Privacy Policy

Seedrate (seedrate.com) is operated by Vida Technology, LLC, a Colorado company, doing business as Seedrate. This policy explains what information we collect when you use Seedrate, how we use and share it, and the choices you have. By using Seedrate you agree to the practices described here and in our Terms of Service.

Seedrate is operated from, and its data is stored in, the United States. It is built for gardeners in the United States and is not directed to users in the European Union, the United Kingdom or other regions with their own data-protection laws.

Information we collect

Information you give us. When you create an account we ask for an email address, a username, a display name and a password. You may add a zip code so that we can work out your growing region, hardiness zone and frost dates, and you may change the zone we suggest. We also receive whatever you choose to add to Seedrate: your seed collections and lists, grow logs, reviews and ratings, notes, seed packets, varieties and companies you submit, and photos such as seed packet photos. If you contact us, we keep the message and your contact details.

Information collected automatically. Like most websites, we receive standard technical information when your browser connects to us, such as your IP address, browser type, the pages you request and the time of the request, and our sign-in service records the same for each session. We use a small number of cookies, described below, and analytics services that give us aggregate usage and performance figures without identifying individual visitors.

Information from other sources. We do not buy information about you from data brokers or receive it from advertisers or social networks.

We do not collect payment details, government identifiers, health information or precise location.

How we use information

We use the information we collect to run Seedrate: to keep your account working, store and display your collections, logs and reviews, personalize planting information for your zone, read the seed packets you photograph, send you account emails, answer your questions, and moderate content under our Terms of Service. We also use it to keep the site secure, to detect spam, abuse and fake reviews, to understand how Seedrate is used so that we can improve it, and to comply with the law.

Seedrate does not show third-party advertising, does not use your information for advertising or marketing profiles, and does not sell your personal information. If we add advertising in the future, we will update this policy first and, where the law requires it, ask for your consent.

Affiliate links

Some links from Seedrate to seed companies may be affiliate links: if you buy something after following one, the company may pay us a commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate relationships never affect how varieties are ranked, described or reviewed. The company you buy from handles your purchase under its own privacy policy; we do not receive your name, contact details or payment information from it.

User content and what is public

Seedrate is a community site. Your username and the content you post, such as reviews, ratings, photos and any lists you make public, are visible to other users and to the public, including search engines. Your email address, zip code and password are never public.

Photos are stored on a content delivery network and can be viewed by anyone who has the photo's web address, including anything written on a packet you photograph, so do not upload photos of personal notes you would not want published. We remove camera metadata, such as the location where a photo was taken, when you upload it.

Seed packet reading

When you upload a seed packet photo, we use a third-party artificial-intelligence service to read the printed details on the packet, such as the variety name, days to maturity and planting depth, so that you do not have to type them. The provider processes the photo on our behalf, does not use it to train its models, and deletes it after a limited period. We check the extracted information before it is published.

How we share information

We share personal information only in these cases:

Service providers. We rely on established third-party companies to host Seedrate, store data and photos, run sign-in, deliver email, measure site usage and performance, and read packet photos, as described above. They may use your information only to provide those services to us.

Legal reasons. We may disclose information when we believe in good faith that the law requires it, or that disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, safety or property of Seedrate, our users or the public.

Business transfers. If Seedrate is sold or merged with another business, your information may be transferred to the new owner under this policy. We will let you know by email or a notice on the site.

We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it with third parties for their own marketing.

Cookies and analytics

We use cookies only to keep you signed in and, if you enter a zip code while signed out, to remember it for up to a year so that frost dates keep showing. We do not use advertising cookies, and no third party collects information about your activity across other websites through Seedrate. Our analytics and performance services do not use cookies and report only aggregate figures such as how many people viewed a page or how quickly it loaded.

Because we do not track you across websites, we do not respond to browser "Do Not Track" signals; there is nothing to turn off. Should we ever begin selling or sharing personal information, we will honor Global Privacy Control signals as an opt-out.

Email

We send account emails, such as verification, password reset and security notices, for as long as you have an account. We send news and product updates only if you sign up for them, and every such email includes an unsubscribe link.

Your choices

You can view and update your email address, username, zip code and zone in your account settings, and you can edit or delete anything you have posted. You can delete your account, and the personal information attached to it, from your account settings. You can request a copy of your information from your account settings or by emailing privacy@seedrate.com. For any request we cannot handle in the app, email privacy@seedrate.com; we may ask you to confirm the request from the email address on your account, and we will respond within 30 days. We will not treat you differently for exercising any of these choices. These choices are available to every Seedrate user, wherever you live.

Data retention

We keep your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide Seedrate to you. Deleting your account removes your account details and private content. Reviews, ratings and photos you posted, and packets, varieties and companies you submitted, stay on Seedrate with your username removed, so that the community's record of a variety stays intact; email privacy@seedrate.com if you want your reviews, ratings or photos removed as well. When you delete your account from your account settings we schedule the deletion and complete it after a seven-day cancel window, during which you may email privacy@seedrate.com from the address on your account to reverse it. We may keep information where the law requires it or where we need it to resolve disputes or enforce our agreements, and copies may remain in routine backups for a limited time before they are overwritten. Technical logs and aggregate analytics are kept for short periods set by our service providers.

Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your information: passwords are stored as one-way hashes, connections are encrypted, access to our systems is restricted, and our service providers maintain their own published security programs. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If a breach affects your information, we will notify you as the law requires.

Children's privacy

Seedrate is for people 13 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13 or knowingly allow such persons to register. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us at privacy@seedrate.com and we will delete it.

Additional state-specific disclosures

Seedrate is currently below the size thresholds of the California Consumer Privacy Act, the Colorado Privacy Act and similar state laws; we nonetheless offer the choices above to everyone. For California residents: the categories of personal information we collect and the categories of third parties we share it with are described above; you can review and change your information as described under "Your choices"; we announce material changes as described under "Changes to this policy"; and our response to Do Not Track signals is described under "Cookies and analytics". We do not sell personal information as defined under Nevada law.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as Seedrate changes. The date at the top tells you when it last changed. If the changes are material, we will email account holders or post a notice on the site before they take effect.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your information: privacy@seedrate.com, or by mail to Vida Technology, LLC d/b/a Seedrate, 2401 Valley View Dr., Denver, CO 80221.