Privacy policy

Effective date: July 13, 2026.This policy explains how Shema (“Shema,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, and protects information through shema.care (the “Site”), including the waitlist sign-up. Shema is based in California, United States, and this policy is written with California and U.S. consumer privacy law in mind.

Shema has not yet launched its peer-support app. Today, the Site only operates a waitlist. We will update this policy before launching any additional product or service, and we’ll highlight what changed.

1. Information we collect

We collect as little as we can get away with. Right now, that’s:

• What you give us directly: your name, email address, and, if you choose to share it, your phone number, when you join the waitlist.
• Consent choices:whether you agreed to receive text messages and whether you confirmed you’re 18 or older.
• Basic technical data: standard server logs (such as IP address, browser type, and timestamps) collected automatically for security, fraud prevention, and site reliability.

We do not currently ask you to describe what you’re going through, and we don’t collect health information through the waitlist form. If that changes when the app launches, we’ll update this policy first and explain exactly how that information is protected.

2. How we use information

• To respond to and manage your waitlist sign-up.
• To email you, and text you if you opted in, about Shema, mainly when early access opens up.
• To detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, abuse, or security issues.
• To comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service.
• To understand aggregate interest in Shema (for example, how many people joined the waitlist). We do this in a way that doesn’t single you out where possible.

We do not use your information to make automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about you, and we do not use it for behavioral advertising.

3. We do not sell or share your information

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with third parties for cross-context behavioral advertising, as those terms are defined under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). We haven’t sold personal information in the past 12 months either.

We do share information with a small number of service providers who help us run the Site under contract, and only for that purpose: our hosting and database providers, and, if you opt in to texts, our SMS delivery provider. These providers are prohibited from using your information for their own purposes.

We may also disclose information if required by law, to protect the rights, safety, or property of Shema or others, or in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case we’ll require the successor to honor this policy for previously collected data.

4. Your California privacy rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we’ve collected about you and why.
• Access a copy of that information.
• Correct inaccurate personal information.
• Delete personal information we hold about you, subject to certain legal exceptions.
• Opt outof the sale or sharing of personal information. We don’t sell or share it, so there’s nothing to opt out of today, but you can still submit this request.
• Limit the use of sensitive personal information, though we don’t currently collect any through the waitlist.
• Not be discriminated against for exercising any of these rights. We will never charge you more or provide a worse experience because you made a privacy request.
• Appeala denial of a rights request, by replying to our response with “appeal” in the subject line.

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@shema.care from the address you signed up with. We’ll verify your request and respond within 45 days, as required by law. You may also designate an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf.

Residents of other U.S. states with comprehensive privacy laws (including Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, and Utah) have similar rights to access, correct, delete, and obtain a copy of their personal information, and to opt out of targeted advertising and sale, which we honor using the same contact method above.

5. Text messages & email

If you provide a phone number and check the SMS consent box, you agree to receive text messages from Shema about our launch. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. You can opt out at any time by replying STOP, or ask for help by replying HELP. Consent to receive texts is never required to join the waitlist by email alone. Every email we send includes an unsubscribe link.

6. Data retention & deletion

We keep waitlist information for as long as we’re actively building toward launch, or until you ask us to delete it, whichever comes first. If you unsubscribe or ask us to delete your information, we’ll remove it from our active systems within 30 days, except where we need to retain limited records to comply with law, resolve disputes, or enforce our agreements.

7. Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational safeguards to protect your information, including encryption in transit, access controls limiting who can view waitlist data, and hosting with reputable infrastructure providers. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we can’t guarantee absolute security, but we work to keep what little we collect well protected.

8. Children’s privacy

The Site is not directed to, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from, anyone under 18. Joining the waitlist requires confirming you’re 18 or older. If we learn we’ve collected information from someone under 18, we’ll delete it promptly. Contact us at privacy@shema.care if you believe this has happened.

9. Cookies & similar technologies

The Site uses only the minimum cookies and similar technologies needed for it to function and for basic, privacy-respecting analytics on how the waitlist page is used. We do not use third-party advertising trackers or cross-site behavioral advertising cookies.

10. International visitors

Shema is based in California, USA, and information is processed in the United States. If you’re visiting from outside the U.S., you understand your information will be transferred to and processed in the U.S., which may have different data protection laws than your home country. If you’re in the EU, UK, or EEA, contact us at privacy@shema.care for questions about your rights or to request deletion.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as Shema develops, especially once we move beyond the waitlist. We’ll update the effective date above and, for material changes, let waitlist members know by email before the changes take effect.

12. Contact us

Questions, requests, or concerns about this policy or your information can be sent to privacy@shema.care.