Balance Ocean Inc. ("Balance Ocean", "we", "our", or "us"), a corporation incorporated in the State of Delaware, USA, is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights with respect to that data when you visit www.balanceocean.com or use any of our services.
By accessing our website or purchasing a membership, you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you disagree with any part, please do not use our services.
1. Information We Collect
We collect the following categories of personal information:
a) Information you provide directly
- Newsletter subscription: name (optional) and email address.
- Membership purchase: name, email address, billing address, and payment card information — processed and stored securely by Stripe, Inc. We never store your full card number on our servers.
- Discord username: provided voluntarily after purchase to grant access to our private Discord community.
- Contact inquiries: name, email address, and message content when you contact us directly.
b) Information collected automatically
- Usage data: pages visited, time spent, referring URLs, browser type, operating system, and IP address — collected via standard server logs and analytics tools.
- Cookies and similar technologies: session cookies necessary for site functionality. We do not use third-party advertising cookies.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal data for the following purposes:
- To process membership payments and manage your subscription through Stripe.
- To grant and manage access to our private Discord community.
- To send you the Balance Ocean newsletter and educational content you have subscribed to.
- To respond to your inquiries and provide customer support.
- To analyze how our website is used and improve our services.
- To comply with applicable legal obligations.
- To detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, or security incidents.
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.
3. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, we process your personal data under the following legal bases:
- Contract performance: processing necessary to fulfill our membership agreement with you.
- Legitimate interests: analytics, fraud prevention, and service improvement.
- Consent: newsletter subscription. You may withdraw consent at any time.
- Legal obligation: compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
4. Data Storage and Security
Your personal data is stored on servers operated by Supabase (a cloud database provider with data centers in the United States). Sensitive data fields — including newsletter email addresses and subscriber names — are encrypted at rest using AES-256-GCM encryption. Payment data is handled exclusively by Stripe and is never stored on Balance Ocean servers.
We implement industry-standard technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including encrypted connections (TLS/HTTPS), access controls, and row-level security policies. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
5. Third-Party Service Providers
We share your data with the following trusted third parties solely to operate our services:
- Stripe, Inc. — payment processing. Subject to Stripe's Privacy Policy.
- Supabase, Inc. — database infrastructure and data storage.
- Discord, Inc. — community platform. Your Discord username is shared with Discord to facilitate community access. Subject to Discord's Privacy Policy.
- Vercel / Hosting Provider — website hosting and delivery.
We require all third-party providers to respect the security of your data and treat it in accordance with applicable law. We do not authorize them to use your personal data for their own independent purposes.
6. Data Retention
We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy and to comply with legal obligations:
- Newsletter subscribers: until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
- Membership records: for a minimum of 5 years following the end of your subscription for accounting and tax compliance purposes.
- Support communications: for 2 years from the date of last contact.
7. Your Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right of access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to rectification: request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Right to erasure: request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention obligations.
- Right to restrict processing: request that we limit how we use your data.
- Right to data portability: receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Right to object: object to processing based on legitimate interests.
- Right to withdraw consent: withdraw consent for newsletter communications at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" in any email or contacting us directly.
- California residents (CCPA): you have the right to know what personal information is collected, to opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information), and to request deletion.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@balanceocean.com. We will respond within 30 days.
8. Cookies
Our website uses only essential cookies necessary for the website to function properly. We do not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or third-party analytics cookies that track you across websites. You may disable cookies in your browser settings, but some features of the website may not function correctly as a result.
9. Children's Privacy
Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that a child under 18 has provided us with personal data, we will take steps to delete such information promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with their information, please contact us immediately.
10. International Data Transfers
Balance Ocean Inc. is incorporated in Delaware, USA. If you are located outside the United States, your data will be transferred to and processed in the United States. By using our services, you consent to such transfer. Where required, we implement appropriate safeguards (such as Standard Contractual Clauses) to protect your data during international transfers.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. If we make material changes, we will notify active subscribers by email. Continued use of our services after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated Policy.
12. Contact Us
For any questions, requests, or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:
Balance Ocean Inc.
Incorporated in the State of Delaware, United States of America
Email: info@balanceocean.com
Phone: +1 (689) 280-6133