Privacy Policy

This privacy policy is made available for remix under a Creative Commons Sharealike license.

1. Overview

Your privacy is important to Minds, Inc. (“Minds”, “we” or “us”). It is our policy to respect the privacy of our users regarding all information we may collect while operating our Services (defined in our Terms of Service). This privacy policy applies to our Services. This privacy policy sets forth what information we collect about users of the Services and explains how that information is used and protected.

Minds’ data privacy goals are:

• Classify all data for proper security, transparency and fairness
• Policy enforced data privacy
• Empower users to control via opt-in the use, collection and deletion of their Personal Information
• Ensure users always know for what purpose their Personal Information will be used
• Compliance with US law

Minds is encrypted via HTTPS, and we encrypt and/or hash all sensitive information while in motion or when stored at rest, including emails, passwords and private messages.

Minds does not ask you for Personal Information unless it is required to provide certain features of the Services including, but not limited to user rewards, password reset, payments and two-factor authentication or Minds Token sales requiring AML/KYC data collection for certain purchasers.

Minds does not willfully disclose the Personal Information of our users to anyone except to comply to applicable law or protect our rights.

2. Anonymity

As a cornerstone to our privacy policy, Minds users have the right, and are encouraged, to be anonymous. Certain features of the Services may require you to submit information (including Personal Information, which is defined below) as a condition to use certain features of the Services. We collect your Personal Information when voluntarily submitted by you. The Personal Information you provide is used to a create user account and login credentials for the purpose of using certain features of the Services and/or fulfilling your specific requests, unless you give us permission to use it in another manner. We will not collect your Personal Information unless you give it to us. “Personal Information” means any information that is classified as sensitive because it is personally identifiable such as a verified name, fingerprints or other biometric data, email address, street address, telephone number or social security number. Since anonymous data is de-identified by definition, and registration on Minds can be anonymous, Minds classifies nearly all site data as public. All non-public data is either encrypted or hashed.

Exceptions to the public default data classification include the following:

• Logged-in users. Data is accessible to logged-in users only
• Unlisted data. Data is classified as public, but it is not indexed and not accessible to anyone without knowledge of the URL.
• Personal data. Data that is personally identifiable such as email address, chat history or mobile number is classified as sensitive and therefore encrypted by policy when in motion or stored at rest using an SHA-256 unique hash ID.
• Verified users. Minds will verify users to a personal identity if a user requests to do so via Minds Plus. In this case Minds privacy policy is to accept the request for verification as consent that the non-sensitive data from that channel will also be handled and marked as public.

3. Transparency

Internet users and content creators make a major commitment in terms of time and effort creating, curating and sharing. Everyone must trust their social media platform to be a reliable partner. Minds provides radical transparency in three ways:

• Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) - Minds software is free and open source end-to-end enabling expert inspection and peer review. Free and open source software enables user to “trust and verify” that Minds software operates as documented and advertised. Please view at https://gitlab.com/minds.
• Blockchain - Minds Wire and Minds Boost use Minds Tokens to record each transaction on the Ethereum distributed blockchain. Using peer to peer smart contracts and distributed, autonomous processes, Minds Tokens eliminate payment provider middlemen and defeat bureaus of centralized authority and censorship.
• Public Filings - In May 2017 Minds filed and completed an SEC Regulation CF equity crowdfunding. Minds annual report and Form C public filings may be found at: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1703996/000167025417000102/.

4. Gathering of Personal Information

Certain visitors to Minds’ websites choose to interact with Minds in ways that require Minds to gather Personal Information. The amount and type of information that Minds gathers depends on the nature of the interaction.

For example, we may ask visitors who engage in transactions with Minds to provide additional information, such as necessary personal or financial information required to process those transactions. In each case, Minds collects such information only insofar as is necessary or appropriate to fulfill the purpose of the visitor’s interaction with Minds.

Minds databases are architected to never store Personal Information in raw form or readable to anyone including Minds staff. Minds does not disclose Personal Information other than as described herein. And visitors may be anonymous on Minds or opt-out and refuse to supply Personal Information under the caveat that they understand it may prevent them from engaging in certain website-related activities.

