Community Terms And Conditions

1. Introduction

1.1. Welcome to Datacy! These Terms and Conditions outline the rules for using Datacy’s services, including our browser extension, website, and related apps or services. By accessing or using Datacy, you agree to these Terms. If you disagree with any part of these Terms, please do not use our services.

1.2. Agreement to Third-Party Terms: In addition to our Terms, certain third-party services that you connect with Datacy (for example, Google services like YouTube or Gmail) have their own terms. Please ensure you also comply with those third-party terms when using their services through Datacy.

2. About Datacy

2.1. Purpose: Datacy offers a research panel in which you can opt-in to share only the aspects of your natural and organic online behavior that you wish to disclose. You get rewarded for sharing the genuine, natural activities you already undertake. The data you do choose to share is anonymized for research purposes, providing valuable consumer insights to our brand partners while keeping you firmly in control of your privacy and participation.

2.2. Privacy and Data Protection: Your privacy and data protection are paramount to us. You control what data is collected and how it’s shared. You can pause data collection, restrict it on any website, or delete data you’ve collected at any time. For more details, please refer to our Privacy & Data Policy.

3. Access and Use

3.1. Eligibility: Datacy’s services are currently available exclusively to residents of the United States and the United Kingdom. If you access Datacy from outside these regions using technological means (e.g., a VPN), we may terminate or suspend your access at our discretion. You will not be eligible for any data rewards outside the supported regions. If any rewards are mistakenly credited to you due to an incorrect assessment of your location, we reserve the right to reclaim those rewards.

3.2. Waitlist for Other Regions: If you reside outside the US or UK and are interested in joining Datacy, you may sign up for our waitlist. We will notify you when our services become available in your region.

3.3. Device Compatibility: Currently, the Datacy Chrome extension is optimized for desktops and laptops using the Chrome browser. Mobile compatibility is limited. However, you can connect specific apps (like YouTube and Reddit) to Datacy through your Datacy Extension or Dashboard. Once connected, Datacy can collect relevant data from these platforms, regardless of the device you use. Connecting these apps can increase your earning potential by improving your behavior profile for more accurate community matching. (See Section 8 below for important terms regarding third-party integrations.)

3.4. Proper Use of the Service: You agree to use Datacy only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. Do not misuse the service or attempt to interfere with its normal operation (for example, by introducing viruses or by automating interactions in an unauthorized way). You also agree not to attempt to circumvent any security or data-collection measures we have in place.

4. Earning with Datacy

4.1. How It Works

4.1.1. Your Role – Passive Earning: Datacy enables you to earn money from your natural online behavior and activity by creating a truly passive income stream. Unlike other monetization options that require active involvement (such as filling out surveys), Datacy makes it effortless. Simply download the Datacy extension, connect your apps, adjust your privacy settings, and let it run in the background. You continue browsing, using apps, and making purchases as usual. We handle the rest, allowing you to seamlessly earn money from your regular online activities without any extra effort.

4.1.2. Data Anonymization and Protection: Your privacy is our top priority. We anonymize all behavioral data you share, removing personal identifiers to ensure your anonymity. Your data is then shared with brands only as aggregated insights and recommendations, derived from the anonymized data of many consumers in our community who share similar behaviors. This collective approach protects your privacy while still enabling meaningful analysis for our brand partners.

4.1.3. Datacy’s Brand Partnerships: Datacy is committed to empowering you to control your data. We collaborate with brands to form communities centered on behaviors and interests that brands are keen to understand. By aggregating your anonymized data with others in your community, we generate insights and strategic recommendations. These insights help brands improve their products, optimize marketing, and drive innovation in ways that better connect with consumers. By participating in Datacy, you directly contribute to decisions that your favourite brands make.

4.1.4. Data Processing & Insights: We analyze user interactions within the app to generate aggregated insights that help users optimize their rewards and maximize benefits based on their engagement. These individual consumer insights are displayed directly on the consumer dashboard and are not shared externally. We only share aggregated insights that have been anonymized. 

4.1.5. Data Utilization & Industry Research: We may generate anonymized, aggregate reports on broader industry trends to help improve product offerings and enhance user experiences. These reports contain no user-specific or personally identifiable data and are solely for research purposes.

4.1.6. Additional Earnings: In certain circumstances, you can earn additional funds by completing other tasks such as satisfying certain milestones. Any such programs will be subject to their own terms and will be communicated to you clearly.

