Privacy Policy

Article 1 (Information We Collect)

In providing the Service, the Company collects the following information.

1. Authentication information through a Google or Apple account: email address, display name and profile image URL. If you use Apple’s “Hide My Email” feature, the Company receives the private relay email address issued by Apple.
2. Authentication information when registering with an email address and password (iOS app only): email address and password. The password is converted to a form that cannot be restored (a hash value) before being stored, and no one, including the Company’s employees, can read the original password. To confirm your email address and reset your password, we send you a verification code by email.
3. Profile information: the display name, profile image and date of birth that Users optionally register or change (we hold a gender registered in the past, but no longer collect it). The date of birth is used to calculate the natal star and natal month star (Getsumei-sei) used to determine lucky directions and the Honmei Kei (natal hexagram) used in feng shui diagnosis, and the rest is used for display in the Service.
4. Login history: the date and time of login and the authentication method.
5. Floor plan images: floor plan images that Users upload for feng shui diagnosis. These images are used to run diagnoses and to display the User’s diagnosis history. Because images are stored and analyzed as they are, please crop or cover any part of the image that contains or shows information that could identify an individual, such as a name or address, before uploading. In addition, when you select a floor plan image on the diagnosis input screen (including before requesting a diagnosis or signing in), the Company uses the one image used for setting the orientation to read the direction of the north symbol on the drawing, in order to show an initial value for the orientation (true north). Images sent for this reading are not stored (if you request a diagnosis, the image is uploaded again at that time).
6. Property information: the property name, address, floor plan layout, floor area, building age, nearest station, walking minutes from the station, floor, building orientation, property page URL, rent, management and common service fees, and whether the floor directly below is a parking lot that Users optionally enter for the property being diagnosed. This is used to improve the accuracy of feng shui diagnosis and to display diagnosis history. In feng shui diagnosis, to correct the compass direction, we send the address you entered to the address search service provided by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, obtain latitude and longitude and the name of the location (such as the prefecture) from the result, and store them with the diagnosis request (no information other than the address is sent). If no address is entered or the location cannot be determined from the address, we similarly store the latitude and longitude of the representative point of the prefecture the User selected. This information is used to display diagnosis history. How it is handled after you delete your account is governed by Article 4, paragraph 3 (the handling of addresses registered on the lucky-direction map is governed by the next item).
   If a User confirms the location on a map, the Company stores the position of the pin (latitude and longitude) that the User placed on the map and uses it to correct the compass direction. The Company also compares the stored latitude and longitude with the map data it holds to determine the facilities, nature and road shapes around the home (within about a 15-minute walk) and their directions and distances, and stores them together with the diagnosis so that they can be shown in the feng shui diagnosis result. No address or location is sent outside for this comparison. The names of facilities are not stored.
   If a User specifies the location on a map without entering an address, the Company stores the position of the pin (latitude and longitude) that the User placed on the map and the names of the prefecture, municipality and town or district obtained from that position, and uses them to correct the compass direction and to display diagnosis history.
7. Lucky-direction map information: the addresses of the User’s current home and of properties of interest registered on the lucky-direction map, their location (latitude and longitude), the property names, and the planned moving date. In the iOS app, conversion between addresses and locations and map display are performed by device features (because Apple Inc.’s map service is used, the address or location being converted and the map area displayed are sent directly from the device to Apple Inc., which handles them under its own privacy policy; the Company does not provide them to Apple Inc.). On the website, conversion from an address to a location is performed by the Company’s server sending the address string to the address search service of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (an administrative agency of Japan) (no information other than the address is sent; Article 3), and because Google LLC’s map service (Google Maps) is used to display the map, the map area displayed and device and browser information associated with viewing are sent directly from the browser to Google LLC (Article 6). The website does not obtain the device’s location. In the iOS app, if the User has allowed the use of the device’s location, then when the lucky-direction map is opened before a current home has been registered, the app obtains the device’s location at that moment and uses it only as the position at which to display the map (this location is not sent to the Company and is not stored). The location is saved as the position of the current home only when the User taps “Use current location”. In that case, the app obtains the device’s location at that moment and uses it for conversion to an address and as the position of the current home. The app does not obtain the location continuously. This information is used to determine lucky directions (calculating direction and distance) and for display. Content before editing is kept until the property is deleted. How it is handled after you delete your account is governed by Article 4, paragraph 3. When the User uses the lucky-direction map without logging in, the address and location (latitude and longitude) of the current home, the date on which to view lucky directions, and the date of birth are stored only on the User’s device (in the browser on the website) and are not stored on the Company’s servers. To determine lucky directions, each time a determination is made the location, the country, the date on which to view lucky directions and the date of birth are sent to the Company’s servers, but the Company uses them only for the determination and does not store or record them. In addition, to prevent a large number of requests from being sent in a short time, the Company stores a value obtained by converting the sender’s IP address into a form that cannot be reversed, for up to 24 hours.
