Garbage Smart
Privacy Policy
Your questions, your face, and your voice are yours. Garbage Smart collects the least it can to run a video question-and-answer service, uses it only for that, never sells it, and deletes it when you ask. This policy says exactly what that means. It applies to the Garbage Smart app and to this website.
What we collect and why
Identity and access. You sign in with Sign in with Apple. Apple gives us your email address, or a private relay address if you choose to hide yours, and a random identifier. We do not ask Apple for your name. You then choose a display name, which is shown next to your questions. We use these to keep your account, to show who asked what, and to reach you if there is a problem with your account.
Your town. When you send your first question we ask for your town, because garbage rules differ from place to place and the expert needs to know where you are. You can type it, or let the app fill it in once from your device's location. The app never tracks where you go, and your precise location is not stored; only the town name is. Your town is shown next to your questions.
Questions and answers. The videos you record are the point of the service. They are stored so moderators can review them, the expert can answer them, and you and other members can watch them. Each video is also transcribed automatically, and a one-line description is written from the transcript by an AI model. Both run inside our own Amazon Web Services account; no other company receives the video. The transcript and the description are shown next to the video to whoever can see it.
Notifications. If you allow notifications, the app registers a push token and a random device identifier so we can tell you when a question is approved or answered. Turn notifications off in the app's Settings or in iOS Settings at any time; the app works without them.
Correspondence. If you email us, we keep the email so we can answer it and refer back to it.
What we do not collect. There is no advertising, no analytics service, and no tracking of any kind. The app does not read your contacts, your photo library, or anything else on your device beyond the camera and microphone while you record and the one-time location lookup you may allow.
Who can see your questions
Every question is private until it is answered: only you, the moderators, and the expert can see it. Once answered, a public question appears in the feed for every signed-in member; a private one stays visible only to you, the moderators, and the expert. Public is the default. You can switch any question between public and private at any time from My Questions. Moderators review questions before the expert sees them and handle reports.
When we access or disclose your information
To run the service. Moderators and the expert see your questions as described above. Nobody at Garbage Smart looks at anything else unless you ask for help with it.
Service providers. Two companies process data on our behalf, under their own privacy commitments, which are at least as protective as this policy: Amazon Web Services stores and processes everything (in the US West region in Oregon), and Apple provides sign-in and delivers notifications. Neither may use your data for anything but providing those services.
When required by law. We disclose data only if legally compelled to, and we tell you first unless the law prevents it.
Never for sale, never for advertising. We do not sell or rent personal data, and we do not share it with advertisers or data brokers. If Garbage Smart were ever transferred to another owner, you would be told before any of your data changed hands.
Your rights
You can see everything the app holds about you inside the app: your display name and town in Settings, and every question with its answer, transcript, and description under My Questions. You can change your name and town in Settings.
You can delete any question at any time, whether or not it has been answered. You can delete your account from Settings. Either can also be done by emailing us from the address you signed in with.
You can withdraw any permission you gave the app (camera, microphone, location, notifications) in iOS Settings. Recording a question needs the camera and microphone; everything else works without them.
You can ask for a copy of your data, or ask us to correct something you cannot change yourself, by email. We answer within a few days and never treat you differently for asking.
How we secure your data
Everything travels over encrypted connections and is stored encrypted at rest. Videos live in private storage that is not reachable from the open internet; the app fetches them through signed links that expire after about an hour, so a link cannot be passed around. Only the moderators and the expert, who are named people with roles set by hand, can see anything that is not yours or public.
What happens when you delete something
Deleting a question removes it, its answer, and every video and transcript file behind them from our systems right away. Deleting your account removes your profile, every question you asked and everything behind those questions, your notification tokens, and your sign-in. There is no undo, and nothing is kept in a backup.
How long we keep it
As long as your account exists, so that your questions and their answers stay available to you. Delete a question or your account and it is gone as described above. Emails you send us are kept for as long as they are useful for helping you.
Children
Garbage Smart is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has an account, email us and we will delete it.
Where your data lives
Garbage Smart is operated from the United States and stores its data with Amazon Web Services in Oregon. If you use the service from elsewhere, your data is transferred to and handled in the United States.
Changes and questions
When this policy changes, the new version is posted at https://askgarbagesmart.com/privacy with a new effective date, and shown in the app. Questions about this policy or about your data: nathan@skone.org.
Adapted from the 37signals open-source policies, CC BY 4.0.