STORE Privacy Policy

1. Your Privacy in the User-Owned Cloud

STORE Research, Inc. and the future STORE Association ("STORE," "we," "us," or "our") are building a revolutionary user-owned cloud platform where you can earn your fair share through STORE Treasuries, referral programs, and infrastructure ownership. This Privacy Policy explains how we protect your information while enabling you to secure your financial future and govern the AI-powered cloud.

2. Information We Collect to Enable Your Success

2.1 Account and Identity Information

To help you own the cloud and earn your fair share:

• Account Credentials: Email, username, and secure authentication data
• Cloud IDs: Your decentralized identity for seamless platform access
• BFT ID: Secure democratic identity (launching ~Q2 2026) for one-entity, one-vote governance
• Verification Data: KYC/AML information required for Treasury deposits and accredited investor compliance, processed through third-party providers like Persona
• Referral Identity: Information needed to track and distribute your referral rewards

2.2 STORE Treasuries Financial Information

To secure your financial future through Treasury deposits:

• Deposit Details: Treasury amounts, terms (2, 4, or 8 years), and deposit dates
• Wallet Information: Blockchain addresses for Treasury smart contract interactions
• Payment Data: Methods used for Treasury deposits and yield distributions
• Yield Calculations: APY rates, roll-over bonuses, and reward multipliers
• Withdrawal Records: Early withdrawal requests and penalty assessments
• Tax Information: Data required for Treasury yield reporting and compliance

2.3 Refer & Earn Program Data

To reward you for sharing STORE with others:

• Referral Links: Your unique referral URLs and tracking codes
• Referral Activity: Number of users referred, successful conversions, and pending rewards
• Reward Distribution: 10 $STORE token allocations and distribution schedules
• Social Sharing: Platforms used to share referral links (Twitter, email, messaging)
• Referral Verification: Confirmation that referred users meet qualification criteria

2.4 Platform Usage and Earning Data

To optimize your earning potential:

• Treasury Performance: Deposit growth, yield accrual, and reward optimization
• Governance Participation: Voting on Treasury policies, referral program rules, and platform decisions
• Storage Royalties: 2% earnings from monetized permanently stored content
• Infrastructure Contributions: Computing resources provided and revenue sharing
• Network Intelligence: Anonymized data used by AI Oracle for platform optimization

2.5 Blockchain and Immutable Records

Permanently recorded information that cannot be deleted:

• Treasury Smart Contracts: All deposit transactions, yields, and withdrawal activities
• Governance Votes: Democratic participation in Treasury policies and platform decisions
• Referral Transactions: Reward distributions and program participation records
• Token Transfers: All $STORE token movements including referral rewards
• Permanent Storage: Files, IP, and AI models stored forever with associated metadata

3. How We Use Your Information to Enable Ownership

3.1 Treasury Program Operations

To help you secure your financial future:

• Process Treasury deposits and calculate competitive yields (4.5% - 5.6% APY)
• Manage lock periods (2, 4, or 8 years) and early withdrawal penalties (20% cost)
• Calculate and distribute roll-over bonuses and premium multipliers
• Ensure compliance with financial services regulations and tax reporting
• Optimize Treasury smart contracts for security and performance

3.2 Refer & Earn Program Management

To reward you for growing the STORE community:

• Track referral link usage and successful account creations
• Verify that referred users meet program requirements
• Calculate and prepare 10 $STORE rewards for distribution in Q4 2025
• Monitor program integrity and prevent fraud or manipulation
• Provide referral statistics and earnings tracking in your dashboard

3.3 Governance and Democracy Enablement

To ensure you have a voice in STORE's future:

• Facilitate one-entity, one-vote democracy through BFT ID verification
• Enable voting on Treasury program policies, yields, and terms
• Process referral program governance decisions and community input
• Support constitutional ratification and democratic oversight
• Coordinate Swiss Association governance transition (~Q2 2026)

3.4 AI Oracle and Network Optimization

To maximize platform performance and your earnings:

• Use 350+ APIs to optimize Treasury yields and network performance
• Analyze usage patterns to improve referral program effectiveness
• Enhance security through Byzantine Fault Tolerant monitoring
• Support autonomous token economies and developer abstraction
• Enable predictive analytics for better earning opportunities

3.5 Legal Compliance and Risk Management

To protect you and ensure platform sustainability:

• Verify accredited investor status for Treasury participation
• Comply with securities regulations (Reg D 506(c) and Reg S)
• Report Treasury yields and referral earnings for tax compliance
• Monitor for money laundering, sanctions violations, and fraud
• Maintain audit trails for regulatory examination and transparency

4. Information Sharing: Transparency and Protection

4.1 We Don't Sell Your Personal Information

We never sell your personal information to third parties for money, including Treasury deposit details, referral activities, or earnings data.

