Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 22nd December 2024

Introduction

Kōlab Social Ltd ("we", "us", "our", or "Company") respects the privacy of our users and is committed to protecting it through our compliance with this policy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application Kōlab (the "App"), website located at kolab.social (the "Website"), and any related services (collectively, our "Services").

We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy and Personal Data in compliance with the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), the Data Protection Act 2018 and all other mandatory laws and regulations of the United Kingdom.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, process and keep your data safe. The Privacy Policy will tell you about your privacy rights, how the law protects you, and inform our employees and staff members of all their obligations and protocols when processing data.

For clarity in this policy:

"Kōlab" refers to our mobile application and platform
"Kolab" refers to collaborative projects within our Services
"User Content" means images, comments, and other content you upload to or create in the Services
"Personal Data" means any information about you which can be used to identify you
"Beta Testing" refers to our current development phase where the Services are provided through TestFlight

Please read this policy carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding your information. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, do not use our Services. By accessing or using our Services, you agree to this Privacy Policy.

Data Security & Storage

Kōlab uses industry-leading partners to establish and protect data storage facilities. We use industry-standard technologies to safeguard your data from unauthorised use and disclosure. 

Unfortunately, no website, application, computer system, or online communication is completely secure. Kōlab cannot guarantee that unauthorised access, hacking, data loss, or other breaches will never occur. Your use of the Services is at your own risk.

International Transfer of Data

Your information may be stored and processed in the UK or other countries or jurisdictions outside the UK where Kolab Social Ltd has facilities. By using Kolab Social Ltd, you are permitting and consenting to the transfer of information, including Personal Data, outside of the UK. We store and process data in the United Kingdom, EU, and other jurisdictions as necessary for proper delivery of the Services or as required by law.

Third-Party Integrations and Services

The Services may contain links or integrations with third-party services. This Privacy Policy does not govern the privacy practices of third parties.

We may use trusted third-party services for:

  • Content management

  • Hosting & cloud infrastructure

  • TestFlight (for beta distribution)

  • Analytics services

  • Error tracking

  • SMS authentication delivery

Each of these services is bound by strict data protection agreements and processing rules.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes.

Age Requirements and Parental Consent

You must be at least 13 years old to use our Services. If you are between the ages of 13 and 16, you must review this Privacy Policy with your parent or legal guardian and obtain their consent before using our Services. By using the Services, you represent and warrant that you either:

  • Are 16 years or older, or

  • Are at least 13 years old and have obtained parental or guardian consent to use the Services

If you are a parent or legal guardian of a user between 13 and 16 years old, you acknowledge and consent to the collection, storage, processing, and transfer of your child's Personal Data as described in this Privacy Policy.

We do not knowingly collect or solicit Personal Data from anyone under the age of 13. If you are under 13, please do not attempt to register for the Services or send any Personal Data about yourself to us. If we learn that we have collected Personal Data from a child under age 13, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe that a child under 13 may have provided us Personal Data, please contact us at legal@kolab.social.

For users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and UK, specific age restrictions may apply based on local laws. You are responsible for complying with any applicable age restrictions in your jurisdiction.

Legal Basis for Processing

Under GDPR and similar laws, we process your data when:

  • It's necessary for performing our contract with you

  • We have a legitimate interest in processing the data

  • You have given consent for specific purposes

  • We need to comply with legal obligations

Information Collection and Beta Testing

During our beta testing phase, we collect and process information in several ways.

Information You Provide:

When you register for and use our Services, you may provide us with:

  • Account registration information (name, mobile number, email, username, date of birth)

  • Profile information (biography, profile picture, interests)

  • User Content you upload or create

  • Communications with us or other users

  • Survey responses and feedback about the Services

  • Device permissions you grant us

Your mobile number and any other personal information will not be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes.

Beta Testing Data:

As our Services are currently in beta testing through TestFlight, we collect additional diagnostic and usage information, including:

  • App performance metrics

  • Feature usage patterns

  • Crash reports and error logs

  • Device-specific technical data

  • Testing feedback and survey responses

  • Beta tester interaction data

This beta testing data is collected under our legitimate interest in improving the Services and will only be retained for the duration necessary to fulfil these purposes. You acknowledge that by participating in our beta testing, you are helping us improve the Services and agree to this additional data collection.

