MeatGrader ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application, website, and services - including our social and community features such as MeatMap, discussions, comments, and user profiles.

Information We Collect

Account Information

Email address
Full name
Password (encrypted and securely hashed)
Account preferences and settings
Profile information (display name, avatar)
Date of birth (for age verification)

Usage Data

Analysis history and grading results
Subscription and payment transaction history
Device information (model, operating system, app version)
App usage patterns and analytics
IP address and approximate location (country level)
Location data (when you choose to tag MeatMap spots or enable location features)
Community content: MeatMap spots, discussions, comments, likes, follows, and blocks
Moderation data: reports, blocked users, and content flags

Meat Images

When you use our analysis service, we process the meat images you submit. These images are sent to our AI provider for real-time analysis and stored on our servers alongside your analysis history so you can view past results. Images remain private and anonymous to other users unless you explicitly share an analysis to the community feed. We may use images from completed analyses, in anonymized form, with no link to your identity, to improve the accuracy of our grading models over time. This includes having admins review and approve selected analyses as reference examples for future AI runs. You can delete an analysis (and its image) at any time from your account.

Social Login Data

If you sign in using Google or Apple, we receive your name and email address from these providers. We do not receive or store your social account passwords. Your use of these sign-in options is subject to the respective provider's privacy policies.

Mobile App Permissions

Our mobile app may request the following permissions:

Camera: Required to photograph meat cuts for analysis and MeatMap posts
Photo Library: Optional, to select existing photos for analysis or community posts
Location: Optional, used to tag MeatMap spots with geographic coordinates and to show nearby spots
Network Access: Required to communicate with our servers
Notifications: Optional, for alerts about community interactions and updates

How We Use Your Information

Provide and maintain our meat grading and community services
Process your analysis requests using AI technology
Manage your account, subscriptions, and payment transactions
Operate community features: MeatMap spots, discussions, comments, follows, and user profiles
Process and display location data for MeatMap spots you create or browse
Moderate user-generated content and enforce Community Guidelines
Send transactional emails (verification, receipts, password resets)
Send notifications about community interactions (comments, follows, likes)
Improve our services, accuracy, and user experience
Prevent fraud, abuse, and ensure service security
Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms

AI Processing and Data

Our service uses artificial intelligence (powered by Anthropic's Claude) to analyze meat images. Important information about AI processing:

Images sent to Anthropic are not retained by them for training their foundation models
We retain your images and analysis results in your account so you can review your history
We may use images from completed analyses, in anonymized form, to improve the accuracy of our own grading, for example by having admins approve specific analyses as reference examples for future AI runs
Anonymized means no image is linked back to your identity in our prompts or admin tooling
Deleting an analysis from your account removes the image from our storage and from any future reference set
AI analysis provides INDICATIVE assessments only and is NOT official USDA grading
AI analysis cannot detect food safety issues, contamination, spoilage, or internal defects
Analysis results may vary significantly and are NOT guaranteed to be accurate or reliable
Results should be used alongside professional judgment and proper food safety practices
MeatGrader is not liable for any decisions made based on AI analysis results

Information Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share data with:

Service providers necessary to operate our service (as listed above)
Legal authorities when required by law, court order, or government request
Business successors in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets
Other parties with your explicit consent
Public share pages: when you tap "Share" on an analysis, spot, or discussion in the app, you explicitly opt that specific item into public visibility at meatgrader.com/g/..., meatgrader.com/p/spot/... or meatgrader.com/p/d/.... These pages expose only the data required to render the share (cut, grade, scores, photo, display name, and for spots the venue business name). Email, payment details, precise location, and private account data are never included. You can unpublish at any time from the app.

Third-Party Service Providers

We work with trusted third-party services to operate MeatGrader. These providers may process your data as described in their respective privacy policies:

Anthropic: AI-powered image analysis (Claude API) - processes meat images for quality assessment
Amazon Web Services (AWS): Cloud hosting, storage, and infrastructure
Apple (App Store) and Google (Play Store): In-app purchase and subscription processing - payment data is handled directly by these platforms
Resend: Transactional email delivery
Google Analytics: Anonymous usage analytics to improve our service
Google Sign-In and Apple Sign-In: Authentication providers for social login

Cookies and Tracking

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies:

Essential cookies: Required for website functionality and security
Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our website (optional)
We do not use advertising or tracking cookies

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings or our cookie consent banner.

Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data, including: encryption in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest, secure password hashing, access controls and authentication, regular security assessments, and secure infrastructure. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

Data Retention

We retain your data as follows:

Account data: Retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period after deletion for legal compliance
Analysis history: Retained to provide you with historical records, deleted upon account deletion
Payment records: Retained as required by tax and accounting laws
Server logs: Retained for up to 90 days for security and troubleshooting

International Data Transfers

MeatGrader is operated from the United States. If you access our service from outside the US, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the US or other countries where our service providers operate. By using our service, you consent to such transfers. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data.

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

Access: Request a copy of your personal data
Correction: Request correction of inaccurate information
Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated data
Portability: Request your data in a portable format
Opt-out: Unsubscribe from marketing communications
Withdraw consent: Withdraw consent for optional data processing

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@meatgrader.com or delete your account through the app settings.

Children's Privacy

MeatGrader is not intended for users under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we learn we have collected information from a child, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.

California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the CCPA, including the right to know what personal information we collect, request deletion, and opt-out of sale (we do not sell personal information). Contact us to exercise these rights.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. We will notify you of material changes through the app, via email, or by posting a notice on our website. The "Last updated" date at the top indicates when this policy was last revised. Continued use of the service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact Us

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