HiCoe Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how HiCoe ("HiCoe", "we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects information when you use HiCoe's face-art feed, creative posting tools, short videos, remix features, themed events, live rooms, event chats, following features, mutual-follow direct messaging, search, profiles, reporting, blocking, moderation tools, and related services (collectively, the "Service").

1. Information We May Collect

1.1 Account and Profile Information

When you create or maintain a HiCoe account, we may collect information such as your username, display name, profile photo, email address, account identifiers, login credentials or authentication tokens, profile description, and other profile information you choose to provide.

1.2 User Content

We may process content you choose to create, upload, publish, transmit, stream, or send through HiCoe, including:

• face doodles, face-art images, makeup looks, photos, and videos;
• captions, comments, creative descriptions, and event submissions;
• remix content and information linking a remix to source content where the feature supports this;
• live-room contributions and event-chat content;
• direct messages and related message metadata;
• profile information and other material you choose to share.

1.3 Photos, Videos, and Face Images

When you choose to upload or create photos or videos, HiCoe processes those files to provide the feature you request. These files may contain faces, appearance information, surroundings, objects, text, or other details visible in the media.

Some jurisdictions may treat certain face-related data as sensitive when it is processed for biometric identification or similar purposes. If HiCoe introduces a feature that processes biometric identifiers for identity-related purposes, we will provide additional notice and obtain consent where required by applicable law.

1.4 Camera, Microphone, and Photo Library Access

If you choose to create or upload media, join a live room, or use another feature that requires device permissions, HiCoe may request access to your camera, microphone, or photo library. These permissions are used to provide the feature you select.

You may manage device permissions through your operating system settings, although disabling a permission may prevent certain features from working.

1.5 Live Room and Audio Information

To provide live rooms, HiCoe may process room identifiers, participant account identifiers, connection information, timestamps, moderation information, and real-time audio data technically necessary to transmit live conversation.

If a live feature is recorded, transcribed, or stored beyond what is technically necessary for real-time transmission, we will provide additional notice or obtain consent where required by applicable law.

1.6 Event and Community Activity

We may collect information about themed events you view or join, event submissions, participation status, live-room participation, community topics, and related interactions.

1.7 Following, Messaging, and Interaction Information

We may process information about accounts you follow, accounts that follow you, mutual-follow relationships, comments, reactions, messages, and other interactions necessary to provide community features and enforce safety rules.

1.8 Search and Discovery Activity

We may collect search terms, viewed topics, content interactions, and other discovery activity to return search results, organize content, improve relevance, maintain safety, and improve the Service.

1.9 Device, Usage, and Technical Information

When you use HiCoe, we may automatically receive technical information such as device type, operating system, app version, language, time zone, IP address, network information, app identifiers, crash reports, diagnostic logs, session timestamps, feature interactions, and similar information reasonably necessary to operate, secure, troubleshoot, and improve the Service.

1.10 Support Communications

If you contact HiCoe support, we may collect the information contained in your request, your contact details, attachments you provide, and information reasonably necessary to respond to or investigate the issue.

1.11 Safety, Reporting, and Moderation Information

We may process reports, blocked-account relationships, moderation decisions, enforcement history, appeals, suspected fraud or abuse signals, and relevant content or account information to maintain safety and enforce our rules.

2. How We Use Information

We may use information to:

• create, authenticate, secure, and manage accounts;
• provide posts, photos, videos, captions, profiles, remix features, live rooms, event chats, direct messaging, search, and other requested features;
• display public or audience-limited content according to feature settings;
• enable themed events and community participation;
• provide and maintain follow and mutual-follow messaging functionality;
• organize and surface content through feeds, search, discovery, and event pages;
• maintain, test, troubleshoot, analyze, and improve the Service;
• detect spam, fraud, abuse, security threats, and violations of our rules;
• review reports, enforce blocks, moderate content, and handle appeals;
• communicate with you about service updates, support requests, safety notices, and important account matters;
• comply with legal obligations and valid legal requests;
• protect the rights, safety, property, and integrity of HiCoe, our users, and others.

3. Legal Bases Where Required

Where applicable data protection law requires a legal basis for processing, HiCoe may rely on one or more of the following depending on the purpose and jurisdiction:

• Performance of a contract: when processing is necessary to provide the Service you request and administer your account;
• Legitimate interests: when reasonably necessary to secure, maintain, moderate, improve, and protect HiCoe, provided those interests are not overridden by applicable rights;
• Consent: where you choose to provide consent and consent is required for a specific processing activity;
• Legal obligations: where processing is necessary to comply with applicable law;
• Other lawful grounds: where recognized by applicable law.

