Privacy Policy
Scuttlebutt is a private, invite-only app where small groups of friends share stock picks and track how they perform. This policy explains what the app collects, how it's used, and your choices. In short: we collect only what the app needs to work, we don't sell your data, and we don't show ads or track you across other apps.
What we collect
- Account. When you sign in with Apple, we receive an account identifier and, if you choose to share them, your name and email (which may be an Apple private relay address). You set a display name and a unique @handle (so friends can tag you) that other members of your groups see.
- What you post. Your groups (name and icon), the picks you post (ticker, long or short, and your note), updates, reactions, comments, group chat messages, and news stories you send to a group with your note. When a chat message mentions a ticker (like $NVDA), we record that stock's price at that moment so the group can see how it has moved since.
- Group membership. Which groups you're in and when you joined. When you join, leave, or are removed from a group, a short line saying so ("Sam joined") appears in that group's chat, and other members are notified when someone joins.
- Portfolio (optional). If you add holdings, we store the tickers and, privately, the quantities or dollar values you enter (and cost basis, if you provide it). Other members only ever see percentages: each holding's share of your portfolio and its returns. Quantities and dollar amounts are visible only to you. We keep a history of your portfolio's percentages over time, so performance only counts holdings while you actually held them, and the name of the brokerage an account is from (for example, "E*TRADE"), never account numbers. You choose who sees your portfolio: all your groups, only groups you pick, or only you.
- Linked brokerage (optional). If you link a brokerage account, you sign in to your brokerage through Plaid, not through us, and we never see your brokerage password. Through Plaid we receive, read-only, your accounts' names and holdings: which securities you hold, how many shares, cash balances, and cost basis. We can't place trades or move money. Like other holdings, share counts and dollar amounts are visible only to you; others see percentages. Plaid's access token is stored only on our servers. You can unlink at any time, which revokes our access.
- Watch list (optional). The stocks you add, when you added each, and the stock's and the S&P 500's price at that moment (from our market data provider, never entered by you). You choose who sees your watch list separately from your portfolio.
- Alerts and targets you set (optional). Price alerts, percentage-move alerts, and reminders you create, with any note you add, are visible only to you. Price targets (for example, "buy ARM at $200") are shared with the same people who can see your watch list, along with your note and, if you set one from a chat message, who said it; when a target is reached, those groups' chats say so.
- App activity. Which picks you've read and when you last opened each group (so the app can show what's new), the alerts the app creates for you, and your notification settings. Some preferences, such as your learning progress and which stories you've opened, are kept only on your phone.
- Notifications (optional). If you allow notifications, we store your device's push token so we can send alerts. Notifications may include a short preview, such as the first words of a comment or chat message.
- Crash and error reports. When the app crashes, freezes, or shows an error, it sends a technical report: the app and iOS versions, the device model, which screen was open, and the error or crash details. Reports never include your messages, holdings, or dollar amounts. We use them only to fix problems.
We do not collect your location, contacts, photo library, advertising identifier, or browsing activity. Photos you pick are read only when you choose them.
Screenshots and AI
If you attach screenshots (for example, of your brokerage holdings or a stock quote), they are sent to our server and to our AI provider only to read the tickers, holdings, and brokerage name from them. Screenshots are not saved on our servers, and nothing read from a screenshot is stored unless you review and confirm it. If you leave an import before saving, the screenshots and what was read from them stay on your phone (encrypted while your phone is locked) so you can finish later; they're deleted when you save, tap Discard, or after 14 days.
When you type a pick, the text is sent to our AI provider to identify which stock it's about and whether it's bullish or bearish. AI is also used to summarize public news about stocks, to compare a pick's note with the day's news, to explain why a stock moved (from public news only), and to summarize the risks in companies' public annual reports. AI is never used to set prices; prices always come from our market data providers. Our AI provider is Anthropic or, while we test, an AI model hosted by an independent provider; either way it does not receive your name or account details, and it is used only to provide these features.
Who can see your information
Members of your groups see your display name, @handle, and what you share with those groups: your picks, updates, reactions, comments, chat messages, shared stories, and track record, plus your portfolio percentages and watch list if your settings allow it. A member can forward a chat message to another group they're in; it's posted there as theirs, labeled "Forwarded." People outside your groups see none of it. Because handles are unique, someone choosing a handle can find out whether a handle is taken, but not who has it.
Service providers that run the app on our behalf:
- Supabase: hosts the database, sign-in, and server functions.
- Finnhub and Tiingo: stock prices, price history, earnings, analyst ratings, and news. They receive ticker symbols only, never personal information.
- SEC EDGAR: public company filings (annual reports and insider trades). It receives company identifiers only.
- Plaid: connects your brokerage if you choose to link one. Plaid's handling of your data is described in the Plaid End User Privacy Policy.
- AI providers (Anthropic, or an independently hosted AI model while we test): the AI features described above.
- Apple: Sign in with Apple, push notifications, crash diagnostics on your device, and app distribution (TestFlight and the App Store).
We do not sell or rent your information, and we don't share it with advertisers or data brokers. We may disclose information if required by law.
How long we keep it
We keep your information while your account is active. Crash and error reports are deleted after 180 days. A record of each request we make to Plaid (with no financial data) is kept for 13 months, and the record of a brokerage you unlinked is deleted 90 days after unlinking. Unfinished screenshot imports stay on your phone for at most 14 days. Price history and market data are kept to calculate performance.
Deleting your account
You can delete your account anytime in the app (your profile → Delete account). When you do, we unlink any brokerage you linked (revoking Plaid's access) and delete your portfolio and its history, your watch list, alerts you set, read history, notification tokens, @handle, and group memberships, and your sign-in can no longer be used. To keep group history accurate, picks, updates, comments, and chat messages you posted stay in your groups but are shown as from "Former member" instead of your name. You can also delete your own chat messages and comments at any time. See how to delete your account.
Security
Data is encrypted in transit, and access is restricted by database rules so people can only read what belongs to their groups. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information.
Not financial advice
Scuttlebutt is for sharing ideas among friends. Nothing in the app is financial, investment, or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
Children
Scuttlebutt is not intended for anyone under 18, and we don't knowingly collect information from children.
Changes
If we change this policy, we'll update the date above and, for significant changes, let you know in the app.
Contact
Questions or requests: support@scuttlebuttmoney.com