Privacy Policy

What we collect

Information you provide

• Account information (email address, name)
• Photos you upload of your pieces
• Details about your pieces (form, size, clay body, stage of completion, notes)
• Studio information (firing cones, clay types, kiln types, glaze recipes)
• Questions, descriptions, and conversations with the AI assistant
• Feedback you provide (ratings, comments, feature requests)

Information collected automatically

• Usage data (features used, time spent, interactions)
• Device and browser information
• Log data (IP address, access times, pages viewed)

How we use it

We use this information to:

• Track your pieces through each stage of creation
• Provide AI-powered guidance on techniques, glaze chemistry, and troubleshooting
• Analyse photos to help identify piece details and potential issues
• Send reminders and notifications about your studio workflow
• Improve MudBuddy's accuracy, features, and AI capabilities
• Train our AI to better serve the pottery community
• Provide customer support and respond to your enquiries

Who can see it

• The MudBuddy project team
• Service providers we use to run the app (e.g. Supabase for data storage, OpenAI for AI processing)

We do not sell or share your data with third parties for advertising or marketing purposes.

Third-party services

MudBuddy uses the following third-party services to operate:

• Supabase - Database and authentication. Your data is processed according to Supabase's Privacy Policy
• OpenAI - AI processing for guidance and image analysis. Data sent to OpenAI is processed according to OpenAI's Privacy Policy

When you use MudBuddy, your data (including photos and conversations) may be sent to these services for processing. We choose providers with strong privacy and security practices.

Cookies and tracking

MudBuddy uses the following tracking technologies:

• Essential cookies - Required for authentication and basic functionality
• Session storage - To maintain your login state and preferences
• Analytics - We use PostHog to understand how users interact with MudBuddy and improve the service. PostHog collects anonymised usage data and does not track you across other websites.

Most browsers allow you to control cookies through settings. Disabling essential cookies may prevent MudBuddy from functioning properly.

Data security

We take reasonable measures to protect your information:

• Data is stored securely using Supabase's encrypted database infrastructure
• Authentication is handled securely through industry-standard protocols
• Data transmission is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS
• Access to user data is restricted to authorised team members only

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

How long we keep it

We may retain submissions (including photos) indefinitely for research, improvement, and educational use.

If you'd like your data or photos removed, please contact us at: dom@thethinkershed.com

Your rights

You have the right to:

• Request access to your data
• Request corrections to your data
• Request deletion of your data or photos
• Withdraw consent for data processing
• Export your data in a portable format

To exercise these rights, contact us at dom@thethinkershed.com

GDPR rights (EU users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Right to access - Obtain a copy of your personal data
• Right to rectification - Correct inaccurate data
• Right to erasure - Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to data portability - Receive your data in a machine-readable format
• Right to object - Object to certain types of processing
• Right to restrict processing - Limit how we use your data

Our legal basis for processing your data is your consent and our legitimate interest in providing and improving the service.

International users

MudBuddy is operated from Australia. Your data is stored in servers located in Australia through Supabase. When you use AI features, your data may be processed by OpenAI, which may involve servers in the United States.

By using MudBuddy, you consent to the transfer of your information to countries outside your country of residence, which may have different data protection rules.

Children's privacy

MudBuddy is not intended for use by children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you become aware that a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete such information.

Updates to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make significant changes, we'll notify you by email (if you have an account) or by posting a notice on our website. Changes take effect when we update the "last updated" date at the top of this page.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.