On this page
What we collect, what we don't.
A plain-language read on how BillBuddy treats your information, what we use it for, and how to opt out.
§ 01Overview
BillBuddy is a project of UpriseRI. We take your privacy seriously and have written this policy in plain language. The short version: most of the site works without an account, your account is the same free account you use on Uprise RI, we don't sell data, and you can delete everything at any time.
This policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, and what we'll never do with it.
§ 02Information we collect
Public, no account required
Browsing bills, legislators, and BB Weekly is free and anonymous. We use the Rhode Island General Assembly's public data as our source — no personal information is required to read.
Account information
BillBuddy and Uprise RI share one account, kept by Uprise RI, where you sign in, change your details and close the account. It holds your email, your name, an optional password (stored only as a hash, never the plain password) and a Rhode Island address. BillBuddy uses the address only to match you with your House and Senate districts, and it is never shown publicly.
Usage data
We collect anonymous aggregate stats — page views, search queries, feature usage — to figure out what's working and what isn't. This data is not tied to your identity in our systems.
§ 03How we use your information
- To run the platform — recognizing you when you're signed in, and your account preferences.
- To send notifications about bills you've favorited, only when something changes.
- To deliver BB Weekly, if you've opted in.
- To respond to your messages and support requests.
- To improve features by analyzing aggregate usage patterns.
- To comply with our legal obligations — on the very rare occasion that applies.
§ 04Messages to your officials
We never save the messages you send to your legislators or your town council, and we never monitor them. We take your privacy very seriously.
- When you write to your town council on BillBuddy, your letter goes straight to the people you choose and we keep no copy. If an email can't go out right away, it waits only until it is delivered (or we give up trying) and its text is then erased. We keep only a record that you wrote, to whom and when, so we can apply the daily limit and stop the same letter going out twice.
- Email buttons for your legislators open your own email app, so those messages never pass through BillBuddy at all.
- We may follow up later to ask whether you heard back.
§ 06Security
We use industry-standard security — encrypted connections (TLS), bcrypt-hashed passwords, server firewalls, and limited admin access. No method of internet transmission is 100% secure, but we use the same protections you'd expect from any modern web service.
§ 07Your rights
You can, at any time:
- View the data we have for your account.
- Update or correct your name, email, address, or preferences.
- Delete your account — this removes your data within 30 days.
- Opt out of any email category (notifications, weekly digest, etc.).
- Export your favorites and saved preferences in JSON.
§ 09Children
BillBuddy is not directed at children under 13. If you believe a child has signed up, contact us and we'll remove the account.
§ 10Changes to this policy
If we change this policy in a meaningful way, we'll notify account holders by email and post a notice on the site. Minor edits (typos, clarifications) won't trigger a notice.
§ 11Contact us
Questions, requests, or concerns? Email us at info@upriseri.com. We answer every privacy request personally.