4.1.7. Prohibited Incentivized Behavior: We will never ask you to perform specific actions on third-party platforms (like watching particular videos, clicking on ads, liking content, or subscribing to channels) in order to earn rewards on Datacy. Your earnings from Datacy are based solely on the data from your normal, organic online activities – not on any tasks or manipulated behavior. Attempting to artificially generate activity (for example, running bots, playing videos in loops, or otherwise gaming any integrated platform) to increase your Datacy earnings is a violation of these Terms. Datacy utilises sophisticated algorithms to detect any fraudulent or artificial behaviour aimed at manipulating rewards or violating third-party policies. If we identify suspicious activity - whether it involves artificially inflating your online actions or breaching external platform terms - you acknowledge and accept that your account may be suspended or deleted without notice. This strict policy helps maintain the authenticity of our communities and upholds the standards set by our partners. Attempting to artificially generate activity (for example, running bots, playing videos in loops, or otherwise gaming any integrated platform) to increase your Datacy earnings is a violation of these Terms.

4.2. Community Assignment:

4.2.1. Assignment Criteria: You will be matched to communities based on relevant natural and organic behaviors detected in your data that our brand partners want to learn about. These behaviors could include actions like purchasing certain types of products, searching for particular topics, or interacting with related online content.

4.2.2. Multiple Communities: Depending on your online behavior, you may be matched to multiple communities. Each community match can potentially increase your total earnings since you’ll be contributing insights to drive multiple brand partners’ strategy.

4.3. Community Dynamics

4.3.1. Community Duration: The lifespan of any given community on Datacy depends on our contract with the relevant brand partner. Some communities are ongoing, while others are time-bound and will conclude when a project ends. If a community closes (e.g., because the brand’s project ends or their needs change), any associated earnings for that community will stop accordingly.  

4.3.2. Community Monitoring: You will remain in a community for as long as our contract with the brand continues and your natural online activities continue to align with the community’s focus. If your natural and organic online behavior no longer aligns with the community’s topic, you may be removed from that community. If this happens, we will attempt to find a new community that fits your interests as soon as possible so you can continue earning.

4.4. Reward Eligibility

4.4.1. Reward Activation: Being assigned to a community doesn’t automatically start earnings. We assign you based on our algorithm’s prediction of a good match, but how much you are ultimately rewarded depends on the contribution your data makes to the insights being delivered to the relevant brand partners.

4.4.2. Continuous Engagement: If you go inactive or your interests change significantly, your eligibility for ongoing rewards in that community may decrease (and as noted, you might be moved to a different community that better fits your current natural and organic behavior).

4.5. Datacy Coins Expiration

4.5.1.  Inactivity Clause: Datacy Coins (or any reward currency Datacy uses) that you earn will expire if your account has no activity for a consecutive 12 months. “No activity” means you haven’t used the Datacy extension or otherwise contributed new data for a year.

4.5.2. Notification Before Expiry: Prior to any expiration of your rewards, we will provide at least one (1) reminder (e.g., via email or a dashboard notification) letting you know that your coins are at risk of expiring. This gives you a chance to resume activity to retain your earnings.

4.5.3. Reinstatement: If your coins do expire due to inactivity, they cannot be reinstated. However, you can always start earning new coins by reactivating your account and participating in eligible activities again.

5. Payments

5.1. Payment Threshold: You must accumulate a minimum of $30 in earnings before you can withdraw funds from Datacy. (This threshold helps us manage transaction costs.)

5.2. Withdrawal Conditions: In addition to reaching the $30 minimum, you need to be actively matched with at least one community at the time of withdrawal. In other words, Datacy is intended for members who are contributing to communities; if you’re not in any community, withdrawal may not be available until you are matched again.

5.3. Payment Methods: Datacy uses third-party payment providers (such as PayPal and Stripe) to process withdrawals. You will need to have or create an account with one of our supported payment partners to receive funds. These third-party services have their own terms of use and may charge their own fees. We are not responsible for any issues arising from your use of those services. (Please ensure you comply with the payment provider’s terms and maintain an active, in-good-standing account with them.)

5.4. Payment Processing Time: Once you request a withdrawal, processing times can vary depending on the method. For example, Stripe or PayPal transfers may take approximately 14–21 business days to reach your bank account. We will do our best to process withdrawals promptly, but we cannot guarantee the speed of third-party banking networks.

5.5. Delays and Technical Issues: On occasion, there may be delays or issues with payments due to technical problems or other unforeseen circumstances. You agree to be patient and cooperate with us in resolving any such issues. We will communicate with you about any known delays and work to fix them as quickly as possible.

6. Onboarding Process

6.1. Account Setup Requirements:

6.1.1. Demographic Information: During sign-up, we will ask you to provide some basic demographic information (e.g., your age group, gender, income range). Providing this information is required to set up your account because we cannot match you to relevant communities without it. Please ensure this information is accurate. 

