Privacy
Civic Lens is built on primary public records. The civic data we publish — meetings, people, minutes — comes entirely from documents municipalities already release. The only personal information we collect is what you choose to give us: your email when you create a topic alert, and your contact details when you ask about data access. Browsing the site requires neither.
What we collect
Only your email address, plus the alert terms and optional city you choose, when you subscribe to topic alerts. We don't use third-party advertising or analytics trackers, and browsing the site doesn't require an account.
Why we collect it
Solely to send the alerts you ask for — an email when new meeting minutes mention your terms — and to confirm that you own the address. We never use it for anything you didn't request.
Confirmation & consent
Alerts use double opt-in: after you subscribe we email a confirmation link, and we only start sending once you click it. An unconfirmed subscription is never emailed beyond that one confirmation message.
When you send us a link
If you send us a link to a municipality's records, we store the link, and — if you choose to give it — your email address, along with the IP address the submission came from. We use them for two things only: to review your submission, and to stop abuse of the form. Your email is optional; leaving it blank does not change how we treat the link. We do not send you automated email, we do not add you to any list, and we do not share either with anyone. Ask us and we'll delete them. The link itself points at a public record, so we treat it as public information rather than personal data.
Managing & unsubscribing
Every alert email includes a link to manage or unsubscribe your alert. Unsubscribing stops all further emails for that alert immediately. You can change your terms or city, or remove the alert entirely, from that link at any time — no account needed.
Retention
We keep your subscription while it's active so we can deliver your alerts. When you unsubscribe, the subscription is deactivated and no longer used to send email.
Sharing
We do not sell, rent, or share your email address. It's used only to deliver Civic Lens alerts through our email provider.
Data access requests
When you ask about bulk data access through our request form, we collect your name, email, and organization, the plan and the cities or provinces you're interested in, and whatever you tell us about what you're building. This is a sales enquiry — not a subscription, and there's no opt-in email — so we use it only to reply to you and to scope the data access you asked about. We never add you to a marketing list, and we don't share these details with anyone outside Civic Lens. We keep an open request while we're following up with you; ask us at any time to delete it.
Questions about your data? Manage or remove a topic alert from the link in any alert email, or reply to our acknowledgement email to update or delete a data access request.