Important Notice: PsycheMap is currently a demonstration application. The data handling practices described below are specific to this demo environment, which primarily utilizes your browser's local storage. For a real-world application handling sensitive personal data, comprehensive, legally compliant privacy and data protection measures, including robust backend systems and legal counsel, would be essential.
1. What Data Does This Demo Store & How?
In this demo version of PsycheMap, most of the data you generate is stored directly in your web browser's local storage. This means the data primarily resides on your device and is not transmitted to or stored on a central PsycheMap server for most user interactions.
Types of data stored in your browser's local storage include:
- Mock User Authentication Details: If you use our mock login/signup, your chosen name, email, and mock authentication status (including admin or premium status for demo purposes, and related dates/preferences) are stored locally.
- Onboarding Information: Responses to intake questions (age range, gender, self-reflection interest) and motivational questions (primary problem area, specific challenges, commitment level, areas of interest) are stored locally.
- Assessment Progress & Answers: Your progress through assessments and the answers you provide are saved in local storage to allow you to resume or review them.
- Computed Results & AI Insights: Any results calculated from assessments or insights generated by the AI (e.g., for journal entries, relationship matrix, general insights) are stored locally.
- Journal Entries & Mood Check-ins: Your daily journal entries and mood check-in data are saved in your browser.
- Vision, Goals & Tasks: Data related to your Vision & Goal Setting Navigator, SMART goals, and Task Planner items are stored locally.
- User Preferences: Settings like preferred theme, background, hidden book recommendations, and book reading statuses are stored locally.
- Feedback & Contact Messages (Admin View): If you use the admin panel, messages from the contact form and feedback submissions are stored in local storage for demonstration purposes.
- Error Logs (Admin View): Client-side errors are logged to local storage for debugging in the demo.
- Development-related Data (Admin View): Data for the Roadmap Admin, Meta Prompt Manager, and Development Ideas viewer is stored in local storage.
This local storage approach is chosen for the simplicity of this demonstration and to allow you to explore features without requiring a backend database for user data. This is NOT how a production application handling sensitive personal data should operate.
2. Data Deletion & Control (Demo Context)
Since most data is stored in your browser's local storage for this demo:
- Clearing Browser Data: You have direct control. You can clear your browser's local storage for the PsycheMap.app site at any time. This will effectively delete all your locally stored PsycheMap data, including mock account details, assessment progress, results, and preferences. Be aware that this will log you out of the mock session and reset your experience.
- In-App Deletion (Admin): Admin users of this demo have access to a "Local Storage Manager" on their dashboard which includes a "Clear All" button to wipe all PsycheMap-related local storage data.
- Account Deletion (Mock): The "Delete Account" feature in the user profile (for mock authenticated users) also clears this local storage data.
For a real application, there would be a formal process to request data deletion from central servers, compliant with relevant privacy laws. You can learn more in our general Privacy Policy.
3. Data Download for Premium Users
PsycheMap offers a feature for its Premium users to download an aggregated report of their data. This report is provided in a human-readable text format and aims to include a comprehensive overview of the information they have generated within the platform, such as:
- User profile information (name, email, premium status, subscription date if applicable, phone number if provided).
- Onboarding data like stated interests and motivational responses.
- Completed assessment results, including answers (where applicable) and any generated insights (e.g., for Ikigai, Romantic Profile, or generic AI reviews).
- Journal entries and mood check-in logs.
- Vision & Goals data, including defined topic visions and SMART goals.
- Task Planner tasks.
- Chat history from AI features like Live Analysis and AI Relationship Coach.
- Reflections on daily quotes.
- Assessment survey responses you've submitted.
- Book preferences (owned/read statuses, hidden books).
This data download feature is a benefit of the PsycheMap Premium subscription and can be accessed from the user dashboard. The exact contents of the report may evolve as the platform develops.
4. Data Policies & Principles (Demo Context)
- Intended Use: Data collected in this demo (e.g., assessment answers) is used solely to power the features of the application for your interactive experience (e.g., generating mock results, providing AI insights for the demo).
- No Selling of Data: We do not sell any data generated within this demo application.
- AI Feature Data: When you use AI-powered features, anonymized or relevant contextual data (like your assessment answers for insight generation) is sent to the AI model provider (e.g., Google via Genkit) to generate a response. This data is processed according to their terms and privacy policies. We strive to minimize the data sent.
5. Regional Considerations & Future Production Apps
This PsycheMap demo is accessible globally. However, for a real-world, production application that collects and processes personal data, strict adherence to regional data privacy laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)/California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), and others would be mandatory. The local storage approach of this demo is NOT sufficient for compliance with these laws for a production system.
Building a compliant production application would involve:
- Robust backend infrastructure with secure data storage.
- Clear consent mechanisms for data collection and processing.
- Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) with any third-party service providers (like AI model providers).
- Implementing user rights management (access, rectification, erasure, portability).
- Conducting Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) where necessary.
- Appointing a Data Protection Officer (DPO) if required.
- Maintaining detailed records of processing activities.
- Implementing appropriate security measures (encryption, access controls, etc.).
Startups navigating these laws should invest in legal counsel specializing in data privacy to ensure their architecture, policies, and procedures are fully compliant from the outset. Trying to "minimize exposure" by ignoring these laws is not a viable or ethical strategy for a real business.
6. Transparency and Trust (Considerations for Real Apps)
For production applications, transparency about data handling is crucial for building user trust. Services like SafeBase (which PsycheMap might use in a future production version, as indicated on our Trust Center page) can provide a centralized portal for customers to view security posture, compliance certifications (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001), and other trust documentation. However, such a portal complements, rather than replaces, robust internal privacy and security practices and clear, legally sound policies.
7. Contact Us
If you have questions about data handling in this demo application, please contact us at privacy@psychemap.app (placeholder) or via our Contact Page.