Privacy Policy

Personal Asset Vault, LLC, doing business as Acier (“we,” “our,” or “Acier”), operator of the Acier service (the “Service”), is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, protect, and share your information when you use our mobile application, website, and related services.

1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide

• Account information: When you sign in, we use Sign in with Apple. Apple provides us with a stable, app-specific user identifier and, only if you choose to share it, your name and a relay or real email address. We do not collect or store passwords; authentication is handled entirely by Apple.
• Property information: Property names and physical addresses you enter. Addresses are converted to approximate coordinates (latitude and longitude) so we can retrieve risk information for the property (see Section 4).
• Inventory data: Photos, item descriptions, valuations, and room/property organization. Under our zero-knowledge approach, your inventory is stored privately in your account and Acier never has access to it.
• 3D room scans: Optional LiDAR room captures and room thumbnails. These are stored privately in your account under the same zero-knowledge approach as your inventory.
• Insurance documents: Policies you upload for AI analysis. These are processed through a stateless AI proxy and are not retained after analysis.
• Voice input (optional): If you enable voice capture, your speech is transcribed on your device using Apple’s on-device Speech framework. Audio is not transmitted to Acier or any third party.
• Payment information: Processed entirely by Apple through the App Store. Acier does not collect, process, or store any payment card or billing details.

Information Collected Automatically

• Precise location (Pro / Pro+, when granted): If you grant “While Using the App” location permission, we capture your device’s location once per capture session to stamp where items were cataloged. Location is not collected in the background and is never used for advertising or tracking.
• Device type, operating system version, and app version (for compatibility and debugging)
• Anonymized usage signals such as install counts, session counts, and API call counts. These are aggregate and not linked to your identity.
• Crash reports (to identify and fix bugs)

Information We Do NOT Collect

• Contacts or address book
• Browsing history
• Advertising identifiers or third-party tracking cookies
• Background or continuous location
• Identifiable analytics through any third-party SDK
• Decryptable inventory data (zero-knowledge approach)

2. How We Use Your Information

• Service provision: To operate the app, sync your data privately to your account, and process AI analysis requests on your behalf
• AI processing: Item photos, descriptions, and policy documents are sent to Anthropic through our stateless AI proxy for identification, valuation, and policy analysis. Inputs and outputs are not retained by Anthropic or by Acier after the request completes.
• Risk data lookups (Pro / Pro+): When you add a property, we convert the address to approximate coordinates and query public government data sources — FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Layer, the USDA Forest Service Wildfire Hazard Potential dataset, and the USGS National Seismic Hazard Model — to retrieve risk information for the property’s location. Only coordinates are sent to these services; no user identifier or address text is included.
• Capture-session location stamping: When you grant location permission, your device location at the time of a capture session is associated with the items cataloged in that session, so you can see where each item was inventoried.
• Service communications: To send essential account-related notifications (security alerts, subscription changes, legal-document updates)
• App improvement: Anonymized usage signals help us understand usage patterns and improve features
• Security: To detect and prevent unauthorized access, fraud, and abuse

We do not use any of the information above for advertising, ad measurement, or sharing with data brokers.

3. How We Protect Your Information

• AES-256 encryption at rest for all stored data
• TLS 1.3 for all data in transit
• Zero-knowledge approach: Your inventory, photos, and 3D scans are stored privately in your account and Acier never has access to them. Even in response to legal demands directed at Acier, we cannot produce inventory contents because we do not hold them.
• Sign in with Apple: Authentication is handled by Apple. Acier never sees your password or biometric data.
• Biometric authentication: Face ID and Touch ID are processed entirely by Apple’s Secure Enclave on your device and are never transmitted to our servers.
• Private temporary uploads: When images are uploaded for AI processing, they use private signed URLs that expire after one hour and are not retained after analysis.
• Row-level security: Database-enforced access controls ensure data isolation between users on any data we do hold (such as anonymized aggregates and risk-data caches).
• Token rotation: Authentication tokens are automatically rotated to minimize risk from token compromise.
• SOC 2 Type II infrastructure: Our backend runs on Fly.io, which is SOC 2 Type II certified, with automatic patching, intrusion detection, and continuous monitoring.
• Periodic security audits including penetration testing and code review

4. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers or data brokers.

We share limited information only with:

• Apple: Authentication (Sign in with Apple), private storage of your inventory and 3D scans, and App Store payment processing. Apple’s handling of this data is governed by Apple’s privacy policy.
• Infrastructure providers: Our backend runs on Fly.io (SOC 2 Type II certified), which hosts our stateless AI proxy and an anonymous aggregates database. They do not have access to inventory data — under our zero-knowledge approach, that data lives privately in your account.
• AI processing — Anthropic: Item photos, descriptions, and policy documents are sent to Anthropic for analysis and are not retained after the request.
• Government risk-data sources: FEMA, the USDA Forest Service, and USGS receive only approximate coordinates when we look up risk data for a property. No user identifier or address text is sent.
• Insurance partners: Only with your explicit opt-in consent when you request insurance quotes through the app.
• Legal requirements: When required by law, subpoena, or court order. Note that under our zero-knowledge approach, inventory data is not held by Acier and cannot be produced in response to legal demands directed at Acier.
• Business transfer: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale, users will be notified in advance.

5. Your Rights and Choices

• Access: View all your account and inventory data directly in the app at any time
• Export: Generate PDF reports and CSV exports of your inventory (Pro+ tier)
• Correction: Edit any inventory item or account information at any time
• Deletion: Permanently delete your account and all associated data. Server-side data is irreversibly deleted within 30 days. Inventory data stored privately in your account is under your control and is removed when you delete the app or your account.
• Opt-out: Unsubscribe from non-essential communications at any time
• Data portability: Export your data in machine-readable formats

6. Data Retention

• Account information is retained while your account is active
• Inventory data is retained in your private account for as long as you choose to keep it
• All server-side data is permanently deleted within 30 days of account deletion
• Anonymized, aggregate usage data may be retained indefinitely
• Data required for legal compliance may be retained as required by law

7. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we discover that a child under 13 has provided information, we will promptly delete it.

8. International Data Transfers

Your information may be processed in the United States or other countries where our service providers operate. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for international transfers. Under our zero-knowledge approach, inventory data is not accessible to Acier regardless of where it is processed.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. We will notify you of material changes via email or in-app notice. Continued use of the Service after notification constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact Us

Questions about this Privacy Policy? Contact us at contact@acier.io.

For security concerns, contact security@acier.io.