Privacy Policy

Effective Date: November 9, 2025

Last Updated: November 9, 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to Maseria - Track What Matters! This Privacy Policy explains how Maseria LLC ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal information when you use the Maseria mobile application (the "App").

We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring transparency about our data practices. By using the App, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Who We Are:

Company: Maseria LLC
Website: https://www.maseria.com
Email: contact@maseria.com
Address: 30 N Gould St Ste N, Sheridan, WY 82801

2. Key Definitions

Personal Information: Information that identifies, relates to, describes, or is reasonably capable of being associated with you, including but not limited to your email address, device identifiers, and usage data.

Third-Party Services: External service providers that we use to operate the App, including Google Sign-In, Apple Sign In, and Google AdMob.

3. Information We Collect

3.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you create an account and use the App, we collect:

Email Address: Collected during account registration to identify your account and communicate with you.
Profile Information: During registration, you are required to provide your gender and generation (e.g., Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X, Baby Boomer) to personalize your App experience.
Authentication Information: When you sign in using Google Sign-In or Apple Sign In, we receive your email address and may receive additional profile information (such as name and profile picture) that you authorize these services to share with us.
News Preferences: Your selected news topics, categories, and content preferences that you choose within the App. This information is used to customize your news feed according to your interests.
Watchers (Entity Tracking): You can create "Watchers" to track specific topics, people, places, organizations, or other subjects that appear in news coverage. We store your watcher configurations and the topics you choose to follow.
Account Settings: Your app store country, system language, local news preferences, and other settings you configure in the App.

3.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use the App, we automatically collect:

Device Information: Device type, operating system version, device manufacturer, unique device identifiers (IDFA on iOS, Advertising ID on Android), app store country.
Reading Behavior: Information about which news articles and digests you access. This helps us understand user preferences and improve our content curation.
Article Reactions: Your emoji reactions to news articles. We store which articles you reacted to and what reaction you gave. Reactions are displayed to other users in aggregated form only; other users cannot identify you from reaction data.
Location Data: When you enable the "local news" feature, we access your device's GPS location to show you localized news. We do not permanently store your precise GPS coordinates; we only store your app store country and local news preference setting.
Usage Information: How you interact with the App, including features used (such as Watchers, news digests, article sharing), time spent in the App, navigation patterns, and which news categories you browse.
Local Data Storage: The App may store certain content on your device to improve performance. You can clear this data through your device settings.
Log Data: We automatically collect server and application logs for security monitoring, fraud prevention, and technical troubleshooting:
- Server Logs: IP addresses, timestamps, requested endpoints (URLs), and HTTP status codes. These logs are retained for up to 90 days, then automatically deleted.
- Application Logs: User account creation events, authentication errors, system errors, and app crashes that may include your user ID. These logs are retained for up to 90 days, then automatically deleted.
Rewarded Ad Interactions: When you watch rewarded video advertisements to unlock premium features (such as Watcher statistics or timeline views), we track which ads you've watched, when you watched them, and which features were unlocked. This information is verified through AdMob to ensure proper reward delivery.

3.3 Information Provided by Authentication Services

When you create an account using third-party authentication, we receive information from these providers:

Google Sign-In: If you authenticate using Google, we receive your email address and any profile information (such as name and profile picture) that you authorize Google to share with us. Google's privacy practices are governed by their Privacy Policy.
Apple Sign In: If you authenticate using Apple, we receive your email address (or Apple's private relay email if you choose to hide your email) and any profile information you authorize Apple to share with us. Apple's privacy practices are governed by their Privacy Policy.

