Your data deserves a clear answer.

01 · Who is responsible

Who we are and what this policy covers.

Topinion is currently a beta service operated by Paul Lombrea (“Topinion”, “we”, “us” or “our”). Paul Lombrea is the data controller for the personal data described in this Policy.

This Policy applies when you visit topinion.app, create or use an account, vote, suggest a ranking, apply as a verified expert or contact us.

Topinion is intended only for people aged 16 or older. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 16. If you believe a person under 16 has provided data, please contact us.

02 · Data we collect

Information depends on how you use Topinion.

When you visit

Our hosting and technical providers may process information needed to deliver and secure the site, including IP address, browser and device details, requested resources, date and time, and basic request or error information. Fonts, software files and some product images are loaded from third-party servers, which may receive similar technical request information.

When you create or use an account

We process an internal account identifier, email address, authentication and session information. We also store the versions of the Terms and Privacy Policy you confirmed, the minimum-age confirmation and the server time of confirmation. We do not store an IP address, device identifier or browser fingerprint in this confirmation record. If you choose Google sign-in, we may receive the identifier, email address and basic profile information Google makes available, such as your name. We do not receive your Google password.

When you vote

We process the ranking, your ordered choices and points, an optional written reason, an internal account identifier, and creation or update timestamps. One account may hold one current community ballot per ranking; updating it replaces the earlier ballot.

When you suggest a ranking

We process the proposed title, category, explanation, candidates, review status, moderator response, internal account identifier and timestamps. We may use your account email to send a transactional review update.

When you apply as an expert

We process your professional name, title, organization and website when supplied, professional background, application status, internal review information and timestamps. Expert applications are reviewed manually.

When you contact us

We process your contact details, message and information needed to respond or document the request. Please do not include sensitive personal information unless it is necessary.

03 · Purposes and legal bases

Why we use personal data.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the benefit, necessity and effect on your rights. If we introduce optional processing that requires consent, we will ask first and you may withdraw that consent.

Current beta: we do not use personal data for advertising, newsletters, behavioral profiling or marketing. We do not sell personal data or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.

04 · Public information

What can—and cannot—become public.

• Ranking candidates, aggregated scores and participation totals are public.
• Community ballot choices and optional reasons are private to the account and authorized Topinion operations. Public pages expose only aggregated scores, choice counts and participation totals; they do not expose individual community ballots.
• Ranking suggestions are initially visible only to the submitting user and authorized administrators. If prepared for publication, the topic, candidates and editorially adapted information from the explanation may be used in a public ranking without publishing the account identity.
• For approved experts, the professional name, title, organization, website, verified status, ordered choices and ranking explanation may be public. The professional background supplied for verification is not published in the current beta.

Public content may be indexed or cached by independent search engines and other services, so removal from Topinion may not immediately remove copies they control.

05 · Browser storage

How this device remembers your session and drafts.

Topinion uses browser local storage to maintain authentication, keep voting selections and written drafts, remember whether a signed-in account submitted a vote, and carry your legal confirmation through an email or Google sign-in redirect. Stored vote drafts may contain selected item identifiers, draft reasoning, a submitted-status flag and a pseudonymous account identifier. The pending legal-confirmation marker contains only the current document versions and minimum age, not your email or account identifier.

This information remains on the device until replaced, removed by the application or cleared in the browser. Signing out removes the authentication session but may not remove Topinion voting drafts. Clearing browser storage may sign you out or remove drafts, but it does not delete information already stored on our servers.

We do not currently use advertising cookies, behavioral tracking or audience analytics. If we later introduce non-essential tracking, we will provide information and request consent where required.

06 · Recipients and transfers

Services that help operate Topinion.

We disclose information only as needed to operate, protect or lawfully transfer the service. Current recipients may include:

• Supabase, for authentication, database and backend services;
• Vercel, for hosting, content delivery, DNS and technical security;
• Google, when you choose Google sign-in and for externally delivered font resources;
• Resend, for transactional emails and privacy correspondence;
• jsDelivr, for delivery of the Supabase browser library;
• third-party servers that host certain product images;
• authorized administrators, professional advisers, regulators or public authorities where necessary;
• a future company or successor that takes over Topinion, with appropriate notice and safeguards.

Some providers or subprocessors may process data outside Romania or the European Economic Area. Where required, transfers are protected by an adequacy decision, contractual safeguards such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses, or another lawful mechanism. Contact us for relevant information.

07 · Retention and security

We keep data according to why it is needed.

• Account and authentication information is kept while the account remains active and as needed to provide or secure the service.
• Legal-confirmation records are kept with the account and, where reasonably necessary, for legal claims or proof of the rules accepted at the time.
• Votes are kept while the relevant ranking and its results are maintained. Account-linked community and expert votes are removed from the active database when the underlying account is deleted.
• Suggestions and review records are kept while useful for review, editorial history, abuse prevention or disputes. The account link may be removed while non-identifying suggestion content remains.
• Expert application data is kept while the application is reviewed and while verification remains relevant.
• Transactional email records and technical logs are kept as needed for delivery, troubleshooting, security and provider operations.
• Local browser data remains until replaced or cleared on the device.

We may retain information longer where necessary for law, legal claims, fraud prevention or security. When it is no longer needed, we delete or de-identify it where reasonably possible.

We use measures designed to protect data, including encrypted connections, authentication, restricted administrative access and database access controls. No online service can guarantee absolute security.

08 · Your choices and rights

You can ask about or act on your data.

Subject to applicable law, you may have rights to information, access, correction, deletion, restriction, objection, portability and withdrawal of consent where consent applies. You may also lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

Email privacy@topinion.app to exercise a right. We may ask for information needed to verify your identity and protect the account. We normally respond within one month; applicable law may allow an extension for complex or numerous requests.

You may complain to the Romanian National Supervisory Authority for Personal Data Processing (ANSPDCP) through dataprotection.ro, or to another competent supervisory authority.

Topinion automatically calculates ranking scores from submitted choices. This does not make a decision about an individual that produces legal or similarly significant effects. Expert applications and ranking suggestions are reviewed manually.

09 · Changes

When this policy changes.

We may update this Policy when Topinion’s features, providers, operator or legal obligations change. We will publish the revised version and update the date above. If a change materially affects how we use personal data, we will provide additional notice where appropriate.