Privacy policy

This page is used to inform visitors regarding TasteBuds’s policies with the collection, use, and disclosure of Personal Information.

If you choose to use TasteBuds, then you agree to the collection and use of information in relation to this policy. The Personal Information that TasteBuds collects is used for providing and improving the Service. TasteBuds will not use or share your information with anyone except as described in this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy applies beginning June 28, 2021. 

1. Where This Privacy Policy Applies

This Privacy Policy applies to websites, apps, events and other services operated by TasteBuds Holdings, LLC. For simplicity, we refer to all of these as our “services” in this Privacy Policy. 

Some services may require their own unique privacy policy. If a particular service has its own privacy policy, then that policy -- not this Privacy Policy -- applies.

2. Information Collection and Use

We collect basic information about you to create a basic profile to connect with other users on the platform to create a fun and engaging community for food lovers. We also collect information generated as you use our services, for example access logs, as well as information from third parties, like when you connect our services through a social media account. Please review below for more information. 

Information Collection

You choose to give us certain information when using our services. This includes:

  • You provide us with your email address and a unique username when you create an account as well as some other basic information for our service to work.

  • In your profile you can share additional information including a personal website, a bio, food allergies, cooking level, and a personal image to help other users identify you on the platform. To add a post to your account you can allow us to access your camera or photo album to share a photo of a recipe. Some of the information you choose to provide us may be considered “special” or “sensitive” in certain jurisdictions, for example your racial or ethnic origins, sexual orientation and religious beliefs. By choosing to provide this information, you consent to our processing of that information.

  • When you participate in surveys or focus groups, you give us your insights into our products and services, responses to our questions and testimonials.

  • When you choose to participate in our promotions, events or contests, we collect the information that you use to register or enter.

  • If you contact our customer care team, we collect the information you give us during the interaction. Sometimes, we monitor or record these interactions for training purposes and to ensure a high quality of service.

  • If you ask us to communicate with or otherwise process information of other people (for example, if you ask us to send an email on your behalf to one of your friends), we collect the information about others that you give us in order to complete your request.

  • We also process information from the recipe posts you share and the recipe posts you save to your profile. 

  • Facebook page information is collected if you use your Facebook or Instagram page to login to TasteBuds.  It is also collected if you connect your account to share posts from TasteBuds directly to Facebook or Instagram.

Information Use

In addition to the information you provide us directly, we receive information about you from others, including:

  • Other Users Other users may provide information about you as they use our services. For instance, we may collect information about you from other users if they contact us about you.

  • Other Partners We may receive info about you from our partners, for instance where TasteBuds ads are published on a partner’s websites and platforms (in which case they may pass along details on a campaign’s success).

Information collected as you use our services

When you use our services, we collect information about which features you’ve used, how you’ve used them and the devices you use to access our services. See below for more details:

  • Usage Information We collect information about your activity on our services.  This includes but is not limited to date and time you logged in, features you’ve been using, searches, referring webpage address, advertising that you click on and how you interact with other users.  For example, recipe posts you like and comment, time and date when you like and comment on recipe posts, number of posts you save and share.

  • Device information We collect information from and about the device(s) you use to access our services, including:

    • hardware and software information such as IP address, device ID and type, device-specific and apps settings and characteristics, app crashes, advertising IDs (such as Google’s AAID and Apple's IDFA, both of which are randomly generated numbers that you can reset by going into your device’ settings), browser type, version and language, operating system, time zones, identifiers associated with cookies or other technologies that may uniquely identify your device or browser (e.g., IMEI/UDID and MAC address);

    • information on your wireless and mobile network connection, like your service provider and signal strength;

    • information on device sensors such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and compasses.

3. Cookies, Pixels, and Tracking

Cookies are used to allow sites or service providers to recognize and capture certain information. This is done through small files that transfer from a website to your computer’s hard drive through your web browser. 

We use cookies to deliver a personalized experience when visiting our website. Cookies may also be used by third-party service providers to allow us to better understand our site visitors. Third-parties do not have access to any personally identifiable information. These companies may use cookies, pixels or other technologies to collect and use non personally identifiable information (hashed data, browser type, time and date, subject of advertisements interacted with) in order to tailor future advertisements. It is also possible 3rd parties use persistent identifiers which anonymously track your internet behavior and usage beyond our website. Please visit Digital Advertising Alliance at http://aboutads.info and Networking Advertising Initiative at http://networkadvertising.org/choices for more information.  Google uses cookies and DART cookies to create advertisements based on visits to TasteBuds’s sites.  It is possible to opt out of the use of DART cookies by visiting Google ad and content network privacy policy.

Some devices and web browsers offer a DNT or “Do Not Track” functionality. If this is enabled, TasteBuds information and disclosure practices will continue to operate as outlined in this Privacy Policy.

