Privacy Policy

How we collect, use, and protect your information

Last Updated: January 4, 2026

1. Introduction

CowCash ("we," "us," or "our") operates a personal finance mobile application and related services (collectively, the "Service"). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you use our Service.

By using CowCash, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use the Service.

2. Information We Collect

We collect several types of information to provide and improve our Service:

2.1 Information You Provide

  • Account Information: Name, email address, and profile picture when you create an account
  • Profile Information: Phone number (optional), timezone preferences, and notification settings
  • Budget Data: Budget categories, spending limits, and financial goals you set within the app
  • Support Communications: Information you provide when contacting customer support

2.2 Financial Information (via Plaid)

When you connect your bank accounts, we receive the following information through our integration with Plaid Inc.:

  • Account names, types, and balances
  • Transaction history including dates, amounts, merchant names, and categories
  • Account and routing numbers (used only for account identification)

Important: We do not store your bank login credentials. Plaid securely handles all bank authentication. You can review Plaid's privacy practices at plaid.com/legal.

2.3 Payment Information

If you subscribe to CowCash Premium, payment processing is handled by Stripe. We do not store your credit card numbers or banking details. We only receive confirmation of payment status and subscription details from Stripe.

2.4 Automatically Collected Information

  • Device Information: Device type, operating system, and unique device identifiers
  • Usage Data: Features used, time spent in the app, and interaction patterns
  • Push Notification Tokens: Required to send you notifications about spending and budgets
  • Log Data: IP address, access times, and app crash reports

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

3.1 Provide Core Services

  • Display your connected bank accounts and transactions
  • Track spending against your budgets
  • Calculate spending insights and trends
  • Send notifications about budget status and spending alerts

3.2 Automated Transaction Categorization

We use artificial intelligence (powered by Anthropic) to automatically categorize your transactions. Transaction descriptions and amounts are processed to assign appropriate spending categories. This processing is automated but you can manually override any categorization.

3.3 Improve and Develop Services

  • Analyze usage patterns to improve features
  • Debug and fix technical issues
  • Develop new functionality based on user needs

3.4 Communications

  • Send service-related notifications (budget alerts, transaction updates)
  • Respond to your support requests
  • Send important updates about the Service or this policy

3.5 Security and Compliance

  • Detect and prevent fraud or unauthorized access
  • Comply with legal obligations
  • Enforce our Terms of Service

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only in these limited circumstances:

4.1 Service Providers

We share information with third-party service providers who assist in operating our Service:

  • Plaid Inc. – Bank account connections and transaction data retrieval
  • Stripe Inc. – Payment processing for Premium subscriptions
  • Anthropic – AI-powered transaction categorization (transaction descriptions only, no personal identifiers)
  • Supabase – Database hosting and storage
  • Amazon Web Services – Cloud infrastructure and push notification delivery
  • Auth0 (Okta) – User authentication services

These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and may only use it to provide services to us.

4.2 Accountability Partners

If you use our accountability partner feature, your connected partner can view your budget information, spending summaries, and transaction categories. Partners cannot see your bank account numbers or login credentials. You control this sharing and can end the partnership at any time.

4.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to:

  • Comply with applicable law, regulation, or legal process
  • Respond to lawful requests from public authorities
  • Protect the rights, property, or safety of CowCash, our users, or others

4.4 Business Transfers

If CowCash is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred. We will provide notice before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

5. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information:

  • Encryption: All data is encrypted in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest
  • Secure Authentication: We use industry-standard authentication protocols
  • Access Controls: Employee access to user data is restricted and logged
  • Infrastructure Security: Our systems are hosted on secure cloud infrastructure with regular security updates
  • No Credential Storage: We never store your bank login credentials

While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, please contact us immediately.

6. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. Specifically:

  • Account Data: Retained until you delete your account
  • Transaction Data: Retained while your account is active to provide historical spending analysis
  • Usage Logs: Retained for up to 12 months for security and analytics purposes

Upon account deletion, we will delete your personal information within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal, accounting, or regulatory purposes.

7. Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights regarding your information:

7.1 Access and Portability

You can access your information within the app. You may request a copy of your data by contacting us at support@cowcash.me.

7.2 Correction

You can update your profile information directly in the app settings. For other corrections, contact us.

7.3 Deletion

You can delete your account through the app settings or by contacting us. This will permanently delete your account and associated data.

7.4 Disconnect Bank Accounts

You can disconnect linked bank accounts at any time through the app. This stops future data syncing but does not delete historical transaction data unless you also delete your account.

7.5 Notification Preferences

You can manage push notification preferences in the app settings or through your device settings.

7.6 Opt-Out of AI Processing

You can manually categorize all transactions instead of using automated categorization. Contact us if you wish to opt out of AI-assisted features entirely.

8. California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

Your Rights

  • Right to Know: Request what personal information we collect, use, and disclose about you
  • Right to Delete: Request deletion of your personal information
  • Right to Correct: Request correction of inaccurate personal information
  • Right to Opt-Out of Sale: We do not sell personal information
  • Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Information: We only use sensitive information as necessary to provide the Service
  • Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights

Categories of Information Collected

In the past 12 months, we have collected:

  • Identifiers (name, email, device IDs)
  • Financial information (bank account details, transaction history via Plaid)
  • Internet activity (app usage, interaction data)
  • Geolocation data (timezone only)
  • Inferences (spending categories, budget recommendations)

How to Exercise Your Rights

To submit a request, email us at support@cowcash.me with the subject line "California Privacy Request." We will verify your identity before processing your request. You may also authorize an agent to submit a request on your behalf.

9. International Users

CowCash is operated from the United States. If you are accessing the Service from outside the United States, please be aware that your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where our servers are located.

By using the Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States. We take steps to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

For EU/EEA Users: We process your data based on your consent (for optional features), contractual necessity (to provide the Service), and legitimate interests (to improve and secure the Service). You have rights under the GDPR including access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, and objection. Contact us to exercise these rights.

10. Children's Privacy

CowCash is not intended for children under 13 years of age (or 16 in the EU/EEA). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete such information.

11. Third-Party Links

The Service may contain links to third-party websites or services (such as your bank's website during Plaid authentication). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by:

  • Posting the updated policy on this page with a new "Last Updated" date
  • Sending you a notification through the app for material changes

Your continued use of the Service after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us:

Email: support@cowcash.me
Website: www.cowcash.me

We aim to respond to all requests within 30 days.