Data Protection Policy - SuggestMeal | Privacy & Security | AI Meal Planner Data Safety - SuggestMeal

Data Protection Policy

Effective Date: [Insert Date] | Last Updated: [Insert Date]

Introduction

At SuggestMeal, we are committed to protecting your personal data with the highest standards of security and privacy. This Data Protection Policy outlines our technical and organizational measures to safeguard your information and your rights regarding your personal data.

This policy complements our Privacy Policy and provides detailed information about how we protect the personal data you entrust to us.

Data Protection Principles

Our Core Commitments

Lawfulness and Transparency:

  • We process your data only for legitimate purposes clearly explained to you
  • We are transparent about what data we collect and how we use it
  • We never process your data in ways that would surprise or mislead you

Purpose Limitation:

  • We collect data only for specific, explicit purposes (meal personalization)
  • We do not use your data for purposes beyond those stated
  • Any new uses require your explicit consent

Data Minimization:

  • We collect only the minimum data necessary to provide our service
  • We regularly review data needs and delete unnecessary information
  • We design our systems to require minimal personal data

Accuracy:

  • We maintain accurate and up-to-date personal data
  • We provide tools for you to correct inaccurate information
  • We promptly update or delete incorrect data upon notification

Storage Limitation:

  • We retain personal data only as long as necessary for our stated purposes
  • We have clear data retention schedules and deletion procedures
  • We securely delete data when it's no longer needed

Security:

  • We implement robust technical and organizational security measures
  • We regularly assess and upgrade our security protocols
  • We train all personnel on data protection requirements

Types of Data We Protect

Personal Data Categories

Identity Data:

  • Name and email address
  • Account credentials and authentication information
  • User ID and account creation date

Location Data:

  • Country and region of origin
  • Current country and region of residence
  • General location for cuisine suggestions (no precise tracking)

Preference Data:

  • Family size and composition
  • Food preferences and dietary restrictions
  • Spice tolerance and cooking style preferences
  • Meal suggestions and favorites

Usage Data:

  • App usage patterns and feature interactions
  • Meal suggestion requests and responses
  • Recipe views and cooking activity
  • Technical performance data

Special Category Data:

  • Dietary restrictions related to health conditions (diabetes, allergies)
  • Religious or cultural dietary requirements
  • Medical conditions affecting food choices

Technical Security Measures

Data Protection Infrastructure

Encryption:

  • All data transmission uses TLS 1.3 encryption or higher
  • Data at rest is encrypted using AES-256 encryption
  • Database encryption with separate key management systems
  • End-to-end encryption for sensitive personal preferences

Access Controls:

  • Multi-factor authentication for all administrative access
  • Role-based access control with principle of least privilege
  • Regular access reviews and permission audits
  • Secure API authentication and authorization

Network Security:

  • Firewall protection and intrusion detection systems
  • Regular security monitoring and threat assessment
  • Secure cloud infrastructure with redundant backups
  • DDoS protection and traffic filtering

Application Security:

  • Regular security code reviews and vulnerability assessments
  • Secure development lifecycle practices
  • Input validation and SQL injection prevention
  • Cross-site scripting (XSS) protection

Data Backup and Recovery:

  • Encrypted automated backups with geographic distribution
  • Regular backup integrity testing and recovery procedures
  • Business continuity planning for data protection
  • Disaster recovery protocols with defined recovery time objectives

Organizational Security Measures

Human and Process Controls

Staff Training:

  • Mandatory data protection training for all employees
  • Regular updates on security best practices and threats
  • Specific training on handling sensitive dietary and health information
  • Annual certification requirements for data access personnel

Access Management:

  • Background checks for personnel with data access
  • Need-to-know access policies and regular reviews
  • Secure workstation policies and remote work protocols
  • Immediate access revocation procedures for departing staff

Incident Response:

  • 24/7 security monitoring and alert systems
  • Defined incident response procedures and escalation paths
  • Regular security incident simulation exercises
  • Post-incident analysis and improvement processes

Vendor Management:

  • Due diligence assessments for all third-party providers
  • Data processing agreements with strict security requirements
  • Regular audits of vendor security practices
  • Incident notification requirements for all vendors

Your Data Protection Rights

Individual Rights Under Data Protection Laws

Right of Access:

  • Request copies of all personal data we hold about you
  • Receive information about how your data is processed
  • Understand the source of your data and who we share it with
  • Response time: Within 30 days of verified request

Right to Rectification:

  • Correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data
  • Update your preferences and family information anytime
  • Ensure your dietary restrictions are accurately recorded
  • Real-time updates through your account settings

Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten):

  • Request deletion of your personal data when no longer necessary
  • Immediate deletion upon account closure request
  • Secure deletion ensuring data cannot be recovered
  • Confirmation of deletion provided within 7 days

Right to Restrict Processing:

  • Limit how we process your data in certain circumstances
  • Suspend processing while accuracy disputes are resolved
  • Maintain data without using it for meal suggestions
  • Clear procedures for lifting processing restrictions