6.1.2. Psychographic Information: We may also ask for additional details about your interests, preferences, or lifestyle (often called psychographic information). While providing this additional info is optional, doing so can improve your chances of being matched with communities and maximize your earning potential. The more detailed and truthful your profile, the better we can tailor community matches for you.

6.1.3. Accuracy and Truthfulness: By agreeing to these Terms, you promise that all information you provide during onboarding (and throughout your use of Datacy) is truthful and accurate. You also agree not to engage in any deceptive or fraudulent practices, including but not limited to:

• Using temporary or disposable email addresses to create multiple accounts.
• Operating more than one Datacy account per individual, or creating fake accounts.
• Linking multiple Stripe or PayPal accounts to the same bank or credit card to manipulate earnings.
• Any form of fraud or gaming of the system (e.g., using bots or scripts to simulate activity, etc.).
• Engaging in any fraudulent or artificial behaviour that goes beyond your ordinary, natural internet usage - meaning actions you would not otherwise perform if Datacy were not installed

Datacy is built on genuine user engagement. We have systems in place to detect and prevent fraud. If you provide false information or attempt to manipulate the system, we may remove you from communities or suspend your account. Serious or repeated violations (such as maintaining multiple fake accounts or using bots) will result in immediate termination of your account and forfeiture of all earnings. In such cases, neither Datacy nor our brand partners will be liable to pay you for any forfeited amounts.

Finally, if we detect clear evidence of system gaming or fraud, Datacy reserves the right to terminate your account without prior warning. We may notify you after detecting such behavior that your account is being shut down. This is to maintain fairness and integrity for all users.

7. Communication

7.1. Consent to Communicate: By using Datacy, you agree to receive communications from us via email, through the Datacy extension and dashboard, or via push notifications. These communications are part of the service. They include, but are not limited to:

7.1.1. Operational Messages: E.g., information about your account status, payments and withdrawals, reward updates, or usage of the Datacy extension/dashboard.

7.1.2. Feature Updates: Information on new or existing features of the Datacy platform, extension updates, or changes to our services.

7.1.3. Promotional or News Messages: This can include: - Promotions or special offers from us. - News about Datacy (company updates, newsletters).
- Industry developments or insights related to our service.

Opting Out: If at any time you decide you no longer want to receive non-operational communications (like promotions or newsletters), you can opt-out. For emails, an “unsubscribe” option will be provided in the email. For other channels (if applicable), we will provide a setting in your account preferences to manage communications. Note: Even if you opt out of promotional messages, you will still receive essential operational communications (for example, a notice of a policy update or an alert about your account) as long as you have a Datacy account.

8. Third-party integrations

8.1. Optional Account Connections: Datacy allows you to connect your accounts from third-party services. For example, you may connect your Google accounts (such as YouTube or Gmail) or other platforms like Reddit to your Datacy profile. Connecting these accounts is entirely optional and requires your explicit permission. If you choose to connect, we will ask for certain scopes of data access via the third party’s official authorization process. You are always in control and can disconnect an integrated account at any time. We will never ask you for your third-party login passwords; instead, you’ll authenticate through the third party’s OAuth secure login flow. (For instance, to connect your Google account, you will be redirected to Google’s sign-in and consent screen.)

8.2. Your Consent and Control: When you connect a third-party account, you grant Datacy permission to access specific data from that account for the purposes described in these Terms and our Privacy Policy. We will only request the minimum data necessary to provide our service features. If you revoke our access or disconnect an account, Datacy will stop collecting new data from that source. You can revoke access at any time via the third party’s security settings (for example, you can visit your Google Account’s permissions page to remove Datacy’s access).

8.3. Use of Retrieved Data: Any data we obtain from connected third-party accounts is used strictly to operate and improve Datacy’s services for you and our brand partners. This includes building your anonymised behaviour profile, matching you to relevant communities, and generating aggregated insights as described in Section 4. We do not use your data for any other purposes: we do not contact you outside of our service, do not send unrelated marketing, and do not sell or disclose your information to unauthorized third parties. Instead, we provide brand partners only with collective insights and recommendations derived from the anonymised data of multiple users—never individual or raw data. We do not sell individual user data or engage in any services that involve sharing your personal information. Our sole objective is to offer meaningful, collective insights—ensuring that your privacy is protected at every step. Our handling of your data is governed by our Privacy & Data Policy and by the policies of the relevant third-party providers.

8.4. Binding Terms: Your use of any third-party service through Datacy remains subject to that service’s own Terms of Service and applicable policies. We will clearly present or link to those terms during the connection process. By connecting a third-party account, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to abide by that service’s terms, including any community guidelines. For example, if you connect to a streaming platform such as YouTube, you must follow its content policies just as you normally would if you were using it directly.

8.5. API Compliance
Datacy uses official API Services or developer tools when retrieving data from your connected accounts. We comply with all relevant API Terms of Service and Developer Policies, ensuring that we request and handle only the data you have permitted us to access. For instance, if a streaming service or email platform has specific playback or user-data rules, we adhere to those policies in our data collection and usage practices.

8.6. No Incentives for Third-Party Actions
Some third-party services prohibit incentivizing users to engage in particular behaviours (for example, artificially increasing watch time, clicks, or content interactions). Datacy does not—and will not—offer rewards or compensation tied to performing specific actions on third-party services. Any attempt to manipulate platform metrics (e.g., looping videos in the background, auto-clicking content, or mass-following) is strictly prohibited and will result in account suspension or termination.

8.7. Limited Data Use
We access only the data needed to provide our service, such as usage metrics or activity logs you consent to share. We do not access private messages, passwords, or other sensitive information unless explicitly authorised or technically required by the platform (and always in compliance with that platform’s policies). Datacy generally only reads data—you remain in full control of your account.

8.8. Data Retention
Any data fetched from a connected service is treated in accordance with our Privacy & Data Policy. Raw data linked to you personally is stored securely and retained no longer than necessary to fulfil Datacy’s service objectives or comply with legal obligations.

8.9. No Endorsement by Third Parties
Datacy is an independent platform. Although we integrate with various third-party APIs, Datacy is not endorsed by or affiliated with those providers unless explicitly stated. Any trademarks, content, or intellectual property referenced from a third-party service remains subject to that service’s ownership and licensing terms.

8.10. Other Third-Party Services
We may enable integrations with additional platforms (e.g., social media, e-commerce, or other online tools) to enhance your Datacy experience. Where we do so, we will use official APIs and comply with all applicable terms. You must also abide by each service’s own terms when connecting or using that platform through Datacy. If any special conditions apply, we will notify you at the time of connection.

8.11. No Liability for Third-Party Services
Datacy is not responsible for the content, features, or reliability of any third-party service. We simply access data made available by those services with your consent. If you have issues or disputes on an external platform—such as policy violations, account restrictions, or service outages—you must address them with the respective provider. However, we endeavour to ensure that our integration does not disrupt or conflict with normal operations on those services.

9. Your Data Rights (Account Deletion and Privacy)

9.1. Account Deletion: You can request deletion of your Datacy account at any time. To do so, please email us at [email protected] with your request. Following a verified deletion request, we will delete your account and cease any new data collection from you. Keep in mind that deletion is permanent – you will lose access to the account and any unwithdrawn earnings may be forfeited, so be sure to withdraw any eligible balance beforehand. After account deletion, any new data from you will not be collected.

• We may retain and continue to use existing data that you had already shared prior to deletion in anonymized or aggregated form for the purposes set out in these Terms. (For example, if your data was already part of an ongoing study or community insight report for a brand, we may retain that insight.) However, this retained data will not be identifiable to you personally. It is used to fulfill ongoing obligations to our brand partners and for our legitimate interests such as improving our system. Your acceptance of these Terms includes your consent to this post-deletion data usage of previously collected, anonymized data.
• Aside from the anonymized data noted above, any of your personal information will be deleted from our active systems, and we will only retain what is necessary to comply with legal obligations (such as financial record-keeping, fraud prevention, or handling potential disputes). Any retained data remains subject to our privacy protections and these Terms.

9.2. California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) – California Residents: If you are a California resident, you have specific rights under the CCPA regarding your personal information:

• Right to Know: You have the right to request that we disclose what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell (if applicable) about you. This includes the categories of personal information, the categories of sources, our business purpose for collecting it, the categories of third parties with whom we share it, and the specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you. We will provide this information free of charge upon a verifiable request from you.
• Right to Delete: You have the right to request deletion of your personal information that we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions (for example, we may retain information needed to complete a transaction you requested, for security, legal compliance, etc.). If you request deletion, we will also instruct our service providers to delete your information from their records, as required by law.
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale: The CCPA gives you the right to opt out of the “sale” of your personal information. Datacy does not sell your personal information for money; we do not share your name, contact info, or any personal identifiers with third-party data brokers or advertisers. All data shared with brands is in anonymized or aggregated form as described in these Terms. In short, our business is to share insights, not to sell individualized personal data.
  
