1. Who we are

Verdant Grow Diary is operated by Matthew Tyler Cheek (the "Seller"), an individual sole proprietor based in the United States. For the personal data described below, the Seller acts as the data controller.

2. What personal data we collect

Account data: email address, hashed password or OAuth identifier, display name.
Grow content: diary entries, photos, cultivar notes, and other content you choose to upload.
Sensor data: environmental readings you connect or upload (temperature, humidity, VPD, soil, etc.), including source labels and timestamps.
Support communications: messages you send to support.
Usage and telemetry: pages visited, features used, device type, browser, IP address, and error logs — used for security and product improvement.
Payment metadata: subscription status, plan, and the last known transaction identifier from our payment provider. Full card details are handled by the payment provider and are never stored by us.

3. Why we process it (purposes and legal bases)

Providing the Service (contract performance) — creating your account, storing your grow data, generating reports, and running AI features you request.
Security and fraud prevention (legitimate interests) — abuse detection, rate limiting, audit logs.
Customer support (contract / legitimate interests) — responding to your inquiries.
Product improvement (legitimate interests) — aggregate, non-identifying usage analysis.
Legal compliance (legal obligation) — tax, accounting, and responding to lawful requests.
Marketing communications — only with your consent, which you may withdraw at any time via the unsubscribe link.

4. Who we share data with

Merchant of Record — Paddle.com Market Ltd. Paddle processes payments, manages subscriptions, and handles refunds and tax compliance as the Merchant of Record for our orders.
Infrastructure and hosting subprocessors — database, storage, edge function, and email delivery providers used to run the Service.
Analytics — privacy-respecting analytics used to understand aggregate usage. See "Cookies" below.
Professional advisers — legal, accounting, or insurance advisers where necessary.
Authorities — where required by law or valid legal process.

We do not sell your personal data. We do not share your grow content with third parties for marketing.

5. International transfers

The Service is operated from the United States. If you are located outside the United States, your data will be transferred to and processed in the United States. Where required (for example transfers from the UK or EEA), we rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses.

6. Data retention

We retain personal data for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period afterwards to meet legal, tax, and audit obligations. When data is no longer needed we delete or anonymize it. You can request export or deletion of your grow content at any time.

7. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, port, or object to our processing of your personal data, and to withdraw consent. UK/EEA users additionally have the right to lodge a complaint with their supervisory authority. To exercise these rights, email privacy@verdantgrowdiary.com. We will respond within one month.

8. Security

We use appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal data, including encryption in transit, access controls, row-level security on user data, and audit logging. No system is perfectly secure; we will notify affected users of any material incident as required by law.

9. Cookies

We use a small number of cookies and similar technologies:

Essential — required for authentication and to remember your session.
Analytics — help us understand aggregate usage of the Service.

You can manage cookies through your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies may prevent the Service from working.

10. Children

The Service is not directed to children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated in-app or by email.

12. Contact

Matthew Tyler Cheek — Verdant Grow Diary. Privacy inquiries: privacy@verdantgrowdiary.com.