Privacy Policy
DRAFT — for counsel review, not legal advice. This document is first-pass content produced as part of the Canadian legal compliance program. Review with legal counsel before relying on it.
Privacy Policy
Section titled “Privacy Policy”Ideas Builder (“we”, “our”, “us”) operates the Ideas Builder platform at idea-builder.org and its subdomains (the “Service”). This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how it is used and shared, where it is stored, how long we keep it, and the rights you have over it.
1. Who we are
Section titled “1. Who we are”Ideas Builder is a startup evaluation platform operated by its founder from Canada. Questions about this policy can be sent to legal@idea-builder.org (see section 11).
2. Personal information we collect
Section titled “2. Personal information we collect”- Account information — when you register: email address, display name, and (when you provide it) phone number.
- Content you create — ideas, research runs, canvases, surveys, audience panels, landing pages, and attachments you upload.
- Respondent data — when you publish a survey, we may collect answers from respondents. Responses are anonymous by default: we do not require a respondent’s email, and no response is linked to an identity unless the respondent chooses to provide an email.
- Usage and technical data — IP address, browser/device information, and log data collected when you use the Service (including for security and abuse prevention).
- Payment data — processed by our payment processors (Stripe / Lemon Squeezy); we do not store card numbers.
3. Purposes of collection
Section titled “3. Purposes of collection”We collect and use personal information to:
- provide and operate the Service (registration, authentication, security, support);
- send you service and account communications (transactional email such as verification and password reset);
- send you commercial email (marketing) only with your express consent (CASL), and always with a working unsubscribe;
- research and improve the product, generate AI analysis, and detect abuse or fraud;
- comply with legal obligations, including responding to lawful requests and data-breach obligations.
4. How we share personal information
Section titled “4. How we share personal information”We share personal information only with the processors needed to operate the Service, under contracts requiring them to protect the data:
| Processor | Purpose | Data location |
|---|---|---|
| Tencent Cloud | Hosting of the application database and backend services | Mainland China / US (Virginia) |
| Cloudflare | CDN, DNS, WAF, email routing | Global edge network |
| Stripe / Lemon Squeezy | Subscription and payment processing | US/global |
| SurveyMonkey | Survey delivery (when you use that delivery channel) | US/global |
| Brevo | Transactional and (with your consent) commercial email delivery | EU/global |
| DeepSeek / OpenAI / other LLM providers | AI-generated analysis (market research, FTO, trademarks, copy) | per provider |
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We never share your data with third parties for their own marketing.
5. International transfers and hosting location
Section titled “5. International transfers and hosting location”Your data is processed and stored primarily in mainland China (Tencent Cloud) and the United States, with limited processing through the global infrastructure of the processors listed above. By using the Service you acknowledge this cross-border processing. We rely on contractual safeguards with our processors for transfers from Canada.
6. Where your data is stored
Section titled “6. Where your data is stored”Ideas Builder is a sovereign data product: your account data is stored in the region you choose, is not transferred between regions for storage, and is processed there.
Supported regions
| Region | Where your data is stored |
|---|---|
| Canada | OVH, Beauharnois, Québec |
| United States | OVH US, Vint Hill, Virginia |
| China (Asia/CN) | Tencent Cloud Lighthouse — operated as a separate stack |
How your region is chosen
- At signup you choose your data region. Geo-IP is only a default — you can change your region at any time with the region selector in the app.
- Your choice is remembered with a sticky preference (a cookie on your device) and can be changed at any time.
- One account per region — each region is a separate account with its own data, login, and billing.
- If you are in an unsupported region or we cannot determine your location, your data defaults to Canada.
Cross-border processing that still occurs
We are transparent about processing that cannot be fully contained in your region:
- AI model providers (DeepSeek / ASI One) — process the prompts you submit for AI-generated analysis;
- Brevo — processes transactional email (verification, password reset, notifications);
- Stripe (per region) — processes payments; each region’s payments are handled in-region;
- Cloudflare — proxies traffic at the edge (CDN, WAF, DNS), so content may be cached at edge locations worldwide.
China is operated as a separate Asia/CN stack and is not part of the sovereign data claim for users outside China.
7. Retention
Section titled “7. Retention”We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described above, then delete or anonymize it. Retention windows (days, configurable by the operator):
| Category | Retention |
|---|---|
| AI chat conversations | 365 days |
| AI research reports | 730 days |
| Survey responses | 365 days |
| Imported audience contacts | 730 days |
| Consent records | Indefinite (evidence of consent) |
A nightly automated job purges records past these windows. The operator may shorten any window in the platform settings; the policy on this page reflects the configured values.
8. Cookies
Section titled “8. Cookies”We use essential cookies (authentication, security, preferences) and, with your choice on the cookie banner, analytics. See the banner for details; you can withdraw consent at any time by clearing cookies.
9. Your rights
Section titled “9. Your rights”You may request:
- Access — a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
- Correction — fixing inaccurate information;
- Deletion — erasing your account and associated data (subject to legal holds);
- Withdrawal of consent — opt out of marketing (also available at any time via the unsubscribe link in our emails);
- Portability — an export of your data.
To exercise any right, contact legal@idea-builder.org. We respond within 30 days.
10. Minors
Section titled “10. Minors”The Service is intended for users aged 18 or older. Survey respondents are asked to confirm they are 18+; responses from minors are blocked.
11. Data breaches
Section titled “11. Data breaches”If we become aware of a breach of personal information that creates a real risk of significant harm, we will notify affected individuals and the relevant privacy authorities (Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and, for Quebec, the Commission d’accès à l’information) as required by law. You can report a suspected breach at any time via the /report page or legal@idea-builder.org.
12. Changes
Section titled “12. Changes”We will post changes to this policy with a new version number. When a material change requires your consent, we will ask for fresh consent at your next login.
Last updated: 2026-08-09 (version 2026-08-09-v1).