Privacy Policy

The short version

I collect only what I need to run PatternBase. I don't sell your data, I don't share it with advertisers, and I don't do anything creepy with it. Your garden data is yours. You can export it anytime and delete your account whenever you want.

What I collect

Account information: Your email address, display name, and password (hashed, I never see or store your actual password). If you set a growing profile, I store your hardiness zone and gardener type.

Garden data: Gardens you create, plants you add, observations you log, photos you upload, guild designs, harvest records, and any other content you choose to add. This is the core of what PatternBase does.

Photos: Photos you upload are stored on our servers. We do not use your photos to train AI models or share them with third parties beyond what's needed to provide the service. Photos may contain metadata (EXIF data). We recommend stripping location data from photos before uploading if privacy is a concern.

Usage data: If you consent to analytics cookies, I use Google Analytics and similar tools to understand how features are used so I can improve the product. You can decline analytics cookies and the service works the same. Essential cookies (login, preferences) are always active.

Waitlist: If you join the waitlist, I store your email address to notify you when PatternBase is ready. You can unsubscribe anytime.

How I use your data

To provide and improve PatternBase. That's it. Specifically: to run your account, display your gardens, power guided insight features (garden insights, photo analysis, coach), send you relevant notifications (like frost warnings), process payments, and make the product better over time.

Automated insights and your data

PatternBase uses model-assisted tools (via Anthropic's Claude) for features like photo analysis, garden insights, and the garden coach. When you use these features, relevant garden data is sent to the model service to generate responses. I don't use your data to train models. Service providers process your data according to their own privacy policies and do not retain it for training.

Third-party services

I use a small number of trusted services to run PatternBase:

• Supabase: database, authentication, and file storage
• Vercel: web hosting and deployment
• Stripe: payment processing (credit/debit cards)
• Anthropic: model-assisted features (photo analysis, garden insights). Data processed per Anthropic's privacy policy and not used for model training
• Open-Meteo: weather data and frost dates (anonymous coordinate queries only)
• Google Analytics: usage analytics (only with your cookie consent)

Each processes only the data necessary for their function. I don't sell or share your data with anyone else.

Public and private content

Your gardens and profile are private by default. If you choose to make a garden or profile public, that content becomes visible to other PatternBase users and anyone with the link. You can change visibility settings at any time.

Data export and deletion

You can export your garden data at any time from your account settings (JSON and CSV formats). You can also delete your account from your settings page. When you request deletion, your personal data is removed within 30 days. Anonymized, aggregated data (like regional growing patterns) may remain.

Retention periods: Account data is retained for the life of your account. After deletion, personal data is purged within 30 days. Billing records are retained for 7 years for tax and legal compliance. Server logs (anonymized) are retained for 90 days. Waitlist emails are retained until you unsubscribe or are invited.

Cookies

I use essential cookies to keep you logged in and remember your preferences. If you consent, I also use analytics cookies (Google Analytics) to understand how features are used. You can accept or decline analytics cookies. Declining has no effect on functionality. I don't use advertising cookies or cross-site tracking pixels for ad targeting.

Changes to this policy

If I make significant changes, I'll notify you via email or a notice in the app. Minor clarifications may be made without notice.

Contact

Questions about this policy? Reach out: james@pattern-base.com