Privacy
What information does Beacon collect and how is this information used?
Beacon collects a small amount of information to run your account and personalize your experience:
Name and email address (from your Google or Apple sign-in): used to create and secure your account and to send you updates you've opted into, like Beacon Brief and product updates.
ZIP code (provided by you): used to identify your elected officials, and in pulse results, which state your answers correspond to.
Topics of interest (provided by you): used to personalize your feed and prioritize the issues you care about most.
Account preferences (provided by you): used to control your notifications, privacy settings, and how you participate in Beacon.
We also use this information in aggregate to understand how people use Beacon and improve the product. We collect only what we need to provide these features. We never use your personal information to tell you what to think or which positions to hold.
How does Beacon personalize your experience without algorithmically curating content?
Beacon personalizes your experience based on choices you make, not predictions about what will keep you scrolling. Your ZIP code determines which elected officials you see, and the topics you select shape which issues appear first in your feed.Everyone who opens an issue sees the same facts, sources, and range of perspectives. We don't rank content by engagement, and we never hide, suppress, or promote viewpoints based on your politics. You can update your topics and officials anytime to change what you see.
How does Beacon protect your privacy and handle your personal information?
Beacon is committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how we collect, use, and safeguard your information. Our Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how it is used, and the choices available to you. We do not sell your personal information. As Beacon evolves, we will update our privacy practices and clearly communicate material changes.
How does Beacon protect your identity when you participate in a Pulse?
Beacon Pulse responses are anonymous by default and by design. We do not attach personally identifying information to your individual Pulse responses or publicly display who submitted them. In the future, Beacon may introduce an option for users to decide to submit attributed responses when they explicitly choose to do so, such as when communicating constituent sentiment to elected officials. If we add that capability, the identity choice of anonymous v/s attributed will be clearly presented before a response is submitted.
How Beacon protects your information from unauthorized access or misuse?
Beacon uses industry-standard technical and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or alteration. Access to sensitive information is restricted to systems and personnel that need it for legitimate business purposes. We regularly evaluate our security practices as the product and the risks we face evolve. Protecting user information is a core responsibility that Beacon takes very seriously.
What happens to your information when you delete your Beacon account?
You can delete your account anytime from Settings > Account > Delete Account. We permanently delete your personal information, preferences, and individual Pulse responses immediately.
Anonymous, aggregated Pulse results may remain because they cannot be traced back to you. We may also retain limited records when required by law or necessary to prevent fraud and abuse.