Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 20, 2026

They Knew LLC ("Company," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that data. It applies to all users of the They Knew website and platform (the "Service").

1. Data We Collect

1.1 Account Information

When you create an account, we collect the information you provide, including your email address, display name, and profile picture. Authentication is handled by Clerk, a third-party authentication provider. Clerk processes your login credentials (email, OAuth tokens) on our behalf. We do not store passwords directly.

1.2 Usage Data

We collect anonymized usage data to understand how the Service is used and to improve it. This includes pages visited, features used, search queries, voting activity, and session duration. Analytics are processed by PostHog, a privacy-focused analytics platform. PostHog data is self-hosted where possible and configured to minimize personal data collection.

1.3 Cookies

We use essential cookies to maintain your session and authentication state. We use analytics cookies (via PostHog) to collect anonymized usage data. You can disable non-essential cookies through your browser settings. Essential cookies cannot be disabled without breaking core functionality.

1.4 User-Generated Content

Content you submit to the platform — including claim submissions, comments, votes, and source submissions — is stored and associated with your account. This content is public by design and visible to other users.

2. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following legal bases:

• Consent — You provide consent when you create an account and agree to this Privacy Policy. You may withdraw consent at any time by deleting your account.
• Contractual necessity — Processing is necessary to provide the Service as described in our Terms of Service.
• Legitimate interest — We have a legitimate interest in improving the Service, preventing abuse, and ensuring platform security. We balance this interest against your rights and freedoms.
• Legal obligation — We may process data to comply with applicable legal requirements, including DMCA takedown requests and law enforcement orders.

3. How We Use Your Data

• To provide, maintain, and improve the Service
• To authenticate your identity and manage your account
• To process premium subscriptions and payments (via Stripe)
• To send transactional emails (account verification, password resets, subscription confirmations)
• To send the weekly newsletter (if you opted in)
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and violations of our Terms
• To generate anonymized, aggregated analytics
• To respond to legal requests and enforce our rights

4. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with the following categories of third-party service providers, solely to operate the Service:

• Clerk — Authentication and user management
• Stripe — Payment processing for premium subscriptions
• PostHog — Privacy-focused product analytics
• Vercel — Hosting and content delivery
• Neon — Database hosting (PostgreSQL)
• Upstash — Redis caching and rate limiting

Each provider is contractually obligated to process your data only as instructed and in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law or necessary to resolve disputes. Anonymized usage data and aggregated analytics may be retained indefinitely as they cannot be linked back to you.

User-generated content (claim submissions, comments) that has been relied upon by other users may be anonymized rather than deleted, to preserve the integrity of the public record.

6. Your Rights

Under GDPR and applicable privacy laws, you have the following rights:

• Right of access — You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification — You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to deletion — You can request deletion of your personal data. We will comply within 30 days, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Right to data portability — You can request your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format (JSON or CSV).
• Right to restrict processing — You can request that we limit how we process your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to object — You can object to processing based on legitimate interest.
• Right to withdraw consent — Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time by deleting your account or contacting us.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@theyknew.io. We will respond within 30 days.

7. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data, including encryption in transit (TLS), encryption at rest, and secure access controls. However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. International Transfers

Your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States. By using the Service, you consent to this transfer. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including Standard Contractual Clauses where required.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If we become aware that we have collected such data, we will delete it promptly.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email or platform notification at least 30 days before taking effect. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact

For privacy-related inquiries, contact us at: privacy@theyknew.io