Privacy Policy

Last updated: February 12, 2026

Beacon ("we", "our", or "the app") is a Slack application operated by Shantanu Pavgi that helps teams broadcast announcements. We take your privacy seriously and are committed to being transparent about what data we collect and how we use it.

By using Beacon, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. Please also review our Terms of Service.

Definitions

• Service — The Beacon Slack application and associated website.
• Personal Data — Information that can be used to identify an individual, such as a Slack user ID.
• Usage Data — Data collected automatically through use of the Service (e.g., commands used, timestamps).
• Data Controller — The entity that determines how personal data is processed. For data processed through Beacon, we act as a Data Processor on behalf of your Slack workspace (the Data Controller).
• User — Any individual using the Beacon Service.

What Data We Collect

When you install Beacon, we collect and store:

• Workspace information: Your Slack workspace ID and name, and the OAuth token needed to send messages on behalf of the Beacon bot.
• User identifiers: Slack user IDs of people who create stations, broadcasts, or subscriptions. We do not store names, emails, or profile information.
• Channel identifiers: Slack channel IDs where stations are created or subscribed.
• Broadcast content: The titles and descriptions you write when creating broadcasts. This is content you explicitly create within Beacon.
• Subscription records: Which users and channels are subscribed to which stations.

What We Do NOT Collect

• We do not read, store, or analyze your Slack messages
• We do not access your files, images, or attachments
• We do not collect email addresses, names, or personal contact information
• We do not log Slack user IDs, team IDs, or channel IDs — our operational logs only contain internal database IDs
• We do not use cookies, tracking pixels, or analytics services

Slack Permissions Explained

Beacon requests the following Slack permissions. Here's why we need each one:

• chat:write — To post broadcast messages to channels and DMs
• commands — To respond to /beacon slash commands
• users:read — To look up user display names when showing who created a broadcast
• im:write — To send direct message notifications to subscribers
• channels:read, groups:read, im:read, mpim:read — To show channel picker when creating stations or subscriptions
• channels:join — To join public channels where broadcasts need to be posted

How We Use Your Data

We use the collected data solely to:

• Deliver broadcasts to subscribed users and channels
• Show you your subscriptions and upcoming broadcasts in the dashboard
• Allow station admins to manage their stations
• Send digest notifications (if enabled)

Data Storage & Security

• All data is stored in a PostgreSQL database hosted on Railway in the United States
• Slack OAuth tokens are encrypted before storage
• All data transmission uses HTTPS/TLS encryption
• Operational logs do not contain personally identifiable information — only internal database IDs are logged
• We do not store data anywhere outside of our primary database

International Users (GDPR)

Beacon is hosted in the United States. If you are accessing Beacon from the European Economic Area (EEA) or other regions with data protection laws, please note that your data will be transferred to and processed in the United States.

Regardless of your location, you have the right to:

• Access — Request a copy of the data we hold about your workspace
• Deletion — Request deletion of your data (or simply uninstall the app for automatic deletion)
• Portability — Request your data in a machine-readable format

To exercise these rights, contact us using the details below.

Data Retention

• Broadcasts: Completed broadcasts are automatically deleted after 24 hours
• Subscriptions: When you unsubscribe, your subscription record is permanently deleted (not just deactivated)
• Uninstall: When you uninstall Beacon from your workspace, all data associated with your workspace is automatically and permanently deleted

Third-Party Services

Beacon uses the following third-party services:

• Slack API — For all Slack interactions (Slack Privacy Policy)
• Railway — For hosting and database (Railway Privacy Policy)

We do not use analytics services, advertising networks, or sell data to any third parties.

Children's Privacy

Beacon is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.

"Do Not Track" Signals

Beacon does not track users across websites and does not respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals, as we do not engage in tracking behavior.

Your Choices

• Unsubscribe — Use /beacon-unsubscribe to remove yourself from any station. Your subscription record is permanently deleted.
• Uninstall — Remove Beacon from your Slack workspace at any time via Slack's app management. All your workspace data is automatically deleted.
• Data export — Contact us if you need a copy of your workspace's Beacon data.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. If we make significant changes, we will notify users through the Beacon app or via Slack.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy or want to exercise your data rights, contact:

Shantanu Pavgi
LinkedIn