights and Choices

Account Control:

• Update Information: Change your profile and account settings anytime
• Privacy Settings: Control what information is visible to others
• Delete Account: Permanently delete your account and associated data

Communication Preferences:

• Newsletter: Unsubscribe from newsletters anytime
• Notifications: Control what notifications you receive

Data Rights (GDPR):

If you're in the EU, you have additional rights:

• Access: Get a copy of your personal data
• Correction: Fix incorrect information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your data
• Portability: Get your data in a portable format
• Objection: Object to certain uses of your data

To exercise these rights, contact us at: [contact@cotyledone.com]

7. Data Retention

We keep your information for as long as:

• Your account is active
• Needed to provide our services
• Required by law

Inactive accounts are deleted after 12 months of inactivity.

8. International Data Transfers

Your data may be processed in countries outside your residence. We ensure adequate protection through:

• Standard contractual clauses
• Adequate country decisions
• Your explicit consent

9. Children's Privacy

Our platform is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

10. Cookie Policy

We use cookies to:

• Keep you logged in
• Remember your preferences
• Analyze site usage
• Improve our services

Cookie Types:

• Essential: Required for basic functionality
• Analytics: Help us understand usage patterns
• Preferences: Remember your settings

You can control cookies through your browser settings.

Due to any technical problems our platform can close itself.

Technical errors can happen in our platform and loss of data can also happen.

We don't claim ourself platform to be always perfect, problems can happen, errors can come and we may upgrade its features and not responsible for any user activity.

11. Updates to This Policy

We may update this policy occasionally. We'll notify you of significant changes by:

• Posting updates on our website
• Sending email notifications
• Displaying a notice on our platform

12. Contact Us

Questions about this policy?

• Email: contact@cotyledone.com
• Website: Contact form on Cotyledone.com
• Address: [Your business address]