  If you prefer that we do not share any of your personal information with any of our partners even for the service purposes described, you can opt out. To exercise this opt-out, you can adjust the settings in your Datacy Dashboard (if available) or contact us at [email protected] with the subject line “CCPA Opt-Out”. We will honor valid opt-out requests and refrain from sharing your personal information with RFG or any third party except as allowed by CCPA (e.g., to our service providers for purely operational purposes, or as required by law).
   
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights. This means if you opt out of the sale of your data or request deletion, we won’t deny you our services, give you lower quality service, or charge you different prices solely because you exercised your rights. However, please note that certain data is necessary for the Datacy service to function. For example, if you ask us to delete all of your personal data or you revoke all third-party access, the core features of Datacy (like community matching and earning) may no longer be available to you. In such cases, it’s not discrimination – it’s simply a consequence of us respecting your privacy choice.
   
• Submitting CCPA Requests: To submit a request to know or delete, you can contact us at [email protected] (or use any online form or mechanism we provide for CCPA requests). We will need to verify your identity to process requests (for your protection). If you have an authorized agent, that agent can make a request on your behalf, but we will require proof of the agent’s authorization and still may verify your identity directly.
   
• Additional Notice: For more details about our data practices and your rights, please see our Privacy & Data Policy. That policy outlines the categories of data we collect (which generally include things like identifiers, internet activity information, and inferences from your data), the sources of data (you, your devices, and accounts you connect), and the purposes (to provide and improve our services, etc.). It also describes any sharing practices in detail. We update that policy as needed to reflect the latest practices and ensure compliance with CCPA and other privacy laws.

In summary, Datacy’s goal is to handle your data in a way that you control. We provide these rights and disclosures to give you transparency and choice. If you have any questions or concerns about your privacy rights or how to exercise them, please contact us.

10. Data Retention and Usage

10.1. Use of Anonymized Data: By using Datacy, you grant us a license to use the data you share through our platform for the purposes described here. Specifically, you grant Datacy a non-exclusive, transferable, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, fully paid-up right to use, host, store, copy, modify, and create derivative works from the data collected via our services. This license is strictly limited to using your data to operate and improve the Datacy service and to generate aggregated insights for our clients. We do not use your personal data for any purposes that you have not consented to. The data we use for insights and recommendations to brands is anonymized and aggregated, meaning it does not identify you personally. We take care to remove or obscure any personal identifiers before using your data in analysis or sharing insights with partners.

10.2. Post-Deletion Data Use: As noted in Section 9.1, if you delete your account, we may continue to use any data you had provided in anonymized form for the purposes you originally consented to (such as fulfilling existing contracts with brands or continuing to improve our algorithms). This continued use is considered necessary for maintaining our service quality, the integrity of our insights, and meeting obligations to partners that were established based on data you contributed. By agreeing to these Terms, you acknowledge and accept that we may retain and use your contributed data after account deletion only in a de-identified manner that does not reveal your identity.

10.3. Data Security: We implement commercially reasonable security measures to protect the data we collect from unauthorized access or disclosure. However, no system can be 100% secure. You acknowledge that there is always some risk in sharing data online, but we work hard to minimize this risk. If there is a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you and take steps in accordance with applicable laws.

10.4. Data Accuracy and Integrity: You are responsible for the accuracy of data you provide or connect to Datacy. We are not liable for any issues or missed earning opportunities that arise from incomplete or inaccurate data (for instance, if you fail to connect an account or if the data from a connected account is incorrect).

11. Amendments to These Terms

11.1. Right to Amend: Datacy reserves the right to amend or update these Terms and Conditions at any time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email or via the Datacy extension/dashboard notification. The updated Terms will have a new “Effective Date” at the top. It’s your responsibility to review any changes. By continuing to use Datacy after an update, you accept the revised Terms.

11.2. Review Regularly: We encourage you to review these Terms periodically so you stay informed about any changes. If you do not agree with any update to the Terms, you should stop using Datacy and, if appropriate, disconnect any linked accounts and/or request account deletion.

12. Conclusion and Contact Information

12.1. Acceptance: By using Datacy, you acknowledge that you have read and understood these Terms and Conditions, and you agree to be bound by them. These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Datacy regarding your use of our consumer services (the “Community” platform). They supersede any prior agreements or communications on this subject.

12.2. Contact Us: If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback regarding these Terms or Datacy’s services, please contact us at [email protected]. We value communication with our users and will do our best to address your inquiry promptly.

Thank you for being a part of the Datacy community and for trusting us with your data. We are committed to honoring that trust by keeping your data safe, being transparent, and helping you get value from your own digital footprint. Happy earning!