CitizenMate, LLC ("CitizenMate," "we," "us," or "our") operates CitizenMate.com and its related citizenship interview practice services (the "Service"). This Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we use it, when we disclose it, and the choices available to you. CitizenMate, LLC is responsible for the processing described in this Policy.
1 Information we collect
Account and contact information. We collect information you provide to create and manage an account, such as your name, email address, login information, preferences, and an optional phone number if you choose a feature that needs it.
Google sign-in. If you choose to sign in with Google, we receive information from Google such as your name, email address, email-verification status, Google account identifier, and profile picture, when provided. We use this information to create or connect your CitizenMate account and authenticate you. We also store authentication data needed to support that connection. We do not receive your Google password, and our Google sign-in does not request access to your Gmail messages, Google Drive files, or Google Contacts.
Study and practice information. We collect your interview date and the location information you provide, such as your state, city, or ZIP code, to personalize study planning and questions about your representatives. We also process practice responses, voice inputs, transcripts, questions presented, scores, response times, session history, and reports identifying areas for improvement. Section 3 explains voice and AI processing.
Purchases. We collect subscription status, credit purchases and balances, payment status, transaction records, and related billing information. Payment providers process payments and provide information needed to administer purchases and resolve billing issues.
Technical and activity information. We and our providers collect information such as IP address, approximate location derived from it, browser and device information, cookie and advertising identifiers, referring pages, pages viewed, timestamps, clicks, scrolling, time spent, trial use, registration steps, and general account or purchase activity. Optional analytics and advertising are described in Section 4.
Communications. We collect support requests, feedback, communication preferences, consent and unsubscribe records, and information you choose to provide for a testimonial.
We receive information directly from you, automatically through use of the Service, and from providers that process payments, communications, authentication, or advertising measurement for us. Please do not submit Social Security numbers, A-numbers, passport or immigration documents, government account credentials, or other unnecessary sensitive information in practice answers or support messages. CitizenMate is an educational service and does not need those records to provide civics practice.
2 How we use information
We use information to provide and secure accounts; conduct and evaluate practice interviews; tailor questions and study plans; maintain progress history and reports; administer subscriptions and credits; provide support; send communications described below; identify errors and improve the Service; measure website and campaign performance; support permitted advertising; prevent abuse; and comply with legal obligations.
Study reports and automated evaluations help you prepare. They are not decisions about your eligibility for citizenship or an assessment by a government officer. We do not use your practice answers, recordings, transcripts, or study scores to build advertising audiences or personalize advertisements.
3 Voice features and AI providers
Voice features send microphone audio you choose to submit to speech-processing providers to create transcripts or support the interview experience. We use AI and speech providers, including Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Deepgram, and other providers used for particular features, to generate practice questions, evaluate responses, provide feedback, and produce reports. Relevant inputs, limited context needed for the feature, and generated results may be processed by these providers.
We retain practice information, including transcripts, responses, evaluations, session history, and reports, to show progress and identify areas for improvement, subject to Section 7. Uploaded audio is processed temporarily to send it to speech-processing providers for transcription. CitizenMate does not retain user audio recordings for session review or troubleshooting.
AI and speech providers may retain inputs and outputs for service delivery, security, abuse prevention, and legal compliance. Depending on their applicable service terms and settings, providers may also use them for service or model improvement, including human review. Contact us for information about the providers and retention practices applicable to your sessions.
We use practice information for the educational and operational purposes explained in this Policy. Permission to use voice features or receive study reports does not, by itself, constitute consent to unrelated advertising uses of your practice content. If a new use requires additional notice or consent, we will provide that notice and obtain the required consent before that use begins.
4 Cookies analytics and advertising
We use essential technologies for functions such as login, security, and maintaining your session. We also use optional analytics and advertising technologies to understand how people use the Service, improve content and performance, personalize the website experience, measure signups and purchases, and measure and deliver more relevant advertising and offers. These optional purposes are managed together through the "Enhanced Website Experience & Relevant Offers" control described in Section 8.
