What Textstr does
Textstr text-enables a business’s existing phone number so customers can send it text messages. Incoming texts are delivered to the business by email and through the Textstr web inbox, and the business’s reply goes back to the customer as a text. Businesses can also place a “Text Us” chat widget on their website that starts the same kind of conversation.
Information we collect
When you text a Textstr-enabled number or use a Text Us widget, we collect:
- Your mobile phone number.
- The content of the messages you send and receive, including any images you attach.
- If you use a website widget, the page you were on when you started the conversation, and any name or email address you choose to enter.
- Message delivery metadata from our carrier provider, such as timestamps and delivery status.
When a business signs up for Textstr we collect the account holder’s name, email address, business name and address, the phone number being text-enabled, the email addresses that should receive messages, and billing details, which are handled by our payment processor and never stored on our servers.
Like most websites, textstr.com records standard server logs and uses Google Analytics to understand how the site is used. This is aggregate traffic data, not message content.
How we use it
- To deliver your messages to the business you contacted, and their replies to you.
- To send a one-time confirmation text when you start a conversation, so you know the message went through and how to opt out.
- To keep a conversation history so the business can see what was said before.
- To operate, secure and support the service, and to bill the businesses that use it.
Textstr does not send marketing or promotional messages to consumers on its own behalf. Any message you receive through a Textstr number is a reply from the business you contacted.
Who we share it with
Mobile information, including your phone number and text messaging opt-in data and consent, will not be shared with or sold to any third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. We share information only with:
- The business you chose to text. Your number and messages are delivered to the staff email addresses and inbox that business has configured.
- Service providers who process data on our behalf so the service works: our telecommunications carrier (Twilio) to send and receive texts, our email delivery provider (Mailgun) to deliver messages to the business, our payment processor (Stripe) for business billing, and Amazon Web Services for hosting.
- Law enforcement or other parties when required by law, or to protect the rights and safety of Textstr, our customers or the public.
Opting out
Reply STOP to any message from a Textstr-enabled number and you will receive no further texts from that number. Reply HELP for assistance. Message and data rates may apply, and message frequency varies with how often you and the business write to each other. Consent to receive texts is not a condition of purchasing anything from the business.
Retention and security
Conversation history is kept for as long as the business’s Textstr account is active so that staff can see past messages. When an account is closed its messages are deleted from our production systems. Data is stored on servers in the United States and protected by access controls, encrypted connections and routine backups. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Your choices and rights
You can ask us what information we hold about your phone number, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it, by emailing andrew@textstr.com. We will need to verify that you control the number in question. Residents of California and other jurisdictions with privacy laws have the rights those laws provide, and we honor them for everyone.
Children
The service is intended for adults and for businesses. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has texted a Textstr number, contact us and we will delete the record.
Changes to this policy
We will post any changes here and update the effective date at the top. Continued use of the service after a change means you accept the updated policy.
Contact
Textstr Mobile Solutions
P.O. Box 5102, Lacey, WA 98509
andrew@textstr.com
See also our Terms of Service.