4. How Information May Be Shared

4.1 With Other Users

Information you choose to publish may be visible to other users according to the feature and your settings. This may include your profile, face-art posts, photos, videos, captions, event participation, comments, and other public community activity.

Live-room participation may be visible or audible to other participants. Event-chat messages may be visible to members of the relevant event or chat. Direct messages are intended for the participants in the conversation, subject to technical processing and the safety, moderation, legal, and security practices described in this Policy.

4.2 With Service Providers

We may share information with vendors and service providers that help operate HiCoe, such as cloud hosting, data storage, content delivery, authentication, media processing, live-audio infrastructure, communications, analytics, crash diagnostics, security, moderation, and customer-support providers.

Where required, these providers are subject to contractual or legal restrictions regarding their processing of information.

4.3 For Safety, Legal, and Compliance Purposes

We may disclose information when we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to comply with applicable law, legal process, or valid government requests; enforce our Terms; investigate fraud, abuse, or security incidents; protect users; or protect the rights, property, or safety of HiCoe or others.

4.4 Business Transfers

If HiCoe is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, restructuring, sale of assets, or similar transaction, information may be transferred as part of that transaction subject to applicable law and appropriate protections.

5. Public Content and Visibility

Public posts and profile information may be visible to other users. Other people may copy, capture, or reshare publicly available content. Deleting content from HiCoe does not necessarily remove copies previously saved, captured, or shared by other users outside our control.

6. Remix Content

When you use a remix feature, HiCoe may process information needed to connect a remix to its source content, display attribution or related context where supported, and operate remix controls.

7. Direct Messaging and Mutual Following

HiCoe may use follow relationships to determine whether direct messaging is available between two accounts. We may retain relationship information necessary to provide this functionality and to enforce blocks, safety restrictions, and account settings.

Messages may be processed for delivery, storage, account synchronization, spam prevention, abuse detection, user reports, and safety review where permitted by law.

8. Reporting, Blocking, and Moderation

When you report content or another user, we may process the report, relevant content, account information, message or live-room context, timestamps, and technical information reasonably necessary to investigate and respond.

Blocking may require HiCoe to maintain information necessary to prevent or limit interactions between accounts. We may preserve relevant records when reasonably necessary for safety, fraud prevention, dispute resolution, enforcement, or legal compliance.

9. Data Retention

We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including providing the Service, maintaining account functionality, complying with legal obligations, resolving disputes, preventing abuse, maintaining safety, and enforcing our agreements.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information, account status, legal requirements, security needs, moderation history, backup cycles, and whether information is necessary to investigate abuse or protect users.

Deleted information may remain temporarily in backups or restricted systems until it is overwritten or no longer needed, subject to applicable law.

10. Data Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. No online service, network transmission, or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

11. Your Choices and Privacy Rights

Depending on available features and applicable law, you may be able to:

• access, correct, or update certain account or profile information;
• delete content you have posted;
• manage camera, microphone, and photo-library permissions through your device settings;
• adjust available privacy, audience, remix, messaging, or visibility settings;
• unfollow or block accounts;
• request access to, correction of, deletion of, or restriction of certain personal information;
• object to certain processing where applicable;
• request portability of certain information where applicable;
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
• appeal certain privacy or moderation decisions where applicable;
• lodge a complaint with a competent data-protection authority where applicable.

To submit a privacy request, contact hicoe.support@gmail.com. We may need to verify your identity before completing certain requests.

12. Children's Privacy

HiCoe is not intended for children under 13, or under the minimum age required for online services in a user's jurisdiction where that age is higher. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children below the applicable minimum age without legally valid authorization.

If you believe a child has provided personal information in violation of this section, contact us at hicoe.support@gmail.com.

13. International Data Transfers

HiCoe and its service providers may process information in countries other than the country where you live. Where required by applicable law, we use appropriate safeguards for international transfers of personal information.

14. Third-Party Services

HiCoe may contain links to or rely on independent third-party services. Those services may process information under their own privacy policies and terms. This Policy does not govern independent third parties that HiCoe does not control.

15. Sensitive Information

HiCoe is designed for creative sharing, not for storing sensitive records. Avoid posting government identifiers, financial credentials, precise home addresses, medical records, or other highly sensitive information that is unnecessary for your use of the Service.

Face-art content may unintentionally reveal personal characteristics or information visible in the background of a photo or video. Review media before posting and use available audience controls where appropriate.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in the Service, technology, safety practices, legal requirements, or business operations. If changes are material, we will provide notice in a manner appropriate to the circumstances where required by law. The updated Policy will state a new effective date.

17. Contact Us

HiCoe Support
Email: hicoe.support@gmail.com