StandWatch LLC ("StandWatch," "we," "us") operates standwatch.co and related pages (the "Site"). This policy explains what personal information we collect, why, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the choices and rights you have. We wrote it to be readable. If anything is unclear, contact us at support@standwatch.co.
What we are, and what we are not
StandWatch is a free financial education, comparison, and rate-monitoring service for the military community. We are not a lender, broker, bank, insurer, or financial advisor. We do not take loan or insurance applications, we do not make lending or coverage decisions, and we do not handle your money. When you ask us to "watch" a rate or bill, we monitor public market data and tracked partner offers and notify you when there may be a chance to save. If you choose to act, you click through to a partner's own website, where their terms apply.
Information we collect
We collect what you choose to give us when you set a watch or contact us. That typically includes: your first name (optional) and email address, the state you select, and your marketing-consent choice. To run your comparison and watch, we also store the numbers you enter (for example, your current interest rate, loan balance, premium, or monthly bill), the alert target you set, the Watch category, and the date you submitted it. We do not ask for or collect your Social Security number, account numbers, or payment information, because we never charge you. If you create a watch inside the StandWatch iOS app and allow notifications, we also store your device's push notification token with that watch, used only to deliver your alert to that device; it is deleted with the watch, and declining notifications changes nothing else about your watch.
We may also automatically receive limited technical information that any website receives, such as your IP address, browser type, and general usage, including through standard analytics. We do not use this to build advertising profiles of you.
Financial details you enter
The financial figures you enter (such as your rate or premium) are treated by us as confidential and are used only to generate your comparison and operate your watch. We do not sell them and do not use them for targeted advertising.
The bill scanner (optional)
If you use our optional bill scanner, you upload a photo or PDF of a bill so we can read the figures for you instead of typing them. Here is how that file is handled:
• StandWatch does not store the image. It is sent to our AI provider to read, and is not written to any StandWatch database, storage, or log. Once the figures are read, the image is gone from our side. Only the figures you choose to use are saved, and only if you start a watch.
• We read only the numbers. The scanner is instructed to extract only the provider name and figures (balance, rate, payment, due date, or kWh) and to ignore your name, account number, address, and other personal identifiers.
• Our AI provider is Anthropic (the maker of Claude). Images are processed through Anthropic's commercial API. Under Anthropic's standard commercial API terms, inputs and outputs are normally deleted within 30 days and are not used to train AI models by default, subject to Anthropic's published exceptions. Anthropic's commercial API terms are separate from, and more protective than, its consumer terms.
• It's optional and can make mistakes. You can skip the scanner and type your figures instead, and you can redact anything you don't want read. Because AI can misread a figure, we ask you to verify the numbers against your statement before acting.
Ask StandWatch (optional)
Ask StandWatch is our free question tool at standwatch.co/ask. If you use it, here is how your question is handled:
• StandWatch does not store your questions. Your question is sent to our server only to generate the answer, and it is not written to any StandWatch database, storage, or log. We cannot see, review, or retrieve what you asked.
• Processing is done by Anthropic (the maker of Claude) through its commercial API, the same provider and terms as the bill scanner: inputs and outputs are normally deleted from Anthropic's systems within 30 days and are not used to train AI models by default, subject to Anthropic's published exceptions.
• Leave out personal details. A question doesn't need your name, account numbers, or other identifiers. We automatically strip common identifier patterns as a backstop, but the best protection is not typing them in.
• Answers are educational only. They are generated from StandWatch's own published pages, can contain mistakes, and are not financial, legal, tax, or medical advice.
Why we collect it (purposes)
We use your information to: generate your rate/bill comparison; operate the watch you requested and send you the watch emails you asked for (your alert when the target is met and one monthly Watch status update (SITREP) while the watch is active); respond to your messages; and, only if you separately opt in, send occasional education & benefits updates, which may include clearly disclosed partner content. Opting into those updates is optional and is never required to set a watch.
Who we share it with
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with partners as "leads." When a partner can beat your number, we show you a link and you decide whether to click; we do not hand your information to them. We do use a small number of service providers who process data on our behalf so the Site can function:
• Airtable: stores the watch records you submit, on our behalf, so we can operate your watch (airtable.com/privacy).
