Privacy policy

Last updated 25 October 2026

Ribbon is a social media planning and publishing tool run by Candykite (“we”, “us”). This policy explains what we collect when you use Ribbon, why, how we protect it, and the choices you have. Questions: info@candykite.com.

What we collect

• Your account: your name, email address and sign-in details, the workspaces you create and the people you invite to them.
• Your content: the posts, captions, photos, videos and designs you write, upload or create, and when you choose to publish them.
• Connected social accounts: when you connect Facebook, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, X or Google Business Profile, we store the account’s name and ID and an access token that lets Ribbon post for you.
• Post results: links to what was published and simple counts such as likes, comments and shares.
• Early access requests: if you ask for early access on our website, the name, email address, organisation and message you give us. We use them only to reply to you and set you up.
• Billing: your plan, and a reference to your customer record at Stripe. We never see or store card numbers.

We do not store other people’s comments. When you open comments in Ribbon, they are read live from the network and shown to you only.

How we use it

Only to run Ribbon for you: to save drafts, publish and schedule posts to the accounts you choose, show what was posted and how it performed, take payment for your plan, and keep the service secure. We do not sell your data, use it for advertising, or use it to train AI models.

Google and YouTube

Ribbon’s use and transfer of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. Ribbon uses YouTube API Services; by connecting YouTube you agree to the YouTube Terms of Service, and Google’s handling of data is covered by the Google Privacy Policy.

Ribbon uses Google data only to upload the videos you choose to your own channel, to list the Google Business Profile listings you manage so you can choose which ones to connect, to publish the updates, events and offers you choose to those listings, and to check that the connection still works. Ribbon stores only each chosen listing’s name and ID; it does not read or store your reviews, customer details or other Business Profile information. Google data is never shared with anyone else, never used for advertising, and never used to train AI models, including the AI features below. You can remove Ribbon’s access at any time from your Google account’s third-party connections.

How we protect your data

• Encrypted in transit: everything sent between your device, Ribbon and the social networks travels over encrypted HTTPS (TLS) connections.
• Encrypted access tokens: the tokens that let Ribbon post to your social accounts, including Google and YouTube tokens, are encrypted with AES-256-GCM before they are stored. The encryption key is kept separately from the database, and tokens are only decrypted on our servers at the moment Ribbon posts for you or checks the connection. They are never shown in the app or sent to your browser.
• Encrypted at rest: our database and file storage are encrypted at rest by our hosting provider.
• Strict access rules: the database only lets each person see the workspaces they own or have been invited to, with the role they were given. Each workspace’s data is kept apart from every other.
• Limited staff access: only the Candykite staff who run Ribbon can reach the systems behind it, using their own individual accounts protected by two-step sign-in. Access is never shared.
• Minimum access: we only ask each network for the permissions Ribbon needs to post and show results.
• Payments: card details are handled entirely by Stripe, which is certified to PCI DSS Level 1.
• If something goes wrong: if a breach affects your personal data, we will tell you and, where the law requires, the Information Commissioner’s Office without undue delay.

Who we share it with

We share data only with the services needed to run Ribbon, each under contract and only for that purpose:

• The social networks you connect, only to publish what you ask and read back its results.
• Supabase (database and file storage, in Ireland) and Vercel (application hosting).
• Stripe, to take payment for paid plans.
• OpenAI, only when you use the AI features: the caption you ask it to write or improve, with your recent captions as a guide to your style, or the description of an image you ask it to make. OpenAI does not use this data to train its models. No Google or YouTube data is ever sent to OpenAI.
• Deepgram, only when you ask Ribbon to listen to one of your videos: the sound of that video, to write down what is said and when. Deepgram does not keep it or use it to train its models. For a few languages Deepgram doesn’t cover, the sound goes to OpenAI instead, on the same terms.

How long we keep it

For as long as your account is open. Removing a social account from a workspace deletes its stored token immediately. Deleted drafts are removed straight away.

Deleting your data

You can remove any connected account in Social accounts, and delete drafts at any time. To delete your whole Ribbon account and everything in it, email info@candykite.com from the address you sign in with; we will confirm within 30 days. Removing Ribbon from Facebook, Instagram, Threads or Google also deletes the matching connection in Ribbon.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you can ask to see, correct, export or delete your personal data, or object to how we use it. Contact us at the address above. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk).

Changes

We will post any changes here and update the date above.