Privacy Policy
Effective date: March 2, 2026 · Last updated: March 4, 2026
Parla Live, Inc. ("Parla," "we," "us," or "our") operates the Parla mobile application and website (collectively, the "Platform"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Platform.
We do not sell your personal data. We do not use your data for advertising. We do not share biometric data with anyone.
1. Information We Collect
1.1 Account Information
| Data | Purpose | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Email address | Account creation and authentication | Yes |
| Full name | Display and identification | Yes |
| Phone number (hashed) | One-person-one-account enforcement | Yes |
| Country | Country-locked content delivery | Auto-detected |
| State / region | Show locally relevant sessions | Auto-detected |
| Profile photo | Display in app | Optional |
1.2 Biometric Data
We collect facial verification data during signup to ensure each account belongs to a unique, real person. This is the most sensitive data we handle, and we treat it accordingly:
- What we collect: A 128-dimensional numeric embedding (a mathematical signature) derived from your face scan. This is not a photograph and cannot be used to reconstruct your face.
- What we do NOT store: We do not store photographs, video, or raw facial imagery of any kind.
- How it is used: The embedding is compared against existing embeddings to verify uniqueness. It is never used for identification, surveillance, tracking, or advertising.
- Where it is processed: Face scanning occurs entirely on your device. Only the numeric embedding is transmitted to our servers over encrypted channels (TLS 1.3).
- Who has access: No third parties have access to your biometric data. It is not shared with law enforcement, government agencies, advertisers, or any external entity.
- Retention: Your biometric embedding is retained for as long as your account exists. Upon account deletion, it is permanently erased within 30 days.
- Your rights: You may request deletion of your biometric data at any time by contacting privacy@parlalive.com or through the app.
Your face is scanned on-device. Only an anonymous numeric signature leaves your phone. It cannot reconstruct your face and is permanently deleted when you delete your account.
1.3 Politician-Specific Data
Politicians who register on Parla provide additional information:
- Government email address (used to verify elected status)
- Title and jurisdiction (publicly displayed)
- Face verification (same process as citizens)
This information is subject to manual review by Parla administrators before a politician account is activated.
1.4 Usage Data
- Session participation (which live sessions you watch or broadcast)
- Questions submitted (stored anonymously by default)
- Upvotes on questions
- Votes cast (satisfaction verdicts)
- Topic preferences and followed politicians
- Device type and OS version
1.4.1 Session Recordings
All live sessions are automatically recorded and archived as video-on-demand (VOD) through Mux. Politicians consent to this recording during signup. Session recordings, including all questions asked and verdicts cast, are retained indefinitely as part of the public civic record.
1.5 Location Data
We detect your state or region (e.g., "California" or "Île-de-France") to show you locally relevant sessions. This uses coarse device location (approximate, not GPS-precise). We do not track your movements or collect continuous location data. You can confirm or correct your detected state during signup.
1.6 Data We Do Not Collect
- Precise GPS location or continuous location tracking
- Contacts or address book
- Browsing history
- Financial information
- Social media accounts
2. How We Use Your Information
- Authentication: Verify your identity and enforce one-person-one-account
- Platform operation: Deliver live sessions, process questions and votes
- Content delivery: Show sessions relevant to your country
- Question formatting: When you submit a question, the text (not your identity) is sent to an AI service for clarity reformatting. You review and approve the result before it is posted. We do not store the original text after reformatting.
- Push notifications: Deliver session reminders via OneSignal if you opt in
- Analytics: Anonymous, aggregated usage events to improve the product (see Section 3.2)
3. Third-Party Services
We use trusted third-party service providers to operate the Platform in the following categories:
| Category | Data Shared | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | Email, name, profile photo | Account creation, login, session management |
| Live video infrastructure | Video/audio stream, session metadata | Live broadcast, playback, and archive |
| Real-time messaging | Anonymous session presence data | Viewer count, live question updates |
| Push notifications | Device token, pseudonymous user ID | Session reminders and alerts |
| Product analytics | Anonymous usage events | Product improvement (no individual tracking) |
| AI processing | Question text only (no user identity) | Reformat questions for clarity |
| Cloud infrastructure | Account and session data | Secure hosting, database, and API delivery |
All service providers are bound by data processing agreements. None of these services receive biometric data. A full list of sub-processors is available upon request at privacy@parlalive.com.
3.1 Push Notifications
If you enable push notifications, we use a third-party notification service to deliver session reminders (e.g., 30 minutes before a scheduled session). Your device token and a pseudonymous user ID are shared with this service for delivery purposes only. You can disable push notifications at any time in your device settings.
3.2 Analytics
We use anonymous product analytics to understand how the Platform is used (e.g., sessions joined, questions submitted, verdicts cast). We do not track screen views, app lifecycle events, or individual browsing behavior. Analytics data is aggregated and cannot identify you personally. You are not profiled or targeted based on analytics data.
4. Data Security
- All data in transit is encrypted via TLS 1.3
- All data at rest is encrypted
- Biometric processing occurs on-device
- Phone numbers are stored as irreversible SHA-256 hashes
- Face embeddings are stored as numeric arrays (not images)
- Admin access to user data requires authenticated credentials
5. Data Retention
| Data Type | Retention |
|---|---|
| Account data | Until account deletion |
| Biometric embedding | Until account deletion (erased within 30 days) |
| Phone hash | Until account deletion |
| Questions submitted | Indefinitely (stored anonymously) |
| Session recordings | Indefinitely (public record) |
| Votes and verdicts | Indefinitely (stored anonymously) |
6. Your Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights:
- Access: Request a copy of your personal data
- Correction: Request correction of inaccurate data
- Deletion: Request deletion of your account and all associated data, including biometric data
- Portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format
- Objection: Object to specific processing activities
- Biometric consent withdrawal: Withdraw consent for biometric processing at any time (this will require account deletion as face verification is required)
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@parlalive.com.
7. Children's Privacy
Parla is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we learn that we have collected data from a child under 16, we will delete it immediately.
8. International Data Transfers
Your data may be processed in the United States where our servers are located. By using Parla, you consent to this transfer. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in compliance with applicable data protection laws.
9. U.S. State Privacy Laws
Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)
If you are an Illinois resident, the biometric consent you provide during signup constitutes your written release under BIPA. You may revoke this consent at any time by deleting your account or contacting privacy@parlalive.com.
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
California residents have the right to know what personal information is collected, request deletion, and opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information.
Other State Laws
We comply with applicable biometric and privacy laws in Texas, Washington, Colorado, Connecticut, and other states with active privacy legislation.
10. EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
If you are in the EU or UK, our legal basis for processing biometric data is explicit consent (Article 9(2)(a) GDPR). You have the right to withdraw consent at any time. Our legal basis for processing other personal data is contractual necessity (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR).
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes via the app or email. Continued use of the Platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
12. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your data:
- Email: privacy@parlalive.com