8. Photo library and camera: when uploading a floor plan, we ask for permission to access the photo library or camera at the point the User taps “Choose file” or “Take photo”. When attaching an image to the contact form in the mobile app, we use the photo library at the point the User taps “Choose image” (the camera is not used to attach images to inquiries). The Company obtains only the image the User selected or took, and does not read the photo library as a whole.
9. Usage history: history of feng shui diagnoses run, and diagnosis results
10. Purchase and entitlement information: purchase history for the paid service “Room-Hunting Pass” and for “Support” (date and time of purchase, plan or product, amount, purchase channel (website or iOS app), and the transaction identifier issued by the payment provider), the status of the right of use (expiry date, whether it auto-renews, whether it was canceled or refunded), and the start date and time and number of uses in the Free Trial Period. We receive this information from Apple Inc., RevenueCat, Inc. and Stripe. Card information such as credit card numbers is obtained directly by the payment provider, and the Company does not obtain or hold it.
11. Information for the one-time-per-person determination of the Free Trial Period: to limit the Free Trial Period (3 days from the first diagnosis, up to 10 diagnoses) to once per person, we create and record values converted into a form that cannot be restored (hash values) from the email address (normalized; on the website, the email address of the Google or Apple account) and the device ID (iOS app only; the identifierForVendor provided by Apple). These are used only to determine whether a Free Trial Period may start, in order to prevent duplicate use of the Free Trial Period (repeatedly deleting and re-registering an account to keep using the Free Trial Period), and are not used for advertising, provision to other companies or any other purpose. They are also not used for tracking across other companies’ apps or websites [To be confirmed: confirmation of the premise that App Tracking Transparency is not used]. This record is kept even after the account is deleted. For both the email address hash and the device ID hash, the retention period is at least one year after the account is deleted.
12. Record of consent at purchase: when you purchase a Room-Hunting Pass or Support, we obtain a record of your agreement to the Terms of Service (the date and time of consent, the version of the Terms of Service you agreed to, the consent wording shown on the screen, the product selected, the type of device you use (website or iOS app), and the transaction identifier issued by the payment provider). To confirm the formation and content of the contract under the Terms of Service, prevent misuse and respond to inquiries, we keep this record for seven years from the date of consent even after the account is deleted, and delete it after that period.
13. Access logs and cookie information: IP address, browser information, date and time of access, referrer URL and similar. Obtained to improve the Service and for security.
14. Error information: details of errors that occur in the Service, the time of occurrence, the URL of the page being viewed, browser, OS and device information, performance measurements such as processing time, and a record of on-screen operations when an error occurs on the website (with on-screen text and entered content masked). Used to investigate and resolve defects.
15. App usage and crash information: in the mobile app, through the analytics SDKs provided by Google LLC (Firebase Analytics and Firebase Crashlytics), we obtain device identifiers (such as the vendor identifier), device information (model, OS version, app version), usage data such as screen transitions, information about Room-Hunting Pass and Support purchases (plan or product, amount, currency and store transaction ID), and crash information (time of occurrence, stack trace). This information is linked to the User identifier within the Service and used to improve the Service, measure the effectiveness of advertising, and resolve defects. Personal information such as email addresses and names is not sent to the analytics SDKs.
16. Push notification destination information (device token): if you allow notifications in the mobile app, we obtain the notification destination identifier (device token) issued for each device by Firebase Cloud Messaging provided by Google LLC, and store it linked to the User identifier within the Service. It is used only to deliver push notifications, and we delete the device token of that device when you log out and the device tokens of all devices when you withdraw (if communication is not possible at logout, the device token is invalidated on the device side and the device is removed from the notification recipients).
17. Website usage: on the website, through the access analytics tool “Google Analytics 4” provided by Google LLC, we obtain usage data such as the identifier stored in cookies, pages viewed, referrer URL, browser and device information and approximate region, and information about Room-Hunting Pass and Support purchases (plan or product, amount, currency and transaction ID). While you are logged in, we link these to a User identifier within the Service (an internal identifier that does not include a name or email address). This information is used for statistical analysis to improve the Service. We do not send information that directly identifies individuals, such as names and email addresses, to Google Analytics. Under Google’s specifications, IP addresses are used to estimate region and are then not recorded or stored.
18. Information for measuring advertising effectiveness: usage (screen views, operations, etc.), the fact that a diagnosis succeeded (such as the date and time a diagnosis succeeded), and an advertising management code (an identification code defined by the Company that represents the advertising channel and creative; limited to codes contained in the URL of an advertising link, and not including click identifiers issued by ad delivery providers). This information is stored on the Company’s analytics platform (Google Cloud) for improving the Service and measuring the effectiveness of advertising.
19. Waitlist registration information: the email address registered on the waitlist, the registration channel, the IP address at the time of registration, and browser and device information. Used to send an email announcing the start of availability and to prevent duplicate or fraudulent registrations.
20. Inquiry information: the inquiry type, name, email address, telephone number (optional), inquiry content and images attached to the inquiry (optional) submitted through the contact form, together with the IP address at the time of submission and the browser and device information in use

