Privacy Policy
This is a reference translation. The legally binding version of this Policy is the Korean original. If this translation and the Korean original differ, the Korean original prevails.
This Privacy Policy sets out the categories of personal information that Inflab Inc. (the “Company”) processes in providing Thaw (the “Service”), the purposes of use, the retention periods, and the criteria for destruction.
The Service is provided as a mobile app and as a PC web app (app.thaw.team), both of which use the same account and records. The web app provides only part of the app’s features, and information relating to features not provided in the web app is not collected on the web. Content that applies to only one of them is marked “(app only)” or “On the web.”
1. Information We Collect
| Category | Items | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Sign-in provider type (Google or Apple), the member identifier provided by the provider, email address, the nickname entered by the user, the time of confirming the user is 14 or older, and the country code read from the device or browser region setting at sign-up | Used to identify the account and for sign-in. The country code is used only to confirm the country of sign-up. After account deletion, only one-way hashed values of the provider identifier and email address are retained for 7 days, and are used only to restrict re-registration with the same account or email. |
| Profile photo | One photo selected by the user from the album (cropped to a square and reduced in size; can be registered in the app only) | Used to display the user in parties and the feed. Registration is optional; if no photo is registered, the first letter of the nickname is displayed. |
| Study field | One study field selected at sign-up or changed in the app settings (e.g., Police, College entrance exam / Retake) | Used to understand the composition of users, to improve the Service, and to display the number of members by study field on screens shown before joining a party. |
| Study records | Start and end times and duration of focus sessions, where the user focused (app or web), status messages entered by the user, the selected subject (including subject names created by the user), the satisfaction rating selected after a session, whether the camera was on and the number of shots taken, and allowed-app setting status, number selected, and total usage time (app only) | Used to calculate progress (remaining ice), display party contributions and allowed-app usage time, and display statistics such as study time and satisfaction by subject. |
| Importing records from other apps (app only) | Screenshots of other apps sent by the user and the content shown in them (study group names, leaderboards, other people’s nicknames, etc.) | Used to transfer focus time recorded in other apps to the Service. The Company reviews the screenshots and reflects them in the records, and deletes the screenshots immediately thereafter. |
| Party activity | Parties joined and roles, invite codes, party chat messages (app only), notes left on ice, contribution records, and the list of blocked party members | Used to provide party features. The block list is used to hide messages from blocked party members. |
| Reports | The reported item (party chat, focus screen, feed comment, profile photo, or supporter note), the selected reason, and the description written by the user | Used to review and act on reports. Information on both the reporter and the reported user is retained. |
| Rewards | Points balance and earning and spending history, exchange request history, information on items received, and the phone number verified by SMS when exchanging points for items (the same as the “Focus promise” phone number) | Used to open rewards and exchange items (app only). The phone number is used to contact the user regarding problems with or refunds of exchanged items, and to give advance notice before points expire. |
| Developer support (app only) | The supporting account, the selected product (1, 3, or 10 coffees), payment time, store transaction ID, the store used (App Store or Google Play) and payment environment (live or test), refund status, the note written right after payment (up to 50 characters), and a random payment customer ID generated by the Company for each account | Used to process support through “Buy the devs a coffee” in Settings and to display the supporter list. Support is voluntary and unrelated to the use of any feature. Payments are processed by the App Store and Google Play, and the Company does not collect payment method information such as card numbers. The payment customer ID is used only to link purchase records at RevenueCat, and is a random value unrelated to the member number, email, or nickname. |
| Focus promises (app only) | The promised time, the promise text entered by the user, the selected contact method (notification only, phone call, or in-app call), the phone number entered by the user and verified by SMS, and the verification records (number, time sent, time confirmed, number of attempts) | Used to send a notification at the promised time and for the Company to call the user if the promise is not kept. The phone number is used only for this contact, for contact regarding item exchanges and refunds under “Rewards,” and for notices of upcoming point expiry. Verification records are used to confirm that the number belongs to the user and to prevent excessive SMS sending within a short time. |
