Privacy Policy

We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your data. Learn how we handle information when you use TapVoter for your elections.

Secure Data
Voter Privacy
Access Control
Data Protection

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: August 17, 2025

This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when using TapVoter.

1.Information We Collect

We collect and process the following types of information:

Administrator Account Data:

  • Email address and Firebase Authentication UID
  • Email verification status
  • Account creation and last login timestamps
  • Password (stored securely by Firebase Auth, never accessible to us)

Election Configuration:

  • Election names, descriptions, and organization names
  • Start and end dates/times with timezone settings
  • Voting method (single-choice or ranked-choice)
  • Position titles and candidate information
  • Candidate photos (automatically compressed with thumbnail generation)
  • Custom branding (logos, colors, fonts)
  • Language settings and custom label overrides
  • Draft elections (auto-saved during creation)

Voter Data:

  • Voter keys stored as HMAC SHA-256 hashes (original keys never stored)
  • Optional voter names and emails (if provided via CSV import)
  • Voter key usage status and timestamp when used
  • Vote records (stored anonymously, linked only to hashed voter keys)
  • Receipt IDs for vote verification

Technical and Session Data:

  • Browser timezone for accurate election scheduling
  • Session tokens via Firebase SDK (typically 1-hour expiration)
  • IP addresses for rate limiting (stored temporarily in memory only)
  • CSRF tokens for voting session security
  • Temporary file uploads during election creation

Third-Party Analytics:

  • Firebase Analytics (app performance, crash reports)
  • Google Analytics (usage patterns, if enabled)
  • Google reCAPTCHA v3 (bot detection scores)
  • Cloudflare (CDN logs, DDoS protection metrics)
  • Google AdSense (ad personalization cookies)

2.How We Use Your Information

Your information is used for the following purposes:

  • Providing and managing the TapVoter platform
  • Authentication and security verification
  • Preventing duplicate voting through access code validation
  • Generating anonymous election results and statistics
  • System monitoring and fraud prevention

3.Data Security

We implement multiple security measures to protect your data:

  • Voter Key Security: HMAC SHA-256 hashing with secret salt, original keys never stored
  • Authentication: Firebase Authentication with secure password hashing (scrypt)
  • Encryption: All data encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest in Firebase
  • Vote Privacy: Votes stored anonymously, separated from voter identities
  • Session Security: Firebase-managed tokens with automatic expiration
  • Attack Prevention: Constant-time comparison to prevent timing attacks
  • Rate Limiting: 10 requests/minute on election status checks, memory-based tracking
  • CSRF Protection: Token validation for all voting sessions
  • Bot Protection: Google reCAPTCHA v3 integration
  • Input Sanitization: All user inputs validated and sanitized
  • File Security: Upload validation for type and size limits
  • Failed Auth Delays: Random delays (0.5-1.5 seconds) on authentication failures
  • One-Time Keys: Voter keys expire with election and cannot be reused
  • Database Rules: Firebase Security Rules enforce granular access control
  • Automatic Cleanup: Regular removal of orphaned data and temporary files

4.Data Storage and Retention

We store your data securely with the following retention practices:

  • Election Data: Retained indefinitely until manually deleted by the administrator
  • Voter Keys: Stored as hashes indefinitely (even after election ends)
  • Vote Records: Permanently retained for audit and integrity purposes
  • Uploaded Images: Stored in Firebase Storage until the election is deleted
  • Draft Elections: Auto-saved with no automatic deletion
  • Session Data: Firebase handles expiration (typically 1 hour of inactivity)
  • Rate Limit Data: Stored in memory only, cleared after 1 minute
  • Activity Logs: Currently retained indefinitely for security auditing
  • Temporary Files: Automatically cleaned up after successful operations
Important:

Election administrators are responsible for deleting elections containing sensitive data when no longer needed. We do not automatically delete any election data.

5.Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate TapVoter:

  • Firebase (Google Cloud): Authentication, Firestore database, Storage, and Hosting
  • Google Analytics: Usage analytics and performance monitoring
  • Google reCAPTCHA v3: Bot detection and prevention
  • Cloudflare: Global CDN, DDoS protection, and Workers for email processing
  • Google AdSense: Display advertising to keep the service free
  • Resend: Transactional email delivery (when configured)
International Data Transfers:

Your data is primarily stored in Firebase/Google Cloud infrastructure in the United States. Data may be processed through Cloudflare's global network for performance and security. By using TapVoter, you consent to these international data transfers.

6.Voter Privacy

We maintain voter privacy through:

  • Anonymous vote storage separate from voter identities
  • One-time use access codes for vote verification
  • Limited administrator access to voting data
  • Aggregate-only results display
Important Note:

While administrators can see who has participated in an election, they cannot see how individual voters voted. This ensures vote privacy while maintaining election integrity.

7.Your Rights

As a user, you have the right to:

  • Access your personal information
  • Request correction of inaccurate data
  • Request deletion of your account
  • Receive information about how your data is processed
  • Opt-out of non-essential data collection
  • Export your data in a portable format

8.Data Export & Portability

TapVoter provides data export functionality that allows you to download your information:

What's Included in Your Export:

  • Account information (email, creation date)
  • Election metadata (names, descriptions, dates)
  • Aggregated election statistics
  • Election configuration settings
  • Summary of total positions and candidates

What's Protected and Not Exported:

  • Individual voter keys (for security)
  • Individual vote records (for privacy)
  • Voter email addresses and identities
  • Detailed voting patterns or preferences
  • Any data that could compromise vote anonymity
How to Export Your Data:

Access your Dashboard → Account Settings → Quick Actions → Export My Data. Your data will be downloaded as a JSON file containing all your non-sensitive information.

9.Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies for:

  • Authentication and session management
  • Security and fraud prevention
  • Remember user preferences
  • Analytics (with user consent)

You can control cookie settings through your browser preferences.

10.Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy periodically. Significant changes will be communicated through:

  • Notifications on the TapVoter platform
  • Email notifications to registered administrators
  • Updates to the effective date of this policy

11.Contact Information

For privacy-related questions or concerns, contact us at:

Last updated: August 17, 2025 | Version 2.0

Questions About Privacy?

If you have any questions or concerns about our privacy policy or how we handle your data, please don't hesitate to contact us.

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