3.4 Information Collected Directly by Third Parties

Certain third-party services collect information directly from you or your device through their software development kits (SDKs) or when you access external content:

Google AdMob: When you view advertisements in the App, AdMob collects your device's advertising identifier (IDFA on iOS, Advertising ID on Android) and usage data directly from your device to serve personalized ads. On iOS, this collection is subject to Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework and your consent. AdMob's data practices are described in Google's AdMob Privacy Information.
Sentry: The Sentry SDK integrated into our App collects error information, crash data, device information (device type, OS version), and session interaction recordings directly from your device to help us identify and fix bugs. Sentry's data practices are described in their Privacy Policy.
Third-Party News Publishers: When you view news articles in the App's WebView, you are accessing content from third-party news publisher websites. These publishers operate independently and may collect your personal information, use cookies and tracking technologies, display their own advertisements, and process your data according to their own privacy policies. We are not responsible for their privacy practices. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of the websites you visit.

3.5 Session Recording for Error Analysis

To identify and fix technical issues, we use Sentry to record user sessions in two scenarios:

100% of sessions where errors occur: When the app crashes or encounters errors
10% of all sessions: Randomly selected sessions, even if no errors occur, to help us identify usability issues

These session recordings capture:

Your screen interactions: Taps, swipes, scrolls, and navigation between screens
Visible screen content: All text and images displayed on your screen during the session, including article titles, news headlines, search queries you enter, and your saved watcher topics
Device information: Device type, OS version, and app performance metrics

What we do NOT capture: Session recordings automatically exclude passwords and payment information.

Purpose and retention: Session recordings are used exclusively to reproduce and fix bugs, improve app stability, and resolve technical issues. We do not use session recordings for advertising or profiling purposes. Recordings are retained for up to 90 days, then automatically deleted.

Sentry's data practices are described in their Privacy Policy.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

Account Management: To create and manage your account, authenticate your identity, and provide customer support.
App Functionality: To operate the App, deliver content, personalize your experience based on your preferences, and improve our features.
Communication: To send you important updates about the App, respond to your inquiries, and provide customer support.
Analytics and Improvement: To understand how users interact with the App, analyze usage patterns, identify bugs, and improve the App's performance and features.
Advertising: To display advertisements through AdMob. Note: We do not use your email, gender, or generation information for ad targeting. AdMob may use your device's advertising ID to show personalized ads based on your consent and device settings.
Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, or enforceable governmental requests.
Safety and Security: To protect against fraud, unauthorized access, and other security risks.

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share your information only in the following circumstances:

5.1 Information We Share with Third-Party Service Providers

We share certain information with trusted third-party service providers to operate the App. These providers are contractually obligated to use your data only for the purposes we specify:

Service Provider	Purpose	What We Send to Them	Privacy Policy
Google Sign-In	User Authentication	Authentication requests (they send us back your email and profile data)	Google Privacy Policy
Apple Sign In	User Authentication	Authentication requests (they send us back your email and profile data)	Apple Privacy Policy
Google AdMob	Advertising & Rewarded Ads	Ad requests, rewarded ad completion status, feature unlock events	AdMob Privacy Info
Sentry	Error Monitoring & Session Replay	User ID (not email), device information, error logs, app crash reports, session recordings including visible screen content (article titles, search queries, watcher topics, text and images on screen)	Sentry Privacy Policy

Important Distinction: The table above shows data WE actively send to third parties. Some third parties (like AdMob and news publishers) also collect data directly from your device or browser, as described in Section 3.4. We do not control that direct collection.

5.2 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to:

Valid legal processes (subpoenas, court orders, warrants)
Requests from government authorities or law enforcement
Situations involving potential threats to public safety or the rights and property of Maseria LLC
Enforcement of our Terms of Service or this Privacy Policy

5.3 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the acquiring entity. We will notify you via email or prominent notice in the App before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

6. Maseria App Features and Data Collection

6.1 Watchers - Entity Tracking

The "Watchers" feature allows you to track specific named entities that appear in news articles (such as people, locations, organizations, products, or events). When you create a Watcher, we store your watcher configuration, the entity you're tracking, and creation timestamp.

Some Watcher features (detailed statistics and timeline views) require watching rewarded video advertisements to unlock temporarily.

