Privacy Policy

Hackoh (the “App”) is an app for enjoying and recording fermentation, including miso-making. Through the App, we receive information such as your brewing records, the progress of aging, and your feedback. We handle this information appropriately in accordance with this Policy.

1. Information We Collect

• Account information: Email address, display name, authentication credentials (passwords are securely stored by Supabase Auth; we do not retain them in plain text), and your area of residence (optional).
• Fermentation record data: The type, method, aging approach, batch size, and ingredients of the miso you brew; aging records (diary entries, photos you take, weather, and temperature); records of taste and condition; and the name you give your miso.
• Feedback and input: Messages sent through “Ask Hakkoh-chan,” content entered in free-research reports and similar features, and any other feedback or comments entered within the App.
• Learning progress: Viewing and completion status for lessons (learning content).
• Location information (optional): Your current location, used to display weather. Used only for retrieving weather at that moment if you grant permission (the location itself is not saved as a record).
• Usage information: Device and OS details, App version, error logs, and the like (for quality improvement).

2. Purposes of Use

• To provide the App’s features, such as fermentation records, flavor predictions, and brewing guides.
• To manage and authenticate accounts and respond to inquiries.
• To address issues, improve quality, and ensure safety.
• To improve and develop the App’s services and our products, and to conduct statistical analysis and research related to fermentation (see Section 3 for details).

3. Use of Content You Create and Your Feedback

Fermentation records created within the App (brewing details, aging records, records of taste and condition, etc.), as well as any feedback, comments, and content from “Ask Hakkoh-chan” that you provide, may, in line with the purposes set out in Section 2, be used to improve and develop our services and products, and to conduct statistical analysis and research related to fermentation.

• In using this information, we will, in principle, process it into a form that cannot identify individuals (statistical data or anonymized information) before use.
• We will only publish information in a form that could identify you (such as featuring it as a customer testimonial, or including it on social media, in PR materials, or as a product-development case study) if we have obtained your individual, prior consent.
• Providing feedback or consultation content is entirely optional. Please take care not to include specific personal information, or content that could identify other individuals or sensitive information.

4. Provision to and Entrustment with Third Parties

We do not sell or provide the information we collect to third parties without your consent. However, to provide our service, we use the following providers’ functionality and entrust them with processing data to the extent necessary.

• Supabase: Hosting for our database, authentication, and storage (Tokyo region). Data is isolated per user through row-level security.
• OpenAI: For AI features such as “Ask Hakkoh-chan,” the messages you send are transmitted to OpenAI’s API to generate responses. Content sent is handled under settings that exclude it from being used to train the model.
• Stripe: Payment processing when you purchase ingredients. Card information is handled directly by Stripe; we do not retain it.
• Weather data API: To display weather, we retrieve weather data based on your current location or region.
• Error monitoring service (e.g., Sentry): We may send error logs and similar data to identify and fix issues (production environment only).
• Apple (App Store): App distribution and test distribution.

5. Retention Period and Location

• We retain data for as long as your account is active or your use of the service continues, or for the period required by law.
• When you delete your account (Section 7), that data is promptly deleted. However, information that has been anonymized or converted into statistics under Section 3 may continue to be used for analysis and similar purposes in a form that cannot identify you.
• Order records (retained pursuant to law): If you purchase ingredients, we retain the transaction record (order date, amount, items, delivery address, and contact details) for 7 years after account deletion, in accordance with the bookkeeping retention obligations under the Corporation Tax Act and Article 7 of the Electronic Bookkeeping Act (up to 10 years for fiscal years in which a loss carryforward applies). These records are kept solely as transaction records, disassociated from your account, and are not used for App functionality or analysis. Even if you request deletion under Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information, we may be unable to delete such records during the period their retention is legally required. In that case, we will take alternative measures necessary to protect your rights and interests.
• Storage region: The region configured in Supabase (Tokyo region).

6. Security Measures

• Communications are encrypted (HTTPS). The database is isolated per user through row-level security.
• Sensitive operations (such as account deletion and payment) are executed server-side.
• Photo visibility: Photos in your aging notes are stored in a format viewable by anyone who knows the URL (the URL is a string that is difficult to guess, but it does not expire). We do not publish these URLs for any purpose other than displaying them within the App, but if a URL is shared with a third party, that person will be able to view it. When you delete your account, the photo files themselves are deleted and the URLs become invalid.

7. Your Rights (Access, Correction, Deletion)

• You can view and correct your own information from within the App.
• Account deletion: You can delete your account and your data from Settings → “Delete Account.”
• For other requests, such as disclosure or suspension of use, please contact us using the details in “Business Operator Information” above.

8. About Location Information

Use of location information is optional. It is used to retrieve weather only if you grant permission. Even without granting permission, you can use the App with weather for the region you set. You can change this permission at any time from your device settings.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may revise this Policy as needed. We will notify you of important changes within the App or through similar means.

10. Contact Us

For inquiries about this Policy, please contact us using the details in “Business Operator Information” above.