Privacy Policy
1. Who We Are
FactGuard ("FactGuard," "we," "us," or "our") is operated by RAYFINITE LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Wyoming, United States, with its principal place of business at 30 N Gould St Ste N, Sheridan, Wyoming 82801, USA.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect personal information when you use the FactGuard iOS application, the FactGuard web application, and the factguard.org website (together, the "Service"). For the purposes of the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), RAYFINITE LLC is the "controller" of personal information processed through the Service. For the purposes of the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (collectively, "CCPA/CPRA"), RAYFINITE LLC is the "business."
Contact: [email protected]
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Account and Authentication Information
When you create an account, we collect identifiers depending on the sign-in method you choose:
| Sign-in method | Data we receive |
|---|---|
| Sign in with Apple | Apple user identifier, name (first sign-in only, optional), and email address (or an Apple-relayed private address if you choose to hide your email) |
| Sign in with Google | Google user identifier, display name, and email address |
| Phone / SMS | Phone number and account user identifier |
| Email / Password | Email address and account user identifier; your password is hashed by our authentication provider and is never visible to us in plain text |
Authentication is handled by Firebase Authentication (Google LLC). These identifiers and contact details are stored with our authentication provider and associated with your account.
2.2 Claims and Queries You Submit
When you submit a claim, statement, or URL for verification, the text of that submission is sent to our backend, which routes it to one or more third-party AI processing providers (see Section 5) to produce an automated verdict — a calibrated confidence score (0–100), supporting reasoning, and cited sources. Submitted claim content is processed to generate your result and is not stored on a per-user basis on our servers; the result is cached locally on your device.
If you use the optional on-device verification mode, your claim is processed entirely on your device and is not transmitted to us or to any third-party processing provider.
2.3 App Check and Integrity Signals
We use Firebase App Check and cryptographic nonces to confirm that requests to our backend originate from a genuine, untampered instance of the FactGuard app. These integrity signals help us prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorized API use. They do not include the content of your claims.
2.4 Usage and Quota Data
We maintain basic usage counters — such as the number of verifications you have run and your remaining free-tier quota — to operate fairness limits and to determine feature access for your subscription tier. We do not use third-party advertising or behavioral-analytics SDKs.
2.5 Subscription and Purchase Data
FactGuard Pro subscriptions are processed entirely by Apple Inc. through the App Store and StoreKit. We receive a cryptographically verified transaction signal indicating your subscription status (for example, active or lapsed). We do not receive your payment card number, Apple ID credentials, or billing address.
2.6 Operational Logs and Technical Data
We do not use third-party analytics SDKs, advertising networks, or cross-app trackers. Standard operational logs generated by our backend and infrastructure providers (for example, function invocation counts and error logs) may be retained by those providers under their own retention policies for security and reliability. These logs do not contain the text of your claims on a per-user basis.
2.7 Information Stored Locally on Your Device
The app stores certain data locally on your device, including cached verification results, usage and quota counters, and your verification-mode preference (for example, on-device versus cloud). This data remains on your device (in mechanisms such as Keychain and local app storage) and is removed when you delete the app or delete your account.
2.8 Image and Video Authenticity Checks (Opt-In, Pro Feature)
FactGuard Pro includes an optional image authenticity checker. This feature is opt-in and disabled by default — a consent toggle defaults to off, and the feature operates only on a photo you explicitly select from your photo library. FactGuard does not capture from your camera, scan your library in the background, or process any image you have not deliberately chosen for a check.
When you run a check on a photo you select, the app sends the following to our backend (the Firebase Cloud Functions checkMedia endpoint operated by us on Google/Firebase infrastructure):
- A downscaled, compressed copy of the selected image (resized to roughly 2048 px on its longest side) for authenticity analysis;
- Derived signals computed on your device — a perceptual hash of the image, and presence-only metadata flags (for example, whether the photo contains GPS metadata or editing-software metadata). To protect your location privacy, the app deliberately sends only the presence of GPS metadata and never the actual GPS coordinates or location.
Our backend analyzes the submitted image and signals to assess authenticity. This includes reading any embedded Content Credentials / C2PA provenance information present in the image, and may use the same third-party AI processing providers described in Section 5 for the rest of fact-checking. If you are signed in, the result of an image authenticity check may be saved to your verification history, linked to your account (Firebase user ID). If you run a check without being signed in, the result is not saved to a history on our servers in this way.
FactGuard Pro also includes an optional video authenticity checker, which works the same privacy-first way. This feature is likewise opt-in and disabled by default — a consent toggle defaults to off, and the feature operates only on a video you explicitly select from your photo library. FactGuard does not capture from your camera, record in the background, or process any video you have not deliberately chosen for a check. The full video is never uploaded.