6.2 News Digests

Maseria provides curated news digests tailored to your preferences. Your reading history and preferences are used to personalize your experience. Your personal information is not shared with third parties for content curation purposes.

6.3 Article Sharing

You can share news articles using your device's native sharing functionality (iOS Share Sheet or Android Share menu). Sharing is handled by your device's operating system. Maseria does not track where you share articles or with whom.

6.4 Future Features and Data Collection

We may introduce new features that require collecting additional personal information (such as notification preferences for push alerts, saved content for bookmarking features, or payment information for subscription services). Before implementing features that materially change our data collection practices, we will update this Privacy Policy and notify you through the App.

7. Advertising and Tracking

7.1 Personalized Advertising

We use Google AdMob to display advertisements in the App. AdMob may use your device's advertising identifier to show you personalized ads based on your interests.

7.2 Rewarded Video Advertisements

To unlock certain premium features (such as Watcher statistics and timeline views), you can watch rewarded video advertisements. When you watch a rewarded ad:

AdMob tracks that you completed viewing the ad
We record which feature you unlocked and when
The unlocked feature remains available for a limited time
You can watch additional ads to re-unlock features as needed

Rewarded ads are currently the only way to access these premium features.

7.3 Your Advertising Choices

You can control personalized advertising through your device settings:

iOS (Apple): Use your device's Settings app to manage tracking preferences under the Privacy or Privacy & Security section. You can disable app tracking and limit personalized ads through Apple Advertising settings.
Android (Google): Use your device's Settings app to access Google account settings and manage ad personalization preferences. You can opt out of personalized advertising through the Ads section.

Note: Opting out of personalized advertising does not mean you will see fewer ads; you will still see the same number of ads, but they may be less relevant to your interests.

7.4 Third-Party Cookies and Tracking in WebView

Our App does not use cookies directly for tracking. However, when you view news articles or other content within the App's in-app browser (WebView), you are accessing third-party news publisher websites that may:

Set cookies and similar tracking technologies on your device
Collect your personal information according to their own privacy policies
Display their own advertisements and track ad interactions
Use analytics tools to monitor your behavior on their sites
Share your data with their own third-party partners

Important: Maseria does not control these third-party tracking practices. Each news publisher operates independently with its own privacy policy and data collection practices. We strongly encourage you to review the privacy policies of the news websites you visit. Maseria is not responsible for the data practices of third-party news publishers.

8. Device Permissions

To provide you with the best experience, the Maseria app requests the following permissions from your device:

Location Services (GPS): Accessed only when you enable the "local news" feature to filter and show you localized or regional news content. Your precise GPS coordinates are not permanently stored. You can enable or disable location services at any time through your device settings. This permission is optional, but local news features will not work without it.
Network Access: Required for the App to communicate with our servers and deliver content. The App requires an internet connection to function properly.

You can manage these permissions at any time through your device's Settings app. Note that disabling network access will prevent the App from functioning, as it is not designed for offline use.

9. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information under applicable privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), and similar state privacy laws.

9.1 Rights Available to You

Right to Know: You can request information about the personal information we have collected about you, including the categories of information, sources, purposes for collection, and third parties with whom we share it.
Right to Access: You can request a copy of the specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
Right to Correct: You can request that we correct any inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
Right to Delete: You can delete your account directly within the App. To delete your account, tap the settings gear icon in the top right corner of the app, then navigate to "About Maseria" and tap the "Delete Account" button. When you delete your account:
- Permanently Deleted (after 30-day recovery period):
  - Email address and authentication credentials
  - User ID and account profile
  - News preferences and category selections
  - Watcher configurations and tracked entities
  - Reading history
- Anonymized and Retained (for statistical analysis only):
  - Articles you read (reading records are disassociated from your identity)
  - Emoji reactions to articles (your reactions are detached from your account)
  - Demographic information (gender, generation, app store country)
  These anonymized data points cannot be traced back to you personally and are retained only in aggregate form for statistical purposes and to improve the user experience for all users.
We retain your data for 30 days after deletion to allow for account recovery in case of accidental deletion or unauthorized access.
Right to Data Portability: You can request a copy of your personal information in a portable, machine-readable format (such as JSON or CSV) by contacting us at contact@maseria.com. We will provide your data within 45 days of your verified request.
Right to Opt-Out: You can opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of your personal information (as defined by applicable law). Note: We do not sell your personal information in the traditional sense, but sharing data with AdMob may be considered a "sale" under some state laws.
Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your privacy rights. You will not be denied services, charged different prices, or receive a different level of service for exercising your rights.

