Privacy Policy
SparkForge LLC (“SparkForge,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, share, and safeguard your personal information when you use the CashText service.
1. Introduction
This Privacy Policy applies to the CashText platform, including our website at cashtext.io and our SMS-based messaging service (collectively, the “Service”). By accessing or using the Service, you agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information as described in this Privacy Policy.
We encourage you to read this Privacy Policy carefully and in its entirety. If you do not agree with the practices described herein, please do not use the Service. This Privacy Policy is incorporated into and forms a part of our Terms of Service.
If you are a California resident, please see Section 7 (California Privacy Rights) for additional disclosures required under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA).
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide to Us
When you register for and use the CashText Service, we collect the following information that you voluntarily provide:
- Phone Number: Your U.S. mobile phone number, used as your primary account identifier and for delivering SMS/MMS messages.
- Full Name: Your first and last name, used for account identification and payout processing.
- Email Address: Used for account communications, payout notifications, and customer support.
- ZIP Code: Used for geographic targeting of offers and compliance with regional regulations.
- State of Residence: Used for legal compliance and geographic targeting of promotions.
- Age / Date of Birth: Used to verify that you meet the minimum age requirement of 18 years and for demographic targeting of offers.
- Gender: Used for demographic targeting of promotional offers.
- Interest Categories: The categories you select during registration (minimum of five), used to personalize the offers and promotions you receive.
- Referral Code: If you were referred by another CashText user, the referral code used during registration.
2.2 Information We Collect Automatically
When you interact with the Service, we automatically collect certain information:
- Message Delivery Data: Information about the delivery status of messages sent to you, including timestamps, delivery confirmations, and failure reports.
- Activity Data: Records of your interactions with the Service, including messages received, opt-in and opt-out events, payout requests, account changes, and engagement with promotional offers.
- Device Information: When you access our website, we may collect information about your device, including device type, operating system, browser type and version, screen resolution, and unique device identifiers.
- Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies on our website to collect information about your browsing activity, session data, and preferences. You may manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.
2.3 Information from Third Parties
We may receive information about you from third-party service providers that assist us in operating the Service:
- Twilio: Our SMS messaging provider, Twilio, provides us with message delivery status reports, including delivery confirmations, failure notifications, and carrier-level error codes. Twilio does not share the content of your messages with us beyond what we originate.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Data Used |
|---|---|
| Account creation and authentication | Phone number, name, email, OTP verification |
| Delivering personalized promotional messages | Phone number, ZIP code, state, age, gender, interest categories |
| Processing payouts and rewards | Name, email, phone number, balance and activity records |
| Customer support and communications | Name, email, phone number, account activity |
| Fraud detection and prevention | Phone number, device information, activity patterns, IP address |
| Service improvement and analytics | Aggregated usage data, delivery statistics, engagement metrics |
| Legal compliance and regulatory obligations | All categories as required by applicable law |
| Demographic targeting of offers for advertisers | Aggregated demographics: ZIP, state, age range, gender, interests (never phone, name, or email) |
| Referral program administration | Referral code, phone number, account status |
4. How We Share Your Information
4.1 Advertisers
We share aggregated, de-identified demographic data with our advertising partners to help them understand the audience receiving their promotions. This data may include aggregated ZIP code regions, age ranges, gender distributions, and interest category breakdowns.
We do NOT share your phone number, name, or email address with advertisers. Advertisers never receive personally identifiable information that could be used to directly contact you outside of the CashText platform.
4.2 Service Providers
We share your information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, including:
- Twilio: Our SMS/MMS messaging infrastructure provider. Twilio processes your phone number and message content to deliver text messages. Twilio’s use of your data is governed by their own privacy policy.
- Airtable: Used for data management and record-keeping related to accounts, campaigns, and operational data.
- Vercel: Our web hosting provider, which processes standard web traffic data including IP addresses, device information, and browsing activity on our website.
- Payout Providers: Third-party payment processors that facilitate payouts to users. These providers receive your name and payout details necessary to process your payment.
All service providers are contractually obligated to use your information only for the purposes for which it was shared and to maintain appropriate security measures.
