1. Scope and contact
This policy applies to the Merosa mobile application and the Merosa website. Merosa is an educational self-understanding tool for adults. Exploration does not require an account. Sharing or reporting a Community story requires sign-in so Merosa can attribute submissions privately and limit abuse. Merosa is not a medical provider, diagnostic service, or emergency service.
Questions about this policy, privacy choices, or deletion requests can be sent to jsumpter415@gmail.com.
2. Information that normally stays on your device
Ordinary searches against Merosa’s reviewed knowledge maps, language and theme choices, navigation history, hidden Community-story choices, and draft feedback are processed locally in the app or browser. Those activities do not require your name, email address, contacts, precise location, health record, photos, microphone, or camera.
Local information remains on the device until you clear the app or browser data, uninstall the app, or the operating system removes it.
3. Live Exploration
Live Exploration is optional. If you choose it, Merosa transmits the question you entered, the language selected, and any follow-up details you deliberately add to Merosa’s server. The server sends that material to OpenAI’s API and web-search service to generate a source-backed response.
Merosa requests that OpenAI not create stored response objects. Merosa does not use API inputs or outputs to train a Merosa model. OpenAI states that API data is not used to train its models by default, although prompts, responses, and safety metadata may be retained in abuse-monitoring systems for up to 30 days unless a longer period is legally required.
4. Community stories and reports
The public Community feed and approved responses can be read without signing in. If you choose to submit a story, respond to one, or privately report one, Merosa uses Sign in with ChatGPT to receive your account email and, when available, account display name. Merosa does not receive your ChatGPT password.
A story submission stores the private account email, the public name you choose, title, story text, perspective label, topic, language, optional source link, review status, and timestamps. A response stores the private account email, public name, response text, language, parent story, review status, and timestamps. Account emails are visible only to authorized moderators. Approved stories and responses display the public name and submitted text. Private reports store the reporter’s account email, reason, optional details, and the reported story identifier.
Every story and response enters a private moderation queue. Submission does not guarantee publication. Moderators may approve, reject, or remove material to protect privacy, safety, relevance, and the community’s lived-experience boundaries.
5. Limited technical information
When Live Exploration is used, the server receives network information needed to deliver the request. Merosa uses the connecting IP address only long enough to create a one-way keyed token for rate limiting. Merosa does not store the raw IP address with the rate-limit record.
The one-way token, request count, and timestamps are retained for no more than 24 hours and then automatically deleted. Hosting and network providers may process ordinary request metadata under their own privacy and security terms.
6. Why information is processed
- To return the connection, answer, or source you requested.
- To provide optional follow-up and deeper exploration.
- To prevent automated abuse and keep Live Exploration available.
- To diagnose service failures without storing the text of your question in Merosa’s logs.
- To provide urgent safety directions when wording indicates immediate danger.
- To review, publish, manage, and remove Community stories and responses.
- To investigate private reports and prevent repeated community abuse.
7. Sharing and service providers
Merosa does not sell personal information, serve behavioral advertising, or track people across other companies’ apps and websites. Information is disclosed only as needed to operate the requested feature, comply with law, or protect safety and service integrity.
Processes optional Live Exploration questions and returns answers and web sources.
Deliver the service, protect network traffic, and operate Community storage and the short-lived Live Exploration rate limit.
Process installation, distribution, crash, and App Store activity under Apple’s terms.
Receive ordinary browser information only when you choose to open a cited link.
8. Retention and deletion
- Merosa does not save the text of Live Exploration questions or answers in its database.
- Merosa responses are marked not to be cached by the application server.
- Rate-limit tokens are deleted within 24 hours.
- OpenAI may retain API abuse-monitoring information for up to 30 days, subject to its policies and legal obligations.
- Local app or browser information remains until you clear it or uninstall the app.
- Pending and rejected Community stories and responses, private reports, and moderation records are retained only as long as reasonably needed to review content, prevent abuse, resolve disputes, and meet legal obligations.
- Approved Community stories and responses remain public until they are removed by moderation or withdrawn through a verified deletion request.
Merosa generally cannot retrieve or delete a past Live Exploration question after the request has ended because that content is not saved. Community information is tied privately to the account email used during submission. Email jsumpter415@gmail.com from that address to request access, correction, withdrawal, or deletion. Depending on where you live, you may also have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to processing of identifiable information.
9. Security and international processing
Merosa limits collection, uses encrypted connections, does not create a separate password database, restricts moderation access, and separates short-lived rate-limit data from question content. No internet service can promise absolute security. Service providers may process information in the United States or other countries where they operate, subject to their safeguards and applicable law.
10. Adults only during early release
The current Merosa release is intended for adults age 18 and older. It is not directed to children, and Merosa does not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has submitted identifying information through Live Exploration or Community, contact jsumpter415@gmail.com.
11. Changes to this policy
Merosa may update this policy as features, providers, or legal requirements change. The effective date at the top will be updated when material changes are published.