4.2 Public and Immutable Information

The following becomes permanently public:

• Treasury Smart Contracts: Deposit amounts, terms, and yield distributions are blockchain-recorded
• Referral Rewards: Token distributions and program participation are publicly verifiable
• Governance Votes: Democratic decisions including Treasury policies are transparently recorded
• Earnings: Revenue sharing, royalties, and staking rewards become part of public ledger
• Cloud IDs: Decentralized identities are publicly resolvable for network functionality

4.3 Service Providers for Your Benefits

We share information with trusted partners to enable your success:

• Treasury Custodians: Secure storage and management of locked Treasury deposits
• Payment Processors: Multi-currency support for Treasury deposits and referral rewards
• Tax Reporting Services: Compliance with Treasury yield and referral earnings reporting
• Verification Providers: KYC/AML screening for accredited investor requirements, including Persona
• Blockchain Infrastructure: Networks supporting Treasury smart contracts and referral distributions

4.4 Third-Party Data Protection

STORE ensures that all third-party service providers, including Persona and other verification partners:

• Implement industry-standard encryption and security measures for all personal data
• Process personal data only for specified verification purposes
• Delete data after completion of verification or regulatory retention periods
• Are contractually bound by strict confidentiality and data protection obligations
• Undergo regular security audits and compliance assessments

4.5 Government Data Requests

Where required by applicable law, STORE may be legally obligated to disclose user information to government authorities. This includes responding to court orders, legal process, or subpoenas, and to establish or exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims. Any government request must strictly adhere to due process of United States law and be subject to judicial oversight.

4.6 Governance Transition Sharing

Upon STORE Association establishment in Switzerland (~Q2 2026):

• Treasury program data will transfer to support Swiss Association governance
• Referral program oversight will include democratic community input
• The Association will co-control Treasury policies and referral program rules
• Democratic voting will govern privacy policy updates and data handling

4.7 Legal and Regulatory Disclosure

We share information when required for:

• Securities law compliance for Treasury deposits and token distributions
• Tax reporting for Treasury yields and referral earnings
• Anti-money laundering investigations and sanctions compliance
• Court orders, subpoenas, and regulatory examinations
• Network security and protocol protection

5. Data Security: Protecting Your Financial Future

5.1 Treasury-Grade Security Measures

To protect your Treasury deposits and referral earnings:

• Multi-Signature Security: Enhanced controls for Treasury smart contracts
• Hardware Security Modules: Protecting Treasury deposit keys and referral reward systems
• Smart Contract Audits: Regular security reviews of Treasury and referral contracts
• Byzantine Fault Tolerant Architecture: Resilient against attacks and failures
• Encrypted Communications: All Treasury and referral data transmissions protected

5.2 Financial Data Protection

• Segregated Storage: Treasury deposit data isolated from general platform data
• Access Controls: Role-based permissions for Treasury and referral program management
• Audit Trails: Complete logging of Treasury deposits, yields, and referral distributions
• Incident Response: 24-hour monitoring for Treasury security and referral fraud
• Compliance Monitoring: Ongoing assessment of financial services regulations

5.3 Cross-Border Security for Swiss Transition

• Data Transfer Safeguards: Secure protocols for Swiss Association governance transition
• International Compliance: Meeting both US and Swiss security standards
• Regulatory Coordination: Aligned security practices across jurisdictions
• Democratic Oversight: Community input on security policies through governance

6. Your Privacy Rights: Balancing Control and Blockchain Reality

6.1 Available Privacy Rights

What you can control:

• Account Settings: Update contact information and communication preferences
• Referral Preferences: Control how you share referral links and receive notifications
• Governance Privacy: Choose participation levels in democratic processes
• Data Export: Download your Treasury statements, referral history, and platform data
• Communication Controls: Opt out of non-essential marketing and updates

6.2 Blockchain Technology Limitations

What cannot be changed or deleted:

• Treasury Deposits: Smart contract records are permanent and immutable
• Referral Rewards: Token distributions become permanent blockchain records
• Governance Votes: Democratic participation is transparently and permanently recorded
• Earning History: Revenue sharing, royalties, and yield distributions are immutable
• Lock Period Records: Treasury commitment terms cannot be modified once deployed

6.3 Treasury-Specific Privacy Rights

• Deposit Privacy: While amounts are blockchain-recorded, personal identity links are protected
• Yield Confidentiality: Individual earnings calculations kept private where legally possible
• Early Withdrawal Privacy: Penalty assessments handled confidentially despite blockchain recording
• Roll-over Decisions: Future deposit choices remain private until executed

6.4 Children's Personal Information

We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 18. If a user submitting personal information is suspected of being younger than 18 years of age, STORE will not allow participation in the Token Sale or Treasury programs.