Automatically Collected Information

When you access or use our Services, our systems automatically collect:

  • Log Data: Including your IP address, browser type, pages visited, access times, and referring/exit pages

  • Device Information: Including hardware model, operating system version, unique device identifiers, and mobile network information

  • Location Data: General location based on IP address

  • Usage Analytics: Including how you interact with our Services, feature utilisation, and user interface interactions

We use industry-standard tools and protocols to collect and analyse this data, with appropriate safeguards in place to protect your privacy.

User Content Rights and Intellectual Property

Your Rights in User Content

You retain all ownership rights in your User Content. Nothing in these terms transfers ownership of your User Content to us. By uploading or creating User Content in the Services, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, transferable license to:

  • Host, store, and display your User Content within the Services

  • Modify and adapt your User Content as necessary to provide the Services

  • Use your User Content to improve and optimize the Services

  • Share results of Kolabs outside of our Services that may include your User Content, for the sole purpose of promoting the results of the community

Collaborative Projects (Kolabs)

For content shared within Kolabs:

  • Each contributor retains ownership of their individual contributions only

  • Contributors grant other participants limited rights to build upon their contributions

  • All contributors agree to be credited appropriately

  • Specific terms may apply to individual Kolabs as clearly stated

Artificial Intelligence and Content Usage

We commit that:

  • We will never use your User Content to train generative artificial intelligence models that are designed to replicate the work of humans

  • We will never sell or license your User Content to third parties without your explicit permission

  • We will never claim ownership of your User Content

  • We will only use your User Content as described in this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Service

Content Removal and Retention

When you delete your User Content:

  • It will be removed from public view within 24 hours

  • It may remain in our encrypted backup systems for an undefined period of time

  • It may persist in Kolabs where others have built upon it, subject to collaboration terms

  • It may persist outside of our Services where your User Content forms part of a Kolab or other marketing materials that may contain your User Content, in which case the terms of the original license still stand.

Certain metadata may be retained for technical or legal compliance purposes

Beta Testing Content

During the beta testing phase:

  • Your User Content helps us improve the Services

  • We may use your content examples internally for testing

  • You can request removal of test content at any time

  • We maintain additional safeguards for beta testing data

Your Rights and How to Exercise Them

You have the right to:

  • Access your personal data

  • Correct inaccurate data

  • Request deletion of your data

  • Object to processing

  • Request data portability

  • Withdraw consent

To exercise these rights, email support@kolab.social. We will respond to all legitimate requests within 30 days.

Account Deletion: You may delete your account at any time through the App settings or by contacting support. Upon deletion, your personal information will be removed according to our retention policies.

Marketing Communications: You can opt-out of marketing communications at any time through your account settings or by following unsubscribe instructions in our emails.

Third-Party Links

This Website or our Services may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins and applications. Clicking on those links may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our Website, App or other Services, we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.

How Long We Retain Your Data

We will only retain your Personal Data for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for. We may retain your Personal Data for a longer period than usual in the event of a complaint or if we reasonably believe there is a prospect of litigation in respect to our relationship with you.

California Privacy Rights

Under California Civil Code sections 1798.83-1798.84, California residents are entitled to ask us for a notice identifying the categories of personal customer information which we share with our affiliates and/or third parties for marketing purposes, and providing contact information for such affiliates and/or third parties. If you are a California resident and would like a copy of this notice, please submit a written request to support@kolab.social.

TERMS OF SERVICE

Please also see our Terms of Service which set out the terms, disclaimers, and limitations of liability governing your use of Kolab Social Ltd.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time at our discretion. The date of the last modification is stated at the beginning of this document. If we make significant changes, we will notify users through the App or by email before changes take effect.

Your continued use of the Services after any modification indicates your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to any modifications, you must stop using our Services.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact us at: legal@kolab.social