Privacy Policy

Effective date: April 30, 2026

NoiseGate is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and what rights you have over your data. By creating an account or using NoiseGate, you agree to the practices described here.

1. Information we collect

Account information

✦Email address — used for authentication, password resets, and product updates

✦Display name

✦Password — stored as a secure hash, never in plaintext

Content you create

✦Posts: question text, question type, answer options, and any context images you upload

✦Responses: selections, ratings, rankings, or short text answers you submit to others’ posts

Behavioral data

To maintain result integrity, NoiseGate automatically collects:

✦Response submission time — used to detect and flag low-quality responses submitted too quickly

✦Attention check results — pass/fail flag (see Section 4 for full disclosure)

✦Signal Score — a numeric reputation calculated from your response history and quality

Technical & usage data

✦IP address (collected automatically by our hosting provider, Vercel)

✦Browser type and operating system

✦Pages visited and features used

✦Session duration

2. How we use your information

✦To create and maintain your account

✦To provide core product functionality: publishing posts, collecting responses, displaying results

✦To calculate signal clarity, confidence tiers, and your Signal Score

✦To filter low-quality responses using behavioral quality controls (see Section 4)

✦To send transactional emails: account confirmation and password resets

✦To send product updates and announcements — you may opt out at any time

✦To improve the product using aggregated, anonymized usage data

✦To comply with legal obligations

4. Automated quality controls & silent filtration

NoiseGate uses behavioral quality controls to filter low-quality responses. These controls operate silently — respondents are not informed at the time of response that a quality check is occurring.

✦Every response session includes an embedded attention check with a verifiable correct answer

✦Responses submitted in under 4 seconds are automatically flagged as potentially low-quality

✦Responses that fail quality checks are recorded with a flag and excluded from filtered results

✦The respondent is never notified that their response was flagged or excluded

✦Post owners can see the count of filtered responses but cannot identify which respondents were filtered

This filtration is a core product function. It exists to protect the integrity of signal results. By using NoiseGate as a respondent, you acknowledge and consent to this automated quality assessment.

5. Signal Score

Every NoiseGate user has a Signal Score — a numeric reputation calculated from your response history and quality. Your Signal Score is:

✦Visible to you in the navigation bar

✦Displayed as one of four tiers: Seedling 🌱, Growing 🪴, Established 🌿, or Trusted 🌳

✦Used internally to weight responses in filtered results — high-trust scores carry more weight

✦Included in your data export if you request a copy of your data

If we ever use your Signal Score for automated decisions that significantly affect your access to the platform, we will disclose this and provide a right to human review, as required by applicable law.

6. Respondent anonymity

Post owners cannot identify individual respondents to their posts. Response data is presented only in aggregate. Individual response records are stored in our database for quality assurance purposes but are not exposed to post owners or any other user.

This is an intentional design decision — not a limitation. Anonymity produces more honest signal.

7. Data retention

✦Account data: retained while your account is active; deleted within 30 days of a deletion request

✦Post data: retained while your account is active; you may delete individual posts, which removes all associated responses

✦Response data: retained as long as the associated post exists

✦Behavioral / Signal Score data: retained while your account is active; deleted with your account

✦Server and access logs: retained per Supabase and Vercel’s default policies (typically 30–90 days)

8. Your rights

All users have the following rights, regardless of where they are located:

AccessRequest a copy of all personal data we hold about you.

DeletionRequest deletion of your account and all associated data.

CorrectionUpdate your account information at any time.

Data portabilityPost owners can export results as CSV. You may also request your full data in a machine-readable format.

Opt outUnsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the link in any email we send.

California residents have additional rights under the CCPA. EU and UK residents have additional rights under the GDPR and UK GDPR, including the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. We will respond to verified requests within 30 days.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at: [hunter@teamhat.org]

9. Cookies & tracking

Authentication cookies

Supabase uses session cookies to maintain your login state. These are strictly necessary and cannot be opted out of without losing access to your account.

No advertising cookies

NoiseGate does not use advertising networks, tracking pixels, or third-party analytics that track you across websites. We do not sell or share your data for advertising purposes.

10. Data security

✦All passwords are stored as secure hashes using bcrypt — never in plaintext

✦All data in transit is encrypted via HTTPS/TLS

✦Database access is controlled by Row Level Security (RLS) so users can only access their own data

✦API keys and secrets are never exposed in client-side code or public repositories

In the event of a data breach, we will notify affected users by email within 72 hours. If EU users are affected, we will also notify the relevant supervisory authority as required by GDPR.

11. Children's privacy (COPPA)

NoiseGate is not intended for children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you are under 18, do not create an account or submit any information through this service.

If we become aware that we have collected information from a child under 18, we will delete that account and all associated data immediately.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email and update the effective date at the top of this page. Your continued use of NoiseGate after a material change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy or want to exercise your data rights?

⚠️ This document has not yet been reviewed by a licensed attorney.