← Back to Debate TV

Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 23, 2026

1. Introduction

Better Apps LLC ("we," "us," or "our") operates the Debate TV mobile application, the debatetv.app website, and related web experiences (collectively, the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use the Service. By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2. Information We Collect

Contact Information

  • Email address (used for account creation and sign-in)
  • Display name and profile information you choose to provide
  • When you choose Google sign-in, Google may provide your name, email address, profile image, and account identifier. For campus claims, we use the domain of a verified .edu email to identify your school.
  • If you separately approve read-only Google Workspace directory access, we import the domain profiles and shared contacts your account is permitted to see, limited to names, organization email addresses, and organizational metadata needed for the in-app campus opponent finder.

The campus unlock flow requests OpenID, email, profile, and the read-only Google Workspace directory scope. After a verified captain creates a private debate room, directory data lets that captain search eligible same-campus profiles by name, department, or role and choose one person for the opposing side. Search results do not expose email addresses or support bulk export. Only after an explicit selection do we return that one recipient's address to prepare a personalized invitation in the captain's device Mail composer. The captain remains the final sender; Debate TV does not automatically send the message or create an account for the recipient. This permission does not let Debate TV change your directory, post as you, or read Gmail, Google Drive, or Google Calendar. You can deny the permission or revoke it through your Google Account.

Identifiers

  • Unique user ID generated upon account creation
  • Device identifiers for push notifications

Usage Data

  • Debate history, topics, outcomes, and ELO rankings
  • App interaction data (features used, session duration)
  • In-app subscription and purchase history

Debate Content

We collect the topics, stances, transcripts, reports, and other content you submit or create in live debates. Because users choose what to discuss, this content may reveal sensitive information such as political, religious, or philosophical views. Please do not share personal information you do not want included in a debate recording or transcript.

Diagnostics

  • Crash logs and performance data
  • Error reports to help us improve the App

Camera & Microphone

The App requests access to your device camera and microphone for live video debates and optional solo practice rounds. Live debate video and audio are transmitted to your opponent and recorded by Debate TV. We may retain live debate recordings, audio, transcripts, and edited clips to provide replays, AI judging, fact-checking, moderation, debate history, and user-initiated sharing. A live debate replay may be visible to your opponent and to people who receive a replay or share link. Solo practice audio is transmitted to our transcription and AI service providers to process the round, but it is not saved in your Debate TV account or made available as a replay or share link; the local practice recording is deleted after processing.

3. How We Use Your Information

  • To create and manage your account
  • To facilitate live video debates and matchmaking
  • To provide AI-powered judging, fact-checking, and debate analysis
  • To create live debate replays, verdict clips, and shareable debate videos
  • To calculate and display ELO rankings and leaderboards
  • With explicit Google Workspace directory consent, to let a verified captain search for and prepare a one-person invitation to an eligible campus debate opponent
  • To process subscriptions and in-app purchases
  • To send push notifications about debate invitations and results
  • To improve the App's performance and features
  • To detect and prevent fraud or abuse

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate the Service:

  • Supabase — database hosting, authentication, and backend infrastructure
  • LiveKit — live video transport and server-side recording
  • Cloudflare R2 — storage and delivery of live debate recordings and replay media
  • Anthropic (Claude) — AI-powered debate judging and topic generation
  • OpenAI (Whisper) — audio transcription of debates
  • Perplexity — real-time fact-checking with web sources
  • Apple (StoreKit) — subscription and payment processing
  • Google — optional account authentication, basic profile information, and read-only Workspace directory access when you expressly approve it
  • Superwall — subscription paywalls and purchase-status management
  • PostHog — product analytics, such as app interactions and feature usage
  • Sentry — crash reporting, error diagnostics, and performance monitoring

AI Service Providers — What Is Shared, How, and Why

When you participate in a live debate or a solo practice round, the App collects your spoken audio through your device microphone (with your permission) and shares the following data with these AI providers, and only for the purposes listed:

  • OpenAI (Whisper) — receives your debate audio to produce a written transcript of the round.
  • Anthropic (Claude) — receives the debate transcript, debate topic, stances, and participant usernames to judge the debate, score the arguments, and generate debate topics.
  • Perplexity — receives spoken claims from the live transcript to fact-check them against web sources in real time.

We do not share your email address, contacts, payment information, precise location, or Google account data with any AI provider. The App identifies these providers and obtains your explicit consent in-app before your first debate or practice round, and you can decline, in which case no debate data is sent.

Each AI provider processes this data under contractual data-protection commitments (including API terms under which your data is not used to train their models) that provide protection for your data equal to or greater than the protections in this Privacy Policy. Anthropic, OpenAI, and Perplexity act as our data processors for this feature and do not sell your data or use it for advertising.

Each third-party service has its own privacy policy governing how it handles data: Anthropic, OpenAI, Perplexity. We only share the minimum data necessary for each service to function. We do not sell Google account or directory information or use it for advertising.

Debate TV's use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

5. Data Retention

We retain your account information while your account is active. Google Workspace directory data is retained only as needed to operate the campus opponent finder and invitation workflow, and is removed when the related campus program ends, access is revoked and deletion is requested, or retention is no longer necessary for those purposes. We retain a limited audit record when a captain prepares an invitation, including the sender, selected directory profile, debate room, invited side, status, and timestamps; the invitation record does not duplicate the recipient's email address. Live debate recordings, replay media, transcripts, and results may be retained to provide debate history, sharing, moderation, and leaderboard integrity. You can delete your account from Settings in the App. Account deletion removes your account and personally associated live debate media and transcripts from active systems, subject to limited retention where required for security, fraud prevention, legal compliance, or backup recovery. Aggregated or de-identified debate results may be retained. You may also contact us using the address below.

6. Data Security

We use industry-standard security measures including HTTPS/TLS encryption for all data in transit, secure database hosting with Supabase, and access controls to protect your personal information. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure.

7. Children's Privacy

The App is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected information from a child under 13, we will promptly delete it.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you
  • Request correction of inaccurate data
  • Request deletion of your data
  • Object to or restrict processing of your data
  • Data portability

You can delete your account from Settings in the App. To exercise another right, contact us at the email below.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Better Apps LLC
Email: support@debatetv.app