Our measurement tools include Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics 4, Google Ads, Meta Pixel, and Meta Conversions API. Events may be collected in your browser or through server-side measurement hosted on Google Cloud and sent to the relevant provider. Server-side processing remains subject to your applicable privacy choices.
These tools may process the technical and general activity information described in Section 1. They are not intended to collect practice answers, audio, transcripts, individual scores, interview dates, or sensitive immigration information. We exclude those details from advertising and general website analytics events. Mobile numbers and consent records collected for our SMS program are also excluded from advertising sharing.
Where enabled and permitted, advertising providers may associate permitted event and identifier information with information from their services or other websites and apps for advertising measurement or personalization. Their processing is also described in their privacy notices. See Google data use and Meta Privacy Policy.
We do not sell personal information for money. However, disclosing identifiers and website activity to advertising providers may constitute a "sale," "sharing," or processing for "targeted advertising" under some privacy laws, even when no money changes hands. Section 8 explains your choices. Optional technologies and processing that require prior consent under applicable law or platform rules may be used only after that consent is obtained. Posting this Policy or accepting our Terms does not replace required consent. Declining optional tracking does not prevent access to the core Service.
5 When we disclose information
Providers supporting the Service. We disclose relevant account, practice, technical, transaction, or communication information to providers of hosting, databases, authentication, AI and speech processing, payments, customer support, and messaging as needed for their work. We use HighLevel/GoHighLevel to collect and manage early-access applications and related contact and consent information, and to support customer communications and notifications when enabled. Relevant information is processed by this provider as needed to perform these functions.
Analytics and advertising providers. We disclose the limited categories described in Section 4 for the purposes and subject to the choices described there.
Legal and business needs. Information may be disclosed when reasonably necessary to comply with law or valid legal process, investigate fraud, protect rights or safety, or obtain professional advice. It may also be disclosed in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, or sale of business assets, subject to appropriate confidentiality and applicable privacy obligations.
At your request. We may disclose information when you direct us to do so. We obtain separate permission before publishing a testimonial or success story identifying you. Creating an account does not authorize us to publish your name, image, interview results, or citizenship outcome.
The specific SMS protections in Section 6 control over general sharing descriptions in this Policy.
6 Email and optional text messages
Account emails. We send communications needed to operate your account, such as login or security notices, receipts, billing notices, and material service updates. These may continue when necessary even if you unsubscribe from promotional emails.
Study reminders. We send requested study reminders and related notifications according to your selections. You can change available reminder settings or contact us to stop these optional reminders.
Promotional emails. We may occasionally send product news, study information, offers, or customer success stories. You can unsubscribe using the link in a promotional email or contact us. We obtain permission where required by law and honor marketing opt-outs. A marketing opt-out does not cancel your subscription.
Optional SMS program. If you separately opt in, CitizenMate, LLC may send non-marketing text messages about early-access applications, access instructions, customer support, requested study reminders, and account, billing, or subscription updates. We use your mobile number, messaging preferences, consent records, and relevant account information to operate this program. Providing a phone number or accepting our general Terms does not automatically enroll you. Participation is optional and is not a condition of purchase. You can withdraw consent by replying STOP or contacting [email protected]. Section 10 of our Terms of Service provides additional SMS program details.
We do not sell or disclose mobile numbers or SMS opt-in information to third parties or affiliates for their own marketing or promotional use. We may provide information needed to operate the program to messaging, delivery, and support providers, or disclose information when legally required. SMS consent does not authorize another business to market to you and is excluded from the advertising disclosures in Section 4.
7 Retention security and account closure
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably needed for the purposes described here. Relevant factors include whether an account is active, the records needed to provide study history or support, the sensitivity of the information, and legal, accounting, security, or dispute-resolution requirements. Transaction records may be retained for applicable recordkeeping obligations. Limited consent and suppression records may be kept to respect opt-outs. Information no longer needed is deleted or de-identified.
Canceling a subscription or allowing paid access to expire does not automatically delete your account or history. Self-service account deletion is not currently available. You may request account closure or deletion of personal information by contacting us as described in Section 8. If closure ends an active subscription, we will also stop its future renewals.
