Privacy Policy
Effective
Who we are
what we saw (the "app") is operated by Hyperdesigned ("we", "us", "our"), based in India. We are the data controller for the personal information described in this policy.
This policy explains what we collect when you use the app, why we collect it, who we share it with, and the choices and rights you have. It applies to the what we saw mobile app for iOS and Android (bundle identifier dev.hyperdesigned.whatWeSaw) and to this website.
The short version
- Photographs you submit are published publicly. Once a photograph is approved by moderation it becomes visible to every other person using the app, as part of that day's shared mosaic. Do not submit anything you are not willing to make public.
- You can use the app without giving us your name or email. Signing in as a guest creates an anonymous account identified only by a random identifier.
- Image analysis happens on your device. The app inspects a photograph locally before it is submitted. Those analysis results are not a separate feed of data we collect about you.
- The camera is the only permission we ask for. We do not collect your location, and we do not read GPS coordinates out of your photographs.
- We do not sell your personal information and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising.
- You can delete your account and your data at any time from within the app, or by writing to us. See Deleting your account and data.
Information we collect
We collect the following categories of information.
Account information
When you first open the app you may continue as a guest, which creates an anonymous account identified by a randomly generated user identifier and nothing else. If you choose to sign in so that your journal survives a change of device, we collect what your chosen sign-in method gives us:
- Email link sign-in: your email address, and whether it has been verified.
- Sign in with Google: your email address, display name and profile picture URL as released by Google.
- Sign in with Apple: your name, if you choose to share it, and either your Apple ID email address or the private relay address Apple generates for you. If you choose to hide your email, we never see your real address.
Authentication is handled by Firebase Authentication. We do not receive or store your password for any of these providers.
Photographs and the content you submit
When you submit a photograph we store the image file along with the day it answers, the moment it was created, a small blurred placeholder derived from it (a "blurhash"), its aspect ratio and file type, and the account identifier that submitted it. We generate several resized copies of the image so that it can be displayed efficiently at different sizes.
We also store the outcome of moderation for each submission, including the reason a photograph was rejected where one applies, and any report another person files about a photograph.
Purchase information
If you buy a subscription or another paid feature, the purchase is processed by Apple or Google through their own payment systems, and the entitlement is managed for us by RevenueCat. We receive a record that a purchase was made, what it entitles you to, when it renews or expires, and a related billing history. We never receive or store your card number or other payment credentials.
Diagnostics and usage information
- Crash reports (Firebase Crashlytics): when the app crashes or hits an error we receive a diagnostic report containing the state of the app at the time, your device model and operating system version, the app version, and a device identifier used to group reports.
- Analytics (Google Analytics for Firebase): events describing how the app is used, such as screens opened and features used, together with a pseudonymous app instance identifier, general device and app characteristics, and an approximate region derived from your IP address. We use this to understand which parts of the app work and which do not.
- Configuration (Firebase Remote Config): the app asks our configuration service which settings apply to it. This request carries app and device characteristics.
- Device and time zone information: the app reads your device model and operating system version, and your device's time zone, which is what decides which day a photograph belongs to.
Image analysis performed on your device
Before a photograph is submitted, the app inspects it using Google ML Kit running entirely on your device. This includes labelling what is in the image, detecting objects, recognising text and barcodes, and detecting whether faces or people are present. This is how the app can warn you that a photograph contains a recognisable face or readable text before you share it.
These models run locally and the photograph is not sent anywhere for this analysis. If you go on to submit the photograph, a summary of what the analysis found may be stored alongside it to assist human moderation.
What we do not collect
The app does not request location permission and does not collect precise or coarse location from your device, and it does not read location data out of the photographs you submit. It does not read your photo library, your contacts, your calendar or your health data. We do not use third-party advertising networks, we do not build advertising profiles, and there is no advertising SDK in the app.
How we use information
| What we do | Information used |
|---|---|
| Give you an account and keep you signed in across devices | Account information |
| Accept your photograph and show it in the day's shared mosaic | Photographs and submission details, account identifier |
| Moderate submissions so that the app stays safe, and act on reports of unsuitable content | Photographs, moderation records, reports, on-device analysis results |
| Unlock and maintain paid features | Purchase and entitlement records |
| Diagnose crashes and fix defects | Crash reports, device and app characteristics |
| Understand how the app is used and decide what to improve | Analytics events, pseudonymous identifiers |
| Communicate with you about your account or a request you have made | Account information, correspondence |
| Meet legal obligations and enforce our Terms | Any of the above, as strictly necessary |
We do not use your photographs to train machine learning models, and we do not sell or rent your personal information to anyone.
Legal bases for processing
If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we rely on the following legal bases under the GDPR:
- Performance of a contract: creating and maintaining your account, accepting and publishing your photographs, and providing paid features you have bought.
- Legitimate interests: moderating content so the app is safe for everyone, preventing abuse and fraud, diagnosing crashes, and understanding usage in aggregate so we can improve the app. We balance these against your rights and interests.
- Consent: where your device asks you for permission, such as access to the camera, and where consent is required for analytics in your jurisdiction. You may withdraw consent at any time.
- Legal obligation: retaining records where the law requires it, and responding to lawful requests.
Who we share information with
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with the service providers who run parts of the app on our behalf, and only so far as they need it to do that work. Each is bound by contract to protect it.
| Provider | What they do for us |
|---|---|
| Google (Firebase Authentication, Cloud Firestore, Analytics, Crashlytics, Remote Config) | Accounts and sign-in, the database behind the app, crash reporting, analytics and configuration |
| Cloudflare (R2 object storage) | Stores the image files you submit and their resized copies |
| RevenueCat | Manages subscriptions and entitlements |
| Apple, Google (App Store, Google Play) | Process payments and, if you use them, sign you in |
We may also disclose information where we are required to by law, to respond to a valid legal process, to protect our rights or the safety of others, or in connection with a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, in which case we will tell you before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
Separately from all of this: an approved photograph is public. It is displayed inside the app to anyone else using it. That is the purpose of the app rather than a form of sharing we can undo on your behalf, although you can ask us to remove a photograph at any time.
International transfers
We are based in India, and our service providers operate infrastructure in several countries, including the United States and the European Union. This means your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in a country other than your own, where data protection law may differ from that of your country.
Where we transfer personal information out of the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we rely on the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses, the UK International Data Transfer Addendum, or an adequacy decision, as applicable. You may ask us for further detail using the contact address below.
How long we keep information
- Account information is kept for as long as your account exists. When you delete your account we delete it, subject to the exceptions below.
- Photographs and their moderation records are kept while your account exists. When a photograph is removed from public view, the underlying record of the submission and its moderation outcome may be retained so that we can enforce our rules, handle disputes and prevent re-uploads of content that was removed for safety reasons.
- Purchase and billing records are retained for as long as tax and accounting law requires, which is generally several years, even after an account is deleted.
- Crash reports are retained by Firebase Crashlytics for up to 90 days.
- Analytics data is retained for up to 14 months, after which it is deleted or aggregated so that it no longer identifies an individual.
Where we are required to keep a record after you have asked us to delete your account, we keep only what is necessary for that purpose and nothing further.
Security
Connections between the app and our servers are encrypted in transit using TLS. Information at rest is held on infrastructure operated by Google and Cloudflare, encrypted at rest by those providers. Access to production data is restricted to the people who need it to operate and moderate the service.
No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we become aware of a breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and the relevant supervisory authority where the law requires it.
Device permissions
The camera is the only permission the app asks for. It is required to take the photograph the app is for, and the app uses it only while you have the capture screen open.
You can revoke it in your device's system settings at any time. Doing so stops you from submitting new photographs but does not otherwise affect your account or what you have already submitted.
The app does not request access to your photo library, your location, your microphone, your contacts or your calendar, and it does not send push notifications. If that changes in a future version, we will update this policy before the version is released.
Deleting your account and data
If you are signed in: open Settings, tap your account, then choose Delete my account and confirm.
If you are using a guest account: open Settings and choose Reset app. A guest account has no credentials to sign back in with, so leaving it deletes it rather than signing out of it.
Either route deletes your account, removes your photographs from public view, and deletes the personal information we hold about you, apart from the records described under How long we keep information. It cannot be undone.
By email: write to hyperdesigned@gmail.com from the address on your account, or tell us the account identifier shown in the app's settings, and we will delete your account. We will respond within 30 days.
You can also ask us to remove a single photograph without deleting your account. Deleting your account does not cancel a subscription bought through the App Store or Google Play. Cancel it in your Apple or Google account settings, or it will keep renewing.
Your rights
Everyone
Whatever country you are in, you can ask us to give you a copy of the information we hold about you, correct it if it is wrong, or delete it. Write to hyperdesigned@gmail.com and we will respond within 30 days. We will not treat you differently for exercising any of these rights.
European Economic Area and United Kingdom (GDPR)
You have the right to:
- access the personal information we hold about you, and receive a copy of it;
- have inaccurate information corrected and incomplete information completed;
- have your information erased in the circumstances the GDPR provides for;
- restrict how we process your information, or object to processing we base on legitimate interests;
- receive your information in a portable, machine-readable format and have it sent to another controller;
- withdraw consent at any time, without affecting processing carried out before you withdrew it;
- lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. In the United Kingdom this is the Information Commissioner's Office.
California (CCPA and CPRA)
If you are a California resident you have the right to know what personal information we collect, use and disclose, the right to delete it, the right to correct it, and the right to opt out of its sale or sharing. We do not sell personal information and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising, including the personal information of anyone we know to be under 16. We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information for purposes other than those permitted without a right to limit. You may exercise these rights by writing to hyperdesigned@gmail.com, and you may authorise an agent to act for you.
India (Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023)
If you are in India you may ask us for a summary of the personal data we process and the processing activities we carry out, ask us to correct, complete, update or erase your data, nominate another person to exercise your rights in the event of your death or incapacity, and raise a grievance with us. Write to hyperdesigned@gmail.com, which is also our grievance contact. If you are not satisfied with our response you may complain to the Data Protection Board of India.
Children's privacy
The app is not directed to children and is not intended for anyone under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under that age. If you believe a child has given us personal information, write to hyperdesigned@gmail.com and we will delete the account and the information promptly.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the app changes or as the law requires. When we do, we will revise the effective date at the top of this page. If a change materially affects how we handle your personal information, we will give you notice in the app or by email before it takes effect, where the law requires it. Continuing to use the app after a change takes effect means you accept the revised policy.
Contact us
For any question about this policy, or to exercise any of the rights described above, write to us:
Hyperdesignedhyperdesigned@gmail.com
India