Privacy Policy

The Commons Privacy Policy

Last updated April 16, 2026

The Commons helps communities capture conversations, generate transcripts and summaries, gather votes and rankings, and share clear outputs after a session. This Privacy Policy explains what information The Commons may collect, how it is used, when it is shared, and what choices are available to people who use the service.

1. Information The Commons may collect

Account and organization information

If you create an account, sign in as a host, request a demo, or are invited by an organization using The Commons, the service may collect information such as your name, email address, organization name, role, and related account details.

Session content

When a session uses recording or transcription features, The Commons may collect audio, transcript text, summaries, themes, votes, rankings, comments, prompts, and other content created during the session.

Participant check-ins and demographic information

Organizations may configure optional participant check-ins to understand who is present and who may be missing from a conversation. Depending on the session design, this may include non-sensitive demographic fields and, in some cases, protected or sensitive demographic categories. The exact fields collected depend on how the hosting organization configures the session.

Device, usage, and diagnostics information

The Commons may collect limited technical information needed to operate, secure, and improve the service, such as app version, device type, error logs, crash information, and related performance data. If analytics or diagnostics tools are enabled in a given release, those tools may collect interaction or diagnostic events consistent with this policy and the app's App Store privacy disclosure.

Support and communications

If you contact The Commons for help, request deletion, or submit feedback, the service may collect the information you provide in that request and any follow-up communications related to it.

2. How information is used

  • To operate sessions, join people to the correct conversation, and produce transcripts, summaries, themes, votes, rankings, and related outputs.
  • To provide organizers and authorized participants with access to session results.
  • To maintain security, prevent misuse, troubleshoot issues, and monitor service reliability.
  • To respond to support requests, deletion requests, and other communications.
  • To improve service quality, workflows, facilitation tools, and product performance.
  • To comply with legal obligations and enforce applicable terms.

3. Sharing and disclosure

The Commons does not sell personal information and is not designed around third-party advertising or cross-app tracking.

Information may be shared in the following situations:

  • With the hosting organization and authorized users. Session outputs may be available to the organization running the session and to participants or administrators the organization authorizes.
  • With service providers. The Commons may use vendors or subprocessors to host data, provide authentication, support transcription, generate summaries, monitor errors, or operate the service. Those providers are expected to process data only for approved service purposes.
  • For legal or safety reasons. Information may be disclosed if reasonably necessary to comply with law, protect rights, investigate abuse, or address security incidents.
  • In connection with a business transfer. If the service is reorganized, merged, or transferred, relevant information may be transferred as part of that transaction subject to applicable law.

4. Retention

Retention depends on the type of information and the settings chosen by the hosting organization.

  • Session audio may be retained or deleted after processing depending on the organization's configuration.
  • Transcripts, summaries, votes, rankings, and other outputs may be retained for as long as needed to provide the service to the organization, unless deleted earlier.
  • Support records and technical logs may be retained for operational, security, and compliance purposes.

5. Choices, permissions, and deletion

The Commons may ask for access to device features such as the camera to scan QR codes and the microphone to record an authorized session. These permissions are requested only when relevant to the feature in use.

Where The Commons offers attribution settings, organizers may choose whether outputs are anonymous, grouped, or named. Optional demographic questions may also be omitted depending on the session configuration.

Users can initiate account deletion from inside the iOS app or through the public account deletion page. Deletion may remove the account and associated personal data unless The Commons is legally required to keep certain records or the hosting organization remains entitled to retain specific session outputs under applicable terms.

When an account is deleted, organization-level membership and saved profile data are removed from future demographic pools. Historical session records may keep de-identified attendance, voting, and submitted demographic aggregates so already-published reports and organizational session records remain accurate without identifying the deleted account.

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6. Children's privacy

The Commons is not intended to knowingly collect personal information from children in violation of applicable law. Organizations using The Commons are responsible for selecting age-appropriate sessions, obtaining any required participant notice or consent, and configuring the service in a lawful way for their audience.

7. Changes to this policy

The Commons may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect product changes, legal obligations, or operational updates. When this policy changes materially, the updated date at the top of the page will be revised.