Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy

Effective Date: April 11, 2026

This Privacy Policy is applicable to the Zero Waste Chef app (hereinafter referred to as "Application") for mobile devices, which was developed by the Service Provider as a commercial service. This service is provided "AS IS".

1. What information does the Application obtain and how is it used?

User Provided Information: The Application acquires the information you supply when you download and register the Application. Registration is not mandatory; however, you might not be able to utilize some of the features offered by the Application (such as saving recipes or cross-device syncing) unless you register. We use this information to provide the service, manage your account, and contact you from time to time with required notices and service updates.

Automatically Collected Information: The Application may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, the type of mobile device you use, your mobile device's unique device ID, the IP address of your mobile device, your mobile operating system, the type of mobile Internet browsers you use, and information about the way you use the Application.

2. Does the Application collect precise real-time location information?

This Application does not gather precise information about the location of your mobile device.

3. Does the Application use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies?

The Application uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance user experience and provide certain features. The AI components may process user data in the following ways:

• Personalized Content: AI may analyze your usage patterns or provided ingredients to deliver content tailored to your preferences.

• Recommendations: AI may suggest features, services, or recipes based on your interactions.

• Automated Functionalities: Certain app features (such as ingredient recognition from images) are powered by AI to automate tasks.

• Data Protection: All AI processing is performed in accordance with this Privacy Policy. Input data (like prompts or images) sent to our AI providers (e.g., Google Gemini) is processed securely and is not used to train public foundation models without explicit anonymization and consent.

• Fair Use Policy: To ensure a high-quality experience for all users and maintain the stability of our services, the use of AI features (including, but not limited to, recipe generation and receipt scanning) is subject to a Fair Use Policy. Even under "unlimited" premium subscriptions, the Service Provider reserves the right to temporarily limit, suspend, or throttle AI functionalities for accounts that exhibit abusive behavior, unreasonably high volume of requests, automated bot activity, or usage patterns that fall significantly outside normal human interaction.

4. Third Parties and Data Sharing

Only aggregated, anonymized data is periodically transmitted to external services to aid the Service Provider in improving the Application and their service. The Service Provider may share your information with third parties in the ways that are described in this privacy statement.

Please note that the Application utilizes third-party services that have their own Privacy Policy about handling data. Below are the links to the Privacy Policy of the third-party service providers used by the Application:

• Google Play Services

• AdMob

• Google Analytics for Firebase

• Firebase Crashlytics

International Data Transfers: By using the Application, you acknowledge that your data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside of your country of residence, including the United States, where the Service Provider's servers (Google Cloud/Firebase) are located.

The Service Provider may disclose User Provided and Automatically Collected Information:

• as required by law, such as to comply with a subpoena, or similar legal process;

• when they believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect their rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request.

5. Your Global Privacy Rights (GDPR, LGPD, and CCPA)

Depending on your location (such as the EEA, UK, Brazil, or California), you have specific legal rights regarding your personal data.

Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR/LGPD): We process your data based on your Consent, the necessity to perform a Contract with you (providing the app's features), and our Legitimate Interest in maintaining and improving the Application.

Your Rights:

• Access & Portability: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

• Correction/Rectification: You can request that we correct inaccurate data.

• Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): You can delete your account directly within the Application's settings or request data deletion via email.

• Restriction & Objection: You can object to the processing of your data for specific purposes.

California Privacy Rights (CCPA): Under the CCPA, California residents have the right to opt-out of the "sale" or "sharing" of their personal information. While we do not sell your data for money, using third-party advertising networks (like AdMob) may be considered "sharing" under California law. You can opt-out of personalized advertising through your mobile device's system settings (e.g., "Opt out of Ads Personalization" on Android or "Limit Ad Tracking" on iOS).

6. Cookie Policy and Tracking Technologies

While mobile applications do not use traditional web "cookies," we use equivalent tracking technologies such as Software Development Kits (SDKs), mobile advertising identifiers (like Google Advertising ID), and local device storage.

• Essential Technologies: Required for the app to function securely (e.g., Firebase Authentication for login).

• Performance & Analytics: Used to understand how users interact with the app (e.g., Google Analytics, Crashlytics) to fix bugs and improve performance.

• Advertising Technologies: Used by networks like AdMob to deliver relevant ads and cap the number of times you see the same ad.

You can halt all collection of information by the Application easily by uninstalling the Application or by adjusting your device's ad tracking settings.

7. Data Retention and Deletion

The Service Provider will retain User Provided data for as long as you use the Application and for a reasonable time thereafter. The Service Provider will retain Automatically Collected information for up to 24 months and thereafter may store it in aggregate.

Account Deletion: You may permanently delete your account and associated data at any time using the "Delete Account" button within the Application's Profile/Settings screen. Alternatively, you can request data deletion by contacting us at devprojects82@gmail.com. We will respond in a reasonable time.

8. Children's Privacy

The Application does not address anyone under the age of 13. The Service Provider does not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13 years of age. In the case the Service Provider discovers that a child under 13 has provided personal information, the Service Provider will immediately delete this from their servers. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we can take the necessary actions.

9. Security

The Service Provider is concerned about safeguarding the confidentiality of your information. We provide physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect information we process and maintain. For example, we limit access to this information to authorized employees and contractors who need to know that information in order to operate, develop, or improve their Application. Please be aware that, although we endeavor to provide reasonable security, no security system can prevent all potential security breaches.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time for any reason. The Service Provider will notify you of any changes to the Privacy Policy by updating this page. You are advised to consult this Privacy Policy regularly for any changes, as continued use is deemed approval of all changes.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding privacy while using the Application, or have questions about our practices, please contact the Service Provider via email at: devprojects82@gmail.com