Article 2 (Purposes of Use)

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes.

1. Providing and operating the Service (user authentication, running feng shui diagnoses, displaying diagnosis history)
2. Providing the lucky-direction map (determining which directions are favorable or unfavorable on the planned moving date, and displaying the direction and distance of properties of interest)
3. Processing and confirming Support purchases, issuing receipts for Support purchased on the website, and responding to inquiries about Support
4. Providing the paid service (granting and managing rights of use, managing the start date and time and number of uses of the Free Trial Period, matching records to limit the Free Trial Period to once per person, and sharing the right of use between the website and the iOS app), billing, and handling refunds and other payment matters
5. Detecting and preventing misuse
6. Improving the Service and developing new features (through statistical analysis)
7. Statistical analysis
8. Measuring the effectiveness of advertising (tallying which advertisements led to use starting and to diagnoses succeeding)
9. Investigating and resolving defects
10. Announcements to Users and support
11. Delivering announcements by push notification (completion or failure of feng shui diagnoses, etc.)
12. Sending an email announcing the start of availability to people registered on the waitlist
13. Responding to inquiries
14. Handling inquiries and disputes
15. Notifying you that your inquiry has been received
16. Preventing improper submissions to the contact form and limiting the number of submissions (IP address, etc.)
17. Preventing misuse of, and limiting the number of uses of, the north symbol reading (using a value obtained by converting the IP address with the Company’s key, which is deleted within 24 hours)
18. Responding as required by law

The Company does not use floor plan images uploaded by Users to train machine learning models.

Inquiry information is kept for the period necessary to respond and handle the inquiry, and we endeavor to delete it without delay when it is no longer needed. How it is handled after you delete your account is governed by Article 4, paragraph 3. Requests for disclosure, correction, deletion and so on of the inquiry information we hold are governed by Article 8.

Article 3 (Provision to Third Parties and Outsourcing)

Provision to third parties

The Company does not provide Users’ personal data to third parties except in the following cases.

1. When the User has consented
2. When required by law
3. When necessary to protect a person’s life, body or property and it is difficult to obtain the person’s consent
4. When especially necessary to improve public health or promote the sound growth of children and it is difficult to obtain the person’s consent
5. When it is necessary to cooperate with a national agency, a local government or a person entrusted by either in carrying out affairs prescribed by law, and obtaining the person’s consent would be likely to impede the performance of those affairs
6. When provided in connection with the outsourcing described in the next section

Outsourcing

To the extent necessary to provide the Service, the Company outsources the handling of personal information to the following companies. In outsourcing, we select companies that handle personal information appropriately and provide necessary and appropriate supervision.

The Company uses AI analysis through the Google Gemini API under the paid service tier defined by Google. Under the terms of use of Google’s Gemini API, floor plan images and the text information from diagnosis results sent under the paid service tier are not used to improve Google’s products (including training machine learning models). However, Google may store submitted content for a certain period to detect and prevent misuse and to comply with laws, and its handling is subject to Google’s terms.

