1. Introduction

Auster ("we," "our," or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our quantitative research platform.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By using Auster, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

We collect information you directly provide to us, including:

Account Information: Name, email address, username, and password when you create an account
Profile Information: Bio, research interests, and profile picture
Payment Information: Billing address and payment card details (processed securely by Stripe)
Content: Research, models, analyses, and other content you create or upload
Communications: Messages you send to us or other users
Preferences: Your notification settings and communication preferences

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use Auster, we automatically collect certain information:

Usage Data: Features used, pages visited, time spent, and actions taken
Device Information: Browser type, operating system, device identifiers
Log Data: IP address, access times, referring URLs
Cookies: Session cookies and persistent cookies (see Section 6)

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information from third-party services:

Social Login: If you sign in with Google, we receive your name, email, and profile picture
Analytics Providers: Aggregated usage statistics and performance data
Payment Processors: Transaction confirmation and fraud prevention data
Financial Account Aggregation (Plaid): If you choose to link your brokerage accounts, we use Plaid Inc. ("Plaid") to securely connect to your financial institutions. Plaid collects and transmits your account information (holdings, balances, transaction history) to us. We do not receive or store your login credentials—these are handled securely by Plaid.

2.4 Plaid Financial Data

Financial Account Linking via Plaid

When you connect your brokerage or investment accounts through Plaid, you authorize Plaid to access and transmit the following information on your behalf:

Account Information: Account name, type (brokerage, IRA, 401k), and account identifiers
Holdings: Securities held, quantities, cost basis, and current values
Balances: Cash balances and buying power
Transactions: Investment transaction history (buys, sells, dividends, transfers)

By using Plaid to connect your accounts, you acknowledge and agree that your personal and financial information will be transferred, stored, and processed by Plaid in accordance with the Plaid End User Privacy Policy.

Important: We never receive, store, or have access to your financial institution login credentials. All authentication is handled securely by Plaid using bank-level encryption.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

Provide, maintain, and improve the Platform
Create and manage your account
Process payments and subscriptions
Send you technical notices, updates, and support messages
Send marketing communications (with your consent)
Respond to your comments, questions, and requests
Monitor and analyze trends, usage, and activities
Detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent transactions and abuse
Personalize and improve your experience
Comply with legal obligations

4. Email and Notification Preferences

You have full control over your communication preferences.

During registration and at any time in your account settings, you can choose to:

Economic News Brief: Weekly roundup of key economic indicators and market-moving data
Options Market Brief: Curated analysis of options setups and volatility trends
Product Updates: New features, improvements, and announcements
In-App Notifications: Real-time alerts for price targets and events

You can opt out of marketing emails at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any email or by updating your preferences in Settings. Note that you will still receive transactional emails related to your account (e.g., password resets, billing confirmations).

5. Information Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

5.1 With Your Consent

We may share information when you direct us to do so, such as when you publish research publicly or share models in the marketplace.

5.2 Service Providers

We share information with third-party vendors who perform services on our behalf:

Supabase: Database and authentication services
Stripe: Payment processing
Plaid: Financial account aggregation and data retrieval
Resend: Email delivery
Vercel: Hosting and analytics
Azure: Cloud computing and real-time services

5.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government request, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect rights, property, or safety.

5.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any change in ownership or use of your personal information.

6. Consent

We obtain your consent for the collection, processing, and storage of your data in the following ways:

Account Creation: By creating an account, you consent to our collection and use of your information as described in this policy
Financial Account Linking: When you choose to link your brokerage accounts via Plaid, you provide explicit consent through Plaid's secure connection flow. You can revoke this consent at any time by unlinking your accounts in Settings
Marketing Communications: We obtain opt-in consent before sending marketing emails. You can withdraw consent at any time
Cookies: We use essential cookies for platform functionality. Analytics cookies require your consent

You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at privacy@austerian.com or through the account settings. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

7. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to:

Keep you logged in to your account
Remember your preferences and settings
Understand how you use the Platform
Improve performance and user experience

Types of Cookies We Use

Essential Cookies: Required for the Platform to function (e.g., authentication)
Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and choices
Analytics Cookies: Help us understand usage patterns

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling cookies may affect your ability to use certain features.

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data, including:

Encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest
Secure authentication with password hashing
Regular security assessments and monitoring
Access controls and audit logging
Secure payment processing through PCI-compliant providers

While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. We may retain certain information as required by law or for legitimate business purposes, such as:

Resolving disputes and enforcing agreements
Complying with legal obligations
Preventing fraud and abuse

When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.

10. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Access: Request a copy of your personal data
Correction: Request correction of inaccurate data
Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data
Portability: Request transfer of your data to another service
Objection: Object to certain processing of your data
Restriction: Request restriction of processing
Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

To exercise these rights, please contact us at privacy@austerian.com or use the account settings in the Platform. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

11. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

Right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose
Right to delete your personal information
Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

12. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for such transfers, including standard contractual clauses approved by relevant authorities.

13. Children's Privacy

Auster is not intended for users under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. For material changes, we will provide additional notice via email or through the Platform.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Auster Privacy Team

Email: privacy@austerian.com

For data protection inquiries in the EU, you may also contact our Data Protection Officer at dpo@austerian.com