6.5 California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you have the right to request information regarding how we share certain categories of your personal information with third parties. California law provides that you have the right to submit a request and receive: (a) the categories of information we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year; and (b) the names and addresses of third parties that received such information. You may make such requests by emailing privacy@storecloud.org. We confirm that we don't sell Treasury, referral, or earnings data to third parties.

6.6 European, UK, Swiss Data Protection Rights

If the processing of personal data about you is subject to European Union, United Kingdom, and/or Swiss data protection laws, you have certain rights:

• You can request access to, and rectification or erasure of, personal data (subject to blockchain limitations)
• If automated processing is based on your consent or contract, you have a right to data portability
• If processing is based on your consent, you can withdraw consent at any time for future processing
• You can object to, or obtain restriction of, processing under certain circumstances
• For residents of France, you can send specific instructions regarding use of personal data after your death

We rely on different lawful bases for collecting and processing personal data, including with your consent and/or as necessary to provide services, operate our business, meet contractual and legal obligations, protect system security, and fulfill other legitimate interests.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies, web beacons, mobile analytics and advertising IDs, and similar technologies to operate our websites and online services and to help collect data, including usage data, identifiers, and device information. These technologies help us:

• Maintain your login sessions and account preferences
• Analyze Treasury and referral program performance
• Improve platform functionality and user experience
• Monitor security and prevent fraud
• Provide relevant information about Treasury yields and referral opportunities

8. AI Oracle Processing and Your Data

8.1 How AI Oracle Uses Your Information

To optimize your earning potential:

• Treasury Optimization: AI analysis to improve yield calculations and risk management
• Referral Enhancement: Pattern recognition to improve referral program effectiveness
• Network Intelligence: Anonymized usage data to enhance platform performance
• Predictive Analytics: Forecasting to help optimize your earning strategies
• Security Monitoring: AI-powered fraud detection for Treasury and referral programs

8.2 Automated Decision-Making Rights

You have the right to:

• Understand AI Decisions: Explanation of how AI affects your Treasury yields or referral rewards
• Human Review: Request human oversight of automated Treasury or referral calculations
• Challenge Decisions: Contest AI-driven determinations affecting your earnings
• Opt-Out Options: Where technically feasible, limit AI processing of your data

9. Data Retention: Your Financial Records

9.1 Retention Periods

• Account Information: Deleted within 90 days of account closure (non-blockchain data)
• Treasury Records: Retained for 10 years after deposit maturity for tax and regulatory compliance
• Referral Data: Retained for 7 years for reward distribution and tax reporting
• Blockchain Records: PERMANENTLY RETAINED (Treasury deposits, referral rewards, governance votes)
• Financial Compliance: Audit trails maintained per regulatory requirements (typically 7-10 years)

9.2 Special Treasury Considerations

• Active Deposits: Information retained throughout lock period and beyond for compliance
• Matured Deposits: Records kept for tax reporting and potential IRS examination periods
• Early Withdrawals: Penalty and withdrawal records maintained for regulatory examination
• Roll-over History: Bonus calculations and extension records kept for transparency

10. International Operations: US and Swiss Framework

10.1 Current US Operations

STORE Research, Inc. processes your data in the United States under federal and state privacy laws, with specific protections for financial services data.

10.2 Future Swiss Operations

Upon STORE Association establishment (~Q2 2026):

• Swiss data protection laws will govern Association treasury and governance operations
• Democratic oversight will include privacy policy governance through community voting
• Cross-border data flows will use appropriate safeguards and adequacy frameworks
• Treasury program data may be processed in Switzerland for Association governance

10.3 Cross-Border Protections

• Treasury Data Security: Enhanced protections for financial data crossing borders
• Governance Continuity: Seamless privacy protection during governance transition
• Regulatory Compliance: Meeting both US financial regulations and Swiss privacy laws
• Democratic Input: Community voting on international privacy practices

11. Treasury and Referral Program Risks

11.1 Treasury Privacy Risks

11.2 Referral Program Privacy Considerations

• Public Rewards: Referral token distributions are publicly visible on blockchain
• Social Sharing: Referral link usage may be tracked across social platforms
• Network Effects: Referral success data contributes to platform optimization algorithms

12. English Language Controls

This Privacy Policy is provided in English. For non-English translations, please contact STORE using the contact information below. Any non-English translation is provided for convenience only. In the event of any ambiguity or conflict between translations, the English version is authoritative and controls.

13. Contact STORE

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how STORE collects and uses information, please contact us:

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

STORE reserves the right to update this Privacy Policy at our discretion. Any changes we believe will materially impact the privacy of user data will be published online noting the effective date of changes and, when necessary, we will obtain consent for those changes. To stay up to date, please check the STORE website periodically, or sign up for our newsletter at storecloud.org.