Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-07-16

This Privacy Policy explains how Hangul Hangout ("we," "us," "our") collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal information when you use our website and services (the "Service").

1. Who We Are

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information you provide directly

• Account information: email address, password (stored encrypted), nickname, role (learner/host).
• Profile information: learning goal, Korean proficiency level (self-reported or from the AI level check).
• Content you create: text messages, voice messages, and images you post in chat rooms.
• Payment information: if you subscribe to a paid plan, our payment processor (Paddle) collects and processes your card or payment details directly. We do not store your full card number.

2.2 Information collected automatically

• Usage data: which chat rooms you join, message timestamps, feature usage (e.g. level check completions, translation button use).
• Device/browser data: IP address, browser type, and similar technical data, collected for security and service-quality purposes.

2.3 Information from AI features

When you use the AI level check, your conversation responses are sent to our AI provider (currently Google Gemini via the Lovable AI Gateway) to generate a level assessment.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information above to:

• Create and maintain your account.
• Operate core features (chat rooms, level check, notifications).
• Process payments and manage subscriptions (once payment features are active).
• Send you service-related emails (email verification, password reset, subscription receipts).
• Maintain the safety and integrity of the Service (e.g. content moderation, abuse prevention).
• Improve the Service based on aggregated, anonymized usage patterns.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (where applicable)

Where required by law (for example, under GDPR for users in the UK/EU), we process your data on the following bases: performance of a contract (providing the Service you signed up for), legitimate interests (service improvement, security), and consent (for optional features, such as browser notifications).

5. Third Parties and International Transfers

We use the following categories of service providers, who may process your data on our behalf:

Because we serve learners internationally, your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own, including the United States and South Korea.

6. Data Retention

• Account data: retained while your account is active. If you delete your account, we aim to delete your personal information within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.
• Chat messages: retained as part of the chat room unless deleted by you or the room is deleted by its Host.
• Inactive chat rooms: rooms with no activity for 90+ days may be archived; content may be deleted after a further retention period, at our discretion.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate data.
• Request deletion of your account and associated data ("right to be forgotten").
• Object to or restrict certain processing.
• Request a copy of your data in a portable format.

How to exercise these rights: We do not currently offer self-service account deletion or data export inside the app. To exercise any of the rights above, email hangulhangout@gmail.com with your request. We will verify your identity and respond within a reasonable timeframe, generally within 30 days.

8. Deletion

When you delete a chat message, image, or voice clip, we remove it from both our database and file storage. When a Host deletes a chat room, all associated messages, images, and voice clips in that room are deleted from both our database and file storage as well.

When you request account deletion (see Section 7), we process this manually: we remove your profile and personal information, and delete any images or voice clips you personally uploaded from file storage, within 30 days of your request, subject to legal retention requirements (e.g. payment/tax records).

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed at children under 14. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 14.

10. Security

We use industry-standard measures to protect your data, including encrypted password storage and access controls (Row Level Security) restricting data access to authorized contexts only. No system is 100% secure.

11. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use essential cookies/local storage to keep you logged in and remember your preferences. We do not currently use third-party advertising cookies.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. Material changes will be communicated via the Service or by email before they take effect.

13. Contact

Questions or requests regarding this Privacy Policy can be sent to hangulhangout@gmail.com.