Privacy & Terms

Privacy & Data

Privacy is a core design principle

The situations you bring to SocialBearing may be personal. Privacy has shaped how SocialBearing is built from the beginning.

That responsibility goes both ways.

Our responsibility is to collect as little information as we can, keep it only as long as we need it, and deliberately limit our access to it. We don't save the original story you tell us. SocialBearing does not provide administrators with access to the content of your saved observations, Bearings or Logs. There is no administrator tool for viewing them. And we don't build profiles of the people you describe.

Your responsibility is to respect the privacy of the people in the situations you describe. SocialBearing doesn't need their real names or other identifying details to create a Bearing, so please leave those details out when you can.

We try not to collect information we don't need, and we ask you not to give it to us.

What happens when you take a Bearing

When you describe a situation, SocialBearing processes what you enter to identify the observable behavior in your account.

We don't save the original story you told us.

Your Bearing shows the observations SocialBearing has identified. If they don't reflect what you meant, you can describe it again.

Temporary processing information is used to create your Bearing. Once the result has been successfully retrieved, that temporary record is deleted. If you leave before completing the process, the temporary record is automatically deleted, normally after about an hour and within approximately two hours.

What we can and can't see

If you choose to save a Bearing, it is private to your account.

SocialBearing does not provide administrators with access to the content of your saved observations, Bearings or Logs. There is no administrator tool for viewing them.

We can see basic account and usage information needed to operate the service, such as when your account was created, how it was set up, when you last signed in, and how many Bearings and Logs you have created. We cannot see what those Bearings or Logs say through SocialBearing's administrator tools.

We can also see overall information about how SocialBearing is being used, such as how often different norms in the SocialBearing Framework appear. The norm information we see is not linked to individual accounts.

Using SocialBearing on a managed device

SocialBearing does not provide employers, schools or other organizations with access to the content of your observations, Bearings or Logs. SocialBearing administrators don't have access to that content through the service either.

However, if you use SocialBearing on a device owned or managed by an employer, school or other organization, that organization may use device-management, monitoring or screen-capture software. SocialBearing cannot control or prevent monitoring that takes place on your device.

If privacy is important for a particular situation, consider using SocialBearing on a personal device that you control.

The people you describe

SocialBearing measures the interaction you describe. It doesn't need to know who the other person is.

Please avoid real names and other details that could identify someone when those details aren't necessary to understand what happened. If you create a Log, we encourage you to use a nickname or another non-identifying title rather than the person's real name.

SocialBearing doesn't connect people across Bearings or accounts. We don't gather Bearings together to create profiles of the people users describe, and we don't provide anyone with a view of what different users have said about another person.

Information about you

When you create an account, we ask for your email address and, if you sign up by email rather than Google, a password.

We also keep basic account and usage information needed to operate the service, including sign-in and account information and usage counts.

This information doesn't give SocialBearing administrators access to the content of your saved Bearings or Logs.

Why we process information

We process information so that SocialBearing can create the Bearing you request, operate your account, save the content you choose to keep, keep the service secure, and understand how the service is functioning.

We don't sell your personal data or use the situations you describe to create advertising profiles.

The services we rely on

SocialBearing uses other technology providers to operate the service.

This includes OpenAI technology, which processes the text you enter in order to create a Bearing. SocialBearing does not save your original story, but the text must be processed by OpenAI before the Bearing can be created.

OpenAI does not use API data to train its models by default. During the beta, OpenAI's standard data-retention practices may apply. Before a commercial launch, we intend to seek Zero Data Retention for this processing.

We also use service providers for functions such as hosting, authentication and operation of the application.

How long we keep information

We try to keep information only for as long as we need it.

Your original narrative is not stored by SocialBearing. Temporary processing records are deleted after a Bearing is successfully retrieved. Abandoned temporary records are automatically deleted, normally after about an hour and within approximately two hours.

Account information and content you choose to save are retained as needed to provide your account, subject to the deletion options available in the service.

Your rights

You have rights over your personal data under data-protection law. Depending on the circumstances, these can include rights to access, correct or delete your personal data, restrict or object to certain processing, and receive certain data in a portable form.

To exercise your rights or ask us a question about your data, contact renee@shinything.se.

You also have the right to raise a concern with the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY).

Contact

SocialBearing is provided by:

Shiny Thing AB
Sweden
renee@shinything.se

Terms of Use: Beta

This is an early beta

SocialBearing is still experimental. We are currently testing whether it provides meaningful value.

We don't yet know whether SocialBearing will become an ongoing service. We may change it substantially as the beta develops, or we may decide to discontinue it.

The service is currently provided without charge. We may introduce charges for some or all of SocialBearing in the future. We will tell you before any charge applies to your use of the service.

Features may be added, changed or removed, and the service may sometimes be unavailable.

If we decide to discontinue SocialBearing, we will provide reasonable notice where possible so that you have an opportunity to download content you have chosen to save before it becomes unavailable.

We welcome feedback about your experience.

What SocialBearing is

SocialBearing gives you a structured way to look at an interpersonal situation from your point of view.

A Bearing turns the account you provide into observable behavior and measures that behavior against the SocialBearing Framework.

A Bearing reflects your account. It does not establish exactly what happened, determine another person's intentions, decide who is right or wrong, or tell you what you should do next.

SocialBearing measures. You navigate.

Using SocialBearing responsibly

SocialBearing is designed to preserve your agency. That also means you have responsibilities when you use it.

Describe situations as accurately as you can and respect the privacy of the people you describe. Leave out names and other identifying information when they aren't needed.

Don't treat a Bearing as proof about another person. It is a structured reference point based on the account you provided.

SocialBearing deliberately stops before deciding what you should do.

You decide what, if anything, comes next.

Your account and saved content

You are responsible for keeping access to your account secure.

Content you choose to save remains associated with your account.

Don't use SocialBearing to create profiles or dossiers about other people, harass them, or collect information about them unnecessarily.

SocialBearing is not professional advice

SocialBearing provides a structured reference point. It isn't proof or an independent determination of what happened.

It does not provide medical, psychological, legal or other professional advice and should not be treated as a substitute for professional services when those are needed.

Acceptable use

Use SocialBearing lawfully and respect other people's privacy and rights.

Don't attempt to interfere with the service, circumvent its security, or gain access to another person's account or saved content.

Availability and limitations

This is an early beta. It may contain errors, produce results you disagree with, change, or occasionally be unavailable.

We don't guarantee that every Bearing will be accurate or useful to you.

Nothing in these Terms limits rights or protections that cannot legally be limited.

Changes

As SocialBearing develops, we may update the service, this Privacy & Data notice, or these Terms.

If we make material changes, we'll update the date on this page and provide additional notice where appropriate.

Contact

SocialBearing is provided by Shiny Thing AB, Sweden.

Questions about these Terms or the service can be sent to renee@shinything.se.