Privacy Policy
Ask Michael
1. Who We Are
Ask Michael is operated by:
MJF Enterprises LLC 3334 East Coast Highway #332 Corona del Mar, CA 92625 United States Email: support@askmichaelfranzese.com
The Service is offered in the United States and is intended for adults aged 18 and older.
2. Information We Collect and How We Use It
2.1 Account
When you register, we collect your email address. We use it to create your account, sign you in, and send account emails (for example, password resets).
2.2 AI Conversations
Ask Michael is an AI advisor. To generate replies, the text of the messages you send is transmitted to large-language-model providers:
- Primary provider: Anthropic PBC (Claude), USA. Anthropic does not use your inputs or outputs to train its models.
- Fallback provider: OpenAI, L.L.C. (GPT-4o), USA. Used only when the primary provider is temporarily unavailable, so your reply is never lost. OpenAI does not store your requests beyond processing them and does not train on them.
Each message is also checked by OpenAI's moderation service to detect abusive or harmful content before an answer is generated.
Your conversations are stored in your account so you can return to them. We also log metadata (timestamp, model, token count). After 30 days this metadata is pseudonymized, and after 90 days the remaining links to individual conversations are removed.
2.3 Voice Input
When you record a voice message, the audio is transcribed by our own transcription service on our servers in the United States. The audio is processed in memory and not stored. The transcribed text is then handled like a typed message (Section 2.2).
2.4 Photo and Document Attachments
When you attach a photo or document, the file is uploaded to our storage and its content is sent together with your message to the AI provider described in Section 2.2, so the advisor can read it. Attachments are kept with the conversation until you delete the chat or your account.
2.5 Spoken Replies
The first time you tap the speaker icon next to a reply, we ask for your permission before sending the reply text to ElevenLabs, Inc. (USA) for voice synthesis. Without your permission no text is sent and playback stays off. The generated audio is streamed to your device and not stored on our servers. You can withdraw your permission at any time under Account → Preferences ("Voice playback").
2.6 Live Avatar
On plans that include the live avatar, the synthesized audio of Michael's reply is sent to our avatar provider to animate the avatar on your device. Your microphone and camera are never sent.
2.7 Push Notifications
If you allow notifications on your device, your account ID and device push token are sent to OneSignal, Inc. (USA) to deliver them. You can turn notifications off at any time in your device settings.
2.8 Purchases
Subscriptions are purchased on our website through Stripe, Inc. (USA). Stripe collects your payment details and email address; we never receive your full card number. We receive the subscription status, plan, and the email address used for the purchase so we can link the subscription to your account.
2.9 Usage Analytics
We collect usage data (for example, the number of requests per day) to improve the product and plan capacity. You can opt out of analytics in the App.
2.10 Error Reports
When the App or our servers encounter an error, a report (device type, app version, error details) is sent to Functional Software, Inc. (Sentry), USA. Personal data is removed before transmission, and reports are deleted after 7 days.
3. Categories of Personal Information
| Category | Examples | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identifiers | Email address, account ID, device push token | You, your device |
| Commercial information | Plan, subscription status, purchase history | You, Stripe |
| Audio information | Voice recordings (transcribed, not stored) | You |
| Content you provide | Messages, attachments, transcribed voice input | You |
| Internet or device activity | Usage events, app version, error reports | Your device |
We use this information only to provide, secure, and improve the Service, to communicate with you about your account, and to comply with legal obligations.
4. Service Providers
We share personal information only with service providers that process it on our behalf and under contract:
| Provider | Purpose | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase, Inc. | Database, sign-in, conversation and attachment storage | USA |
| Hetzner Online GmbH | Server hosting (incl. voice transcription) | USA (Ashburn, VA) |
| Anthropic PBC | AI replies (primary) | USA |
| OpenAI, L.L.C. | AI replies (fallback), content moderation | USA |
| ElevenLabs, Inc. | Spoken replies | USA |
| Spatius | Live avatar animation | To be confirmed |
| OneSignal, Inc. | Push notifications | USA |
| Stripe, Inc. | Payments and subscription management | USA |
| Resend | Account emails | USA |
| Cloudflare, Inc. | Network security and delivery | USA |
| Functional Software, Inc. (Sentry) | Error monitoring | USA |
5. We Do Not Sell or Share Your Personal Information
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We do not use your conversations to train AI models, and our AI providers are contractually prohibited from doing so. Because we do not sell or share personal information, there is nothing to opt out of; we nevertheless treat a Global Privacy Control signal as a valid opt-out request.
6. Retention
| Data | Retention |
|---|---|
| Account data | Until you delete your account |
| Conversations and attachments | Until you delete the chat or your account |
| Usage metadata | Pseudonymized after 30 days, links to conversations removed after 90 days |
| Error reports (Sentry) | 7 days |
| Billing records (without account link, after account deletion) | As required by tax law, then deleted |
| Admin audit log (pseudonymized) | 3 years |
7. Your Privacy Rights
You can delete your account at any time in the App under Settings → Delete Account. Your personal data is removed within 30 days.
Depending on the state you live in (including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, and other states with consumer privacy laws), you have the right to:
- Know and access the personal information we have collected about you, including the categories, sources, purposes, and recipients
- Obtain a copy of your personal information in a portable format
- Correct inaccurate personal information
- Delete your personal information
- Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information and of targeted advertising (we do neither)
- Appeal a decision we make about your request
To exercise these rights, email support@askmichaelfranzese.com from the address registered with your account. We will verify your identity by confirming that address and respond within 45 days. You may use an authorized agent; we will ask for proof of the agent's authority. If we deny your request, you may appeal by replying to our decision, and we will respond within 45 days.
We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.
8. Children
The Service is not directed to children. You must be at least 18 years old to use it, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
9. Security
We use technical and organizational measures (encryption in transit and at rest, access control, pseudonymization, row-level security) to protect your data. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure.
10. Changes to This Policy
If we make material changes, we will notify you by email or in-app notice at least 14 days before they take effect.
11. Contact
Questions about this policy or your data: support@askmichaelfranzese.com
MJF Enterprises LLC 3334 East Coast Highway #332 Corona del Mar, CA 92625 United States
This privacy policy is a draft and must be reviewed by US privacy counsel prior to publication.