When you run a check on a video you select, the app sends the following to our backend (the same Firebase Cloud Functions checkMedia endpoint operated by us on Google/Firebase infrastructure):
- Sampled keyframes — a few downscaled still frames taken from the video for authenticity analysis. The full video is not uploaded;
- Derived signals computed on your device — a per-frame perceptual hash for each sampled frame, and presence-only metadata flags (for example, whether the video carries GPS metadata or editing-software metadata). As with images, the app deliberately sends only the presence of GPS metadata and never the actual GPS coordinates or location.
- Only if you enable the consent toggle, a small portion of the file header (the first few megabytes of the file) so our backend can read any embedded Content Credentials / C2PA provenance information. This header excerpt is used solely to read provenance and is not retained.
Our backend analyzes these signals as an honest-signal ensemble — combining provenance, metadata, source corroboration, and frame analysis. It is not a deepfake "detector" and does not provide a guarantee of authenticity. The check may use the same third-party AI processing providers described in Section 5. If you are signed in, the result of a video authenticity check may be saved to your verification history, linked to your account (Firebase user ID); if you run a check without being signed in, the result is not saved to a history on our servers in this way. The raw sampled frames and file-header excerpt are not retained — only the derived perceptual hashes and the result are kept.
3. How We Use Your Information and Why
| Purpose | Information used |
|---|---|
| Provide and operate the Service (authenticate you, process your claims, return verdicts and sources, manage your subscription tier) | Account identifiers, claims/queries, usage and quota data, subscription status |
| Perform an opt-in image authenticity check on a photo you select (Pro) | Downscaled image copy, perceptual hash, presence-only metadata flags; result linked to your account if signed in |
| Perform an opt-in video authenticity check on a video you select (Pro) | Sampled downscaled keyframes, per-frame perceptual hashes, presence-only metadata flags, and (only with consent) a small file-header excerpt; the full video is never uploaded; result linked to your account if signed in |
| Account management (sign-in, sign-out, account deletion) | Account identifiers |
| Security, integrity, and fraud prevention | App Check and integrity signals, operational logs |
| Enforce fair-use limits and quotas | Usage and quota data |
| Communicate with you (respond to support and privacy requests, send required service notices) | Email address or contact identifier |
| Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms | As reasonably necessary |
We do not use your personal information for advertising, behavioral profiling, or sale to third parties.
4. Legal Bases for Processing (GDPR / UK GDPR)
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we rely on the following legal bases under Article 6(1) of the GDPR:
| Processing activity | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Creating and maintaining your account | Performance of a contract — Art. 6(1)(b) |
| Processing the claims you submit to return a verdict | Performance of a contract — Art. 6(1)(b) |
| Running an opt-in image authenticity check on a photo you select | Consent — Art. 6(1)(a); performance of a contract — Art. 6(1)(b) |
| Running an opt-in video authenticity check on a video you select | Consent — Art. 6(1)(a); performance of a contract — Art. 6(1)(b) |
| Verifying subscription status | Performance of a contract — Art. 6(1)(b) |
| Security, integrity, and fraud prevention | Legitimate interests — Art. 6(1)(f) |
| Enforcing quotas and fair use | Legitimate interests — Art. 6(1)(f) |
| Complying with legal obligations | Legal obligation — Art. 6(1)(c) |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have balanced those interests against your rights and freedoms. You may object to such processing as described in Section 11.
5. Processors and Sub-Processors
We share personal information only with the service providers ("processors" and "sub-processors") listed below, each engaged to process data on our behalf under contractual data-protection terms. We disclose the AI processing providers truthfully here for transparency and regulatory compliance.
| Provider | Role | Data shared | Privacy information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc. | Sign in with Apple, App Store and StoreKit subscription billing, app distribution | Apple user identifier, name; subscription transaction signals | apple.com/legal/privacy |
| Google LLC / Firebase | Firebase Authentication, backend cloud functions (including the checkMedia image and video authenticity endpoint), App Check, AI inference (Google Gemini) |
Account identifiers (email, phone, user ID); claim/query text (processed in transit, not stored per-user); for opt-in image checks, a downscaled image copy, a perceptual hash, and presence-only metadata flags (never GPS coordinates); for opt-in video checks, sampled downscaled keyframes, per-frame perceptual hashes, presence-only metadata flags (never GPS coordinates), and—only with consent—a small file-header excerpt (the full video is never uploaded) | firebase.google.com/support/privacy |
| Groq, Inc. | AI inference (large-language-model processing) | Claim/query text (processed in transit, not stored per-user) | groq.com/privacy-policy |
| Cloudflare, Inc. | Website hosting, DNS, and email routing for [email protected] | IP addresses and standard web-traffic metadata; content of email you send to us | cloudflare.com/privacypolicy |
We may update our sub-processors from time to time. Material changes will be reflected in this Policy. Our AI processing providers are engaged solely to generate verdicts in response to your submissions and are contractually restricted from using your content to build or train their general-purpose models except as permitted by their applicable terms; we encourage you to review each provider's policy linked above.
