Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Account Information

• Email address
• Password (we never see it; it is hashed using bcrypt before storage). When you create or change a password, the app checks it against known data breaches using the Have I Been Pwned service: only the first 5 characters of a one-way hash are sent, never the password itself
• Optional display name
• Sign in with Apple (optional): if you use it, Apple gives us your email (or a private relay address) and, the first time, your name if you choose to share it. We keep an Apple token only so Kiatu can disconnect from your Apple ID when you delete your account

Fitness & Training Data

• Running activities you log: distance, duration, date, terrain, perceived effort, personal notes
• Location (GPS) while you record a Live Run. See Live Run location below
• Shoe inventory and per-shoe mileage
• Shoe memories, retirement records, lineage, and life-stage history
• Shoes you add yourself, and your rotation choices (which pair you use for which kind of run)

Live Run location

• Kiatu records your GPS position only while a Live Run is in progress, and only after you start it. It asks iOS or Android for location permission: While Using, and optionally Always
• It keeps recording with the screen locked or Kiatu in the background until you stop the run. While it does, iOS shows its blue location indicator (on Android a notification is shown)
• The route of a Live Run is saved with that run. It is stored on your phone and, because runs are synced to your account, the route coordinates are uploaded to your account with the run, so it survives a new phone. Deleting the run, or your account, deletes the route
• Routes that come from Apple Watch or Apple Health workouts are different: they are read on your phone, stay on your phone, and are not uploaded
• Kiatu does not record your location when no run is in progress. You can change the permission at any time in your phone’s Settings › Kiatu › Location

Share pictures

• The picture you can make of a run (stats, route and shoe) is built on your phone. Nothing is uploaded to Kiatu’s servers by the picture itself; it only leaves your phone if you choose to share or save it using the share sheet (for example to Instagram, Messages or Photos), and then the app you chose handles it under its own rules
• By default about 200 m is cut from both ends of the route, so your home is not on a public picture. You can switch that off for a picture
• Runs that came from Strava cannot be shared as a picture from Kiatu, because of Strava’s rules

Support

• If you email support@kiatu.run, we keep your message and our replies, including your email address and anything you choose to include, so we can answer you and follow up. Only send what you are comfortable sharing

Usage Statistics

• A few app milestones (for example: opened the app that day, added a shoe, tagged runs, saw a Shoe Lab result, turned on Work mode), with the app version and platform
• These carry a random ID created on your phone, not your account, email or name, so they are not linked to you. They never include your runs, routes, location, health data or anything you type
• If a screen in the app hits an error, we receive the error type, which screen it was, and a short technical message with emails, links, IDs and long numbers removed. Nothing you typed or stored is included
• This is on by default and is only sent while you are signed in. You can turn it off at any time in Settings › Share usage stats; when it is off, nothing is sent. The events that can be sent are a fixed list: app opened (at most once a day), shoe added, Apple Health connected, runs tagged, Shoe Lab shown or shared, Work mode turned on, shift logged, shoe quiz finished, account deleted, and app error

Work Shoes Quiz (kiatu.run/work-shoes)

• Your answers (job type, shift length, foot type, what aches, wide feet) are saved without your name, to see which feet and jobs the quiz helps
• If you choose to leave your email to hear when Work mode launches, it is stored with your answers and used only for that one message. It is optional; email support@kiatu.run and we will remove it
• If you ask to hear when Work mode launches, we keep your email for that one message only. Email support@kiatu.run to have it removed

Work Mode (optional)

• If you turn on Work mode: the shifts you log (date, hours, which shoes, standing or walking, how your feet felt and anything aching), your work shoes and your foot type
• This is backed up to your account so it survives a new phone. A shift's step count comes from Apple Health and is only backed up if you turn on Back up to my Kiatu account for Apple Health
• Deleting a shift deletes it from your account too

Health Information You Voluntarily Provide

• Injury type and phase (if you choose to use the injury tracking feature)
• Foot arch type and gait information (from the optional gait quiz)

This data is used solely to generate personalized shoe recommendations and is never sold, shared with advertisers, or disclosed to third parties.