Information each company obtains itself

The following information is obtained directly from Users and handled by each company under its own privacy policy.

• Apple Inc.: information needed for login with Sign in with Apple, purchases in the iOS app (in-app purchase), delivery of push notifications, and conversion between addresses and locations and map display (lucky-direction map and feng shui diagnosis)
• Google LLC: information needed for login with a Google account
• Stripe, Inc.: card information entered by Users when purchasing on the website, and device and browser information used to detect misuse

Transmission for address search

To correct the compass direction in feng shui diagnosis, the Company sends the address entered by the User to the address search service provided by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (an administrative agency of Japan) and obtains its location (latitude and longitude) (Article 1). Only the address string is sent; we do not send names, email addresses, User identifiers within the Service or any other information that identifies the User.

In addition, to determine the location of the User’s current home and properties of interest on the website’s lucky-direction map, the Company sends the address entered by the User to the same address search service and obtains its location (latitude and longitude) (Article 1). Only the address string is sent.

Provision to third parties in foreign countries

The Company outsources the handling of personal data to the foreign companies listed in the outsourcing table above, or personal data is handled on servers managed by those companies. Under their terms of use, data processing agreements (DPAs) and similar, these companies have in place a system to continuously take measures in line with the purpose of the provisions of Chapter IV, Section 2 of the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (equivalent measures).

• Country where the recipients are located: United States of America
• Overview of equivalent measures: we have confirmed that the contractors’ terms of use and data processing agreements (DPAs) provide for limiting the purpose of use, security management measures, management of subcontracting, reporting in the event of a leak, and similar.
• Confirmation of the implementation of equivalent measures: the Company confirms at least once a year how the contractors are implementing the equivalent measures, and if there is a problem, requests improvement or stops providing information.
• Personal information protection system in the United States: the United States has no comprehensive federal-level personal information protection law and is instead protected by sector-specific federal laws and state laws (such as the California Consumer Privacy Act). For details, please see the “Survey on Personal Information Protection Systems in Foreign Countries” published by the Personal Information Protection Commission.

In addition, the Company outsources the management of Support purchases and payment on the website to RevenueCat, Inc. and Stripe, Inc., which are located in the United States, and provides information about Support purchases to the extent necessary for them to perform that work. The Company has confirmed that the contractors have in place a system to continuously take measures equivalent to those required by the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, and supervises them appropriately. The personal information protection system in the United States is as described above.

Details of the equivalent measures the Company has taken will be provided without delay on request to the contact point in Article 10 (info@knoxia.co.jp).

Article 4 (Handling of Image Data)

1. Floor plan images uploaded by Users are used to run feng shui diagnoses, to display the User’s diagnosis history, and to respond to inquiries and investigate defects. Where necessary to respond to an inquiry or investigate a defect, the Company’s staff may view the User’s diagnosis results and floor plan images. The Company keeps a record of such viewing (the staff member who viewed them and the date and time).
2. If the User chooses to share a diagnosis result (“Share” in the app), the image of the diagnosis result is created on the User’s device and handed to the app or other destination the User chooses. The Company does not store this image on its servers and does not publish it at any URL. The handling of the image once sent is governed by the terms of the service it is sent to. Note that the sharing the Company previously provided, which published diagnosis results at a URL, has ended. The pages that had been published can no longer be viewed, and the floor plan images that had been published have been deleted.
3. When an account is deleted, after making it impossible for the User to log in to the Service, the Company keeps the account information (including email address, display name, date of birth, any gender registered in the past, and avatar image), uploaded floor plan images, diagnosis results, information on the properties entered as the subject of diagnoses, records of purchases and consent, and the content of inquiries (including attached images), linked to the account. The Company uses this information only for improving the Service and statistical analysis, responding to inquiries and disputes, and preventing misuse, and does not set a retention period. However, information for which a retention period is set in Article 1 is deleted after that period ends (except information for which only a minimum retention period is set (the email address hash and the device ID hash)).
4. If you would like the information or floor plan images kept under the preceding paragraph to be deleted, whether before or after deleting your account, please contact the contact point at the end of this Policy. After confirming your identity, we will delete them within a reasonable period. However, we may be unable to comply with a deletion request for information that must be kept under law.
5. Records of purchases and payments are kept by the payment providers (Apple Inc., RevenueCat, Inc. and Stripe, Inc.) in accordance with each company’s terms, even after the account is deleted. When an account is deleted, the Company expires the right to use the Room-Hunting Pass, and keeps the purchase history in accordance with paragraph 3.
6. Information about Support purchases is kept for seven years from the date of purchase, even after the account is deleted, for accounting and tax processing, preventing misuse, and responding to inquiries, and is deleted after that period. During this period, we may be unable to comply with a deletion request for information that must be kept under law. Information held by the payment providers (Apple Inc., RevenueCat, Inc. and Stripe, Inc.) is handled under each company’s privacy policy.
7. Images attached to inquiries are used only to review and respond to the inquiry, and are not sent to the contractors for email delivery and internal notification (Resend, Inc. and Slack Technologies, LLC). Attached images are kept for the same period as the inquiry information.

