Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

We collect several types of information to provide and improve our Service. The types of information we collect depend on how you interact with PermitIQ.

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, organization name, and role within your organization. This information is necessary to provide you with access to the Service and to customize your experience based on your role (applicant, reviewer, or administrator).

Profile Information

You may provide additional profile information such as language preferences (English or Spanish), notification settings, and contact preferences. This information helps us personalize the Service and communicate with you in your preferred manner.

Document Data

When you upload documents for permit analysis, we collect the document files themselves, including architectural drawings, permit applications, and supporting materials. These documents are processed by our AI systems to provide completeness analysis and recommendations.

Usage Data

We automatically collect information about how you interact with the Service, including pages visited, features used, session duration, and actions taken within the platform. This data helps us understand how the Service is used and identify areas for improvement.

Device and Technical Information

We collect technical information about your device and connection, including browser type and version, operating system, IP address, and device identifiers. This information is used for security purposes, troubleshooting, and ensuring compatibility with the Service.

Cookies and Session Data

We use session cookies to authenticate users and maintain your logged-in state. These are essential cookies required for the Service to function. We do not use tracking cookies or third-party advertising cookies.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

Providing the Service

Your information is used to operate the PermitIQ platform, including processing your document uploads, generating AI-powered completeness analyses, and delivering results to you. Document data is essential for providing the core permit analysis functionality.

Account Management and Authentication

We use your account information to authenticate your identity, manage your account settings, and ensure only authorized users access the Service. This includes verifying email addresses and managing password resets.

Communication

We use your contact information to send transactional communications about your submissions and analysis results, important service announcements, and updates about changes to our terms or policies. You can opt out of non-essential communications at any time.

Service Improvement

Usage data and aggregated analytics help us understand how users interact with the Service, identify bugs and issues, and prioritize new features. We may use anonymized data to improve our AI models and analysis accuracy.

Legal Compliance

We may use and retain your information as necessary to comply with legal obligations, respond to lawful requests from government authorities, and protect our legal rights and interests.

Fraud Prevention and Security

We use technical information and usage patterns to detect and prevent fraudulent activity, unauthorized access, and other security threats to the Service and our users.

3. AI and Automated Processing

PermitIQ uses artificial intelligence (AI) systems to analyze your uploaded documents and provide completeness assessments. This section explains how AI processes your data, what AI systems we use, and your rights regarding AI-generated analyses.

What AI Systems We Use

PermitIQ uses the following AI systems to process your documents:

• Claude (Anthropic) — Used for document reasoning and text analysis. Claude processes extracted text from your documents to evaluate compliance with permit requirements and identify missing or incomplete information.
• GPT-4o (OpenAI) — Used for vision-based document processing. GPT-4o analyzes visual elements of architectural drawings and plans, including floor plans, elevations, and technical diagrams.

How AI Processes Your Data

When you submit documents for analysis, our AI systems:

• Extract text and visual information from uploaded PDF documents and drawings
• Compare document contents against applicable permit requirements and building codes (such as the Florida Building Code)
• Generate completeness scores indicating how well your submission meets requirements
• Produce recommendations for addressing missing or incomplete items

Important: AI analysis is advisory only. AI systems do not make final permit decisions. All permit approvals are made by human reviewers at the applicable building department. PermitIQ's AI analysis is designed to help you prepare more complete submissions, but it does not guarantee permit approval.

Data Sharing with AI Providers

To perform AI analysis, document content is transmitted to our AI providers (Anthropic and OpenAI) for processing. We have enterprise agreements in place with both providers that include the following protections:

• Your data is not used for model training. Neither Anthropic nor OpenAI uses data processed through PermitIQ's enterprise accounts to train their AI models.
• Both providers are subject to data processing agreements that govern how they handle, store, and protect data received from PermitIQ.
• Data is transmitted securely using encryption in transit (TLS 1.2+).
• AI providers retain data only as necessary to provide the service, with strict retention limits in accordance with our agreements.

Your Rights Regarding AI Processing

You have the following rights related to AI-powered analysis of your documents:

• Request Human Review: You may request human review of any AI-generated finding or recommendation. Contact us at support@tekstream.com to request a manual review of your analysis results.
• Request Explanation: You may request information about how AI conclusions were reached for specific findings in your analysis report. We will provide explanations of the requirements and document content that led to each finding.
• Opt-Out of AI Processing: If you do not wish to have your documents processed by AI, you should not use the PermitIQ Service, as AI analysis is a core function of the platform. Contact us to discuss alternative options if you have specific concerns.

AI Processing for Government Users

If you are using PermitIQ as part of a government agency or submitting documents to a government agency through PermitIQ, please be aware:

• AI-generated findings and analysis reports may become part of the public record associated with your permit application.
• Analysis reports may be subject to disclosure under the Florida Public Records Act (Chapter 119, Florida Statutes) or similar public records laws in other jurisdictions.
• Government agencies using PermitIQ may retain AI analysis results as part of their official permit files.

