Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Practice Japanese ("we," "our," or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Service.

We operate from Italy and comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable Italian data protection laws.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

When you create an account, we collect:

• Email address: Required for authentication and account management
• Password: Stored securely by Firebase Authentication (hashed and encrypted)

2.2 Subscription and Payment Information

When you subscribe to our paid service, we collect information necessary for billing through Stripe, our payment processor:

• Billing email and name (if provided)
• Subscription status and billing period

Payment card information is processed directly by Stripe and is never stored on our servers. Please refer to Stripe's Privacy Policy for details on how they handle payment data.

2.3 Information Stored Locally on Your Device

We store certain data locally in your web browser using localStorage:

• Learned Kanji: Kanji characters you mark as learned
• Theme Preferences: Your light/dark mode selection

This data is stored only on your device and is not transmitted to our servers. If you clear your browser data or use a different device, this information will be lost. We are not responsible for the loss of locally stored data.

2.4 Analytics and Usage Information

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to collect anonymous information about how you use our Service:

• Pages visited and time spent on pages
• Device type, browser type, and operating system
• Geographic location (country/city level)
• Referral sources
• Basic interaction events

This information is collected anonymously and is used solely to improve our Service. For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy.

2.5 Advertising Information

We display advertisements through Google AdSense. Google and its partners may use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your browsing activity to serve personalized ads. This may include:

• Your visits to our website and other websites
• Your interaction with advertisements
• Device and browser information

You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings or aboutads.info.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• Account Management: To create and manage your account
• Authentication: To verify your identity and provide secure access
• Subscription Management: To process payments and manage your subscription status
• Service Improvement: To analyze usage patterns and improve our tools and content
• Communication: To send important service updates, respond to inquiries, and provide customer support
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws and regulations

4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

Under GDPR, we process your personal data based on:

• Contractual Necessity: Processing necessary to provide the Service you requested
• Legitimate Interest: Analytics and service improvement, provided your rights do not override our interests
• Consent: For cookies and personalized advertising (where applicable)
• Legal Obligation: To comply with legal requirements

5. Data Sharing and Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may process your data:

• Firebase (Google): Authentication and database services
• Stripe: Payment processing
• Google Analytics: Website analytics
• Google AdSense: Advertising services

These services have their own privacy policies and may collect data as described in their respective policies. We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties.

We may disclose your information if required by law, legal process, or to protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of others.

6. Data Retention

We retain your data as follows:

• Account Data: Retained until you delete your account
• Subscription Data: Retained for accounting and legal purposes for up to 10 years after subscription ends (as required by Italian law)
• Analytics Data: Anonymized and retained indefinitely by Google Analytics
• Local Browser Data: Retained on your device until you clear it

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/SSL)
• Secure password hashing through Firebase Authentication
• Regular security assessments
• Limited access to personal data

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Your Rights Under GDPR

If you are located in the European Union, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data
• Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
• Restriction: Request limitation of processing of your data
• Data Portability: Request transfer of your data to another service
• Object: Object to processing of your data
• Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent for processing based on consent

To exercise these rights, contact us at support@practice-japanese.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

9. Account Deletion

You may delete your account at any time through the Service settings. Upon account deletion:

• Your email and authentication data will be permanently deleted from our databases
• Any active subscription will be immediately cancelled without refund
• You will lose access to all premium features
• Local browser data (learned kanji, preferences) will remain on your device until cleared
• Some data may be retained for legal or accounting purposes as required by law

10. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the European Union). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately, and we will delete such information.

11. International Data Transfers

Your data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA), including the United States, where our service providers (Firebase, Stripe, Google) operate. These transfers are protected by appropriate safeguards, such as Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission.

12. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies. For detailed information about the cookies we use and how to manage them, please see our Cookie Policy.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on our Service with a new "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Email: support@practice-japanese.com

Data Controller: Practice Japanese, Italy