Article 5 (Use of Cookies)

The Service uses cookies to manage the User’s authentication state and to improve the Service. Users can refuse cookies in their browser settings, but in that case some features of the Service may become unavailable.

The website uses authentication cookies issued by the Company to keep you logged in (if you refuse them in your browser, you cannot log in).

On the website, Google Analytics 4, described in Article 1, uses cookies to record usage. In addition to refusing cookies in browser settings, Users can stop this recording by installing the “Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on” provided by Google.

In the mobile app, instead of cookies, the analytics SDKs described in Article 1 (Firebase Analytics and Firebase Crashlytics) record usage using device identifiers. At present, the app does not provide a setting to stop this recording. If you want it to stop, please delete the app.

Article 6 (External Transmission)

In connection with use of the website and the app, the following companies receive User information.

Transmission by Google Analytics can be stopped with the “Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on” provided by Google.

To display the map on which the User confirms the location and the map showing the facilities around the home on the input screen and the result screen of the feng shui diagnosis, the website uses Google Maps provided by Google LLC and the iOS app uses Maps provided by Apple Inc., and information about the displayed area is sent to the respective providers.

If a User specifies the location on a map without entering an address, the position of the pin (latitude and longitude) is sent to the reverse geocoder of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan in order to obtain the names of the prefecture, municipality and town or district at that position. In addition, the text a User enters to move the map to a place they want to find is sent to Google LLC on the website and to Apple Inc. in the iOS app (this text is not stored).

Article 7 (Security Management Measures)

To prevent leakage, loss or damage of personal information, the Company takes the following security management measures.

1. Organizational measures: we have appointed a person responsible for personal information protection and established rules for handling personal information.
2. Physical measures: we use cloud services, and the physical security of data centers is governed by the cloud service providers.
3. Technical measures: communications are encrypted with SSL/TLS. We implement technical measures such as access control, log management and vulnerability response.
4. Understanding the external environment: the Company handles personal data using cloud services provided by companies in the United States and takes security management measures with an understanding of the personal information protection system in the United States.

Article 8 (Disclosure, Correction, Suspension of Use and Deletion of Personal Information)

1. Under the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, Users may request, in respect of their own retained personal data held by the Company, notification of the purpose of use, disclosure (including disclosure of records of provision to third parties), correction, addition, deletion, suspension of use, erasure, or suspension of provision to third parties (“Requests for Disclosure, etc.”).
2. Please make Requests for Disclosure, etc. to the contact point in Article 10 by a method that allows us to confirm your identity (such as an email from your registered email address).
3. Disclosure is made by the method the person specifies, either provision of electronic records (such as an email attachment) or mailing of a paper document. There is no fee for Requests for Disclosure, etc.
4. After confirming your identity, we will respond without delay in accordance with the law. If we cannot comply with a Request for Disclosure, etc. under the law, we will inform you of that and the reason.

Article 9 (Changes to This Policy)

The Company may change the content of this Policy because of amendments to laws or other reasons. The changed Privacy Policy takes effect from the time it is posted on the Service. However, for changes that significantly affect Users’ rights, we will give notice in advance with a reasonable period.

Article 10 (Business Operator Information and Contact)

Please direct inquiries and complaints about the handling of personal information, and Requests for Disclosure, etc., to the following contact point.

KNOXIA Inc.
Address: R-cube Aoyama 3F, 1-3-1 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0061, Japan
Representative: Ryosuke Maeda
Personal Information Protection Manager: Ryosuke Maeda
Complaints and inquiries (email): info@knoxia.co.jp