Privacy Policy

1. Data Controller

HIPPie is operated by BHware.Co (Representative: ByungHyun Lim; Business Registration No. 579-88-03535; Sejong City, Republic of Korea), which runs the hippie.land website and the HIPPie mobile application. Our Privacy Officer is the representative above. For any privacy matter, contact: admin@hippie.land

2. Data We Collect

• Account data — Username, email, and password (stored in a non-recoverable form).
• Capture and device details — Camera and device information used to confirm a photo or video was genuinely captured on your device and to prevent forgery.
• Original records — HIPPie does not store your original photo or video on its servers; it keeps only the minimal information needed to confirm that content is an original.
• Social and messaging content — Posts, captions, comments, stories, likes, follows, blocks, reports, uploaded media, and direct messages you choose to send through HIPPie.
• Creator and badge activity — Records of HIPPie camera captures, visibility choices, reports, and HIPPie-Verified badge eligibility signals.
• Technical and log data — IP address and request metadata, used for rate limiting, abuse prevention, and security. Anti-abuse registration counters that include your IP are automatically deleted within 2 days; moderation audit logs that include the request IP are deleted after 180 days. The app does not send crash reports or usage analytics to us or to any third party, and we do not use third-party advertising trackers.
• Payment records — When you buy a paid feature, a transaction reference from the app store. Card and payment-instrument details are handled by the app store, not by HIPPie.
• Transfer tracing records — When a creator sends a protected copy to someone, that copy is linked to the transfer record (sender, recipient, time), so a leaked copy can be traced back to that transfer. This does not monitor your device or how you store the file; it only allows after-the-fact matching.

3. Purpose of Processing

• Showing whether a checked copy matches a HIPPie original
• Operating social, messaging, and creator features you choose to use
• Protecting creators, viewers, and the service from abuse and fraud
• HIPPie-Verified badge eligibility, service improvement, and security

4. Legal Basis

Under the EU GDPR, processing relies on legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) for verification, security, and abuse prevention, and on consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) for account creation and optional features. Under Korea's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), we process personal data with your consent and as necessary to perform the service (Arts. 15, 22).

5. Data Retention

Account and original records are kept while your account is active or as needed to provide creator proof and viewer checks; you can delete individual records or your account at any time. Where you make a purchase, transaction and consumer records are retained as required by Korean law (e-commerce records for 5 years; consumer complaint and dispute records for 3 years). Server-side originals are deleted immediately after processing. Additional periods: stories expire after 24 hours; email verification codes expire after 15 minutes; sign-in refresh tokens expire after 7 days; anti-abuse registration counters that include your IP are deleted within 2 days; moderation audit logs are deleted after 180 days; encrypted server backups are kept in a rotation of the 30 most recent copies.

6. Data Sharing and Sub-processors

We do not sell personal data. Public records show only the creator-facing information needed for viewers to understand an original record. We use a limited set of service providers that process data only to operate HIPPie: the Apple App Store / StoreKit for purchases; an email delivery provider for verification and password emails; and cloud hosting for our servers. They may also process data to protect security or meet legal obligations.

7. International Data Transfer

Some sub-processors (for example, Apple, our email delivery provider, and our cloud hosting provider) may process data on servers outside Korea or the EEA, including the United States. Where this happens, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses or an adequacy decision, and, where Korean law requires, your consent to overseas transfer.

8. Your Rights

• Right of access — Review your account and original record history in the app.
• Right to erasure — Delete individual records or your account. (GDPR Art. 17 / PIPA Art. 36)
• Right to object / restrict — Make a record private or ask us to stop optional processing where the law gives you that right.
• Right to data portability — Ask for a copy of your account and original record history where available.

To exercise these rights, contact us at admin@hippie.land — we respond within one month (extendable where the law allows for complex requests) and provide access or portability copies in a machine-readable format (JSON). EU residents may also lodge a complaint with their supervisory authority; Korean residents may contact the Personal Information Dispute Mediation Committee (kopico.go.kr, 1833-6972) or the Privacy Infringement Report Center (privacy.kisa.or.kr, 118).

9. Adults Only

HIPPie is an adults-only service for users aged 19 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 19, and we do not offer registration with the consent of a legal guardian. If you believe a person under 19 has provided personal data, contact us and we will delete it.

10. Automated Decisions

HIPPie-Verified badge eligibility is determined automatically from your camera-origin records and account signals. This does not produce legal or similarly significant effects on you, and you can contact us for a human review of any badge decision.

11. Security

We use reasonable security measures for accounts, original records, and viewer checks, including encrypted connections, protected (non-recoverable) passwords, an on-device encrypted vault, rate limits, account lockout, and abuse prevention. No online service can promise perfect security.

12. Contact

For privacy inquiries, or to reach our Privacy Officer: admin@hippie.land