Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Cinnect. We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Service.

Please read this privacy policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the Service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information You Provide

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide when you:

• Register an account: Name, email address, username, password, and date of birth
• Complete your profile: Profile picture, bio, and favorite genres
• Use social features: Reviews, comments, messages, and community posts
• Contact us: Any information included in your correspondence

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you access the Service, we automatically collect:

• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, device type
• Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent, clicks, and navigation patterns
• IP Address: For security, analytics, and approximate location
• Cookies: Small files stored on your device to improve your experience

2.3 Third-Party Authentication

If you sign in using Google OAuth, we receive:

• Your Google account email address
• Your name and profile picture (if available)
• A unique identifier for your Google account

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Create and manage your account
• Provide personalized movie and TV show recommendations
• Enable social features like reviews, comments, and messaging
• Calculate and display achievements, rankings, and gamification features
• Send notifications about activity relevant to you
• Improve and optimize our Service
• Detect, prevent, and address security issues or abuse
• Communicate with you about updates, support, or promotional offers
• Comply with legal obligations

4. Information Sharing

We may share your information in the following situations:

4.1 Public Information

Certain information is publicly visible on your profile (unless set to private):

• Username and profile picture
• Reviews, ratings, and comments
• Community posts and participation
• Followers and following lists
• Achievement badges and level

4.2 Service Providers

We may share information with third-party vendors who provide services such as:

• Cloud hosting and storage (database services)
• Image hosting (Cloudinary for profile pictures)
• Email delivery (for notifications and verification)
• Analytics and performance monitoring

4.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required by law, legal process, or government request, or to protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property.

5. Data Security

We implement appropriate security measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS)
• Secure password hashing (bcrypt)
• JWT-based authentication tokens
• Rate limiting to prevent abuse
• Regular security reviews and updates

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

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services. We will also retain and use your information as necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal purposes.

7. Your Privacy Rights

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

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data
• Portability: Receive your data in a machine-readable format
• Opt-out: Unsubscribe from marketing communications
• Restriction: Limit how we use your data

To exercise these rights, please contact us at the email address below or use the settings in your account.

8. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Essential Cookies: Necessary for the Service to function (authentication, preferences)
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how users interact with our Service
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may limit your ability to use some features of our Service.

9. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.

Users between 13 and 18 may use the Service with parental consent and may have restricted access to adult content.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. These countries may have different data protection laws. By using our Service, you consent to such transfers.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically.