Privacy Policy

Festiful is operated by Eric Bai in Ontario, Canada ("Festiful", "we", "our", or "us"). Eric Bai is the controller responsible for the personal information described in this policy. Festiful operates festiful.net and provides tools for discovering, planning, and enjoying film festivals.

This policy applies when you use Festiful's website and related services. Our privacy contact is ericbai524@gmail.com.

Information can come directly from you, automatically from your device or use of Festiful, from a sign-in provider you choose, or from festivals and public festival sources.

You can browse public festival information without an account. Account information is required only for signed-in features such as watchlists, schedules, and calendar syncing. Please do not include sensitive personal information in free-text fields unless it is necessary for your request.

When we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the benefit of the processing, whether it is reasonably expected, and its effect on your rights and freedoms.

• Watchlists and schedules. New Festiful accounts begin with watchlist and schedule sharing turned off. Existing accounts retain their current sharing choices. You can turn either sharing type on or off in Settings. While sharing is on, people with its public link can view your username and saved films or screenings, but not your email address. Turning sharing off prevents further access through that public link.
• Calendar syncing. A subscription URL is a private capability link. Anyone or any calendar provider with the link can read the schedule in that feed. You can reset the link or stop syncing from Festiful.
• Festival dashboards. Authorized festival representatives may see aggregate watchlist, schedule, layout, and ticket-link statistics. The dashboard does not identify individual audience members.
• Festiful administrators. A limited number of authorized administrators can access information where necessary to support users, review submissions, secure the service, and administer festivals.

Festiful analytics stored in Firebase

Festiful operates limited first-party analytics in Cloud Firestore. This is separate from the Google Analytics product and does not use the Firebase Analytics SDK.

• Current watchlists and schedules are used to calculate aggregate engagement, popular films and screenings, planning depth, and demand by day, category, or venue.
• Watchlist additions, removals, and ticket-link clicks are counted. Raw counter and ticket-click records do not contain a Festiful user ID and are scheduled for automatic deletion after 45 days. Aggregate totals and daily trends may be kept for historical festival reporting.
• If you are signed in, your selected lineup layout is stored with your account so we can understand aggregate desktop and mobile preferences. It remains until replaced or your account is deleted.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics measures page views, sessions, referrers, device and browser information, and approximate location. We do not send your Festiful user ID, and advertising storage and personalization are disabled. It does not load before permission in the EU, EEA, UK, or Switzerland. Elsewhere it loads by default unless you decline it through Analytics settings in the footer. You can change this choice at any time.

Cookies and browser storage

Festiful uses essential cookies and browser storage for sign-in, security, navigation, and remembering privacy and interface choices. Google Analytics may set analytics cookies only when allowed by your location and preference. Your analytics choice is kept for 180 days unless you change it sooner. Blocking essential storage may prevent signed-in or preference features from working correctly.

Principal providers

• Google (Firebase and Sign-In): Authentication, database, backend processing, and optional Google Sign-In. See Google's Privacy Policy.
• Vercel: Website and server-route hosting, content delivery, operational logs, and security. See Vercel's Privacy Policy.
• Google Analytics: Website usage measurement when allowed as described above.
• Discord: Operational notifications for submitted feedback and festival inquiries. Notifications exclude the submitted message, contact details, account identifiers, and page URLs. Authorized administrators review the full record in Festiful. See Discord's Privacy Policy.
• Resend: Festival inquiry confirmation emails. The confirmation contains the submitted inquiry, and replies are directed to Festiful so we can respond. Festiful does not automatically create a second email copy of the inquiry. See Resend's Privacy Policy.
• Calendar, media, and linked-site providers: Providers such as Google, Apple, Microsoft, YouTube, media hosts, ticketing sites, Letterboxd, and official film pages process information when you direct Festiful to connect to or open their services. Their own privacy terms apply.

We may also disclose information to professional advisers, regulators, courts, or law-enforcement authorities where necessary and legally permitted, or as part of a business reorganization subject to appropriate safeguards.

Where data is processed

• The primary Cloud Firestore database is in Google's nam5 United States multi-region.
• Firebase Authentication processes account data in the United States, and deployed Firebase functions run in us-central1 in Iowa.
• Vercel server workloads currently run in the iad1 region in the United States, while static content is delivered through Vercel's global network.

Other providers may process information in the United States and other countries where they or their subprocessors operate. When data-protection law requires safeguards for an international transfer, we rely on applicable adequacy decisions or contractual protections such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses and the UK Addendum. Contact us for information about the safeguard relevant to a transfer.

How long information is kept

• Account, profile, watchlist, schedule, settings, personal ticket-plan, and calendar-sync records remain while your account is active and are removed when you permanently delete it, subject to limited backup, security, and legal retention.
• Raw Firestore watchlist-counter and ticket-click records are scheduled for automatic deletion after 45 days. Aggregate, non-identifying festival analytics may remain while the related festival and historical reporting are in use.
• Google Analytics user- and event-level retention will not exceed 14 months. Google's standard aggregate reports may remain available longer.
• Feedback submissions are scheduled for deletion 365 days after submission. Festival partnership inquiry intake records are scheduled for deletion after 730 days. Account deletion removes identifiable submissions sooner. A record may be kept longer only where a documented legal obligation, dispute, or legal claim requires it.
• Public festival programme records may remain as an archive after an edition ends. We correct or remove professional personal information when appropriate and requested.

Service-provider backups and security logs may persist for a limited period under the provider's documented retention cycle before being overwritten or deleted.

How information is protected

We use HTTPS encryption in transit, provider encryption at rest, Firebase Security Rules, role-based administrative access, server-held secrets, and restricted capability links for calendar feeds. Discord notifications contain minimized information, while full feedback and inquiry records remain behind Festiful's administrator authorization.

No service can guarantee absolute security, but we review access and data flows and take reasonable technical and organizational measures appropriate to the service.

• Settings. Update available account and sharing information.
• Download. Export a structured copy of your account information through Your data in account settings.
• Delete. Initiate permanent account deletion through Your data in account settings.
• Analytics. Change your Google Analytics choice through Analytics settings in the footer.

Depending on where you live and the lawful basis involved, you may also have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, or receive a portable copy of personal information; object to certain processing; and withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that was lawful before the withdrawal. Contact us to exercise a right you cannot manage yourself.

We may need to verify your identity before completing a request, and applicable law may permit or require limited exceptions. Festiful does not make decisions about you based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If local law requires parental permission at a higher age, a child may use account or analytics features based on consent only with that permission. Contact us if you believe a child provided information improperly.

For privacy questions or requests, contact Eric Bai, operating Festiful in Ontario, Canada, at ericbai524@gmail.com.

You have the right to complain to the data-protection authority where you live, work, or believe an infringement took place. EEA authorities are listed by the European Data Protection Board. In the United Kingdom, contact the Information Commissioner's Office. In Canada, contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concern first, but you do not have to contact us before a regulator.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as Festiful, its providers, or legal requirements change. We will publish the revised policy here, change the date above, and provide a more prominent notice when a change materially affects how we use personal information.