| Tough love & comfort — chatting with AI (app only) | The selected chat mode (tough love or comfort), messages entered by the user and replies generated by the AI, the app language at the time of the chat, the times chats were created and deleted, the daily number of chats and records of increasing that number by watching ads or spending points, records of showing support-organization information in response to crisis signals and the grounds for that determination, and records of reporting AI replies (which reply and when) | Used to provide the AI chat feature, manage daily usage limits, show support-organization information when crisis signals appear, and review reported replies. Each time a reply is generated, the recent conversation in that chat is sent to the AI model provider (see “6. Provision and Outsourcing of Processing”). The Company may access conversation content to handle reports, review crisis responses, and operate the Service. Conversation content is not used to train AI models. |
| Notifications | Notification type, time created and time read, and the device token for sending push notifications (issued by Expo, app only) | Used to deliver party updates. |
| Feedback (app only) | The feedback text entered by the user, and the app version, device model, OS, and build identifier | Used to review inquiries and issues and to improve the Service. |
| Web usage environment | Browser type and version and operating system information (User-Agent) automatically sent by the browser with each request when opening the web app or an invite link page, and the web sign-in cookie | Used to provide web pages and keep the user signed in on the web. Browser information is not stored in the Service database. Invite link pages use this value to distinguish phones (iPhone or Android) from PCs and display the appropriate install or join instructions. Cookies are governed by “11. Cookies and Browser Storage on the Web.” |
- Names are not collected. Even if a sign-in provider sends a name, it is not stored, and for accounts whose email is not verified, the email is not stored either.
- Contacts and location information are not stored. A phone number is stored in the account only when the user enters it directly in the app and completes SMS verification; the device’s contacts are not read and the number is not collected at sign-up. Verification is carried out when selecting “Phone call” for a focus promise, or from the number verification prompt in the promise list or the menu, and, when exchanging points for items without a verified number, before the exchange (Korean mobile numbers only). Numbers that have not completed verification are not stored. If another account newly verifies the same number, the number moves to that account and is deleted from the previous account. The device token issued by Expo for sending app push notifications is stored linked to the account and is deleted immediately upon sign-out or account deletion. Advertising identifiers and ad performance measurement are governed by “4. Advertising.”
- The names, identifiers, and Apple selection tokens of apps selected as allowed apps are stored only on the device and are not sent to the server or analytics tools (app only). Only values that cannot identify the apps, such as setting status, number selected, and total usage time, are sent for providing features and analysis.
- Usage records of the app and web (screens viewed, buttons tapped, study time, etc.) are collected through Google Firebase Analytics (Google Analytics on the web) and PostHog to improve the Service, and error details occurring in the app or web are sent to PostHog. This includes device and browser information collected by default by the analytics tools (device model, OS and app version, browser type, screen size, language setting, IP address, etc.). Screen recording (session replay) is not used. On the web, values contained in the address, such as invite codes and party numbers, are removed and only the type of screen is sent.
- The Meta (Meta Platforms) SDK is included in the app to measure app installs from Facebook and Instagram ads and to optimize ads. Information sent to Meta is limited to the occurrence of app install and launch, sign-up completion, and a first focus session of 10 minutes or more within 7 days of sign-up; only the event name is sent, without details such as study time or content. This includes device and app information sent by default by the Meta SDK (device model, OS and app version, IP address, etc.), and on Android, the advertising identifier is also sent.
- Advertising identifiers are collected only on Android. On Android, Google Firebase Analytics and the Meta SDK use the device’s advertising identifier (Advertising ID) to measure ad performance. On iOS, no App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompt is shown and the advertising identifier (IDFA) is not collected.
- Names, email addresses, and phone numbers are not sent to analytics tools or Meta. The member number assigned by the Company to each account is sent to the analytics tools (Google and PostHog) in order to group usage records across multiple devices and the app and web by account and to match them with Service records. The member number does not contain a name or email address. The member number is not sent to Meta.
- AI conversation content is not sent to analytics tools or Meta, and whether support-organization information was shown in response to crisis signals is not sent to analytics tools.
- In the course of operating the server, IP addresses, access times, request paths, and status codes are generated as access logs and are automatically deleted after 14 days.
