KiokuPrivacy Policy
Effective 10 October 2026
This policy explains what information the Kioku app and the kioku.tech website (“Kioku”, “we”, “us”) collect, why, and what choices you have. Kioku has no ads, does not sell personal data, and does not use analytics or advertising SDKs.
Who is responsible
Kioku is operated by Ilia Snimshchikov, an individual developer, who is the controller of the personal data described here. Contact: support@kioku.tech.
Using Kioku without an account
You can use Kioku without logging in. In that case your words, progress and settings are stored only on your device and are not sent to us. The app still downloads word content and updates from our servers, which necessarily involves your device's IP address (see “Server logs”).
Information we collect with an account
| Information | Why we need it |
|---|---|
| Email address | To identify your account, let you log in, and send one-time codes for password resets and account deletion. |
| Password | To log you in. We store only a salted, one-way hash, never the password itself. |
| Display name | Shown in your profile. You choose it and can change it any time. |
| Google account details (if you use “Continue with Google”) | Google shares your Google account ID, email address and name with us so we can create or link your account. We never receive your Google password. |
| Learning data: words in your collection, review history and results, experience points, practice-session timings, learning settings | To sync your progress across devices and restore it after reinstalling. |
| Time zone and a random device identifier created by the app | To count study days correctly and keep data from your different devices apart during sync. The identifier is not linked to your phone's hardware IDs. |
Information that stays on your device
- Microphone audio for speaking exercises is analysed by a speech model that runs on your device. We do not receive or store your recordings.
- Live subtitles in the built-in browser (if you use them) rely on your device's speech-recognition service, which is usually provided by Google; audio is handled by that service under Google's Privacy Policy, not sent to us.
- Focus Guard (optional) uses Android's usage-access and “display over other apps” permissions to notice when you open an app you chose and show a study prompt. Which apps you use is processed only on your device and never sent to us.
- Built-in browser tabs and bookmarks are stored on your device only.
Server logs
Like any online service, our servers process technical data such as your IP address, request time and app version when the app talks to them. We use it to operate, secure and debug the service and keep it only as long as needed for those purposes.
Service providers
We share data only with providers that help us run Kioku, and only what they need:
- Hosting provider — runs the servers and databases that store account and learning data.
- Google — “Continue with Google” sign-in; device speech recognition where noted above.
- Email delivery provider — delivers one-time codes to your email address.
- Have I Been Pwned — when you set a password we check it against known data breaches using a privacy-preserving method: only the first five characters of a one-way hash of the password are sent, never the password or its full hash.
We do not sell personal data or share it for advertising. We may disclose information if required by law.
Legal bases (EEA/UK users)
- Contract — to provide your account and sync (account and learning data).
- Legitimate interests — to keep the service secure and working (server logs, breached-password checks).
- Consent — for optional device permissions such as the microphone and Focus Guard, which you can withdraw in Android settings at any time.
How long we keep data
- Account and learning data: until you delete your account.
- One-time email codes: they expire after 15 minutes and are deleted once used or replaced.
- When you delete your account, your account and all synced learning data are removed from our live databases straight away. Residual copies in backups, if any, are removed as backups rotate.
Your rights and choices
- Access and export — email us for a copy of your data.
- Correction — change your display name in the app, or ask us to correct other data.
- Deletion — delete your account in the app (Profile → Delete account) or as described on kioku.tech/delete-account.
- Objection and restriction — email us; you may also complain to your local data-protection authority.
We answer requests sent to support@kioku.tech within 30 days and may ask you to confirm the request from your account's email address.
Security
Connections to our servers are encrypted (HTTPS). Passwords and one-time codes are stored only as hashes. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your data.
Children
Kioku is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their personal data. If you believe a child has given us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.
International transfers
Our servers and providers may be located outside your country. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards for such transfers.
Changes
We will update this page if our practices change and revise the date above. For significant changes we will notify you in the app.
Contact
Ilia Snimshchikov — support@kioku.tech