📝 INTRODUCTIONAt HearCycle, we deeply respect your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect the personal information you share with us when you visit our website, request a free shipping kit, or interact with our services. By using HearCycle's website or submitting any information through it, you agree to the practices described in this policy. We've written it in plain language so you can clearly understand how your information is handled at every step.

📋 INFORMATION WE COLLECTWhen you interact with HearCycle, we may collect the following types of information. We only collect what is necessary to fulfill your donation request, communicate with you, and improve your overall experience on our website.
Personal Information You Provide: This includes your name, mailing address, email address, phone number (if provided), and any details about the hearing aids you wish to donate, such as brand, model, condition, or quantity. This information is collected when you fill out our Donate Now form, contact form, or any other form on our website.
Communication Information: If you reach out to us by email, phone, or our contact form, we may keep a record of that correspondence to help us respond to your inquiries and improve our services over time.
Automatically Collected Information: When you visit our website, certain information may be collected automatically, including your IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, referring website, pages visited, and the time and date of your visit. This information is collected through cookies and similar technologies and helps us understand how visitors use our website.

🎯 HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATIONWe use the information we collect for legitimate, transparent purposes related to operating HearCycle and serving our donors. Specifically, we may use your information to process and fulfill your donation request, mail your free shipping kit, confirm receipt of your donation, send you transactional emails about your donation, respond to your questions or feedback, and provide customer support.
We may also use your information to improve our website, enhance our services, prevent fraud or abuse, comply with legal obligations, and only if you've explicitly opted in send you occasional updates about our mission, impact, and partnerships. You can unsubscribe from these optional communications at any time.

🤝 HOW WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATIONHearCycle does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. Your privacy is not a product, and we will never treat it like one.
We may share limited information only when necessary in the following situations: with trusted service providers who help us operate our business (such as shipping carriers like USPS, email service providers, and payment processors), these providers are contractually required to protect your information and use it only for the purpose we share it for. 

🍪 COOKIES & TRACKING TECHNOLOGIESOur website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and help us understand how our website is used. Cookies are small text files stored on your device that allow us to remember your preferences, analyze website traffic, and improve overall functionality.
You have full control over cookies. Most web browsers allow you to refuse, accept, or delete cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect certain features of our website and limit your experience. We may also use third-party analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, to better understand how visitors interact with our site. These tools may collect anonymous usage data but do not identify you personally.

🔒 HOW WE PROTECT YOUR INFORMATIONWe take the security of your information seriously and use industry-standard practices to protect it. Our website uses SSL encryption to safeguard data transmitted between your device and our servers. We also implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction of your personal information.

⏳ HOW LONG WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATIONWe retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Donation-related information is typically kept for record-keeping and follow-up purposes for a reasonable period after your donation is completed. When information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it.

🌐 THIRD-PARTY LINKSOur website may contain links to third-party websites, social media platforms, or external services that are not operated by HearCycle. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party sites, and we are not responsible for their privacy practices. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.

🔄 CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICYWe may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other reasons and, where appropriate, notify you through our website or by email. 

📞 CONTACT USIf you have any questions, concerns, or feedback about this Privacy Policy or how your information is handled, we'd love to hear from you. You can reach us by submitting form/contacting us. Visit Contact Us page