Third-Party Data (Strava)

• If you connect Strava, we receive the run, basic athlete identity, and shoe-gear data you explicitly authorize
• We do not access your social connections, kudos, posts, or segment data
• When you choose to upload a run to Strava, Kiatu sends that run to your Strava account: its name, time, distance and, for a run recorded with GPS, its route as a file so Strava can draw the map. This happens only for runs you choose to upload, and Strava then handles them under its own policy
• You can disconnect Strava at any time in the App (Settings › Strava). When you do, or if you remove Kiatu's access on Strava's website, runs imported from Strava are deleted from Kiatu, on your phone and in your account (after 7 days if access was removed on Strava's website, so you can reconnect if it was a mistake). Runs recorded elsewhere are kept
• Strava data is never used to train or run any machine-learning or AI model

Apple Health (optional, iPhone only)

• Only if you connect Apple Health, and only the types you allow in the iOS permission screen: running workouts (distance, duration, heart rate, elevation, temperature, cadence, power and running form), sleep, resting heart rate, heart-rate variability, respiratory rate, blood oxygen, steps, active energy, VO2 max, heart-rate recovery, body weight, overnight wrist temperature and breathing disturbances, walking steadiness, walking asymmetry, double-support time and walking speed, time spent standing, walking and running distance, and, for each running workout, its GPS route, heart-rate readings and Apple’s effort score
• Kiatu only reads from Apple Health; it never writes to it
• This data is processed on your phone to log your runs, track shoe mileage, and power the coach, Shoe Lab and recovery insights
• Your runs are synced to your account like any other run. Other Apple Health data (sleep, heart rate, fitness) stays on your phone unless you turn on Back up to my Kiatu account; turning it off deletes that copy from our servers
• A run’s route, its heart-rate readings and the splits, zones and charts made from them are worked out on your phone and stay there. They are never uploaded, not even with Back up to my Kiatu account on. Walking steadiness, asymmetry, double-support time and walking speed also stay on your phone. Nightly breathing-disturbance readings, stand time and daily walking and running distance are included in the backup only if you turn it on. Your max heart rate setting and dismissed shift suggestions are stored on your phone only. Deleting your account, or signing in to a different account on the same phone, erases all of this from the phone. Signing out keeps it on the phone
• Apple Health data is never used for advertising or marketing, never sold, never shared with third parties or data brokers, and never stored in iCloud
• You can stop access at any time in iPhone Settings › Health › Data Access & Devices › Kiatu

Reminders

• If you turn on coach reminders, they are scheduled on your phone from your own running data. Kiatu does not use push notification tokens or send reminders from a server
• If you turn on run alerts, iOS lets Kiatu read a new run from Apple Health in the background, on your phone, so it can ask which shoes you wore. Nothing is sent anywhere to do this

Technical Data

• Device type and operating system (for compatibility)
• App version (for bug tracking)
• We do not collect advertising identifiers, and we do not use face, fingerprint or other biometric identifiers

2. How We Use Your Information

• Provide, personalize, and improve the App's features
• Sync your data across your devices when you are signed in
• Calculate shoe mileage, life stages, memories, and match quality
• Generate local shoe recommendations from your quiz answers
• Keep a record of your consent to these policies (which versions, when, and on which platform)
• Respond to your support requests

We do not use your data for advertising, profiling for marketing purposes, or selling to data brokers. We do not build advertising profiles from your health or fitness data.

3. How We Protect Your Data

We take security seriously. Here is exactly what is in place:

• Row Level Security (RLS): Every table in our database that holds your data enforces database-level access policies. Even with a valid authentication token, the database policies are designed so that one user cannot read, write, or delete another user's data. This is enforced by the database, not just application code.
• Encryption in transit: All data sent between the App and our servers is encrypted using TLS (HTTPS).
• Secure storage on your device: In the iPhone and Android apps, sign-in tokens are stored in your device's secure storage (iOS Keychain or Android Keystore).
• Password hashing: Passwords are hashed with bcrypt before storage. We have no mechanism to retrieve your original password.
• Consent log: Your agreement to these policies is recorded with a timestamp in a database table where you can add and read your own records but not change or erase them while the account exists. See Data consent.
• Limited access: The app uses only your own sign-in, which the database restricts to your own rows. The developer can reach the database through the hosting provider’s admin tools when needed to run and fix the service, and uses that access only for that.

4. Data Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell your personal data. We do not rent it. We do not trade it.

