Privacy Policy

Effective Date: April 13, 2026

Banchan - Korean Food Guide ("we", "our", "us"), operated by Universal AI LLC, respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use the Banchan mobile application ("App").

1. Information We Collect

• Account Information: When you sign in with Apple, we receive your Apple ID, display name, and email address (if you choose to share it).
• Cuisine Preferences: Your preferred Korean cuisine types, spice level tolerance, dietary restrictions, and experience level with Korean food.
• Learning Progress: XP points, streaks, completed lessons, skill levels, and achievements within the App.
• Saved Content: Restaurants, recipes, dishes, and ingredients you save or bookmark within the App.
• Scan History: When you use the camera to scan menus or food items, the captured image is transmitted securely to OpenAI's Vision API for identification and is not stored on our servers. Only the resulting dish identification, description, and recommendations are retained.
• Chat Messages: Messages you send to Chef Minji (our AI guide) are processed by OpenAI to generate responses. Messages are processed in real-time and are not permanently stored on our servers.
• Location Data: With your permission, we access your device location to find nearby Korean restaurants. Location data is used only for real-time restaurant search and is not stored or tracked over time.
• Device Information: Device type, operating system version, and push notification tokens for delivering notifications.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To personalize your Korean food learning experience based on your preferences and skill level
• To track your learning progress, XP, streaks, and achievements
• To provide AI-powered menu scanning and food identification
• To deliver Chef Minji AI chat responses tailored to your experience level
• To generate text-to-speech audio responses via ElevenLabs
• To find nearby Korean restaurants based on your location
• To process subscription purchases and manage your account
• To send push notifications you have opted into (daily reminders, streak alerts)
• To improve and maintain the App

3. Camera and Photo Usage

What we capture: When you use the menu or food scanning feature, the App captures a photo via your device camera. The photo is transmitted securely (via HTTPS/TLS) to OpenAI's Vision API for processing.

How photos are used: Your photo is sent to OpenAI's Vision API for AI-powered identification of Korean dishes, menu items, and ingredients. The AI identifies the food, provides descriptions, pronunciation guides, spice level indicators, and ingredient breakdowns. The photo itself is used solely for this one-time identification.

Photo storage: Scanned photos are NOT stored on our servers. The photo exists in server memory only during the brief processing window and is immediately discarded after the AI analysis completes. Only the resulting text-based identification data (dish name, description, ingredients) is saved to your scan history.

OpenAI data handling: OpenAI may temporarily retain API inputs for up to 30 days for abuse monitoring, after which data is automatically deleted. Per OpenAI's API Data Usage Policy, API inputs and outputs are not used to train OpenAI's models.

4. Location Data

Banchan requests location access solely to help you discover nearby Korean restaurants. Location data is:

• Used only in real-time when you actively search for restaurants
• Not stored on our servers or in any database
• Not shared with third parties beyond the restaurant search functionality
• Controllable via your device's location permission settings at any time

5. Local Storage

Banchan stores certain data locally on your device using AsyncStorage, including:

• Your cuisine preferences and spice level settings
• App theme and display preferences
• Cached content for offline access
• Session tokens for authentication

This data never leaves your device and can be cleared by deleting the App.

6. Third-Party Services

• OpenAI: Powers Chef Minji AI chat responses and menu/food scanning via the Vision API. Processes user messages and scanned images. Privacy Policy
• ElevenLabs: Provides text-to-speech voice generation for Chef Minji's spoken responses. Processes generated text responses only (not user messages). Privacy Policy
• RevenueCat: Manages subscription purchases, receipt validation, and entitlement delivery. Privacy Policy
• Apple: Provides Sign in with Apple authentication and processes in-app purchases via the App Store. Privacy Policy

Each third-party service has its own privacy policy governing their use of data.

7. Advertising and Data Sales

Banchan does not display advertisements. We do not sell, rent, lease, or trade your personal information to any third party. Your data is used solely to provide and improve the App's services.

8. Data Storage & Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest, secure authentication, and access controls. The majority of your preferences and progress data is stored locally on your device. Account-level data is stored securely in our cloud infrastructure.

9. Data Retention & Deletion

Your data is retained as long as your account is active. Most user data (preferences, progress, saved content) is stored locally on your device. You can delete your account at any time from Settings > Delete Account within the App. When you delete your account:

• All cloud-stored account data is permanently deleted from our servers
• All learning progress, saved restaurants, recipes, and scan history are removed
• Your authentication account is permanently removed
• Local data on your device can be removed by uninstalling the App

Deletion is irreversible and typically completes within minutes.

10. Children's Privacy

Banchan is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn we have collected data from a child under 13, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at contact@universalaillc.com.

11. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data through the App
• Delete your account and all associated data
• Opt out of push notifications via device settings
• Revoke location access via device settings
• Request information about your data by contacting us

12. European Users (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Legal Basis: We process your personal data based on your consent (location access, push notifications, AI features) and legitimate interest (improving our services).
• Right of Access: You may request a copy of all personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: You may request correction of inaccurate personal data.
• Right to Erasure: You may request deletion of your personal data by deleting your account in the App or contacting us.
• Right to Data Portability: You may request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to Object: You may object to processing based on legitimate interest.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: You may withdraw consent at any time by deleting your account or contacting us. Withdrawal does not affect prior processing.

To exercise these rights, contact us at contact@universalaillc.com. We will respond within 30 days.

Data Transfers: Your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States. We rely on standard contractual clauses and service provider agreements to ensure adequate data protection.

13. California Users (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to Know: You may request details about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we collect, the purposes for collection, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it.
• Right to Delete: You may request deletion of your personal information. Delete your account in the App Settings or contact us.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.
• Sale of Personal Information: We do NOT sell your personal information to third parties.

To exercise these rights, contact us at contact@universalaillc.com.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes through the App or by updating the effective date above.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us at:

Universal AI LLC
Email: contact@universalaillc.com