Legal

Privacy Policy

Effective date: June 8, 2026

The short version: we collect the minimum we need to run HelpMe Notes — your account basics, optional school info you choose to share, the feedback you post, and aggregate usage statistics via Google Analytics. We don't run ad trackers, and we never sell your data. The details are below.

1. Who we are

HelpMe Notes is a service of HelpMe Brands, LLC, an Ohio limited liability company doing business as "HelpMe Notes." We are the data controller for the personal information described in this policy. You can reach us at support@helpmebrands.com.

2. What we collect

Account information. When you sign up we collect your email address and, if you use email sign-up, a password (handled by Google Firebase Authentication — we never see or store your password itself). If you sign in with Google, we receive your name and profile photo from your Google account.

Optional profile details. During onboarding you can tell us your school and your major or field of study. Both are optional — you can skip them and use the service fully.

Content you post. Feedback and comments you leave on study sheets, along with your display name and photo as shown next to them, edit history, endorsements ("thumbs up"), and any reports you file about other users' content.

Anonymous usage signals. When affiliate product links are shown or clicked, we record the event with a random identifier stored in your browser. This identifier is deliberately not linked to your account.

Waitlist email. If you ask to be notified when our mobile app launches, we store the email address you give us for that single purpose — to email you once, when the app is available. You can ask us to remove it any time at support@helpmebrands.com.

Usage analytics — on by default, easy to opt out. When you first visit, our in-product consent banner turns Google Analytics on for this browser. We send page views, downloads, and similar usage events to Google Analytics. If you are signed in, we also send your school and field of study as a demographic segment so we can understand which schools drive traffic — they are still not linked to your account. Google processes that data on its own servers under its own privacy terms; we don't link it to your account and we don't use it for advertising. You can turn it off at any time from the link in our Cookie Policy, or reopen the consent dialog from the "Manage preferences" link in the site footer.

Technical data. As on nearly every website, our servers and hosting providers process IP addresses and request metadata to serve pages, prevent abuse, and diagnose errors. Server-side errors are reported to Sentry (our error-tracking provider) with request context.

3. How we use it

to operate your account and sign you in securely;
to show your name and photo next to feedback you post;
to understand, in aggregate, which schools and subjects our students come from so we can prioritize content;
to understand, in aggregate, how the site is used so we can improve it;
to moderate the community and respond to reports;
to keep the service secure, diagnose errors, and prevent abuse;
to respond when you contact us.

4. What we don't do

We don't sell your personal information. Ever.
We don't run advertising trackers, and we don't use our analytics for advertising — Google Analytics is for aggregate usage statistics only.
We don't link affiliate click data to your account.
We don't set analytics cookies on your browser until you opt in.
We don't send marketing email unless you've asked for it.

5. Service providers

We use a small number of providers to run the service. They process data on our behalf and under their own security commitments:

Google Firebase / Google Cloud — authentication, database, and hosting;
Cloudflare — storage and delivery of study-sheet PDFs and thumbnails;
Google Analytics — aggregate usage statistics, only when you opt in (see our Cookie Policy);
Sentry — server-side error tracking.

6. Retention and deletion

We keep your account information for as long as your account exists. Feedback you delete is hidden from the site; account data is removed when your account is deleted, except for records we need to keep for legal, security, or abuse-prevention reasons. Anonymous affiliate events and server logs are kept only as long as they're useful for the purposes above.

7. Your rights

You can access and update your profile details, and permanently delete your account and associated data, from your profile page at any time. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under local law; we honor reasonable requests regardless of where you're writing from.

8. Children

The service is not directed to children under 16, and we don't knowingly collect personal information from them.

9. Security

We protect your information with industry-standard measures: encrypted connections (HTTPS), authentication and session handling through Firebase, and access limited to those who need it to operate the service. No system is perfectly secure, so please use a strong, unique password.

10. Changes to this policy

If we change this policy in a material way, we'll update the effective date above and take reasonable steps to notify you, such as a notice on the site. Earlier versions are available on request.

11. Contact

Privacy questions or requests: email support@helpmebrands.com.