Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Controller: Samia Harris Enterprises, operating CitizenSpotlight at https://citizenspotlight.com. Privacy requests: privacy@citizenspotlight.com. Access, deletion, and export: Settings, /legal/privacy-request, or /legal/data-export when signed in.

2. Data we collect

You give us: display name, email, password hash, profile fields, reports, chat, tips, booking requests, verification ID if you upload it, and acceptance records (acceptedTermsAt, termsVersion).

Created by use: IP address, device/browser, language, approximate location from IP, pages viewed, live-view heartbeats, crash or error logs, and security signals (rate limits, bot checks, CSRF outcomes).

From media: live video/audio, recordings, thumbnails, live captions (and any translations or synthesized dub tracks), and technical metadata. We may read EXIF (including GPS) to verify a report. Public pages do not display raw GPS from EXIF.

From guests: display name and media you publish after an invite. Invite tokens identify a seat on a show, not a full account unless they sign up. Tokens typically last 24 hours or until revoked.

Payments: Stripe (the Shent account) handles card numbers. We store customer and subscription IDs, plan, and status — not full card PANs.

3. Why we use it

• Run accounts, sessions, and security (including CSRF, rate limits, 2FA, reserved handles, and abuse checks).
• Deliver live video, recordings, and VODs. Live shows on the default path are always recorded.
• Run guest invites, backstage, and on-air promotion.
• Verify reports, assign trust tiers, and handle flags, appeals, and DMCA.
• Send transactional email (verify, reset, VOD ready, go-live alerts you opted into).
• Bill studio plans and pay out tips when those features are on.
• Show house or contextual display ads on public pages.
• Generate live captions, optional translations, and (on qualifying plans) a dubbed voice track.
• Notify search engines (IndexNow; Google Indexing API for livestream URLs) that a public show page changed. Public URLs only.
• Improve the product with aggregated metrics and error logs.
• Comply with law and respond to lawful process.

Legal bases where GDPR applies: contract (providing the Service you asked for), legitimate interests (security, integrity of journalism tools, limited analytics), consent (optional emails, cookies that are not strictly necessary), and legal obligation (tax, lawful process, child-safety rules).

4. Cookies and similar

We use a session cookie to keep you signed in, a language cookie, and a CSRF token. These are required for the site to work. Display ad slots on public pages currently serve house creatives (studio plans) and do not set a third-party ad-tech cookie. If we later load a third-party ad or analytics cookie that is not strictly necessary, we will treat it as requiring consent where law requires a banner. Paradise Modern analytics, if present, collect page views as described in their notices.

5. Who we share with

We do not sell personal information. We do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising as a “sale” or “share” under CCPA/CPRA-style laws as of this date. California residents may still send a “do not sell” request; we will confirm that we do not sell. We share with processors who help us run the Service:

• Paradise Modern — site auth integration, email send, comms/LiveKit substrate, optional AI (headlines, translation), analytics if configured.
• LiveKit / our media cluster — realtime audio and video.
• Object storage (e.g. DigitalOcean Spaces) — recordings and uploads.
• Mux — only on the legacy non-PM path.
• Hosting — DigitalOcean application servers and databases.
• Payment processor (Stripe) — studio checkout and billing portal.
• Search engines — public URLs only, via sitemaps, IndexNow, and Google Indexing API.

We may disclose data if required by law, to protect people from serious harm, to investigate abuse, or in a merger or asset transfer (you would be notified if that happens).

6. International transfers

Servers are in the United States. If you use the Service from the EEA, UK, or similar regions, you understand your data is processed in the US. We rely on Standard Contractual Clauses with processors where required.

7. Retention

Account data lasts until you delete the account or we close it. Acceptance records stay with the account. VODs and reports remain while they are published or needed for a legal hold. Soft-deleted items may stay in backups for a limited period. Invite tokens expire (typically 24 hours) or when revoked. Logs are kept only as long as needed for security and debugging. Billing identifiers last as long as subscriptions, accounting, and law require.

8. Your rights

Depending on where you live you may access, correct, delete, or export your data, object to certain processing, or withdraw consent. Use Settings, the privacy request form, authenticated export, or email privacy@citizenspotlight.com. We may need to verify your identity. California residents may request the categories of data we collect and say “do not sell,” which we honor because we do not sell. We will not discriminate for exercising these rights. You may appeal a refusal by writing back and asking for a review.

See also Your Rights as a contributor (ownership, anonymous submission, appeals).

9. Children

The Service is not directed at children under 16 (or 13 in the US where that is the COPPA line). Under 18 requires parent or guardian consent. We delete accounts we learn are under-age. Parents may write privacy@citizenspotlight.com.

10. Security

Passwords are hashed. Admin access uses TOTP. Live paths use CSRF and session cookies. Rate limits and bot checks apply. No method is perfect. Tell us at privacy@citizenspotlight.com if you find a vulnerability — do not test production recording in a way that disrupts a live show.

11. Automated decisions

Trust tiers and some moderation signals are automated. They do not, by themselves, create a legal effect like a court judgment. You can appeal content actions through /appeals or by emailing us.

12. Recording notice

On the default path, going live always records. Guests put on air may appear in the live feed and the VOD. Hosts are responsible for consents, including for captions, translation, and dub. Field/panic tools create a public recorded show unless we say otherwise.

13. Changes

We will post updates here with a new effective date. Material changes to how we use personal data will be called out on this page. Where consent is required, we will ask for it.

14. Contact

privacy@citizenspotlight.com
Samia Harris Enterprises — CitizenSpotlight
https://citizenspotlight.com
Legal: legal@citizenspotlight.com