6. Disclosure of Information
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may disclose information only:
- To the processors and sub-processors described in Section 5, to operate the Service;
- When required by law, subpoena, court order, or other lawful request, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of FactGuard, our users, or the public;
- In connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, or sale of assets, in which case we will require the recipient to honor this Policy or will notify you before your information becomes subject to a different policy.
7. No Sale, Sharing, or Cross-Context Behavioral Advertising
We do not sell your personal information and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, as those terms are defined under the CCPA/CPRA. We have not done so in the preceding twelve (12) months. FactGuard contains no advertising, no advertising SDK, no cross-app tracking, and does not use the Apple Advertising Identifier (IDFA). Because we do not track you across other companies' apps or websites, we do not present an App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompt.
8. International Data Transfers
We are based in the United States, and our sub-processors (including Google/Firebase, Groq, and Cloudflare) are headquartered in the United States and may process your information on servers located outside your country of residence. Where we transfer personal information from the EEA, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland to the United States, we rely on appropriate safeguards, which may include the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and its UK and Swiss extensions (where a provider is certified) and the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses, together with supplementary measures as appropriate.
9. Data Retention
- Account data: retained while your account is active and deleted promptly after you delete your account (see Section 10).
- Claims and queries: not retained on a per-user basis on our servers; cached locally on your device until you clear the cache, delete the app, or delete your account.
- Image authenticity checks (opt-in, Pro): the downscaled image copy and derived signals are processed to produce a result; for signed-in users, the result may be saved to your verification history linked to your account and is removed when you delete that history or delete your account.
- Video authenticity checks (opt-in, Pro): the sampled keyframes and the optional file-header excerpt are processed to produce a result and are not retained — only the derived per-frame perceptual hashes and the result are kept; the full video is never uploaded. For signed-in users, the result may be saved to your verification history linked to your account and is removed when you delete that history or delete your account.
- Usage and quota counters: retained for the operation of fair-use limits and deleted with your account.
- Operational logs: retained by our infrastructure providers under their standard log-retention periods (typically short-term) for security and reliability.
- Subscription records: maintained by Apple under its retention obligations; we hold only the subscription-status signal.
We retain information for as long as necessary to provide the Service, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.
10. Account Deletion and Data Access
You can permanently delete your account at any time from within the app: go to Profile → Delete Account. Deleting your account removes your authentication record (and revokes your Apple token if you used Sign in with Apple), clears local device data, and removes your associated account data from our systems. Account deletion is irreversible.
You may also email [email protected] to request access to, a copy of, correction of, or deletion of your personal information. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request.
11. Your Privacy Rights
11.1 EEA / UK / Swiss Residents (GDPR / UK GDPR)
Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you;
- Rectify inaccurate or incomplete personal information;
- Erase your personal information ("right to be forgotten");
- Restrict our processing in certain circumstances;
- Object to processing based on our legitimate interests;
- Data portability — receive your information in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format;
- Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent, without affecting prior processing;
- Lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority (for example, the UK Information Commissioner's Office or your national data protection authority in the EU).
11.2 California Residents (CCPA / CPRA)
If you are a California resident, you have the right to:
- Know / access: request the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources, the purposes, and any third parties to whom it was disclosed;
- Delete the personal information we have collected from you, subject to legal exceptions;
- Correct inaccurate personal information we maintain about you;
- Opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information — note that we do not sell or share your personal information, so there is nothing to opt out of;
- Limit the use of sensitive personal information — we do not use sensitive personal information for purposes that trigger this right;
- Non-discrimination: we will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your rights.
To exercise these rights, email [email protected]. You may use an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf, subject to verification.
Categories of personal information collected in the preceding 12 months: Identifiers (name, email, phone number, account user identifier, Apple/Google identifier); Commercial information (subscription status); and Internet or other electronic activity (claims/queries processed in transit; usage and quota counts). Business purpose: operating and securing the Service. Sources: directly from you and from your authentication and subscription providers. No personal information is sold or shared for cross-context behavioral advertising.
12. Children's Privacy
FactGuard is not directed to children under 13 years of age (or under 16 in the EEA, where a higher age applies), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children below the applicable age. Consistent with the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), if we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact [email protected].
13. Security
We use reasonable technical and organizational measures designed to protect personal information, including:
- TLS encryption for data in transit between the app and our backend;
- Firebase App Check to restrict backend access to verified app instances;
- Cryptographic nonces during Sign in with Apple to prevent replay attacks;
- Password hashing by our authentication provider (we never handle plain-text passwords);
- Apple token revocation on account deletion.
No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at [email protected].
14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Effective date" and "Last updated" dates above and, where required by law, provide additional notice (for example, by email or an in-app notice). Your continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.
15. Contact Us
For privacy questions, to exercise your rights, or to report a concern, contact:
- RAYFINITE LLC (a Wyoming limited liability company)
- 30 N Gould St Ste N, Sheridan, Wyoming 82801, USA
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: factguard.org
We aim to respond to verifiable privacy requests within the timeframe required by applicable law (generally within 30 to 45 days).