2. Camera and Study Videos
When the user turns on the camera during a focus session, scenes of the user’s hands and desk are captured to create study record videos. The camera is off by default, and the user may turn it on or off at any time.
- Shots are taken at 15-second intervals. In the app, shots are taken only while the app is displayed on the screen, and stop when the user switches to another app or turns off the screen.
- On the web, the PC webcam is used. When the user turns on the camera on the camera setup screen before starting a focus session, the browser requests permission, and the user can preview on that screen the scene that will be visible to other users. Depending on the direction of the webcam, the face or room may be captured. While the focus screen tab is open, capture continues even if the user is viewing another tab or window, and stops upon pause, end of focus, closing the tab, or disconnection of the webcam. On the web, captured scenes are not stored in the browser and are sent to the server.
- Sound is not recorded.
- When the camera is on, captured scenes (reduced-size photos) are shown in real time to members of the same party, and turning on the camera is deemed consent to this sharing. Scenes are not sent to blocked party members.
- Captured scenes are also used to create “My video” and “Party video.” Videos that include party members’ scenes are created on the server, and for this purpose scene photos are uploaded to AWS servers (Seoul region).
- “Contribution” videos are created on the device from numerical records only and do not use scene photos (app only).
- Original captures remaining on the device are deleted immediately when video composition is complete or the user leaves the screen. Scene photos uploaded to the server are automatically deleted after up to 30 days from upload (a period to allow video creation for parties that take several days to finish).
- When the ice has fully melted, the last scene captured by each user is retained as that user’s representative photo and is shown only to that user in past ice records even after the videos are deleted. Representative photos are not automatically deleted and are deleted upon account deletion or disbanding of the party (when the last member leaves).
- Completed videos (“My video,” “Party video,” and “Contribution”) can be viewed again for 48 hours after creation and are automatically deleted thereafter.
- When the user leaves a party or signs out, scenes remaining on the device (including those being processed) are deleted.
- Videos are saved to the device gallery only when the user chooses to save them, and saved files are managed by the device’s photo app. On the web, saved videos are stored on the PC through the browser’s download.
3. Information Visible to Other Users
- Nicknames are visible to members of the same party and are shown as sender names in the contribution chart, dashboard, and party chat.
- Profile photos are visible to members of the same party and in the feed, which can also be viewed by users who are not in the same party. If no photo is registered, the first letter of the nickname is displayed.
- Users who leave a party are shown anonymously instead of by nickname in subsequent records, and their profile photos are no longer shown.
- Each member’s focus time and ranking are visible to the other members of the same party.
- Study fields are shown on screens before joining a party and on the invite link page as the number of members in that party by study field (e.g., “Police · 2”). The invite link page can also be viewed by people who are not signed in. Which user selected which study field is not disclosed.
- Profile photos may be reported, and the Company reviews reported photos and stops displaying them (Terms of Service Article 5-3).
- Support through “Buy the devs a coffee” is visible to all users in the supporter list (app only). Each support is shown on one line with the nickname, number of coffees selected, and the note written, and no feature is provided to hide it from the list. Refunded support is removed from the list.
- Supporter notes may be reported, and the Company reviews them and stops displaying only the note while keeping the support line (Terms of Service Article 5-4).
- Upon account deletion, the supporter note is deleted immediately and the support line is shown as “Unnamed supporter” instead of the nickname.
4. Advertising
- Google AdMob is used for rewarded ads. Watching ads is optional, and study features can be used without watching ads.
- The Company does not request personalized ads (ads are requested as non-personalized). This setting turns off personalized ads but does not prevent the ad SDK from processing advertising identifiers.
- Information processed by Google in the course of displaying ads and granting rewards is governed by Google’s policies — How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.
- The Company runs ads for the Service on Facebook and Instagram and uses the Meta SDK to measure whether those ads lead to app installs, sign-ups, and first focus sessions. Information sent is limited to that described in “1. Information We Collect,” and Meta ads are not shown in the app. Meta’s processing of information is governed by Meta’s policies — Meta Privacy Policy.
