Privacy Policy for DogScan

Effective Date: September 9, 2026  

Last Updated: September 9, 2026  

Welcome to DogScan ("the App", "we", "us", or "our"), developed by Anas Tahir. 

We take your privacy very seriously. This Privacy Policy outlines how your information is accessed, used, and protected when you download, install, and use DogScan on your mobile device. We comply with all applicable privacy regulations and the Google Play Developer Policy.

By using DogScan, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

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1. Developer Information

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If you have any questions, feedback, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or your data privacy, please contact the developer directly:

• Developer Name: Anas Tahir

• Email Address: chanas.tahir.54@gmail.com

• Phone Number: +92 325 4701938

• Application: DogScan (Dog Breed Identifier)

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2. Fundamental Principle: 100% On-Device AI & Privacy

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The core function of DogScan is to identify dog breeds from images. We believe in complete data privacy:

• No Cloud Uploads of Photos: When you take a photo using your camera or choose a photo from your gallery, the image is analyzed entirely on your physical device using bundled, offline TensorFlow Lite machine learning models.

• Photos Never Leave Your Phone: Your images and camera streams are never transmitted, uploaded, copied, or stored on any external server, cloud infrastructure, or third-party computer vision API.

• No User Account Required: DogScan does not require you to sign up, log in, or provide any personal details (such as your name, address, or phone number) to use the app.

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3. Device Permissions & How They Are Used

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DogScan requests only the permissions necessary to provide its core features. You can grant or revoke these permissions at any time through your device’s settings:

A. Camera (android.permission.CAMERA)

• Purpose: Allows you to take real-time photos of dogs for instant breed identification.

• Data Usage: The camera frame is processed solely in temporary device memory for on-device neural network inference. No photos or video feeds are transmitted over the internet.

B. Photos & Storage (READ_MEDIA_IMAGES / READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE)

• Purpose: Allows you to select an existing dog photo from your photo library or gallery.

• Data Usage: Only the specific photo you actively select is accessed and processed locally on your phone. We do not scan, browse, or read any other files or photos from your gallery.

C. Internet Access (android.permission.INTERNET)

• Purpose: Required to:

  1. Fetch free, public community breed pictures from the open Dog CEO API (https://dog.ceo/).

  2. Load advertisements provided by Google AdMob (if enabled).

• Data Usage: No personal data or user images are transmitted over the internet.

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4. Local Data Storage & User History

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DogScan includes an optional local scan history feature:

• Local Storage Only: When a breed scan completes, the scan timestamp, detected breed, and thumbnail are saved locally on your device in a private local database (Hive).

• User Accuracy Feedback: If you tap "Yes, correct!" or "Not quite" to rate a scan's accuracy, this feedback is recorded strictly within your device's local log. It is not sent to external servers.

• User Deletion Control: You have full control over this data. You can delete any individual scan from the History screen, or erase all history at once by tapping "Clear All History".

• Uninstalling the App: Uninstalling DogScan from your device automatically and permanently deletes all local scan history, thumbnails, and app preferences.

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5. Third-Party Services & Advertising

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DogScan uses a limited number of trusted third-party services that may collect pseudonymous information as permitted by Google Play policies:

A. Google AdMob (Advertising)

DogScan may display advertisements served by Google AdMob.

• Information Collected: Google AdMob may collect and process pseudonymous identifiers (such as the Google Advertising ID or IDFA), coarse location (country/city level derived from IP), device information, and interaction data to provide non-intrusive advertisements, measure ad performance, and prevent fraud.

• Google Privacy Policy: To learn more about how Google handles advertising data, visit Google's Privacy & Terms:

  https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads

• Opting Out: You can manage, limit, or reset your Advertising ID at any time via your Android device settings (Settings > Google > Ads).

B. Dog CEO API (Breed Gallery)

DogScan displays public photo galleries for recognized breeds via the free, open-source Dog CEO API. Only generic breed names (e.g. retriever-golden) are queried over secure HTTPS. No user information, IP tracking profiles, or user photos are shared with Dog CEO.

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6. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

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DogScan is intended for general audiences. We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and Google Play’s Families Policy:

• We do not knowingly collect, solicit, or store personal identifiable information from children under the age of 13.

• The app does not require account registration or social interaction.

• If a parent or guardian becomes aware that their child has provided us with personal information through a support inquiry, please contact us immediately at chanas.tahir.54@gmail.com, and we will promptly delete that information from our records.

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7. Data Security

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We prioritize the security of your data. Because all AI breed scanning occurs 100% on your device, the risk of interception, unauthorized server access, or external data breaches is completely eliminated for image processing. 

Any communication with third-party APIs (such as Dog CEO API and Google AdMob) is conducted exclusively over secure, encrypted HTTPS protocols.

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8. Your Data Rights & Deletion (GDPR & CCPA)

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Depending on your jurisdiction (including the European Economic Area under GDPR and California under CCPA), you have rights regarding your data:

• Right to Access & Delete: All your scanning data resides exclusively on your device. You can access and delete this data at any time directly within the App via the History screen.

• Right to Withdraw Consent: You can revoke camera or storage permissions at any time through your mobile device's app permission settings.

• If you have any inquiries regarding your privacy rights, please email chanas.tahir.54@gmail.com.

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9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable legal standards. Any updates will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. We advise you to review this page periodically for any changes.

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10. Contact Us

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If you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or our practices, please contact:

Developer Name: Anas Tahir  

Contact Email: chanas.tahir.54@gmail.com  

Phone Number: +92 325 4701938  

Application: DogScan