There are four categories of sensitive information that is deemed Personal Information which may be collected and stored by Minds:

• Email address. Minds stores and uses your email address to provide secure access to the web site. Your email address is encrypted. Minds uses your email to facilitate the Forgot Password function and to keep users updated with the network when offline. Users are not required to provide an email, but are warned that access to their Minds channel may be permanently lost and irretrievable if the user ever forgets their password. If you have supplied your email address, Minds may occasionally send you an email to tell you about new features, solicit your feedback, or just keep you up to date with what’s going on with Minds and our products.
  
  In all promotional emails, you will be given the opportunity to opt-out of receiving such messages in the future by clicking on the link at the bottom of the email that says “unsubscribe.”
  
  Even if you have unsubscribed from receiving promotional emails from us, we may send you other types of important email communications without offering you the opportunity to opt-out of receiving them, such as administrative notices, or Services-related communications (e.g., account verification, payment confirmations, technical and security notices).
• Chat history. Minds messenger uses asymmetric encryption (public and private keys) to store the content of your messages. Messages are encrypted with a user's publicly available key and can only be decrypted using the password protected, private key belonging to the respective users. We are using Openssl RSA 4096 / SHA 512 password protected keys.
• Mobile phone number. Minds requests your mobile phone number as a requirement to participate in our daily Minds Token rewards program. We use the mobile number to establish a unique ID against which we may calculate daily rewards. This prevents others from easily and unfairly making fake accounts and defrauding the reward pool. Minds does not store the phone numbers you provide. The numbers are stored as a SHA-256 hash combined with a salt key. The salt ensures that the numbers can not be matched unless the correct salt is provided.
• Machine dependent data. Minds may require access to services on your mobile device such as a microphone or camera to record a video on the mobile application. We do not store IP addresses on Minds, and we do not use any such data for anything other than the stated purpose of providing utility to deliver the stated Minds Services.

5. Website Visitors

Minds encourages anonymity and has a mission to become free from all dependencies on third-party, proprietary software and infrastructure. However, from time to time we may use one or more third-party services to improve certain services on our network. In order to provide you with the Services, we may share your Personal Information with certain authorized providers of third-party services (“Authorized Third Parties”) who are authorized to act on behalf of Minds in connection with the Services. Our agreements with any such Authorized Third Parties states that they will not use any Personal Information received from us for any purpose other than performing services on our behalf.

Like most website operators, Minds also collects non-personally-identifying information of the sort that web browsers and servers typically make available, such as the browser type, language preference, referring site, and the date and time of each visitor request. Minds’ purpose in collecting non-personally identifying information is to better understand how Minds’ visitors use its website. From time to time, Minds may release non-personally-identifying information in the aggregate, e.g., by publishing a report on trends in the usage of its website.

6. Open Data

Minds may collect statistics about the behavior of visitors to its websites. For instance, Minds may monitor the most popular channels, groups or activity on the site. Minds may display this information publicly or provide it to others as de-identified data. However, Minds does not disclose Personal Information of any kind other than as described herein.

7. Disclosure and Protection of Personal Information

Minds discloses certain potentially Personal Information only to those of its employees, contractors and affiliated organizations that (i) need to know that information in order to process it on Minds’ behalf or to provide services to Minds or its’ websites, and (ii) that have agreed not to disclose it to others. Some of those employees, contractors and affiliated organizations may be located outside of your home country; by using Minds’ websites, you consent to the transfer of such information to them.

8. Notification and Disclosure of Breach

Minds will notify users immediately if we believe their Personal Information is disclosed in any unauthorized way.

Although Minds provides reasonable administrative, physical and electronic security measures to protect Personal Information from unauthorized access, we cannot assure the security of any information you transmit or guarantee that this information will not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed.

We will make any legally required disclosures of any breach of the security, confidentiality, or integrity of your unencrypted personal Information. To the extent the law of your jurisdiction allows for notification of a breach via e-mail or public posting, you agree to accept notice in that form.

If you send us a request (for example via a support email or via one of our feedback mechanisms), we reserve the right to publish it in order to help us clarify or respond to your request or to help us support other users.

9. Cookies

A cookie is a string of information that a website stores on a visitor’s computer, and that the visitor’s browser provides to the website each time the visitor returns. Minds requires cookies to identify and validate sessions, ensure security and to improve the experience of the end users. Minds visitors who do not wish to have cookies placed on their computers should set their browsers to refuse cookies before using Minds’ websites, with the drawback that certain features of Minds’ websites may not function properly without the aid of cookies.