Right to Data Portability:

  • Receive your personal data in a structured, machine-readable format
  • Transfer your data to another service provider if desired
  • Export your meal preferences and favorites list
  • Secure transfer protocols for data portability requests

Right to Object:

  • Object to processing based on legitimate interests
  • Opt out of any automated decision-making processes
  • Challenge our legal basis for processing your data
  • Clear procedures for handling objection requests

Data Breach Protection

Prevention and Response Procedures

Breach Prevention:

  • Continuous monitoring for unauthorized access attempts
  • Regular security assessments and penetration testing
  • Employee training on recognizing and preventing security incidents
  • Automated threat detection and response systems

Breach Detection:

  • Real-time monitoring systems for unusual data access patterns
  • Automated alerts for potential security incidents
  • Regular log analysis and anomaly detection
  • Third-party security monitoring services

Breach Response:

  • Immediate containment and assessment procedures
  • Risk evaluation and impact analysis within 24 hours
  • Notification to relevant authorities within 72 hours (where required)
  • User notification for high-risk breaches within 72 hours

Post-Breach Actions:

  • Comprehensive investigation and root cause analysis
  • Implementation of additional security measures to prevent recurrence
  • Regular communication updates to affected users
  • Independent security audits following significant incidents

International Data Transfers

Global Service with Local Protection

Transfer Safeguards:

  • Adequate protection regardless of data processing location
  • Standard contractual clauses for international transfers
  • Regular assessment of destination country data protection laws
  • Additional safeguards for transfers to countries without adequate protection

Transfer Limitations:

  • Data transfers only to trusted service providers with proven security
  • Minimum necessary data for international processing
  • Clear return or deletion requirements for transferred data
  • Regular audits of international data processing activities

Data Retention and Deletion

Lifecycle Management

Retention Periods:

  • Account data: Retained while account is active plus 30 days after closure
  • Meal preferences: Deleted immediately upon account closure
  • Usage analytics: Anonymized after 2 years, deleted after 5 years
  • Payment records: Retained for legal compliance (typically 7 years)
  • Support communications: Deleted after 3 years

Secure Deletion:

  • Multi-pass overwriting for all deleted data
  • Destruction certificates for physical media
  • Verification procedures to ensure complete deletion
  • Regular purging of expired data according to retention schedules

Backup Management:

  • Encrypted backups with same retention periods as primary data
  • Secure deletion of backup data when retention periods expire
  • Regular backup restoration testing to ensure data integrity
  • Geographic distribution of backups for disaster recovery

Children's Data Protection

Special Protections for Minors

Age Verification:

  • Service designed for users 18 years and older
  • Additional protections for any inadvertently collected children's data
  • Immediate deletion of data from users under 13
  • Parental notification procedures for children's data incidents

Family Account Protections:

  • Children's dietary preferences handled as family data, not individual profiles
  • No direct data collection from children
  • Parents control all family-related data and preferences
  • Special deletion procedures for family accounts with children

Compliance and Certifications

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

Global Standards:

  • GDPR compliance for European users
  • CCPA compliance for California residents
  • SOC 2 Type II security standards
  • ISO 27001 information security management

Regular Audits:

  • Annual third-party security audits
  • Quarterly internal compliance assessments
  • Continuous monitoring for regulatory requirement changes
  • Regular updates to policies and procedures for compliance

Documentation:

  • Comprehensive records of processing activities
  • Data protection impact assessments for new features
  • Regular compliance reporting and certification renewals
  • Transparent reporting of compliance status to users

Contact and Complaints

Data Protection Inquiries

Data Protection Officer:

  • Email: support@suggestmeal.com
  • Dedicated point of contact for all data protection matters
  • Response time: Within 5 business days for all inquiries
  • Escalation procedures for complex data protection issues

Rights Requests:

  • Email: support@suggestmeal.com
  • Secure portal for submitting data protection requests
  • Identity verification procedures for rights requests
  • Clear timelines and procedures for each type of request

Complaints Process:

  • Internal complaint handling with senior management review
  • Right to lodge complaints with relevant supervisory authorities
  • Clear procedures for escalating unresolved complaints
  • Regular review and improvement of complaint handling processes

Policy Updates and Changes

Staying Current

Regular Reviews:

  • Annual comprehensive policy reviews
  • Quarterly assessments of technical measures
  • Immediate updates for regulatory changes
  • Continuous improvement based on security best practices

Change Notification:

  • Email notification for material changes to data protection measures
  • Website posting of updated policies with change summaries
  • Clear effective dates for all policy updates
  • Opportunity to object to changes before they take effect

Conclusion

Our Ongoing Commitment

SuggestMeal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of data protection. We continuously invest in security technologies, staff training, and process improvements to ensure your personal data remains secure and private.

Your trust is essential to our mission of solving daily meal planning challenges while preserving culinary traditions. We honor that trust through unwavering commitment to data protection excellence.

Emergency Contact

For urgent data protection or security matters:

This Data Protection Policy works in conjunction with our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service to provide comprehensive protection for your personal information.