Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Potly (“Potly,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a consumer service that helps residents of the St. Louis region prepare and submit civic service requests (such as potholes, abandoned vehicles, and illegal dumping) to existing government portals. Potly is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by any government agency, including the City of St. Louis Citizens’ Service Bureau (“CSB”).

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. By using Potly, you agree to the practices described here.

2. Information we collect

We collect the following categories of information:

Information you provide

• Account information: your email address and password when you create an account.
• Profile information: your name, phone number, and address (street, city, state, and ZIP) that you save to reuse across reports.
• Report content: the descriptions you write or dictate, the issue category you select, the location and GPS coordinates of the issue, and any photos you upload.
• Support communications: any feedback or messages you send us.

Information we collect automatically

• Device and usage data: pages viewed, features used, and similar product-analytics events.
• Log and security data: your IP address, timestamps, and event metadata, which we record in audit logs to operate the service securely and detect abuse.
• Cookies and local storage:we use cookies and browser storage to keep you signed in and to remember an in-progress report. See “Cookies” below.

Voice input

The description microphone uses your browser’s built-in Web Speech API. Speech-to-text is handled by your browser/operating system, which may transmit audio to your browser vendor under their own privacy terms. Potly receives only the resulting text, not the audio.

3. How we use your information

• To create and manage your account and authenticate you.
• To prepare and submit your civic service request to the appropriate government portal on your behalf.
• To improve the wording of your report using an AI service (you choose when to use the “Refine with AI” feature).
• To show you the status and history of your submissions.
• To operate, secure, debug, and improve the service, and to prevent abuse.
• To respond to your requests and communicate with you about the service.
• To comply with legal obligations.

4. How we share your information

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only as described below.

With government portals (at your direction)

When you submit a report, we transmit the information in that report — which may include your name, contact details, the issue location, your description, and your photos — to the relevant government portal (for example, the St. Louis CSB) so that your request can be processed. Once submitted, that information is handled by the government agency under its own policies and applicable public-records laws. Information submitted to a government agency may become a public record.

With service providers (subprocessors)

We use trusted third parties to run Potly. They may process your information only to provide services to us:

• Supabase — database, authentication, and file storage (your account, profile, reports, and photos).
• Vercel — application hosting and delivery.
• Fly.io — hosting for our form-submission service.
• Anthropic (Claude API)— when you use “Refine with AI,” your report description and limited context (issue type, address, neighborhood) are sent to Anthropic to improve the wording.
• OpenStreetMap / Nominatim — to convert addresses and GPS coordinates into a usable location (geocoding).
• PostHog — product analytics and error monitoring.

For legal and safety reasons

We may disclose information if required by law, to enforce our terms, or to protect the rights, safety, and security of our users, the public, or Potly.

Business transfers

If Potly is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

5. Photos and public content

Photos you upload are stored in a storage bucket that is currently publicly accessible by URL. Anyone who has or guesses the file’s link may be able to view that photo. Please do not include sensitive personal information in your photos, and be aware that images and descriptions you submit to a government portal may become public records.

6. Cookies and tracking

We use strictly necessary cookies to keep you signed in and browser storage to save an in-progress report. We also use analytics (PostHog) to understand how the product is used. You can control cookies through your browser settings; disabling necessary cookies may prevent you from signing in.

7. Data retention

We keep your account, profile, and report history for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the service. We retain audit and security logs for a limited period to operate the service securely. We may retain information longer where required by law. You can ask us to delete your account (see “Your rights”).

8. Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or receive a copy of your personal information, and to opt out of certain processing. To exercise these rights, contact us at alec@dovahdeployments.com. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

You can edit your profile information at any time from your account, and you can request account deletion by contacting us. Note that reports already submitted to a government agency cannot be recalled by Potly.

9. Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures — including encryption in transit, authentication, and access controls — to protect your information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Children's privacy

Potly is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Effective date” above and, for material changes, provide additional notice. Your continued use of Potly after an update means you accept the revised policy.

12. Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your information, contact us at alec@dovahdeployments.com.