10. How Long We Keep Your Information

Personal Information that you provide to the Services may be retained indefinitely, to the extent it is consistent with the Terms of Use and applicable law. Minds may in its discretion elect to retain Personal Information only while deemed necessary for business, legal and tax purposes.

11. Government, Regulatory Agencies, Courts, and Law Enforcement

We may access, preserve, and share any information about you, without your consent, to government or law enforcement officials or private parties if we believe in good faith that it is necessary or appropriate to respond to requests, claims and legal process (including, but not limited to, subpoenas), to comply with applicable laws, to protect the property and rights of Minds, you or a third party, to protect the safety of the public or any person, or to prevent or stop activity we may consider to pose a risk of being, or is, illegal, unethical or legally actionable.

We may also access, preserve and share information when we have a good faith belief it is necessary to: detect, prevent and address fraud and other illegal activity; to protect ourselves, you and others, including as part of audits, inquiries or investigations; and to prevent death or imminent bodily harm. Information we receive about you may be accessed, processed and retained for an extended period of time when it is the subject of a legal request or obligation, governmental investigation, or investigations concerning possible violations of our terms or policies, or otherwise to prevent harm.

If you voluntarily share or submit any information (e.g., name) or content (e.g., pictures), or commentary (e.g., forums, message boards, chats) through the Services, or link it to any social media platforms, you acknowledge that the post and any content or information associated with it may become available to the public 12. Business Transfers

If Minds, or substantially all of its assets, were acquired, or in the unlikely event that Minds goes out of business or enters bankruptcy, user information would be one of the assets that is transferred or acquired by a third party. You acknowledge that such transfers may occur, and that any acquirer of Minds may continue to use your Personal Information as set forth in this policy. At any time users are able to delete all content and personally identifiable information from the site.

13. Children’s Privacy

Minds does not knowingly collect or solicit any information from anyone under the age of 13 or knowingly allow such persons to register for the Services. The Services and their content are not directed at children under the age of 13. In the event that we learn that we have collected Personal Information from a child under age 13 without parental consent, we will delete that information. If you believe that we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact Minds at [email protected].

All explicit or sensitive content exists behind multiple filters and it is strictly against the Terms for anyone under 18 to access such content.

14. How We Respond to Do Not Track Signals

Minds does not track its users over time and across third party websites to provide targeted advertising. Minds does not respond to Do Not Track (“DNT”) signals and handles all user information consistent with its Terms.

15. Other Web Sites and Services

The Services may contain links to other websites or services that we do not own or operate. We are not responsible for the practices employed by any websites or services linked to or from the Services, including the information or content contained within them. Your browsing and interaction on any third-party website or service, including those that have a link on our Services, are subject to that third party’s own rules and policies, not ours. In addition, you agree that we are not responsible and do not have control over any third-parties that you authorize to access your Personal Information. If you are using a third-party website or service and you allow them to access your Personal Information you do so at your own risk.

16. International Considerations

We have developed data practices designed to assure all Minds information is appropriately protected, but we cannot always know where Personal Information may be accessed or processed. While our primary facilities are in the United States, we may transfer Personal Information or other information to facilities outside of the United States. In addition, we may employ other companies and individuals to perform functions on our behalf. If we disclose Personal Information to a third party or to our employees outside of the United States, we will seek assurances that any information we may provide to them is safeguarded adequately and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable privacy laws.

If you live in or you are visiting from the European Union or other regions with laws governing data collection and use, please note that you are agreeing to the transfer of your Personal Information, including sensitive data, by us from your region to countries which may not have data protection laws that provide the same level of protection that exists in countries in the European Economic Area, including the United States. By providing your Personal Information, you consent to any transfer and processing in accordance with this policy.

17. Privacy Policy Changes

Although most changes are likely to be minor, Minds may change its Privacy Policy from time to time, and in Minds’ sole discretion. Minds encourages visitors to frequently check this page for any changes to its Privacy Policy. If you have a Minds.com account, you should also check your account’s dashboard for alerts to these changes. Your continued use of this site after any change in this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of such changes.