PRIVACY POLICY

Election Beacon
Operated by Circino Inc.

Effective Date: April 5, 2026

Welcome to Election Beacon, a civic engagement platform operated by Circino Inc. (“we,” “us,” or “our”). Election Beacon matches voters with federal election candidates based on shared survey responses. Election Beacon is available as a free anonymous service and as a paid subscription with additional features. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your information depending on how you use the Platform at www.electionbeacon.com (the “Platform”).

By using Election Beacon, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Free Users

If you use Election Beacon without purchasing a subscription, we do not collect your name or contact information. Free users can complete the survey and receive candidate match results anonymously. The only information we collect from free users is:

  • Survey responses reflecting your views on policy issues
  • Technical information collected automatically (see Section 1.2)

On a voluntary and optional basis, free users may also provide the following demographic information to improve match accuracy and research capabilities. This is entirely optional and not required to use the Platform:

  • Political affiliation
  • Gender
  • Age
  • Race or ethnicity
  • Marital status
  • Social class or income bracket

1.2 Premium (Paid) Users

If you choose to purchase a paid subscription, you will be asked to create a profile. In addition to the information collected from free users, we will collect:

  • Full name
  • Email address
  • Location and state of residence
  • Payment information (processed securely through our payment processor)

Premium users may also voluntarily provide the demographic information listed above. Your profile information is used to manage your account, process payments, and provide you with the full features of your subscription.

1.3 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the Platform, we may automatically collect certain technical information, including:

  • IP address and browser type
  • Pages visited and time spent on the Platform
  • Device type and operating system
  • Referring URLs

This information is used to maintain Platform performance and improve user experience.

1.4 Information from Candidates

If you are a federal election candidate, we collect your name, email address, campaign contact information, and your survey responses. This information is used to generate match results for voters on the Platform.Candidate contact information is sourced exclusively from official public records, including Federal Election Commission filings and state election authority databases. We do not purchase, scrape, or obtain candidate contact information from any private third-party source.We use a third-party email delivery service, Brevo (operated by Sendinblue SAS), to send survey invitations and related communications to candidates. Candidate contact information shared with Brevo is used solely for the purpose of delivering these communications and is governed by Brevo’s privacy policy. We do not authorize Brevo to use candidate contact information for any other purpose.Once a candidate submits their survey responses, those responses are published publicly on their candidate profile on the Platform and are visible to all voters. Candidate survey responses are not subject to the same anonymity protections that apply to free voter data, as they are intentionally made public as part of the platform’s core function.Candidates who wish to update their survey responses, request removal of their profile, or have questions about how their information is used may contact us at candidates@electionbeacon.com.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  • To match voters with candidates based on survey response similarity
  • To create and manage your account on the Platform
  • To process payments for paid subscription tiers
  • To send you survey invitations, reminders, and platform updates via email
  • To improve the Platform’s features, performance, and user experience
  • To conduct internal analytics and research on civic engagement patterns
  • To comply with applicable laws and regulations
  • To share anonymized, aggregated data with third parties as described in Section 4

3. Payment Information

Election Beacon offers paid subscription options for voters and may offer paid tiers for candidates in the future. All payment transactions are processed by a third-party payment processor. We do not store your full credit card number, CVV, or other sensitive payment details on our servers. Your payment information is handled in accordance with the payment processor’s privacy policy and applicable PCI-DSS standards.

4. How We Share Your Information

4.1 Anonymous and Aggregated Data

We may share anonymized, aggregated data — meaning data that cannot reasonably be used to identify you personally — with the following types of third parties:

  • Academic and policy research organizations, for the purposes of studying civic engagement and voter-candidate alignment
  • Media and press organizations, for reporting on election trends and platform insights
  • Advertising partners, for purposes related to civic engagement and platform promotion

We take reasonable technical measures to ensure that data shared with third parties cannot be re-identified. However, please be aware that no anonymization method is completely foolproof. We do not sell your individually identifiable personal information to any third party.

4.2 Service Providers

We share your information with trusted service providers who assist us in operating the Platform, including:

  • Email delivery services (Brevo, operated by Sendinblue SAS) for sending communications to both voters and candidates — including survey invitations, account notifications, and platform updates
  • Payment processors for handling subscription transactions
  • Hosting and cloud infrastructure providers

These service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and may only use it to provide services on our behalf.

4.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, court order, or governmental authority, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Circino Inc., our users, or the public.

4.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or part of Circino Inc.’s assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email or a prominent notice on the Platform prior to such a transfer.

5. Sensitive Personal Information

Certain categories of information we collect — including political affiliation, race or ethnicity, and social class — are considered sensitive under various state and federal privacy frameworks. We treat this information with heightened care:

  • We only collect this information on a voluntary, optional basis
  • We do not use sensitive information to make decisions that materially affect your access to the Platform
  • We do not share sensitive information in identifiable form with any third party
  • We apply additional security measures to sensitive data categories

If you are a resident of California, Virginia, Colorado, or another state with specific sensitive data protections, additional rights may apply to you. Please see Section 8 for more information.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with the Platform’s services. If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it by law or for legitimate business purposes such as fraud prevention or dispute resolution.

Anonymized and aggregated data may be retained indefinitely for research and analytical purposes.

7. Data Security

We implement industry-standard technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include encrypted data transmission (SSL/TLS), secure storage practices, and access controls.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach that affects your rights, we will notify you as required by applicable law.

8. Your Rights and Choices

8.1 Access and Correction

You may access, update, or correct your personal information at any time by logging into your account or contacting us at privacy@electionbeacon.com.

8.2 Deletion

You may request deletion of your personal information by contacting us at privacy@electionbeacon.com. We will process your request within 30 days, subject to any legal obligations we may have to retain certain data.

8.3 Opt-Out of Communications

You may opt out of receiving non-essential communications from us at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send, or by contacting us directly. Please note that opting out of marketing emails will not affect transactional emails related to your account or subscription.

8.4 Demographic Data

Because demographic information is provided voluntarily, you may choose not to provide it at any time. If you have already provided demographic information and wish to have it removed, please contact us at privacy@electionbeacon.com.

8.5 California, Virginia, and Colorado Residents

Residents of California (CCPA/CPRA), Virginia (VCDPA), Colorado (CPA), and other states with comprehensive privacy laws may have additional rights, including the right to know what personal information we collect and share, the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information, and the right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@electionbeacon.com.

9. Children’s Privacy

Election Beacon is not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If we become aware that we have collected information from a person under 18, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@electionbeacon.com.

10. Third-Party Links

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or Platform features. When we make material changes, we will notify you by email or by posting a prominent notice on the Platform at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date of any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Circino Inc.

Operating Election Beacon

Email: privacy@electionbeacon.com

Website: www.electionbeacon.com

LEGAL NOTICE: This privacy policy was prepared as a general template and should be reviewed by a qualified attorney before publication. Laws governing the collection and sharing of political affiliation, race, and other sensitive data vary by state and are subject to change. Circino Inc. is solely responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable laws.