Privacy Policy

TallyUp (“we,” “our,” or “the App”) is a grocery cart tracker that helps you keep a running total before you reach the register. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding your data. We’ve written this to be as plain as possible — no legalese where plain language will do.

When you use the App without an account:

• A randomly generated anonymous ID stored on your device (in your browser’s local storage)
• Your shopping cart contents (item names, prices, quantities) stored in our database and linked to your anonymous ID
• Your selected U.S. state for sales tax calculation, stored locally on your device
• Your optional budget amount, stored locally on your device

When you sign in with Google:

• Your name and email address, as provided by Google
• Your shopping cart history, stored in our database and linked to your Google account

When you save a store after completing a trip:

• The store name and chain you enter, stored in our database and linked to your cart record
• Your GPS coordinates at the time of saving (latitude and longitude), collected from your device with your permission and stored alongside the store record. These are used to enable store-based features such as identifying nearby stores and, in future versions, comparing prices across locations. You may skip this step to avoid location collection.

When you use the AI photo scan feature:

• Photos you take within the App are temporarily transmitted to Anthropic’s API for processing
• TallyUp does not store your photos — they are discarded immediately after a result is returned
• If you are shopping from an active list, the names of your remaining list items are also sent to Anthropic’s API alongside the photo, so TallyUp can determine whether the scanned item matches something on your list

TallyUp uses AI to power its photo scan feature. When you take a photo of a grocery item or shelf price tag, that image is sent to the Claude API, operated by Anthropic, Inc., which analyzes the image and returns the product name and price. The response is then displayed in the App.

What this means for your data:

• Your photo is transmitted to Anthropic’s servers over an encrypted connection
• TallyUp does not store, log, or retain your photos at any point
• Anthropic processes the image solely to return a result; their data handling is governed by Anthropic’s Privacy Policy
• AI-extracted prices and names may not always be accurate — always verify before checking out

AI-Powered List Matching:When you scan an item by photo while shopping from an active list, TallyUp sends the photo together with the names of your remaining list items to Anthropic’s Claude API (Claude Haiku model) to determine whether the scanned item matches an entry on your list. This allows TallyUp to automatically check items off your list as you shop.

AI-Powered Item Classification:When you scan an item by photo, TallyUp also sends the extracted item name and product text to Anthropic’s Claude API (Claude Haiku model) to classify the item into TallyUp’s price taxonomy (product category and subcategory). This classification is used to power price comparison features and to build TallyUp’s aggregated price intelligence dataset. The item name and extracted text are transmitted to Anthropic solely for this purpose and are not retained by TallyUp after classification is returned.

When you manually type an item name instead of scanning it, TallyUp does notuse AI for matching or classification — both are performed entirely on your device using simple text comparison, and no data is sent to Anthropic or any third party for this purpose.

List item names sent to Anthropic are used solely to perform this matching and are processed according to Anthropic’s API terms. They are not used to train AI models and are not sold or shared for advertising or marketing purposes.

We disclose our use of AI in compliance with applicable consumer protection guidelines, including FTC guidance on AI transparency. TallyUp will never use AI to make automated decisions that significantly affect you, and no AI output is used for profiling or advertising.

We use the information we collect to:

• Save and sync your shopping cart across sessions
• Display your running total and shopping history
• Calculate applicable sales tax based on your selected state
• Power the AI photo scan and list-matching features (images and list item names are not retained)
• Improve the App through anonymized usage patterns
• Build aggregated, de-identified price and shopping pattern data that may be used for market research or shared with retail and consumer goods partners. This data does not identify you personally.

Price Observation Retention

When you scan an item, TallyUp records the product name, price, unit size, and store location as a price observation. This observation is stored permanently in de-identified form — meaning it stays in TallyUp’s price intelligence database even if you later remove the item from your cart, delete the trip, or delete your TallyUp account entirely.

This is intentional. The long-term usefulness of TallyUp’s community price data depends on historical observations surviving individual user actions — the same way a crowd-sourced map doesn’t forget a road just because one person uninstalls the app.

The retained observation does not include any personally identifiable information. It is associated with an anonymous session or a randomized user ID, never your name, email address, or device identifier. If you’d like to know exactly what has been retained about your scans, contact us at tallyup.shop@gmail.com.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your data for advertising. We do not share your data with third parties except as described in this policy.

TallyUp uses the following third-party services to operate:

• Supabase — database and authentication (stores cart data and account info)
• Google OAuth — optional sign-in via your Google account
• Anthropic (Claude API) — AI photo scanning and list-item matching; photos and, when a list is active, list item names are transmitted to Anthropic for processing. Neither is stored by TallyUp after a result is returned.
• Vercel — web hosting and deployment
• Sentry — error monitoring (anonymized error logs only; no personal data)

Each of these services has its own privacy policy governing their data handling. TallyUp does not control their practices and encourages you to review their policies if you have concerns.

Your cart data is stored in a secured Supabase database with row-level security — meaning your data is only accessible to you and cannot be read by other users. Connections are encrypted in transit using HTTPS/TLS. We apply security headers and follow OWASP best practices.

Data stored locally on your device (budget, state preference, onboarding status) stays on your device and is never transmitted to our servers unless explicitly tied to a cart action.

You can use TallyUp without creating an account. When you do, an anonymous session is created and your cart is stored under a randomly generated ID that is saved in your browser. This data is not linked to any personal information. If you later sign in with Google, your anonymous cart will be merged into your account.

Anonymous sessions may be deleted after a period of inactivity. To preserve your cart history long-term, we recommend signing in.

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to Know — You may request details about the personal information we collect, use, and share
• Right to Delete — You may request that we delete your personal information
• Right to Opt Out — TallyUp does not sell personal information, so there is nothing to opt out of
• Right to Non-Discrimination — We will not treat you differently for exercising your privacy rights

Categories of personal information collected and, where applicable, shared with third-party processors:

• Identifiers — anonymous session ID (all users); name and email address (signed-in users via Google)
• Commercial information — shopping cart contents (item names, prices, quantities) and cart history, stored in our database
• Store information — store name and chain entered by the user after completing a trip, stored in our database
• Geolocation data — GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude) collected with your permission when you save a store after a trip, stored in our database alongside the store record
• Photos — images taken within the App using the AI scan feature; transmitted to Anthropic, Inc. for processing and not retained by TallyUp
• Shopping list item names — when scanning with an active list, remaining list item names are transmitted to Anthropic, Inc. alongside the photo to enable AI-powered matching; not retained by TallyUp after a result is returned
• Item taxonomy classification data — extracted item names and product text transmitted to Anthropic, Inc. at scan time to classify items into TallyUp’s price taxonomy for price comparison and price intelligence features; not retained by TallyUp after classification is returned. Sharing with Anthropic is for service-provider purposes only and does not constitute a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information under the CCPA.
• De-identified price observations — Commercial information — product name, price, unit size, and store location recorded at scan time; retained permanently in de-identified form for community price intelligence, including after account deletion. This data is not linked to your name, email, or any direct identifier.

The sharing of photos and list item names with Anthropic is for service-provider purposes only and does not constitute a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information under the CCPA.

To exercise any of your rights, contact us at tallyup.shop@gmail.com. We will respond within 45 days.

TallyUp is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we’ll update the effective date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the App after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy? Reach us at tallyup.shop@gmail.com.