Privacy Policy

The Strategic Owl provides news coverage tools, civic resources, and a searchable Constitution reference. This policy describes information used by the current native iOS app and how it is handled. We do not sell personal information or use the app for third-party targeted advertising or cross-app tracking.

At a glance

• Radar, the all-source chronological News Feed, voter resources, and the Constitution reference are available without membership.
• If you choose to check existing access, we send the email you enter to our secure service to verify Apple, Owl Access, Substack, or complimentary access.
• Owl Membership enables source following, Owl Reader on supported stories, and Constitution research prompts. Your choices and the requests needed to provide these features are processed by our services.
• Apple processes App Store purchases. We receive transaction information needed to verify or restore membership, not your payment-card details.
• The app creates a random Supabase account identifier and keeps its authentication session in the device Keychain to support app features and secure access.
• We do not include advertising networks or third-party analytics SDKs in the current native app.

Information you provide

Membership email. If you choose “Check membership,” the email address you enter is sent to a Supabase service to check eligible subscription and approved-access records. It is used to validate access and associate the result with the appropriate entitlement. The app does not ask for an email to browse public Radar, news, voter resources, or the Constitution.

Administrator sign-in. If an address is recognized for publisher access, the administrator must complete Sign in with Apple. Apple provides an identity token to establish and verify that protected session. Depending on your Apple settings and prior authorization, Apple may also provide your name or email address. Administrator tools can process content and actions you submit, such as analyses attached to stories, source requests, and changes to complimentary reader access.

Saved sources and article requests. If you have membership and choose to follow or unfollow a source, the app sends that choice to our service and associates it with your app profile. When you open an article or choose Owl Reader, the app sends the relevant article identifier and access information needed to return the article or reader result. Owl Reader is available only when the publisher and source material make the story accessible.

Information created for app operation

Random app identifier and session. The app obtains a random identifier from Supabase authentication, including for people who use the app without entering an email. The identifier supports secure service requests, source choices, and the association of an Apple purchase with the app profile. The authentication session is stored in the iOS Keychain. It is not an advertising identifier and is not used to track you across other companies’ apps or websites.

Apple purchase and entitlement information. When you buy or restore Owl Membership, StoreKit and Apple handle payment. The app sends Apple-signed transaction information to Supabase for server-side verification. The information may include product and transaction identifiers, purchase and expiration dates, subscription status, revocation or refund status, and the random app account token. We use it to confirm, restore, and maintain access and respond to subscription changes. We do not receive your payment-card number through this process.

News, Radar, and service data. The app requests public story, source, and coverage information from our services. Requests may include article or source identifiers and the session or membership information needed to return the appropriate public or member feature. The server may process technical request information, such as IP address and request time, as part of delivering and protecting the service. We do not use this information for advertising profiles.

Voter resources. State registration links, candidate information, and district reference data are downloaded from a Google Sheets API. Candidate-name search and ZIP-to-district lookup are performed on the data already loaded in the app; the search term and ZIP are not sent as lookup requests by the current app. If you open an official or other external link, that destination’s privacy practices apply.

Local storage. The app may keep the Supabase session in Keychain and cache public content, such as the latest homepage update or election countdown, on the device. Signing out clears the app’s saved session and local access state. Cached public content may remain until refreshed or removed by iOS when app data is deleted.

Services that process information

• Supabase provides authentication, databases, and server functions used for access verification, news and Radar requests, member source choices, purchase verification, and administrator tools.
• Cloudflare delivers the Owl Reader service endpoint used to process a requested article when reader content is available.
• Apple provides StoreKit purchases, purchase restoration and subscription status, and Sign in with Apple for the protected administrator session.
• Google provides the Sheets API used to retrieve civic and candidate reference data.
• Stripe and Substack may be sources of existing subscription eligibility records checked by our membership service. Their own services and privacy policies govern information they collect directly.
• News publishers and external websites receive information under their own practices when you choose to open their links or content.

These providers process information to deliver the requested service, maintain security, or meet legal obligations. Their independent handling of information is governed by their own privacy notices and applicable agreements.

Information we do not request

The current native app does not request access to your contacts, microphone, precise location, health information, or advertising identifier. It does not include the legacy Media Influence Quiz, Owl Feed/Perch, or T.R.U. Rankings. The app’s ZIP lookup is performed locally as described above.

Retention and deletion choices

Information is kept for as long as reasonably needed to provide the feature, maintain access and security, resolve disputes, and satisfy accounting or legal requirements. Subscription and transaction records may need to be retained for the duration required to administer purchases and related obligations. Operational logs are subject to the retention settings of the provider handling them.

“Sign out on this device” clears the local session but does not erase server-side records or cancel a subscription. A verified account can use “Delete account and app data” from Civic Identity or Owl Membership to remove the account, profile, Civic Owl progress, ratings, badges, saved sources, and personal app activity. Subscriptions with Apple, Google, Stripe, or Substack must be managed separately through the provider that bills you. For access or correction requests, contact [email protected] from the email associated with your account. Some transaction or security records may be retained where required by law.

Cancel subscriptions through the provider that bills you. Apple subscriptions are managed in your Apple Account subscription settings; Stripe and Substack subscriptions are managed through their respective services.

Legacy app data. This policy describes the current native app. It does not automatically erase information collected through an earlier version of The Strategic Owl, its website, or related services. Contact us if you want us to locate and review a legacy record.

Children’s privacy

The app is not designed to collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, contact us so we can review the request.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when the app or its data practices change. We will revise the date above when an update is published. Material changes will be communicated through an appropriate app or website notice.

Contact

For privacy questions or requests, email [email protected] or visit thestrategicowl.com.