9.2 How to Exercise Your Rights

Account Deletion: You can delete your account directly through the App. Tap the settings gear icon in the top right corner, navigate to "About Maseria," and tap the "Delete Account" button. No need to contact us.
Data Export/Access Requests: Email us at contact@maseria.com with your request. We will verify your identity by sending a confirmation email to your registered email address.
Other Privacy Requests: Contact us at:
- Email: contact@maseria.com
- Mail: Maseria LLC, 30 N Gould St Ste N, Sheridan, WY 82801

When you submit a request, we may ask you to provide additional information to verify your identity. We will respond to verified requests within 45 days (or as required by applicable law). If we need more time, we will notify you of the extension and the reason.

9.3 Authorized Agents

You may designate an authorized agent to submit requests on your behalf. The authorized agent must provide proof of their authority to act on your behalf, and we may require you to verify your identity directly with us.

10. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

We do not sell your personal information for monetary consideration. However, under certain state privacy laws (such as CCPA), sharing data with advertising partners like AdMob may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of personal information.

To opt out of this data sharing for advertising purposes:

Disable personalized advertising through your device settings (see Section 7.3 above)
Contact us at contact@maseria.com to request that we limit sharing your information with advertising partners

11. Data Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement reasonable technical, administrative, and physical security measures to protect your data, including:

Encryption: We use industry-standard encryption (TLS/SSL) to protect data transmitted between your device and our servers, and we encrypt sensitive data at rest.
Access Controls: Access to personal information is restricted to authorized personnel only, based on the principle of least privilege.
Secure Authentication: We use trusted third-party authentication services (Google Sign-In and Apple Sign In) that implement robust security measures to protect your credentials.
Regular Security Assessments: We conduct regular security reviews and vulnerability assessments to identify and address potential risks.
Monitoring: We monitor our systems for suspicious activity and potential security breaches.

Important Note: While we strive to protect your personal information, no security system is impenetrable. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data. If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is no longer secure, please contact us immediately.

12. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy or as required by law.

12.1 Retention Periods

Active Account Data: We retain your account information (email, gender, generation, preferences, app store country, language settings) for as long as your account is active.
Deleted Account Data: When you delete your account through the App, we retain your data for a limited recovery period (typically 30-90 days) to allow for account recovery in case of accidental deletion or unauthorized access. After the recovery period:
- We permanently delete: Email, user ID, authentication credentials, news preferences, watcher configurations, and reading history.
- We anonymize and retain: Article reactions, demographic data (gender, generation, app store country), and read status—these are completely disassociated from your identity and retained only in aggregate form for statistical analysis.
Reading History: Information about which articles you've opened and read is retained for as long as your account is active. Upon account deletion (after the recovery period), your reading history is deleted, but anonymized read status is retained for statistical purposes.
Article Reactions: Your emoji reactions to articles are stored while your account is active. When you delete your account, your individual reactions are anonymized—we retain aggregated reaction counts for statistical purposes, but these cannot identify you.
Watchers: Your watcher configurations and tracked entities are retained for as long as your account is active. When you delete a specific watcher, its data is deleted immediately. When you delete your account, all watcher data is deleted after the recovery period.
News Preferences & Settings: Your topic selections, category preferences, and local news settings are retained for as long as your account is active and deleted with your account (after the recovery period).
Locally Stored Content: Content cached on your device is stored locally until you clear the app's cache through your device settings or reinstall the app. This content is not stored on our servers.
Rewarded Ad Data: Records of which ads you watched and which features you unlocked are retained for up to 90 days for fraud prevention and verification purposes, then automatically deleted.
Server Logs: Server access logs containing IP addresses, timestamps, and request data are retained for up to 90 days for security monitoring and fraud prevention, then automatically deleted.
Application Logs: Application logs containing user IDs, error messages, and system events stored on our servers are retained for up to 90 days for debugging and security purposes, then automatically deleted.
Usage and Analytics Data: Aggregated, anonymized usage data that cannot identify you personally may be retained indefinitely for analytics and research purposes.
Legal Compliance Data: We may retain certain information longer if required by law, to resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, or for legitimate business purposes (e.g., fraud prevention).