• Vercel: hosts the Site, processes form submissions, and provides Web Analytics (vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy).
• Google Workspace: handles our email, including the alert we send you (policies.google.com/privacy).
• Anthropic: processes bill-scanner images and Ask StandWatch questions through its commercial API, as described above (anthropic.com/legal/privacy).
These providers are bound to use your information only to provide their services to us. Our own security controls are described below. We may also disclose information if required by law, to protect our rights or users' safety, or in connection with a business transfer.
When you click a partner link, you leave StandWatch and land on the partner's own site, which is governed by their privacy policy and terms, not ours. We don't control, review, or take responsibility for how a partner collects or uses your information once you're there, so it's worth reading their policy before you share anything with them.
Cookies, analytics, and universal opt-out signals
The Site uses only the minimal cookies/local storage needed to function. For analytics, we use Vercel Web Analytics, a privacy-focused tool that measures aggregate page views and traffic without third-party advertising cookies or cross-site tracking. We do not use third-party advertising or behavioral-analytics cookies, and we do not build advertising profiles of you.
StandWatch does not currently sell personal information or use it for cross-context behavioral advertising, so there is nothing to opt out of in that sense. If we ever become subject to an applicable universal opt-out requirement (such as the Global Privacy Control under the Colorado Privacy Act), we will process recognized signals as required by law and update this policy to describe how.
Affiliate links and partner tracking
The Site is designed to carry clearly labeled partner (affiliate) links as partners sign; none are live today. If you click a future partner link and act on the partner's site, the partner may set its own cookies and may record that the referral came from StandWatch so it can pay us a commission, at no extra cost to you. That tracking happens on the partner's website under the partner's own privacy policy, not on StandWatch, and it does not change the price or rate you receive. We do not transmit your personal information to a partner unless and until you choose to provide it on their site. We also do not use affiliate activity to build an advertising profile of you.
How long we keep it
We keep information only as long as we reasonably need it, then delete or de-identify it. Our current default schedule, which we may adjust as the business and the law evolve:
• Active watch records: while your watch is active.
• Closed or cancelled watches: up to 12 months after closure, then deleted or de-identified.
• Education & benefits update list: if you opt in, until you unsubscribe, after which we keep a minimal suppression record so we don't email you again. Your watch emails (alert and monthly SITREP) run until you cancel the watch itself.
• Consent records (the language you agreed to, and when): up to 3 years, as a compliance record.
• Server and security logs: a short period, typically up to 90 days.
• Privacy-request records: up to 24 months, to document that we handled your request.
You can ask us to delete your information sooner at any time (see your rights below), subject to limited legal retention exceptions.
How we protect it
We take reasonable measures to protect your information: form submissions are processed through a server-side function rather than exposed in the browser, access to our storage is restricted and protected with multi-factor authentication, and we keep our credentials confidential and follow least-privilege practices. We never store payment data because we don't collect it. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, but we work to safeguard the limited information you give us.
Your privacy rights
Depending on where you live (including California under the CCPA/CPRA, and similar laws in Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and other states), you may have the right to: know what personal information we hold about you; access or receive a copy of it; correct it; delete it; and opt out of any sale or sharing for targeted advertising. StandWatch does not sell or share your personal information for those purposes.
To exercise any right, use our Data Requests form or email support@standwatch.co with your request. We will verify your request and respond within 45 days (we may extend once when reasonably necessary, with notice). You will not be discriminated against for exercising your rights. If we ever deny a request, you may appeal by replying to our response.
Children
StandWatch is built for adults and isn't directed at children. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13 (or from anyone defined as a minor under the laws of their state) without verifiable parental consent. If you believe a minor has given us information, contact us at support@standwatch.co and we will remove it.
Changes to this policy
If we make material changes, we will post the updated policy here with a new "Last updated" date and, where appropriate, a notice on the Site. Your continued use after changes take effect means you accept the updated policy.
Contact
StandWatch LLC · Castle Rock, Colorado · support@standwatch.co