4. Data Storage and Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

Infrastructure and Storage

PermitIQ data is stored on secure cloud infrastructure. Our primary application services are hosted on Vercel and Railway, which provide enterprise-grade security and compliance certifications. Uploaded documents are stored in encrypted cloud storage using Cloudflare R2.

Encryption

All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using TLS 1.2 or higher. Documents and sensitive data stored in our systems are encrypted at rest using industry-standard encryption algorithms.

Access Controls

We implement role-based access controls to ensure that users can only access information appropriate to their role. Administrative access to systems is limited to authorized personnel and requires multi-factor authentication.

Security Assessments

We conduct regular security assessments of our systems and infrastructure. This includes vulnerability scanning, code reviews, and periodic third-party security audits to identify and address potential security risks.

Incident Response

We maintain incident response procedures to detect, investigate, and respond to security incidents. In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you in accordance with applicable laws and our contractual obligations.

5. Data Retention

We retain your information for different periods depending on the type of data and the purposes for which it is processed.

Account Data

Your account information (name, email, organization) is retained for as long as your account is active. If you request account deletion, we will remove your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required for legal or compliance purposes.

Uploaded Documents

Documents you upload for analysis are retained for 12 months after submission to allow you to access your analysis results and submit revised documents if needed. After 12 months, documents are automatically deleted from our systems unless required for ongoing permit proceedings.

Analysis Results

AI-generated analysis results and reports are retained for 24 months after generation. This allows you to reference historical analyses and helps us improve the accuracy and quality of the Service over time.

Audit Logs

System audit logs, which record actions taken within the platform, are retained for 3 years for compliance and security purposes. These logs help us investigate incidents and meet regulatory requirements.

After Account Deletion

When you delete your account, we remove your personal data within 30 days. However, anonymized data that cannot be linked back to you may be retained for service improvement and analytics purposes. Data that is part of public records held by government agencies is subject to the retention policies of those agencies.

6. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. We honor the following rights for all users:

Right to Access

You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. We will provide this information in a commonly used electronic format within 30 days of your request.

Right to Correction

You can update or correct inaccurate information in your account settings at any time. If you need assistance correcting other information, please contact us.

Right to Deletion

You can request deletion of your account and associated personal data. We will process your request within 30 days, except where retention is required by law or for legitimate business purposes.

Right to Data Portability

You can request to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format, and have the right to transmit that data to another service provider.

Right to Opt-Out

You can unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any marketing email or by updating your notification preferences in your account settings.

Right to Object

You can object to certain processing activities, such as processing for direct marketing purposes or processing based on legitimate interests. We will honor your objection unless we have compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests.

How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@tekstream.com. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request to protect your privacy and security.

7. Third-Party Services

We work with carefully selected third-party service providers to operate the PermitIQ platform. These providers have access to your information only to perform services on our behalf and are obligated to protect your information.

AI Providers

As described in Section 3, we use Anthropic (Claude) and OpenAI (GPT-4o) for AI-powered document analysis. These providers process document content under enterprise agreements that prohibit use of your data for model training.

Authentication

We use Auth.js for secure user authentication. Auth.js handles login sessions and password management in accordance with security best practices.

Email Communications

We use Resend for transactional email delivery. Resend processes your email address to deliver notifications about your submissions, analysis results, and account updates.

Analytics

We use minimal, privacy-focused analytics to understand how the Service is used. We do not use advertising-based analytics services or share analytics data with third parties for advertising purposes.

No Sale of Data

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We do not share your information with third parties for their own marketing purposes. Your data is only shared with service providers as necessary to operate the PermitIQ platform.

8. Children's Privacy

PermitIQ is a business-to-business and business-to-government platform designed for professional use by building departments, architects, contractors, and permit applicants. The Service is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided personal information to us, please contact us at privacy@tekstream.com. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons.

Notification of Changes

When we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you by email (sent to the email address associated with your account) or by posting a prominent notice within the PermitIQ platform prior to the changes taking effect. We will also update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.

Continued Use

Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the updated policy, you should discontinue use of the Service and may request deletion of your account.

Review Recommendation

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we collect, use, and protect your information.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our data practices, or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us:

Privacy Inquiries

For questions about data collection, AI processing, or to exercise your privacy rights:
Email: privacy@tekstream.com

General Support

For questions about using the PermitIQ platform or technical support:
Email: support@tekstream.com

Mailing Address

TekStream Solutions
Attn: Privacy Team
[Address to be provided]

Related Documents

This Privacy Policy should be read together with our Terms of Service, which governs your use of the PermitIQ platform.