We may disclose your data only in these limited circumstances:

• Strava: Only if you actively connect your Strava account, and only the data scope you explicitly authorize.
• Service providers: Our database and sign-in are hosted by Supabase, and account emails (such as verification and welcome messages) are sent through Resend. They process data only to run Kiatu for us. When you search for shoes in plain language, the words you type go to a hosted language model service (Hugging Face). On Android, map tiles for run routes may be loaded from Google Maps. Passwords you choose are checked against a public breach list in a way that never sends the password itself (Have I Been Pwned). Strava, if you connect it, processes data under its own policy. Our website is served by Cloudflare.
• Legal obligation: If required by law, court order, or governmental authority to protect the rights, property, or safety of users or the public.
• Business transfer: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, your account data may be transferred, but only under commitments of confidentiality and the same privacy protections described here. Apple Health data stays on your phone and is never part of any transfer, and we would tell you before any transfer changes how your data is handled.

5. Recommendations & Data Processing

Shoe recommendations are generated locally from your quiz answers and the app's shoe database.

• The coach, Shoe Lab and recovery insights are calculated on your phone from your own data. Your runs and health data are not sent to any AI service
• When you search for shoes in plain language, only the words you type are sent to our search service (which uses a hosted language model) to find matching shoes; no account, run or health data is included
• Recommendations and shoe dialogue are not medical advice. See the Terms of Use health disclaimer.

6. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the following rights:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate data
• Deletion: Request permanent deletion of your account and all associated data (right to be forgotten)
• Portability: Request your data in a portable format
• Objection: Object to certain processing of your data
• Withdraw consent: Switch off each kind of data in the app or in iOS Settings at any time, or withdraw everything by deleting your account. See Data consent for the exact steps

The app has no export button yet. To get a copy of your data, email support@kiatu.run from the address on your account. To delete your account, use Settings › Account › Delete my account in the App (see section 7), or email us if you cannot sign in.

7. Account Deletion & Data Retention

We keep your data for as long as your account is active. You can delete your account yourself in the App: Settings › Account › Delete my account, then type DELETE to confirm. This cannot be undone.

What deletion does

• Kiatu first revokes its access to your Strava account (if connected), then deletes your account on our server. Every table that holds your data is linked to your account and is deleted with it: profile, closet and shoes, runs (including saved routes), notes, injury and gait answers, Work mode shifts and shoes, rotation choices, any Apple Health backup, and your consent records
• The phone is then cleared of Kiatu data, including Strava sign-in details and cached routes
• This happens immediately in our active database. Copies in the hosting provider’s backups age out on that provider’s normal backup cycle; we do not restore deleted accounts
• Usage statistics are tied to a random ID on your phone, not to your account, so we cannot tell which ones are yours and they are not removed by account deletion. They contain no personal information (see Usage Statistics above)

What deletion does not do

• Apple Health: your data in the Apple Health app is untouched. Kiatu only reads from it. To stop access, use iPhone Settings › Health › Data Access & Devices › Kiatu
• Strava: Strava keeps its own copy of your activities under its own policy; Kiatu cannot delete it. Delete it on Strava if you want it gone
• Pictures you shared to other apps, and emails you sent to support, are outside the account (support emails are kept to answer you; ask us to delete them)

If you cannot sign in, email support@kiatu.run from your account address and we will delete the account for you.

8. Children's Privacy

The App is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the European Economic Area). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children below these ages. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately so we can delete it.

9. International Users

If you access the App from outside the country in which our servers are located, your data may be transferred across international borders. Our service providers (database hosting and email delivery) may process data in other countries. By using the App, you agree to such transfers.

Kiatu is run from Canada and handles personal information in line with Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). You can ask to see, correct or delete your information, and you may complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (priv.gc.ca).

If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have additional rights under GDPR. Our legal bases are your consent (for example when you connect Apple Health, Strava or location, or when you create your account and accept these policies), the performance of our contract with you, and our legitimate interest in understanding, without identifying you, how the App is used (the anonymous usage statistics, which you can switch off at any time).

10. Changes to This Policy

If we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will aim to tell you in the App or by email before they take effect. The "Last updated" date at the top of this document will always reflect when changes were made. Continued use of the App after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the updated Policy.

11. Contact

For privacy-related questions, data requests, or to report a potential security vulnerability, email us at support@kiatu.run. We take all security reports seriously and will aim to acknowledge receipt within a few days. Support emails are kept only as long as needed to help you. If you are in the EEA, UK or Switzerland you may also complain to your local data protection authority.