Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 30, 2026

This policy explains what information Chicago Building Violations(“we”, “us”) collects, why, how long we keep it, and your choices. We aim to collect as little as we need.

Information we collect

Your questions and our answers. We process the questions you type, including any addresses, to answer them, and we store your chats.
Account information. Guests get an anonymous account identifier. If you register, we store your email address to sign you in and keep your chat history. We do not use passwords.
Usage information. How many questions you ask per day, when you accepted the site notice, and technical logs (such as request times, errors and which data tools the assistant used). Logs identify you by an account identifier, not your email.
Feedback. If you rate an answer, we store the rating together with that question and answer.
Bot-protection signals. To block automated abuse, Google reCAPTCHA (through Firebase App Check) checks technical signals from your browser. Our network protection also sees your IP address to apply rate limits.

How we use it

To answer your questions and show your chat history.
To apply fair-use limits and protect the site from abuse.
To find problems and improve answer quality.
To contact you only about your account or the site, if needed.

We do not sell or rent your personal information, and we do not use it for advertising.

Service providers

The site runs on Google Cloud in the United States. Your questions are processed by an automated assistant that uses Google's AI services (Gemini on Vertex AI) together with public-records data we host. Sign-in is provided by Google Firebase Authentication, stored data is kept in Google Cloud Firestore, and bot protection uses Google reCAPTCHA. These providers process data on our behalf under their own terms and privacy policies.

Cookies and browser storage

We use your browser's storage to keep you signed in, remember your light/dark mode choice, and support bot protection. We do not use advertising or analytics cookies.

How long we keep information

Registered users: chats are kept until you delete them (use the delete button next to a chat in the sidebar) or ask us to delete your account.
Guests: guest chats and anonymous accounts may be deleted after 90 days of inactivity.
Feedback: kept to improve the site; removed when you ask us to delete your account.
Technical logs: kept for about 30 days.
Backups: daily backups are kept for 7 days, so deleted information may remain in backups for up to 7 days.

Your choices and rights

You can use the site as a guest without giving your email.
You can delete individual chats at any time when signed in.
You can ask us for a copy of your information, or to correct or delete it, by emailing sorbinoar@gmail.com. We will respond within a reasonable time and may need to confirm the request comes from you.
Please avoid typing sensitive personal information into the chat.

Security

Information is encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest on Google Cloud. Only the site's server can read or write stored data. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, but we work to protect your information.

Children

The site is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their information. If you believe a child has used the site, contact us and we will delete it.

Changes and contact

We may update this policy; the date at the top shows the latest version. Questions or requests: sorbinoar@gmail.com.