Privacy Policy

Last Updated: August 2026

Welcome to Sparke (the "App"), a private, secure digital home designed for couples. At Sparke, your privacy is our highest priority. This Privacy Policy comprehensively outlines how we collect, use, protect, and handle your information across all of our features.

By using the App, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the App.

1. Zero-Knowledge Architecture & End-to-End Encryption (E2EE)

Sparke is built on a foundation of absolute privacy. We employ End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) for all of your private communications and shared content.

  • What we CANNOT see: We do not have the technical ability to access, read, scan, or monitor the contents of your private chats, voice notes, photos, shared journals, collaborative notes, calendar events, or time capsules. Only you and your paired partner hold the cryptographic keys required to decrypt this content on your physical devices.
  • What we CAN see (Metadata): To facilitate the service, we collect limited metadata, such as account creation timestamps, connection logs, device information, and encrypted data payloads that we cannot decipher.

2. Information We Collect

A. Information You Provide Directly

  • Account & Authentication Information: When you register, we collect your name, email address or phone number, and authentication credentials.
  • Profile Information: Usernames, display names, and pairing codes used to securely connect you with your partner.
  • Customer Support: If you contact us, we retain the contents of your correspondence to assist you.

B. Information Collected Automatically

  • Device & Diagnostic Data: We collect device models, operating system versions, and crash reports (via Firebase Crashlytics) to ensure the stability and reliability of the App.
  • Location Data: (See Section 3 for detailed location policies).

3. Feature-Specific Privacy Policies

To provide full transparency, here is exactly how data is handled across Sparke's specific features:

3.1 Live Location, Map Sharing & Meeting History

If you grant the App background location permissions, we collect your GPS coordinates to power the shared map, distance calculators, and "Meeting History" features.

  • Ghost Mode: You maintain absolute control over your location privacy. You can enable "Ghost Mode" at any time to instantly pause location sharing with your partner and stop background tracking.
  • Data Usage: Your location data is shared only with your paired partner. We do not sell your location history to advertisers or data brokers.

3.2 Shared Journals, Notes & Time Capsules

All text, media, and entries created in Shared Journals, Collaborative Notes, and Time Capsules are End-to-End Encrypted. We simply store the encrypted blobs on our servers until they are synced to your partner's device (or until a Time Capsule unlocks). We cannot read your journal entries or notes.

3.3 Relationship Insights

The App provides analytics on your journey together (e.g., time spent together, messaging frequency). These insights are generated using metadata or calculated locally on your device. We do not analyze the semantic content of your messages to generate these insights.

3.4 Camera, Photos, and Microphone

Features like voice notes and memory sharing require access to your device's camera, photo library, and microphone.

  • Media and audio captured through the App are encrypted on your device before being transmitted.
  • We do not scan your photo library or listen to your microphone outside of the explicit actions you take within the App.

4. Premium Privacy Features & Device Security

Sparke offers advanced local security features to protect your data from physical device intrusion:

  • App Lock (Biometrics/PIN): You can lock the app using a custom PIN or device biometrics (Face ID, Touch ID, Fingerprint). Your custom PIN and biometric data never leave your device and are not stored on our servers.
  • App Disguise & Decoy Screens: Premium users can disguise Sparke as a generic app (e.g., Calculator, Weather, Notes). If the Calculator disguise is used, the App launches a functional fake calculator screen. The true App only unlocks when a secret PIN is entered on the calculator. We do not track or log when or how often you use decoy screens.
  • User Responsibility: You are solely responsible for maintaining the physical security of your device and safeguarding your secret PINs.

5. Third-Party Service Providers

We utilize trusted third-party services to operate the App. These services are bound by strict confidentiality agreements and data protection laws:

  • Google Firebase: Used for authentication, cloud messaging (push notifications), and encrypted metadata storage.
  • Mapbox: Used to render maps for the Live Location and Journey Timeline features.

We explicitly do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties for marketing or advertising purposes.

6. Data Retention, Partner Disconnection, and Account Deletion

You have complete control over your account lifecycle:

  • Partner Disconnection: You can permanently break the digital connection with your partner at any time via the Settings menu. Doing so immediately severs access to shared data.
  • Account Deletion: You can permanently delete your account at any time. Upon deletion, your account identifiers, metadata, and location history are permanently removed from our active servers.
  • Encrypted Payloads: Any encrypted data payload that may remain temporarily on our servers is rendered permanently inaccessible upon the deletion of your account, as your local encryption keys are destroyed.

7. Your Data Protection Rights (GDPR, CCPA, and others)

Depending on your jurisdiction, you have specific rights regarding your personal data:

  • Right to Access: You may request a copy of the metadata we hold about you.
  • Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): You may delete your account and data at any time via the App.
  • Right to Rectification: You may correct inaccurate information in your profile settings.
  • Right to Withdraw Consent: You can withdraw consent for Location Tracking, Camera, or Microphone access at any time via your device settings.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us (details below) or use the self-service tools provided within the App.

8. Children's Privacy

Sparke is strictly not intended for individuals under the age of 18 (or the applicable age of digital consent in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we discover that a child has provided us with personal information, we will immediately delete such data and terminate the account.

9. Compliance with Law Enforcement

We will comply with lawful requests from law enforcement agencies. However, because user communications and shared content are end-to-end encrypted, we are technically unable to provide the decrypted contents of your chats, journals, notes, or time capsules to any third party, including governments or law enforcement. We can only provide the metadata we possess.

10. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy within the App and updating the "Last Updated" date.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or legal inquiries regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact our Data Protection Officer at:
Email: support@svnate.com