Deletion may be subject to lawful exceptions, such as retaining transaction records or information needed to prevent fraud. Backup copies may remain until replaced through the applicable backup cycle and are not used for ordinary product operations in the meantime. Restored records remain subject to valid deletion requests. De-identified information that can no longer reasonably be linked to you may be retained.
We use reasonable safeguards designed to protect personal information. No online service or transmission can be guaranteed completely secure.
8 Privacy choices and requests
Advertising and tracking choices. The "Enhanced Website Experience & Relevant Offers" control turns optional analytics and advertising on or off together for this browser, subject to the Global Privacy Control override described below. When signed in, use Settings → Security & Privacy. When signed out, use Preferences in the privacy notice or the Cookies link in the footer. You can also open the Privacy preferences page without an account. Essential cookies for sign-in, security, and your session remain active. When regional defaults are enabled, optional analytics and advertising start enabled for visitors identified as being in the United States. For other or unknown locations, optional tracking stays off until you choose to allow it. Opening Preferences or closing the notice does not record consent or change your settings. Settings changes save automatically; in the preferences dialog or page, use Save preferences, Accept all, or Essential only to save your choice. Your saved choice takes precedence over regional defaults and is remembered for one year, unless you clear your cookies. You can change it anytime. This browser preference does not change your email or text-message preferences. You may also request an opt-out of sale, sharing, or targeted advertising by emailing [email protected] with "Privacy Choices" in the subject line, or using this Privacy Choices email. No account is required. Browser settings and Google Analytics opt-out tools offer additional controls but may not stop server-side events or every provider.
We honor Global Privacy Control by keeping optional advertising off for the transmitting browser or device, without a separate email request, even if advertising was previously allowed. If you turn the control on while your browser is sending Global Privacy Control, we allow advertising for this browser. If your browser later stops and then resumes sending the signal, we honor it again. Analytics remains subject to your optional tracking preference and regional defaults. Ordinary "Do Not Track" signals do not currently change our practices. Email requests do not replace any legally required prior consent.
You may contact [email protected] to request access, correction, deletion, or a copy of personal information, or to ask about our practices. Depending on your location and applicable law, you may also have rights to restrict processing, object to processing, withdraw consent, limit certain uses of sensitive information, and opt out of qualifying automated decisions or targeted advertising. Withdrawing consent does not invalidate processing that occurred before withdrawal.
We may reasonably verify identity before releasing, changing, or deleting personal information. We will not require identity verification for an advertising opt-out where law prohibits it. Authorized agents may submit requests subject to applicable verification requirements. We respond within applicable legal deadlines and do not unlawfully discriminate against you for exercising privacy rights. If we deny a request, we will explain the reason and any applicable appeal process. You may submit an appeal to the email above with "Privacy appeal" in the subject line. You may also contact the relevant privacy regulator or attorney general.
9 International processing
CitizenMate operates from the United States. Our providers may process information in the United States and other countries, depending on the provider and feature. Those countries may have different privacy laws. Transfers that require additional safeguards are subject to the mechanisms required by applicable law, such as appropriate contractual protections or another valid transfer basis. You may contact us for information about the countries and safeguards applicable to your data.
Where European, UK, or similar rules require a legal basis, we rely on performing our agreement to provide accounts and requested services; legitimate interests in security, support, and proportionate service improvement where permitted; legal obligations for required records; and consent for tracking, marketing, or other processing where required. You may complain to your local data protection authority when those rights apply.
10 Age requirements
The Service is intended for adults aged 18 or older and is not directed to children. If you believe someone under 18 has provided personal information through the Service, contact us so we can investigate and take appropriate steps, including deletion where appropriate.
11 Policy updates
We may update this Policy as the Service or our practices change. We will update the effective date and provide notice of material changes by email or another appropriate method when required. We will obtain new consent when required; posting an update alone does not replace required consent.
12 Contact
CitizenMate, LLC
594 Goffle Hill Rd, Hawthorne, NJ 07506, United States
Email: [email protected]
Website: CitizenMate.com