Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

CogniFlow Books, a DBA of Sentry Media Solutions LLC ("Company," "we," "us," or "our"), is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our bookkeeping and business management software platform (the "Service"), including our website at cogniflowbooks.com and any associated applications or services.

By accessing or using our Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use the Service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information You Provide

When you register for and use our Service, we collect:

• Account Information: Name, email address, password (stored as a secure hash), and phone number
• Business Information: Business name, business type, license number, address, phone, email, website, and payment method details (Zelle, Venmo, CashApp, bank information)
• Customer Data: Information about your customers including names, contact information, addresses, and communication history
• Financial Data: Invoices, estimates, receipts, expenses, payment records, bank transactions, and other financial documents you create or upload
• Employee Data: Employee names, pay rates, hours worked, and payroll information
• Documents: Files you upload including images, PDFs, and other documents
• Communications: Messages, support requests, and other communications with us or through our platform

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you access our Service, we automatically collect:

• IP Address: Your Internet Protocol address, which may indicate your approximate geographic location
• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, device identifiers, screen resolution, and hardware characteristics
• Browser Fingerprint: A unique identifier generated from your browser and device characteristics, used to prevent trial abuse and detect fraudulent activity
• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, time spent on pages, clicks, and navigation patterns
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: Session cookies, authentication tokens, and local storage data to maintain your session and preferences
• Log Data: Access times, error logs, and system activity

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information from:

• Payment Processors: Stripe provides us with limited payment information to process your subscription
• Bank Connections: If you connect your bank account, transaction data from your financial institution

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

3.1 Service Provision

• To create and manage your account
• To provide bookkeeping, invoicing, estimating, and financial management features
• To process and send invoices and estimates on your behalf
• To generate financial reports and analytics
• To provide AI-powered business insights through CFB Assist
• To send transactional emails including invoices, receipts, and notifications

3.2 Security and Fraud Prevention

• To verify your identity and prevent unauthorized access
• To detect and prevent fraud, including trial abuse using IP addresses and browser fingerprints
• To enforce our Terms of Service
• To monitor for suspicious activity and security threats

3.3 Communication

• To send service-related announcements and updates
• To respond to your inquiries and support requests
• To send subscription and billing notifications
• To notify you of changes to our policies

3.4 Improvement and Analytics

• To analyze usage patterns and improve our Service
• To develop new features and functionality
• To troubleshoot technical issues

3.5 Legal Compliance

• To comply with legal obligations and lawful requests
• To protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property
• To enforce our agreements

4. Administrative Access and Monitoring

Important Notice: CogniFlow Books administrators have the ability to access, view, and monitor all data within the platform for the following purposes:

• Platform Management: To maintain, troubleshoot, and improve the Service
• Customer Support: To assist users with technical issues and account problems
• Fraud Prevention: To investigate and prevent fraudulent, abusive, or illegal activities
• Terms Enforcement: To enforce our Terms of Service and policies
• Legal Compliance: To respond to legal requests and comply with applicable laws
• Business Analytics: To analyze aggregate platform usage, revenue, and performance metrics

This access includes but is not limited to: user account information, business data, invoices, estimates, customer records, financial records, uploaded documents, usage logs, IP addresses, and all other data stored within the Service.

By using our Service, you acknowledge and consent to this administrative access as necessary for the operation and security of the platform.

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

5.1 Service Providers

We share data with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf:

• Stripe: Payment processing and subscription management
• Resend: Email delivery for invoices, estimates, notifications, and communications
• OpenAI: AI-powered analysis and recommendations through CFB Assist (financial data may be sent for analysis)
• Cloud Hosting: Data storage and computing infrastructure
• Analytics Providers: Usage analytics and performance monitoring

5.2 Your Customers

When you send invoices or estimates through our Service, your business information and the relevant transaction details are shared with your customers via email.

5.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to:

• Valid legal process (subpoenas, court orders, warrants)
• Government or regulatory requests
• To protect the rights, property, or safety of CogniFlow Books, our users, or others
• To investigate or prevent fraud or illegal activities

5.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change in ownership or control.

5.5 With Your Consent

We may share your information in other ways if you provide us with explicit consent to do so.

6. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as:

• Your account remains active
• As needed to provide you with our services
• As required to comply with our legal obligations (including tax and accounting requirements)
• As necessary to resolve disputes and enforce our agreements

After account termination, we may retain certain information for a reasonable period to comply with legal obligations, prevent fraud, resolve disputes, and enforce our Terms. Financial and transaction data may be retained for up to 7 years to comply with tax and accounting regulations.

Trial abuse prevention data (IP addresses, browser fingerprints, email domains) may be retained indefinitely to prevent fraudulent use of free trials.

7. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit using TLS/SSL
• Encryption of sensitive data at rest
• Secure password hashing using bcrypt
• Regular security assessments and monitoring
• Access controls and authentication requirements
• Regular automated backups

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.

8. Your Rights and Choices

8.1 Access and Export

You can access and export your data at any time through your account settings. We provide data export in common formats (CSV, PDF).

8.2 Correction

You can update and correct your account information and business data through the Service at any time.

8.3 Account Deletion

You may request deletion of your account by contacting us. Note that we may retain certain information as required by law or for legitimate business purposes as described in Section 6.

8.4 Communication Preferences

You may opt out of promotional communications by following the unsubscribe instructions in those messages. Note that you cannot opt out of transactional or service-related communications while maintaining an active account.

9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use the following technologies:

• Session Cookies: To maintain your authenticated session
• Authentication Tokens: To securely identify you across requests
• Local Storage: To store preferences and improve performance
• Browser Fingerprinting: To prevent trial abuse and fraud (collects browser, screen, and device characteristics)

Most web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. You can modify your browser settings to decline cookies, but this may affect your ability to use certain features of the Service.

10. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete such information.

11. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have data protection laws that are different from the laws of your country. By using our Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and other countries where we or our service providers operate.

12. California Privacy Rights

California residents may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to:

• Know what personal information is collected about you
• Know whether your personal information is sold or disclosed and to whom
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Not be discriminated against for exercising your privacy rights

We do not sell your personal information. To exercise your rights, contact us using the information below.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at: