Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Koziny. This Privacy Policy explains how Ciercle LLC ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects personal information when you use the Koziny mobile app (iOS and Android), our website at koziny.com, and any related services (collectively, the "Service").

Koziny is an AI-powered kitchen companion that helps you scan ingredients, generate meal plans, find allergy-safe recipes, and cook with confidence across 4,000+ recipes and 20 cuisines.

By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service. This Policy complies with the requirements of the Apple App Store, Google Play, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK GDPR, and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA / CPRA).

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information you provide directly

• Account information: email address, password (stored as a one-way bcrypt hash — we never see the plain text), display name, and optional profile photo.
• Sign-in provider data: if you sign in with Google or Apple, we receive your name, email, and profile picture from that provider.
• Cooking profile (optional): dietary preferences (e.g., vegetarian, halal), allergies (9 major allergens plus any custom one you add), height, weight, date of birth, and calorie goals — used solely to personalize recipes and calculate nutrition.
• App activity: recipes you save, favorite, rate, or mark as cooked; meal plans you create; shopping lists you generate; AI requests you make.
• AI scanner photos: when you use the AI ingredient scanner, your photo is transmitted to our AI provider (Google Gemini) for ingredient detection. We do not retain the original photo after processing — only the list of detected ingredients is saved to your account.
• Communications: messages you send to support, feedback, or any other channel.

2.2 Information collected automatically

• Device information: device type, model, operating system and version, app version, language, time zone.
• IP address: used for security, abuse prevention, and approximate (city-level) geolocation.
• Diagnostic data: anonymized crash logs, performance metrics, and error reports.
• Usage analytics: session duration, screens visited, features used (aggregated and anonymized).

2.3 Information from third parties

• Apple App Store / Google Play: when you subscribe to Koziny Pro, we receive a subscription token and status (active / cancelled / expired). We never receive or store your credit-card or payment details.

2.4 Device permissions

Koziny only requests device permissions when you use a feature that needs them. You can revoke any permission at any time in your device's Settings.

• Camera: requested only when you tap the AI Ingredient Scanner. Used solely to capture an image of your ingredients, which is then sent to our AI provider for analysis.
• Photo library: requested only when you choose to upload an existing photo for ingredient scanning or as your profile picture.
• Push notifications: requested only if you opt in. Used for cooking reminders, meal-plan alerts, and important account or security notices.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your information for the following purposes:

• Provide the Service: operate the recipe library, search, meal planning, cooking mode, and shopping lists.
• Personalize your experience: recommend recipes and meal plans matched to your preferences, allergies, and goals.
• Allergy safety: filter every recipe and meal plan against your allergy profile before you see it.
• Calculate nutrition: scale calories and macros to your servings and personal targets.
• Process AI requests: ingredient scanning, AI-generated meal plans, and AI recipe creation. Inputs are processed by Google Gemini; we do not use your data to train AI models.
• Process subscriptions: verify Pro subscription status with Apple App Store or Google Play.
• Send transactional emails: account verification, password resets, security alerts, billing receipts, and important service updates.
• Customer support: respond to your questions, bug reports, and feedback.
• Improve the Service: analyze aggregated, anonymized usage data to fix bugs and build better features.
• Detect fraud and abuse: protect the Service and our users from malicious activity.
• Comply with legal obligations: respond to valid legal requests and enforce our Terms of Service.

4. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with the trusted vendors that help us operate Koziny, in the following situations:

4.1 Service providers (subprocessors)

• Amazon Web Services (AWS): application hosting and image storage (Amazon S3). Region: United States.
• Google Gemini (Google LLC): AI ingredient scanning, meal plan generation, recipe generation. Inputs are not used to train models.
• Google Sign-In (Google LLC): optional authentication.
• Apple Sign-In (Apple Inc.): optional authentication on iOS.
• Apple App Store / Google Play: subscription billing for Koziny Pro.

4.2 Other disclosures

• Legal requirements: we may disclose your data in response to a valid subpoena, court order, or other lawful request from authorities. We push back on overbroad requests.
• Safety: to protect the rights, property, or safety of Ciercle LLC, our users, or the public.
• Business transfers: if Ciercle LLC is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your data may transfer to the new entity, subject to this Policy.
• Aggregated / anonymized data: statistics that cannot identify you (for example, "X% of users planned a Moroccan meal this week") may be shared publicly.
• With your consent: any other sharing requires your explicit, prior consent.

5. Your Choices

You have full control over your Koziny data, regardless of where you live:

• Access: view your saved recipes, meal plans, profile, and activity at any time inside the app.
• Correct: edit your profile, allergies, dietary preferences, and goals at any time.
• Delete your account: Profile → Settings → Delete Account. This triggers an instant hard delete of your account, meal plans, saved recipes, shopping lists, and uploaded images. There is no recovery period.
• Export your data: email privacy@koziny.com for a portable, machine-readable copy of your data within 30 days.
• Manage permissions: revoke camera, photo library, or notification access at any time in your device's Settings.
• Cancel Pro: manage or cancel your Koziny Pro subscription via the Apple App Store or Google Play subscription settings on your device. Pro features remain active until the end of your current billing cycle.
• Opt-out of marketing: unsubscribe from non-essential email through the link at the bottom of any message.

5.1 EU / UK / EEA residents (GDPR)

If you reside in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have the following rights under GDPR / UK GDPR:

• Right of access
• Right to rectification
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to object to processing
• Right to withdraw consent at any time
• Right to lodge a complaint with your national data-protection authority

Legal bases for processing: performance of contract (to provide the Service), legitimate interests (security, analytics, product improvement), consent (for optional features like marketing emails), and legal obligations.

5.2 California residents (CCPA / CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect, use, and share.
• Request deletion of your personal information.
• Correct inaccurate personal information.
• Limit the use of sensitive personal information.
• Opt-out of "sale" or "sharing" of personal information (note: we do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising).
• Not be discriminated against for exercising these rights.

6. Security

We use industry-standard practices to protect your data:

• All data in transit is encrypted with TLS 1.2 or higher (HTTPS).
• Data at rest is encrypted on AWS infrastructure (AES-256).
• Passwords are stored as one-way bcrypt hashes — we cannot read your password.
• Authentication tokens are short-lived and rotated regularly.
• Production systems are accessible only to a small set of authorized team members, all of whom use multi-factor authentication.
• Regular security reviews and dependency audits.

Data retention: we retain your account data for as long as your account is active. Once you delete your account, all personal data is hard-deleted within 30 days, except where we are legally required to retain certain records (e.g., tax records for subscription transactions, kept for 7 years).

No system is 100% secure. If a data breach affecting your personal information occurs, we will notify you and the appropriate authorities in line with applicable law (within 72 hours where required by GDPR).

7. International Transfers

Ciercle LLC operates globally. Your personal data may be processed in the United States, where our infrastructure providers (AWS, Google) are based, and may be transferred to other countries where our service providers operate.

For users in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we rely on the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and equivalent UK / Swiss data-transfer mechanisms with our subprocessors. These provide contractual guarantees that your data receives a level of protection consistent with EU / UK law.

By using the Service, you acknowledge that your information may be processed outside your country of residence.

8. Children's Privacy

Koziny is not directed to, nor intended for, children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in the European Economic Area, or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children below this age.

In compliance with the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), we do not knowingly collect or solicit information from children under 13. If we discover that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, we delete it from our servers immediately.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided personal information to Koziny, please contact us at privacy@koziny.com and we will delete it promptly.

9. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, our Service, or applicable law.

When we make material changes, we will notify you in advance through:

• An in-app notice the next time you open Koziny, and
• An email to the address associated with your account, sent at least 7 days before the changes take effect.

The "Last updated" date at the top of this page always reflects the current version. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of any update constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, our privacy practices, or want to exercise any of your rights, please contact us at: