✅ Step 3: The Consent Submission Process

When a user clicks "Enable Notifications," here's what happens:

🎯 User Action Required:

1. User must provide valid phone number

2. User must provide valid email address (for support)

3. User must read the notification terms

4. User must actively check the consent checkbox

5. User must click "Submit"

⚠️ Important: Form cannot be submitted without all required fields and explicit consent.

💾 Step 4: Minimal Data Collection & Storage

Upon successful consent submission, we collect and securely store minimal required information:

🔒 Simple Consent Record Contains:

• Phone Number: The number consenting to receive notifications

• Email Address: For support and account management

• Timestamp: Date and time of consent (ISO format)

• Consent Type: "transactional_notifications"

• Data Source: "user_spreadsheet" or "user_initiated"

• Consent Status: Active/Inactive

🔐 Privacy-First Approach: We do NOT collect IP addresses, browser data, or other tracking information to minimize security risk and privacy concerns.

🏦 Storage: Encrypted and stored in Firebase with restricted access

📞 Step 5: Post-Consent User Experience

After successful consent submission:

• ✅ User sees confirmation: "Notifications enabled successfully!"

• 📱 User will receive notifications based on their spreadsheet data/triggers

• 🕐 Messages sent only when data conditions are met (not on schedule)

• 📋 User can opt-out anytime by replying STOP

• 🔧 User retains full control over their data and notification triggers

🚫 Step 6: Simple Opt-Out Process

Users can withdraw consent easily:

• SMS Reply: STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, END, QUIT

• Email Support: Contact info.americanbookkeeping@gmail.com

• In-App: Disable notifications in their account settings in Settings -> Disable Text Communication

• Automatic Processing: All opt-outs processed immediately

• Re-enable Available: Users can re-enable text communications through same consent process

📊 Step 7: User Data Relationship

Key Point: The notifications are based on the user's own Google Sheets data:

• 🏠 User owns the data: Their spreadsheet and the data contained within belongs to the user, not us

• 🔄 User controls triggers: The user chooses whether they want to receive notifications or not

• 📝 User-initiated content: Messages contain their own data/reminders

• 🎯 No marketing content: All messages are transactional/informational

• 🔒 Privacy maintained: We only retain a record of who opted into this service for compliance purposes

⚖️ Compliance Statement

This notification consent process is designed for transactional communications and complies with:

• Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) - Transactional exemptions

• CAN-SPAM Act - Transactional message requirements

• FCC guidelines for non-marketing communications

• User-initiated communication standards

• Data minimization and privacy protection principles

📋 Document Purpose: This documentation demonstrates our consent process for user-initiated, transactional SMS notifications based on the user's own spreadsheet data.

🎯 Key Distinction: This is NOT a marketing consent system - it's a user notification system for their own data and account activities.

📞 Contact: For questions about this process, contact Alex Horvath at info.americanbookkeeping@gmail.com

This document demonstrates our privacy-first, minimal-data approach to transactional SMS notifications.