Privacy Policy for Lab

Effective Date: 1 February 2025

Privacy Policy Overview

This Privacy Policy describes how Hungry Dog Studios Ltd ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, shares, and safeguards your personal data when you access and use Lab, our website and mobile app (collectively, the "Service"). We aim to be transparent and thorough in explaining how your data is processed and to ensure that you feel confident and secure while using our platform. By using the Service, you agree to the practices outlined in this Policy.

1. Introduction

We are committed to protecting your personal data and complying with all relevant data protection laws, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This Policy explains the types of data we collect, why we collect it, how long we retain it, and the measures we take to safeguard your privacy. Protecting your data is integral to maintaining your trust and providing a reliable and secure platform.

2. Who We Are

Data Controller:
Hungry Dog Studios Ltd
Company Number: 13484705
71-75 Shelton Street, London, WC2H 9JQ, United Kingdom
Email: hello@hungrydogstudios.co.uk

Hungry Dog Studios Ltd is registered in the United Kingdom and is committed to upholding high standards in data protection. We have paid the required data protection fee, and if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback about this Privacy Policy or how your data is processed, feel free to reach out to us using the contact details above. We encourage open communication to address any concerns.

3. Data We Collect

Understanding the types of data we collect can help you better understand how we use and protect your information.

3.1 Personal Data You Provide

We collect personal data that you voluntarily provide when using the Service. This includes:

• Profile Information: Your username, email address, and, if provided, your self-declared location, Instagram profile URL, bio, and profile photo.

• Payment Information: Details required for subscriptions or paywalled content are processed through Stripe. (Note: We do not store full credit card details; Stripe securely handles these transactions.)

This information is essential to create your profile, manage your participation in the platform, and enable payment processing for premium services.

3.2 Automatically Collected Data

We automatically collect certain technical and usage data when you interact with the Service, including:

• Technical Data: IP address, browser type, operating system, and device information.

• Usage Data: Details about your interaction with the platform, such as pages visited, content accessed, and feature interactions.

• Cookies and Tracking: Information collected through cookies and similar tracking technologies. See our Cookie Policy for further details on how we use these technologies to enhance your user experience.

4. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data to operate the Service efficiently, improve its features, and ensure your overall experience is smooth and secure. Below are the main purposes:

• Account Management: Registering and maintaining your account, providing support, and responding to inquiries or issues you encounter.

• Service Delivery: Enabling communities to host content (e.g., video courses), facilitate discussions, and provide feedback (e.g., video annotations).

• Payments: Processing subscriptions and paywalled content through Stripe.

• Communications: Sending transactional emails (via Supabase Auth, Twilio SendGrid, and Stripe’s messaging services) and marketing messages where you have opted in.

• Performance and Security: Monitoring the Service’s performance using tools like Sentry and ensuring its integrity and security.

• Product Improvement: Using insights from usage data (collected through Supabase and Expo) to identify improvements and new feature development.

We ensure that data processing is limited to necessary and lawful purposes and aligns with your rights and expectations.

5. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data based on legal grounds that align with UK and EU data protection regulations. These include:

• Consent: When you explicitly provide consent, such as when subscribing to marketing communications.

• Contractual Necessity: To provide services associated with your membership or account.

• Legal Obligation: To meet requirements under legal regulations, such as fraud detection or reporting obligations.

• Legitimate Interests: To support operational needs, such as improving service functionality, provided these do not override your individual rights.

If you wish to withdraw consent for processing based on your approval, you may do so at any time using the unsubscribe link in communications or by contacting us directly.

6. Third-Party Service Providers

We collaborate with trusted third-party providers who help us deliver and improve the Service. These include:

• Netlify: For hosting our front end.

• Fly.io: For hosting and scaling our API server.

• Supabase: For authentication, storage, and database services.

• Bunnynet: For hosting larger video files.

• Mux: For processing and optimizing audio and video content.

• Sentry: For monitoring and logging errors or performance issues.

• Expo: For building and maintaining our mobile app and potentially hosting the web version.

• Stripe: For handling secure payment processing.

• Twilio SendGrid: For sending transactional and marketing communications.

Each provider is carefully vetted and required to adhere to strict data protection standards. We provide links to their respective privacy policies for your reference:

• Netlify Privacy Policy

• Fly.io Privacy Policy

• Supabase Privacy Policy

• Bunny.net Privacy Policy

• Mux Privacy Policy

• Sentry Privacy Policy

• Expo Privacy Policy

• Stripe Privacy Policy

• Twilio Privacy Policy

7. Data Sharing and Transfers

We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties. However, to deliver our services and comply with legal obligations, data sharing may occur under the following circumstances:

• Internal Sharing: Among employees and authorized contractors responsible for delivering the Service.

• External Sharing: With legal authorities if required by law or in response to legal proceedings.

• International Transfers: Your data may be transferred outside the UK to locations such as the EEA or the United States. When this occurs, we ensure that adequate safeguards, such as standard contractual clauses, are in place to protect your data.

8. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as necessary to fulfill its purpose and comply with legal obligations. For example, account and transaction data may be kept for up to six years to support legal and regulatory requirements, such as financial record-keeping or fraud prevention.

When data is no longer required, we either securely delete or anonymize it.

9. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security practices to protect your personal data. These include encryption protocols, secure server environments, and access controls. While we take all reasonable precautions, no system is 100% secure. If you suspect a data breach, contact us immediately.

10. Your Rights

Under UK and EU data protection laws, you have several rights, including:

• Access: The right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

• Rectification: The right to request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete data.

• Erasure: The right to request deletion of your data in certain cases.

• Restriction: The right to request limited processing of your data.

• Data Portability: The right to request a machine-readable copy of your data.

• Objection: The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests.

• Withdraw Consent: The right to withdraw consent where it applies.

To exercise these rights, contact us via the details provided in Section 2. We will respond within one month, though extensions may apply for complex requests.

11. Children’s Privacy

The Service is not intended for children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If we discover that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, we will delete it promptly. Please contact us if you believe this has occurred.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We regularly review this Privacy Policy to ensure compliance with legal standards and to reflect changes in our practices. Updates will be posted on this page with the revised "Effective Date." We recommend reviewing it periodically to stay informed.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or our data processing activities, please reach out to us:

Hungry Dog Studios Ltd
71-75 Shelton Street, London, WC2H 9JQ, United Kingdom
Email: hello@hungrydogstudios.co.uk

Please also review the Terms of Service for Lab before