4. Information Use

We use your information mainly to deliver and improve our services. Other reasons we may use your information is to keep the TasteBuds community safe and to tailor advertisements that you are more likely to be interested in. Below are additional reasons we may use your information with more detail and examples. 

To manage your account

  • Create and manage your registration as a user of the service

  • The personal data you provide may give you access to enhanced functionalities of TasteBuds

To connect you with other users

  • Recommend other TasteBud users with similar activity and preferences to help you find relevant recipes and posts to save to your account.

  • Show users’ profiles to one another to access recipes content other users have saved to the platform.

To provide a consistent experience across devices

  • We link devices and browser data,  by using partial or full IP, to allow you to have the same or similar user experience across all devices.

To contact you

  • To contact you by email, mobile application's push notifications regarding updates or informative communications related to the functionalities, products or contracted services.

To serve you relevant offers and ads

  • Promote sweepstakes, contests, discounts or other offers that are relevant to you

  • Develop, display and track content and advertising relevant to your interests on our services and other sites

To update our services 

  • Analyze current user behavior to create improvements on the platform that will substantially improve the TasteBuds App. For example, we may decide to substantially modify features in the app based on collecting user behavior in the app. 

  • Develop new features and services to better address the needs of the TasteBuds community

For other purposes 

  • We may use Your information for other purposes, such as data analysis, identifying usage trends, determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns and to evaluate and improve our Service, products, services, marketing and your experience.

To prevent illegal or unauthorized activities

  • Address ongoing or alleged misbehavior conducted through the use of TasteBuds

  • Analyze and review data to perform countermeasures against any alleged illegal behavior

  • Store data related to fraudulent or illegal behavior to prevent reoccurrences

To ensure legal compliance

  • Comply with all local legal requirements

  • Assist law enforcement when requested and necessary

  • Enforce or exercise our rights, including our Terms

5. Shared Information

As a user of the TasteBuds app, most of the information that is shared is with other users on the platform.  We also may share some user information with partners and/or service providers that are part of the TasteBuds platforms.  In rare circumstances, your information may be shared with legal authorities upon request. Additional information is below.

With other users
As a user of TasteBuds, any information you add to your profile including basic profile information, posts, comments on recipes are shared with other users on TasteBuds.  

With our service providers and partners

Third parties are used to help create and enhance our existing services. Some examples include email marketing, advertising, data hosting and maintenance, analytics and advertising.  Before sharing any information with a third party we go through a strict vetting process and present providers with a confidentiality agreement. 

For corporate transactions
We may transfer your information if we are involved, whether in whole or in part, in a merger, sale, acquisition, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, bankruptcy or other change of ownership or control.

6. How We Protect Your Information

We work hard to make sure your data is kept private and only shared to enhance your user experience.  Our team routinely monitors for potential vulnerabilities and attacks to ensure your information is kept safe. As a technology company, we cannot promise that there is absolute security with your personal information even with the appropriate safeguards in place and this should be understood as a user of the platform.

If TasteBuds has reason to believe that your account is causing a breach in security we hold the rights to suspend your account without notice.  If you have reason to believe that any of your account information is no longer secure, please notify us here.

7. CCPA Privacy Rights (Do Not Sell My Personal Information)

Under the CCPA, among other rights, California consumers have the right to:

  • Request that a business that collects a consumer's personal data disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal data that a business has collected about consumers.

  • Request that a business delete any personal data about the consumer that a business has collected.

  • Request that a business that sells a consumer's personal data, not sell the consumer's personal data.

  • If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us.

All requests can be submitted directly here. 

8. GDPR Data Protection Rights

We would like to make sure you are fully aware of all of your data protection rights. Every user is entitled to the following and may contact us directly here:

  • The right to access – You have the right to request copies of your personal data. 

  • The right to rectification – You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate. You also have the right to request that we complete the information you believe is incomplete.

  • The right to erasure – You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions. 

  • The right to restrict processing – You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.

  • The right to object to processing – You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.

  • The right to data portability – You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.

9. Children's Information

Another part of our priority is adding protection for children while using the internet. We encourage parents and guardians to observe, participate in, and/or monitor and guide their online activity.

TasteBuds does not knowingly collect any Personal Identifiable Information from children under the age of 13. If you think that your child provided this kind of information on our website, we strongly encourage you to contact us immediately and we will do our best efforts to promptly remove such information from our records.

10. Privacy Policy Changes

TasteBuds may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. Thus, you are advised to review this page periodically for any changes. TasteBuds will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

This policy is effective as of 2021-06-28

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions or suggestions about TasteBuds’s Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us at info@gettastebuds.com.