12.2 Third-Party Service Retention

Third-party services we use (Google Sign-In, Apple Sign In, Google AdMob, and Sentry) retain data according to their own policies. For specific information, please refer to their privacy policies linked in Section 3.

13. Children's Privacy

The Maseria app is intended for users who are at least 13 years old. We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

Age Restrictions:

To create an account, you must be at least 13 years old (the minimum age to create an Apple ID or Google account).
While our app has a 4+ age rating for content, account creation and use require users to meet the age requirements set by Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
If you are under 18, we recommend that you obtain parental consent before using the App.

If You Believe We Have Collected Information from a Child Under 13:

If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take immediate steps to delete that information. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us at contact@maseria.com.

14. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify affected users and comply with all applicable data breach notification laws.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons.

How We Notify You of Changes:

Material Changes: If we make significant changes that materially affect your rights or how we use your personal information, we will notify you through the App (via a prominent notice or pop-up) and may require you to review and accept the updated Privacy Policy before continuing to use the App.
Minor Changes: For non-material updates (such as clarifications or formatting changes), we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy and post the revised policy in the App.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about our data practices. Your continued use of the App after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

16. State-Specific Privacy Rights

16.1 California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have specific rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), including:

The right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose
The right to request deletion of your personal information
The right to correct inaccurate personal information
The right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information
The right to limit the use of sensitive personal information (if applicable)
The right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights

Categories of Personal Information We Collect (CCPA Disclosure):

Identifiers (email address, device IDs, authentication tokens)
Demographic information (gender, generation, app store country)
Internet or network activity (articles read, reading behavior, emoji reactions, news preferences, watchers created, usage patterns, time spent in app, session recordings capturing visible screen content including article titles and search queries)
Geolocation data (real-time GPS location for localized news filtering - not permanently stored)
Commercial information (rewarded ad interactions, features unlocked)
Preferences and settings (news topics, categories, local news preferences, language settings)

Shine the Light: California residents may request information about our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. We do not share your personal information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes.

16.2 Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Other State Residents

If you reside in Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, or Utah, you have comprehensive privacy rights under your state's consumer data protection law, including:

The right to confirm whether we process your personal data and access that data
The right to correct inaccuracies in your personal data
The right to delete your personal data
The right to obtain a copy of your personal data in a portable format
The right to opt out of the processing of personal data for targeted advertising
The right to opt out of the sale of personal data (note: we do not sell personal data)
The right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

If you reside in other states with comprehensive privacy laws, you may have similar rights. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 9.2.

17. International Users

The Maseria app is operated from the United States. If you are located outside the United States, please be aware that information we collect will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country.

By using the App, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and the processing of that information as described in this Privacy Policy.

18. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Email: contact@maseria.com
Website: https://www.maseria.com
Mailing Address: Maseria LLC, 30 N Gould St Ste N, Sheridan, WY 82801

We will respond to your inquiries as soon as possible and in accordance with applicable law, typically within 45 days.

This Privacy Policy is effective as of November 9, 2025 and was last updated on November 9, 2025.