Privacy Policy

Effective Date: April 1, 2026

ChoreQuest ("we," "us," or "our") is a family chore management platform operated by Scott Steinmetz. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. We designed ChoreQuest with family privacy at the forefront, and we are committed to being transparent about our practices.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Account Information

When you create a ChoreQuest account, we collect:

• Email address — used for account login, password recovery, and important service notifications.
• Username — used to identify you within your household.
• Password — stored using industry-standard one-way hashing (bcrypt). We never store or have access to your plaintext password.

1.2 Household and Member Information

When you set up a household, you may provide:

• Household name — a label for your household group.
• Household member names — names or nicknames of family members participating in ChoreQuest. For children, we recommend using first names or nicknames only.
• Avatars — optional profile images or selected avatar icons.

1.3 Chore and Activity Data

As you use ChoreQuest, we store:

• Chore assignments, completion status, and history.
• Points earned, streaks, and achievement progress.
• Reward redemptions.

1.4 GPS Location Data

ChoreQuest includes an optional family location-sharing feature. When enabled on a device:

• We collect GPS coordinates from the device at regular intervals.
• Location data is used to display family member positions on a shared household map.
• On the Android app, background location tracking may run when the app is not in the foreground, if you have granted permission.
• Location data is visible only to members of your household.
• Each user can disable location sharing at any time with a single tap in their profile settings.

1.5 Device and Technical Information

When you use ChoreQuest, our servers may automatically receive:

• IP address (logged temporarily in standard web server logs).
• Device type, operating system, and browser or app version.
• Timestamps of requests.

We do not use third-party analytics services, tracking pixels, or advertising SDKs. We do not fingerprint your device.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information solely to operate and improve ChoreQuest:

• To provide the service — managing accounts, households, chores, points, and location sharing.
• To communicate with you — sending password resets, security alerts, and important service announcements (never marketing spam).
• To maintain security — detecting unauthorized access and preventing abuse.
• To improve ChoreQuest — understanding usage patterns in aggregate to fix bugs and build better features.

3. What We Do NOT Do

• We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to anyone.
• We do not display advertisements.
• We do not use third-party analytics or tracking services.
• We do not share your data with data brokers.
• We do not use your data to build advertising profiles.
• We do not monetize your family's data in any way.

4. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

ChoreQuest is designed as a family platform, and we understand that children under 13 may use it under parental supervision.

4.1 Parental Consent and Control

• Children's accounts are created and managed by a parent or legal guardian who holds the household's primary account.
• We do not allow children under 13 to create accounts independently.
• Parents control all settings for their children's accounts, including whether location sharing is enabled.
• Parents can review, modify, or delete any data associated with their child's account at any time.

4.2 Limited Data Collection for Children

• For children's accounts, we collect only the minimum information necessary: a name or nickname, and chore/activity data.
• Children's accounts do not require an email address. The parent's email is used for the household.
• We do not collect more information from children than is reasonably necessary to participate in ChoreQuest.

4.3 Parental Rights

As a parent or guardian, you have the right to:

• Review the personal information we have collected from your child.
• Request deletion of your child's personal information.
• Refuse further collection or use of your child's information.
• Disable location tracking for your child's device.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at admin@steinmetz.ltd.

5. Data Storage and Security

5.1 Self-Hosted Infrastructure

All ChoreQuest data is stored on self-hosted infrastructure owned and operated by us. We do not use third-party cloud hosting providers (such as AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure) for your data. This means:

• Your data is stored on hardware we physically control.
• No third-party cloud provider has access to your data.
• We have direct control over all security measures protecting your data.

5.2 Security Measures

We take the following measures to protect your information:

• All data in transit is encrypted using TLS/HTTPS.
• Passwords are hashed using bcrypt and are never stored in plaintext.
• Database access is restricted and not exposed to the public internet.
• Services run in isolated containers with limited permissions.
• Regular security monitoring and automated vulnerability scanning.
• Access to infrastructure requires authenticated, encrypted connections.

5.3 Data Breach Notification

In the unlikely event of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify affected users by email within 72 hours of discovering the breach, along with details about what data was affected and what steps we are taking.

6. Data Retention and Deletion

6.1 Active Accounts

We retain your data for as long as your account is active and you continue to use ChoreQuest.

6.2 Account Deletion

You may request deletion of your account and all associated data at any time by contacting us at admin@steinmetz.ltd. Upon receiving a deletion request:

• We will delete your account and all personally identifiable data within 30 days.
• If you are a household owner, deleting your account will also delete the household and all associated member accounts.
• Server logs containing IP addresses are automatically rotated and purged within 90 days.

6.3 Location Data

GPS location data is retained for a maximum of 24 hours. After that, location history is automatically deleted. We do not maintain a long-term location history.

7. Data Sharing

We do not share your personal information with third parties except in the following limited circumstances:

• Legal requirements — if required by law, court order, or legal process.
• Safety — if necessary to protect the safety of any person or to address fraud or security issues.

We will never voluntarily share, sell, or license your data to advertisers, data brokers, or other commercial entities.

8. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data — request a copy of the data we hold about you.
• Correct your data — update or fix inaccurate information.
• Delete your data — request that we erase your account and all associated data.
• Disable location sharing — turn off GPS tracking at any time within the app.
• Export your data — request a machine-readable copy of your data.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at admin@steinmetz.ltd.

9. Cookies and Local Storage

ChoreQuest uses only essential cookies and local storage required for the service to function:

• Authentication tokens — to keep you logged in.
• User preferences — such as theme settings.

We do not use advertising cookies, tracking cookies, or any third-party cookies.

10. Android App (APK Distribution)

The ChoreQuest Android app is distributed as a direct APK download from our website, not through the Google Play Store. This means:

• Google does not process or have access to your ChoreQuest data through app distribution.
• The app requests only the permissions it needs: internet access, location (optional, with your explicit consent), and notifications.
• You may need to enable "Install from unknown sources" on your device to install the APK.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make changes:

• We will update the "Effective Date" at the top of this page.
• For significant changes, we will notify registered users by email.
• Continued use of ChoreQuest after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, contact us at:

ChoreQuest
Operated by Scott Steinmetz
Email: admin@steinmetz.ltd