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Handling of advertising identifiers by platform:
- Android: Google Firebase Analytics and the Meta SDK use the device’s Advertising ID to measure ad performance. Users may reset or delete the Advertising ID in the Advertising ID menu of Android settings (the menu name varies by device and version). Resetting changes it to a new value not linked to the previous one, and deleting it prevents the app from reading the Advertising ID.
- iOS: No App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompt is shown and the advertising identifier (IDFA) is not collected. Meta ad performance is measured only through aggregated methods that cannot identify individuals, such as Apple’s SKAdNetwork and Meta’s Aggregated Event Measurement (AEM).
- No ads are shown in the web app. AdMob and the Meta SDK are not used on the web, and Google Analytics is used with its advertising features (Google signals and ad personalization) turned off.
5. Retention and Deletion
| Item | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Completed videos (“My video,” “Party video,” “Contribution”) | Automatically deleted 48 hours after creation. |
| Captured scene photos (server) | Automatically deleted up to 30 days after upload. |
| Representative photo for completed ice (server) | Not automatically deleted; deleted upon account deletion or disbanding of the party. |
| Profile photo | There is no fixed retention period. When the user deletes or replaces the photo or deletes the account, it is deleted from the server immediately. Reported photos are retained until the review is complete without being shown in the app, and are deleted after the review. |
| Profile photo registration and removal records | Separately from the photo file, the times of and reasons for registration and removal (replacement, deletion by the user, account deletion, operational action) are retained. The photo itself is not retained. |
| Screenshots sent for importing (app only) | Deleted immediately after review and reflection in the records. |
| Original captures (on the device) | Deleted when video composition is complete or the user leaves the screen. On the web, captures are not stored in the browser. |
| Refresh token for staying signed in | Retained for 30 days from issuance and deleted immediately upon sign-out or account deletion. |
| Web sign-in cookie (in the browser) | Retained for up to 30 days. Each time the sign-in is continued by reopening the web app, it is replaced with a new value and the period restarts. It is deleted immediately when the server processes a sign-out request. It may be deleted earlier depending on browser settings. |
| Push notification device token (app only) | Deleted immediately upon sign-out or account deletion. |
| Focus promise records (app only) | Deleted immediately upon account deletion. Until then, retained so that past promises can be viewed. |
| Phone number | Deleted immediately upon account deletion. Until then, retained so that it can be used for subsequent promises and item exchanges without re-verification, and replaced when another number is verified. Deletion before account deletion may be requested through “10. Contact.” |
| Phone number verification records | Deleted immediately upon account deletion. Until then, retained as the basis for preventing excessive SMS sending. Verification codes sent are not stored; only one-way hashed values are retained. |
| Failed item exchange request records | Deleted after 7 days. |
| Unused exchanged items (gift cards) | Upon account deletion, only the link to the owner is removed; the item records are retained. |
| Information of deleted accounts | Upon account deletion, the email, nickname, and phone number are deleted immediately and the account is anonymized. The account row remains but cannot identify an individual. |
| Identifiers for restricting re-registration (deleted accounts) | The sign-in provider type at the time of deletion and one-way hashed values of the provider member identifier and email address are retained for 7 days after deletion and are automatically and permanently deleted after 7 days. The original values are not stored. During this period, they are used only to restrict re-registration with the same Google or Apple account or the same email (to prevent repeatedly receiving sign-up rewards by deleting and re-registering). |
| Study records and party chat | Preserved after account deletion in a form that cannot identify the author. |
| Tough love & comfort conversations and usage records (app only) | There is no fixed retention period. Deleting a chat removes it only from the list in the app; the conversation remains on the server. After account deletion, it is preserved in a form that cannot identify the author. Deletion of conversations may be requested through “10. Contact.” |
| Shared records | Preserved after account deletion. The sharer is linked only to the anonymized account and cannot be identified. |
| Developer support records (app only) | Retained for 5 years as records of payment and supply of goods under the Korean Act on the Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce. Records are retained even if refunded and are only removed from the supporter list. They are retained after account deletion and shown in the list as “Unnamed supporter.” |
| Supporter notes (app only) | Deleted immediately upon account deletion. Until then, the note cannot be edited or deleted, even by its author. Notes whose display has been stopped due to a report are removed from the list, but the records are retained until account deletion. |
| Payment customer ID | Replaced with a new random value upon account deletion, after which purchase records remaining at RevenueCat are no longer linked to the account. |
| Feedback (inquiry) submission records | Preserved. |
| Report records (including reports of AI replies) | Preserved. |
| Notification records (inbox) | Deleted upon account deletion. |
| Blocks made by the user | Deleted upon account deletion. |
| Blocks of the user made by other users | Preserved, as they form part of the blocking user’s block list. |
| Point earning and spending history | Preserved. |
| Points balance | Forfeited upon account deletion. |
Records that laws require to be retained are stored separately for the required period. The only feature of the Service involving payment is developer support, and its records are retained for 5 years as set out in the table above.
6. Provision and Outsourcing of Processing
The Company does not sell personal information. To the extent necessary to operate the Service, the Company uses the facilities of the following businesses.
| Recipient | Details | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Render | Server and database hosting | Singapore (overseas transfer) |
| AWS | Storage of scene photos captured during focus sessions (app and web), representative photos for completed ice, “My video” and “Party video,” profile photos, and screenshots sent for importing | Republic of Korea (domestic, Seoul region) |
| AI model provider — connected through Inflab AI Gateway (currently Alibaba Cloud’s Qwen 3.7 Plus model) | Outsourced generation of AI replies for Tough love & comfort (app only). Each time a reply is generated, the recent conversation in that chat (content entered by the user and AI replies) and the conversation-style instructions are sent. The member number, email, and nickname are not sent. The connected model may change depending on performance and cost. The provider does not use the conversations it receives to train AI models. | Overseas transfer |
| Google sign-in verification, AdMob ad delivery, and app and web usage analysis (on Android, including ad performance measurement using the advertising identifier) | United States, etc. (overseas transfer) | |
| PostHog | App and web usage analysis, and collection of app and web error reports | United States, etc. (overseas transfer) |
| Meta Platforms | Ad (Facebook and Instagram) performance measurement | United States, etc. (overseas transfer) |
| Apple | Apple sign-in verification | United States, etc. (overseas transfer) |
| RevenueCat | Outsourced payment processing and purchase record management for developer support (app only). Information provided is the random payment customer ID generated by the Company and the purchase history for that ID (product, payment time, store transaction ID, refund); the member number, email, and nickname are not provided. When the user signs in to the app, this ID is provided to RevenueCat to prepare for payment regardless of whether the user makes a support payment, together with device and app information sent by default by the RevenueCat SDK (OS and app version, IP address, etc.). | United States (overseas transfer) |
| Giftishow Biz | Issuance of exchanged items (gifts) | Republic of Korea (domestic) |
| Expo | Sending push notifications | United States, etc. (overseas transfer) |
| NHN Cloud | Sending verification text messages (SMS) to confirm phone numbers | Republic of Korea (domestic) |
| Slack | Delivery of sign-up notifications, submitted feedback, study promise notifications (including mobile phone numbers), report notifications, and import request notifications to internal operations team channels | United States, etc. (overseas transfer) |
7. Security Measures
- Communications are encrypted with HTTPS. The app stores sign-in tokens in the device’s secure storage (iOS Keychain or Android Keystore).
- On the web, the refresh token for staying signed in is stored in a cookie that cannot be read by web page scripts (HttpOnly), and this cookie is sent over HTTPS only with the Service’s sign-in requests. The sign-in access token is kept only in the memory of the open tab, is not stored in browser storage, and is deleted when the tab is closed.
- The original refresh token is not stored on the server; only its hashed value is retained. Sign-in access tokens expire every 30 minutes.
- Database connection information and signing keys are not included in the code and are injected through environment variables.
8. Your Rights
- Users may change their nickname and check their registered email in the settings of the app and web.
- Users may turn off the camera at any time, and videos being created are deleted when the user leaves the party or signs out. On the web, camera permission may be revoked in the browser’s site settings.
- Users may request access to, correction, deletion, or suspension of processing of their personal information through the contact below, and the Company will process such requests without delay.
- Account deletion can be carried out in the app under “Settings > Delete account.” Upon deletion, account information is anonymized immediately and points held are forfeited. For 7 days after deletion, re-registration with the same Google or Apple account or the same email is not possible (see the identifiers for restricting re-registration in “5. Retention and Deletion”). Developer support records are retained for the period required by law, and the supporter list shows “Unnamed supporter.”
- An account created only on the web is the same account as in the app. To delete it, sign in to the app with the same Google or Apple account and use “Settings > Delete account,” or, to delete it without installing the app, send a request by email to the address in “10. Contact.” The settings screen of the web app provides these instructions.
9. Users Under 14
Persons under the age of 14 may not use the Service. The Company does not knowingly collect personal information of persons under 14, and deletes it if identified.
10. Contact
Contact for personal information inquiries: thaw@inflab.com · Chief Privacy Officer: Seongmin Oh · Staff (osm@inflab.com)
11. Cookies and Browser Storage on the Web
The web app (app.thaw.team) and the public website (web.thaw.team) use browser cookies and storage only for the purposes below. This section does not apply to the mobile app.
| What | Purpose | Retention period |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-in cookie (thaw_web_rt) | A refresh token for keeping the user signed in without signing in again. It cannot be read by web page scripts (HttpOnly) and is sent over HTTPS only to the Service’s web sign-in address (api.thaw.team/api/auth/web). | Retained for up to 30 days. Each time the sign-in is continued, it is replaced with a new value and the period restarts. It is deleted immediately when the server processes a sign-out request. |
| Web app analytics cookies (Google Analytics and PostHog) | Identifiers generated by analytics tools to link visits from the same browser. They are initially random values; after sign-in, the PostHog cookie contains the Service’s member number (the Google Analytics cookie does not). PostHog also stores the same value in browser storage. They are used only at the web app address (app.thaw.team) and are not linked to visit records of the public website (web.thaw.team). | As per each tool’s default settings (Google Analytics cookies up to 2 years). |
| Web app browser storage | The last party opened, the invite code and inviter display of an opened invite link, timer display mode and camera selection, a marker that the user has signed in on this browser and a marker that prevents automatic sign-in after sign-out (not sign-in tokens), time the screen was viewed during focus, records for resending an end-of-focus request that was interrupted, analytics and share records not yet sent, markers for completion videos already viewed, markers for Thaw Team Board announcements already viewed, feature on/off settings, short-lived markers that prevent multiple tabs from sending duplicate requests, and a time marker for refreshing the screen only once after a new version is deployed | Invite link values are deleted when used to join or after 24 hours, and end-of-focus resend records are deleted after 24 hours. Analytics records are retried for up to 7 days, and records awaiting sending are deleted once sent. The sign-out marker is deleted when the user signs in again or completes sign-up. Others remain until site data is deleted in the browser. |
| Public website analytics cookies (Google Analytics and PostHog) | Random identifiers generated by Google Analytics to link visits from the same browser on public website (web.thaw.team) pages other than the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy (home page, guide articles, app install page, invite and timelapse share link pages, etc.). On the study habit test page, PostHog also stores a random identifier for the same purpose in cookies and browser storage. Because the public website has no sign-in, these cookies do not contain member numbers. | As per each tool’s default settings (Google Analytics cookies up to 2 years). |
| Public website browser storage | The language selected on the home page, in-progress answers and the latest result of the study habit test, a marker that the test introduction has been viewed, a random participation number for counting participants and the selected study goal, a marker of whether participation was sent, and the last participant count received | In-progress answers are deleted when the result is viewed or the test is restarted. Others remain until site data is deleted in the browser. |
- Sign-in access tokens are not stored in cookies or storage. They are kept only in the memory of the open tab and deleted when the tab is closed. The same applies to temporary tokens used during sign-up.
- Cookies for advertising are not used.
- Users may delete or block cookies and site data in browser settings. If the sign-in cookie is blocked, the user must sign in again each time the web app is opened. Blocking analytics cookies does not prevent use of the web app or public web pages.
12. Changes
If this Policy changes, the changes and the effective date will be posted on this page, and material changes will also be notified in the app.