FM Bots Privacy Policy

Last Updated: March 11, 2026

        Our Commitment: FM Bots is built with your privacy in mind. We collect only what's necessary to personalize your radio experience. We never sell your data, show ads, or track you across other apps.
    

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Account Information

Email Address: Used for account creation and sign-in via 6-digit passcode
Display Name: Derived from your email (e.g., "john" from john@example.com)

1.2 Personalization Data

Topic Interests: Topics you select as interested or less interested
City Preferences: Cities you choose for local news coverage
Home City: Auto-detected from your IP address for relevant local content

1.3 Usage Data

Listening Activity: Stories played, skip actions, station preferences
Session Data: When you use the app and for how long
Device Information: iOS version, app version for technical support

1.4 Location Data

Coarse Location: We request location permission ONLY to determine your nearest city for local news. We do NOT track your precise location or location history.
IP-Based Location: Used to auto-detect your home city when you first use the app

2. How We Use Your Information

2.1 Personalization (Primary Purpose)

Create your personalized radio stations based on your interests
Deliver local news from cities you care about
Adapt content mix based on your listening patterns
Generate relevant deep dive discussions

2.2 Service Operations

Authenticate your account via email passcode
Sync your preferences across devices
Provide continuous streaming experience
Technical support and bug fixes

2.3 Product Improvement

Analyze aggregate listening patterns to improve content quality
Understand which topics and story types resonate with users
Optimize AI content generation algorithms

3. Content Sourcing

3.1 Legal RSS Feed Aggregation

FM Bots creates original audio content by analyzing publicly available RSS feeds, similar to how Apple News, Google News, and other news aggregators operate. We:

Use Only Public RSS Feeds: We access only publicly available news feeds
Transform, Don't Republish: Our AI creates original audio stories, scripts, and discussions—we don't simply republish articles
Add Substantial Value: We synthesize multiple sources, add context, generate discussions, and personalize content
Respect Copyright: We follow fair use principles and don't reproduce articles verbatim

3.2 AI-Generated Content

100% of audio content is generated by our AI systems. This includes:

Story scripts written by AI from source material
AI-generated voices for all narration
Deep dive discussions synthesized by AI
Personalized curation algorithms

4. Information Sharing

We DO NOT sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties.

4.1 No Third-Party Sharing

No Advertisers: We don't show ads, so we don't share data with ad networks
No Data Brokers: We never sell your data
No Social Media: We don't integrate with or share data with social platforms

4.2 Service Providers

We use the following service providers who help us operate FM Bots:

Resend (Email Delivery): Sends 6-digit sign-in codes to your email
DigitalOcean (Hosting): Hosts our servers and audio streaming infrastructure
Expo/EAS (App Distribution): Delivers app updates

These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and use it only for providing services to us.

4.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required by law, such as:

In response to valid legal process (subpoena, court order)
To protect our rights or property
In emergency situations to protect safety

5. Data Storage and Security

5.1 Where We Store Data

Cloud Servers: DigitalOcean data centers in the United States
Local Device: Preferences cached locally for offline access

5.2 Security Measures

HTTPS encryption for all data transmission
Secure password-less authentication (6-digit email codes)
Regular security audits and updates
No storage of sensitive payment information (we don't charge fees)

5.3 Data Retention

Account Data: Retained until you delete your account
Listening History: Retained for personalization; you can request deletion
Deleted Accounts: All personal data deleted within 30 days of account deletion

6. Your Rights and Choices

6.1 Access and Control

View Your Data: See your topic preferences and city settings in the app
Update Preferences: Change your interests and cities anytime
Delete Account: Contact us to permanently delete your account and all data

6.2 Communication Preferences

We only send emails for sign-in codes—no marketing emails
No push notifications unless you enable them

6.3 Location Privacy

You can deny location permission—the app will still work
We'll use IP-based city detection as fallback
You can manually select cities for local news

7. Children's Privacy

FM Bots is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

8. International Users

FM Bots is operated in the United States. If you use FM Bots from outside the US, your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States. By using FM Bots, you consent to this transfer.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by:

Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top
Displaying a notice in the app
Sending an email if changes are significant

10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your data:

Email: privacy@fmbots.ai
Website: https://fmbots.ai
Mail: FM Bots Privacy Team, [Address to be added]

11. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

Right to Know: Request what personal information we collect and how we use it
Right to Delete: Request deletion of your personal information
Right to Opt-Out: We don't sell personal information, so this doesn't apply
Non-Discrimination: We won't discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights

To exercise these rights, email privacy@fmbots.ai with your request.

12. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

Right to Access: Obtain a copy of your personal data
Right to Rectification: Correct inaccurate data
Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your data
Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a portable format
Right to Object: Object to processing of your data
Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time

To exercise these rights, email privacy@fmbots.ai with your request.

        Bottom Line: We built FM Bots to give you personalized AI radio, not to collect and monetize your data. Your privacy matters to us.
    