EconoMe — Data Deletion & Retention Policy

1. Introduction

EconoMe Inc. (“EconoMe”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) is committed to protecting user privacy and complying with applicable data privacy laws, including Canadian privacy laws such as PIPEDA, relevant U.S. state privacy laws, and industry best practices.

This policy explains how long we retain user data, how users may request deletion of their data, and how we securely delete data stored within our systems, including Firebase and third-party integrations such as Plaid. This policy applies to users in Canada, the United States, and other supported regions.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all personal and financial data processed by the EconoMe mobile application, including:

User account information;
Linked financial account metadata;
Transactions retrieved via the Plaid API;
Budget items, spending categories, and other user-generated content; and
App usage data stored in Firebase.

3. Data Retention

EconoMe retains user data only for as long as it is needed to provide core budgeting and reporting functionality and for legitimate business or legal purposes. Our retention standards are:

3.1 User Accounts

Account data is retained until the user requests account deletion or has been inactive for 24 months, after which we may delete or anonymize the account in accordance with this policy.
Authentication logs in Firebase may be automatically retained by Google for security and fraud-prevention purposes.

3.2 Financial Data (Plaid)

Plaid access tokens are stored securely in Firestore;
Transactions and account metadata are stored only as needed to support budgeting, reporting, and historical insights;
We do not store sensitive credentials (e.g., bank passwords).

3.3 Transaction Data

Transaction data is retained while the user maintains an active account.
Transaction data is deleted when the user requests account deletion, subject to backup and log retention as described below.

3.4 Logs & System Data

Error logs and crash reports may be retained for up to 90 days for debugging and security monitoring.

4. Data Deletion

Users may request deletion of their data at any time by:

Using in-app account deletion (where available); or
Requesting deletion by email at: support@economeinc.com.

Upon receiving a verified deletion request, we will:

Delete user data (profile, budgets, transactions, linked accounts) from Firestore within approximately 48 hours;
Revoke Plaid access tokens as part of the deletion process; and
Allow backups (if any) to be overwritten automatically according to Google Cloud lifecycle policies, typically within up to 30 days, consistent with Firebase’s retention behavior.

5. Secure Deletion Process

EconoMe relies on Firebase and Google Cloud’s secure deletion mechanisms, which ensure that:

Data is permanently deleted using Google’s secure erasure standards once it reaches the end of its lifecycle;
Deleted data is not accessible through the App or production systems; and
Access to deleted content is removed from all active services and interfaces.

All verified deletion requests are recorded in an internal activity log for accountability and audit purposes.

6. Data Minimization

EconoMe follows a strict data-minimization policy:

We collect only the data required to provide budgeting and financial tracking functionality;
We do not store unnecessary or unrelated financial information;
We do not sell or share consumer data with third parties for marketing purposes; and
We process Plaid and financial data solely to provide user-requested features within the App.

7. Questions

If you have any questions about this Data Deletion & Retention Policy, or how your data is handled, please contact:

EconoMe Inc.
Email: support@economeinc.com