4.3 Affiliate Networks
When you engage with promotional offers that involve affiliate relationships, certain transaction data (such as click identifiers and conversion events) may be shared with affiliate networks to track and attribute referrals. This data does not include your name, phone number, or email address.
4.4 Legal Requirements
We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) comply with a legal obligation, court order, subpoena, or government request; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of SparkForge LLC; (c) prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Service; (d) protect the personal safety of users of the Service or the public; or (e) protect against legal liability.
4.5 Business Transfers
In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, bankruptcy, or other sale of all or a portion of our assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email or prominent notice on our website of any change in ownership or uses of your personal information, as well as any choices you may have regarding your information.
5. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Specific retention periods are as follows:
| Data Category | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Account information (name, email, phone, demographics) | 12 months after account closure or last activity |
| Message records (content, delivery status, timestamps) | 24 months from date of message |
| Payout and financial records | 7 years (to comply with tax and financial reporting requirements) |
| Server logs and access records | 90 days |
| Consent records (opt-in, opt-out) | 5 years (TCPA compliance requirement) |
Deletion Requests: Upon receiving a valid deletion request, we will delete or de-identify your personal information within thirty (30) days, except where retention is required by law or for legitimate business purposes as described above.
6. Your Rights and Choices
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Deletion: You have the right to request the deletion of your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions.
- Opt-Out of SMS Messages: You may opt out of receiving promotional text messages at any time by replying STOP to any CashText message.
- Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information: We do not sell your personal information in the traditional sense. However, to the extent that sharing aggregated demographic data with advertisers constitutes a “sale” or “sharing” under applicable law, you have the right to opt out. To exercise this right, contact us at support@cashtext.io.
- Correction: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate personal information we hold about you.
- Data Portability: Where technically feasible, you have the right to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@cashtext.io. We will respond to your request within the timeframes required by applicable law.
7. California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)
If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):
- Right to Know: You have the right to request that we disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the categories of sources from which it was collected, the business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling it, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it.
- Right to Delete: You have the right to request that we delete the personal information we have collected about you, subject to certain exceptions permitted by law.
- Right to Correct: You have the right to request that we correct inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
- Right to Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing: You have the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. While we do not sell personal information in the traditional sense, we provide this right in compliance with the CCPA/CPRA.
- Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA/CPRA rights. We will not deny you the Service, charge you different prices, provide a different level of service, or suggest that you will receive a different price or level of service for exercising your rights.
Response Timeframe: We will acknowledge your verifiable consumer request within ten (10) business days and provide a substantive response within forty-five (45) days of receiving your request. If we require more time (up to an additional 45 days), we will inform you of the reason and the extension period in writing.
Verification: To protect your privacy and security, we will verify your identity before processing your request. Verification may require you to provide your phone number, email address, and/or confirm recent account activity.
Authorized Agents: You may designate an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf. We may require verification that you authorized the agent to act on your behalf.
8. Data Security
We implement industry-standard technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. Our security measures include:
- Encryption in Transit: All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using Transport Layer Security (TLS).
- OTP Authentication: Account access is secured through one-time password (OTP) verification sent to your registered mobile phone number.
- JWT Admin Authentication: Administrative access to our systems is protected by JSON Web Token (JWT) authentication with role-based access controls.
- Environment Variables: Sensitive configuration data, API keys, and credentials are stored as environment variables and are never exposed in client-side code or public repositories.
- Access Controls: Access to personal information is restricted to authorized personnel who require it to perform their job functions.
While we strive to use commercially reasonable means to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information.
9. Children’s Privacy
The CashText Service is not intended for use by anyone under the age of eighteen (18). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take immediate steps to delete such information. If you believe that we may have collected information from a child under 18, please contact us at support@cashtext.io.
10. Third-Party Links
Our Service and promotional messages may contain links to third-party websites, products, or services that are not owned or controlled by SparkForge LLC. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit. This Privacy Policy applies only to the CashText Service.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you by: (a) posting the updated Privacy Policy on our website with a new “Effective Date”; and (b) sending you a notice via SMS or email. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of the revised Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the changes.
12. Contact Information
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: