Privacy Policy

Last Updated: March 28, 2026

1. Data We Collect, Transmit, and How We Use It

Photo Data

To generate summaries and narratives for your photo captions, photos you take or select are sent to external generative AI services. How data is handled after transmission is governed by each service's privacy policy.

• MimiSeka Scia: Generated summaries and narratives are embedded as metadata in the photo and saved to your device's photo library (in the "MimiSeka" album). This feature can be disabled in Settings.
• MimiSeka Lupe: Captured photos are not saved to your device's photo library.

Initial Survey

On first launch, the app asks for the following information:

• Vision status
• Age
• Narrative mode preference
• Auto-read-aloud setting

This information is used to optimize app settings and is also stored in anonymized form on our servers to improve the service. It is never used to identify any individual.

Device Identifier

To maintain stable service operation (daily request rate limiting), a device-specific identifier assigned by Apple (identifierForVendor) is sent to our server. This identifier changes when the app is reinstalled and is not used for cross-app tracking or advertising purposes.

Location Data (Optional)

Location data is only collected when you grant the app location access through your device's iOS system settings. When enabled, location data is used for:

• Adding location metadata to photos (when saving to album in Scia)
• Providing contextual information for narrative generation

Precise location data (latitude and longitude) is not sent to our servers. However, a coarse location name (city or municipality level) may be sent to generative AI services as contextual information for narrative generation.

Usage Data

To improve the app, the following usage data is recorded on your device:

• Number and completion rate of narrative generations
• Feature usage frequency
• Error occurrences
• Accessibility feature usage (VoiceOver, etc.)

This data is anonymized and stored on our servers solely for the purpose of service improvement. It is never used to identify any individual.

Data Retention

Usage data and device identifiers are retained for the duration of service operation and deleted when the service is discontinued. Initial survey data is retained as anonymized statistical information for the duration of service operation.

2. Third-Party Services

Generative AI Services

The following generative AI services are used for photo analysis and narrative generation. All communications are routed through our server over encrypted connections (HTTPS).

• OpenAI — Photo analysis, text generation
• Anthropic (Claude) — Text generation

How data is handled after transmission is governed by each service's privacy policy:

• OpenAI Privacy Policy
• Anthropic Privacy Policy

Text-to-Speech Services

The following services may be used to convert generated text to audio. Only text generated within the app is sent; no photos or user-identifying information is included.

• ElevenLabs — Speech synthesis for summaries and narratives
• Aivis Cloud — Speech synthesis for summaries and narratives

• ElevenLabs Privacy Policy
• Aivis Cloud Privacy Policy

X (formerly Twitter)

Posting to X is optional. If you choose to use this feature, you connect your account via X's secure account authorisation. The app only requests posting (write) permission; it does not access your timeline, followers, or any other read permissions. Authentication credentials are securely stored in the device's secure credential storage (Keychain) and deleted upon logout.

3. Data Stored on Your Device

Scia

Generated summary and narrative text can be embedded as a description field stored inside the photo file (IPTC caption) and saved to the "MimiSeka" album in your device's photo library. This feature can be toggled on or off in Settings. Saved photos may include the following embedded data:

• Summary/narrative text (as ALT text)
• Emotion tags (if selected)
• Vision level and narrative mode
• Location data (if location services are enabled)

Lupe

The AI instantly reads text and objects captured by the camera and reads them aloud. Images used for analysis are not saved to your device's photo library.

4. Data Security

• All external communications are encrypted via HTTPS
• Service credentials are managed on our server, not stored in the app
• Apple's App Attest framework is used to verify that requests come from genuine, unmodified copies of the app
• Authentication credentials and device identifiers are securely stored in the device's secure credential storage (Keychain)

5. Sharing with Third Parties

Except for the external services described above, we do not sell, rent, or otherwise provide your data to third parties. We do not sell or share your personal information as defined under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA).

6. International Data Transfers

Your data may be processed by third-party generative AI and speech synthesis services in countries outside your country of residence. All transfers are conducted over encrypted connections (HTTPS) via our server. By using the app, you acknowledge that your data may be transferred to and processed in countries that may have different data protection standards from your own.

7. Children's Privacy

This app is not directed at children under the age of 13, but it may be used by children with visual impairments. In compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), all survey responses and usage data are collected exclusively as anonymous, non-personally identifiable information for all users regardless of age. Device identifiers are sent to our server solely for request rate limiting and are not linked to any personal information. Core app features (photo analysis, narrative generation, and read-aloud) remain fully available regardless of age.

If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete such information promptly. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@mimiseka.jp.

8. Your Rights and Choices

You can control your data through the following means:

• Disable location services, album saving, and other features at any time from the in-app Settings
• Disconnect X integration by logging out, which deletes your authentication credentials
• Delete all on-device data by uninstalling the app (excluding photos already saved to your photo library)

For California Residents

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA), California residents have the right to:

• Right to Know — Request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected
• Right to Delete — Request deletion of personal information we hold about you
• Right to Correct — Request correction of inaccurate personal information
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing — We do not sell or share your personal information, so no opt-out is necessary
• Right to Non-Discrimination — We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights

To exercise these rights, please contact us at privacy@mimiseka.jp. We will respond to verifiable requests within 45 days.

9. Do Not Track

This app does not track users across third-party websites or services. We do not respond to Do Not Track (DNT) signals because the app does not engage in such tracking.

10. Changes to This Policy

If we make changes to this policy, we will notify you through the app or our website. For significant changes, a notification will be displayed when the app launches.

11. Contact Us