Your privacy
matters here.

Who we are

Vela is made by Elevia Technology, an Australian technology company. This policy covers this website (www.velaraye.com) and the Vela app (app.velaraye.com). It explains what we collect, why, where it goes and how you control it.

We follow the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). If you're in the EU or UK, your rights under the GDPR and UK GDPR also apply.

The short version

• We collect what you give us so Vela can do her job: remember, plan, remind and reply.
• We don't sell your information, and we don't use it for advertising.
• Your words are processed by AI models hosted in Microsoft Azure so Vela can reply. We don't use it to train AI models.
• You can see and edit what Vela has learned about you, and Delete my data erases everything you've stored.

On this website

• Waitlist and newsletter. If you join the waitlist we keep your email address, whether you opted in to the newsletter, when you joined and which site you signed up on. We use a scrambled (hashed) version of your IP address to stop abuse. We don't send marketing email yet; when we do, we'll name the provider here.
• Analytics. We use Google Analytics to understand how the site is used (pages visited, rough location, device and browser). It sets cookies. See our Cookie Policy.
• Site chat. The chat bubble on this site is Vela, answering anonymously. We don't ask who you are, so please don't share personal details there. These chats are anonymous, so we can't link them to you or delete them on request. They're processed by the same AI models as the app. If you chat with Vela on our website without signing in, we keep the conversation for up to 90 days to improve answers, then delete it.

In the Vela app

• Your account. You sign in through Microsoft Entra External ID. We keep your first and last name, display name and email address, and an internal account and workspace ID. Your data is kept separate by workspace.
• What you tell Vela. Conversations, attachments (documents and images), your intentions and routines, and what she learns about you in My Life.
• Studio. The people and companies you add, your recipes, menus, cook notes and food photos, and Tastes (likes, dislikes, allergies and orders).
• Settings. Notification times and choices, timezone, units and similar preferences.
• Location. If you turn on location in Settings, your device's location is used only when you ask Vela to find a place nearby. It goes with that one request and is never stored. We do store your timezone.
• Notifications. If you allow push notifications, your browser gives us a push subscription address so we can deliver them.
• Outlook. Only if you connect it: your Outlook contacts and their categories, synced both ways. We store the access tokens on our servers, never in your browser.
• Service logs. Our servers record requests and errors so we can keep Vela running and fix problems. The app doesn't use Google Analytics or any other third-party tracking scripts.

Information about other people

People, Companies and Tastes can hold details about others, such as a friend's phone number or a colleague's allergy. Please only add what you have good reason to keep, and what you'd be comfortable with them knowing you keep.

Allergies and intolerances are health information, which the APPs treat as sensitive. Vela never saves one without you confirming it. We use it only to keep suggestions safe for that person, and you can remove it at any time.

How we use it

• To run the app: replying, remembering, reminding, planning menus and keeping your records.
• To send the notifications and emails you've asked for.
• To keep the service secure, fix problems and improve it.
• To tell you about Vela's launch and, if you opted in, send the newsletter.

We don't sell your information or use it for advertising.

AI processing

So Vela can reply, remember and help, the relevant parts of what you share (messages, attachments, recipes and similar) are sent to AI models hosted in Microsoft Azure AI Foundry, including Anthropic Claude and Azure OpenAI models. Some features that create images use Google's Gemini models. These providers process your content to generate a response. We don't use what you share to train or fine-tune AI models.

Who else handles your information

We use trusted providers to run Vela. They process information on our behalf and only for that purpose:

• Microsoft Azure: hosting, storage, sign-in, AI models and service logs.
• Google: Places (looking up businesses and checking addresses you enter), Weather (for your local forecast), Books (book details), Gemini (some image features) and, on this website only, Google Analytics.
• Microsoft Graph: your Outlook contacts, only if you connect Outlook.
• Push services run by your browser's maker (for example Google or Apple), to deliver notifications.

Some of these providers store or process information outside Australia, including in the United States. Your app data, waitlist email, backups and service logs are stored in Australia (Microsoft Azure, Australia East). Chat is processed by AI models in Sweden (EU). The app's files are served from the United States, and Google's services may process information in other countries. We choose providers that protect information to a standard comparable to the APPs.

We may also disclose information if the law requires it.

Security

Your data is stored in Microsoft Azure, kept separate by workspace and protected by access controls. Photos and files sit in private storage and are only shown through short-lived links. We take encrypted daily backups.

Keeping and deleting your information

• App data is kept while you use Vela. In the app, Delete my data (in Settings) erases everything you've stored, including uploaded photos. Our encrypted daily backups expire after 30 days and can be recovered for up to 30 days after that, so your data is completely gone within about 60 days. We keep a record that a deletion happened, with no personal details in it, for 7 years. To close your Elevia account itself, email support@eleviatechnology.com.
• Waitlist email is kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove it.
• Things you choose to publish, such as a recipe you share and feature on this site, live on the website and are removed by unpublishing them, not by Delete my data. Ask us and we'll take them down.

What you choose to share publicly

If you share a recipe from the app, anyone with the link can see it. If you also tick "Feature on velaraye.com", it may appear in Cooked with Vela on this site, credited with the name you chose to show. We never publish personal details, household notes or anything about other people.

Your rights

You can:

• See and correct what Vela has learned about you, any time, in My Life and Studio.
• Erase everything with Delete my data.
• Ask us for a copy of the information we hold, or to correct or delete it.
• Withdraw consent, for example by switching off notifications, disconnecting Outlook or unsubscribing from email.

To remove your email from the waitlist, email hello@velaraye.com with the subject "Waitlist removal".

EU and UK residents also have rights to data portability and to object to processing. If you're unhappy with how we've handled your information, contact us first. You can also complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (oaic.gov.au).

Children

Vela is for people aged 18 and over. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you think we have, contact us and we'll delete it.

Changes to this policy

We'll update this policy as Vela grows. The date at the top shows the latest version. If a change matters, we'll tell you in the app or by email before it takes effect.

Contact us

Questions, requests or concerns about your privacy:

privacy@eleviatechnology.com
Elevia Technology
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia