Kobu – Privacy Policy (no In‑App Purchases)

1. Introduction

Welcome to Kobu (“we”, “us”, or “our”). Kobu is a mobile cooking and tutorial application that allows adult users to watch cooking content, participate in a community, and exchange messages. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you use Kobu.

By downloading, accessing, or using Kobu, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and agree to the processing of your information as described here.

2. Data Controller and Contact

For the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (“GDPR”) and other applicable data protection laws, the data controller is:

Kobu Team
Email: kobucooking@kobudirect.com

3. Age Requirement (18+)

Kobu is intended only for individuals who are 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect or process personal data from individuals under 18. If you believe that a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us at kobucooking@kobudirect.com so that we can take appropriate steps, including deleting that information and closing the account.

4. Information We Collect

Depending on how you use Kobu, we may collect the following categories of data:

4.1 Account and Profile Information

Nickname or display name.
Profile avatar or photo (selected from your device or generated within the app).
Basic account identifiers such as an internal user ID.

4.2 User-Generated Content (UGC)

Text posts, captions, comments, and messages you create.
Images or videos you choose to upload or share.
Other content you voluntarily submit within the community or chat features.

4.3 Device and Usage Data

Device information such as model, operating system, language, and app version.
Log information such as access time, session duration, and feature usage.
Approximate region or country inferred from network information (not precise GPS location).

4.4 Communications with Us

Support requests and emails you send to kobucooking@kobudirect.com.
Feedback, surveys, or bug reports you voluntarily provide.

5. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To provide and maintain the app, including displaying cooking tutorials, community posts, and messaging features.
To personalize your experience, such as remembering your preferences and displaying your profile information.
To support social features, including posting UGC, comments, likes, and private messages.
To moderate UGC and enforce our community standards, especially with respect to prohibited content (see Section 9).
To detect, prevent, and address fraud or security issues, including abuse of the app or attempts to manipulate content.
To comply with legal obligations, such as record-keeping and responding to lawful requests from authorities.
To analyze usage in an aggregated or pseudonymous form so we can improve performance, stability, and user experience.

6. Legal Bases under GDPR

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, our processing of your personal data is based on the following legal grounds:

Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR): when processing is necessary to provide Kobu to you (for example, maintaining your account and core features).
Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR): for improving and securing the app, moderating UGC, preventing fraud, and ensuring the safety of the community, provided that your interests and rights do not override these purposes.
Consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR): when you grant consent for specific optional features or communications. You may withdraw consent at any time.
Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c) GDPR): when processing is required to comply with legal requirements.

7. App Permissions and How We Use Them

Kobu may request access to certain features of your device. We only request permissions that are necessary for core functionality:

Camera – Used if you choose to capture photos or short videos to use as profile avatars or UGC within the app. We do not access your camera without your explicit action.
Photo Library / Gallery – Used to allow you to select existing photos for avatars or UGC. We do not modify or delete your photos.
Microphone – Used for recording voice messages in the Messages section. Recording only occurs while you explicitly press and hold the voice button.
Network Access – Used to communicate with servers, load content, synchronize data, and send error reports or diagnostics.

You can manage or revoke these permissions in your device’s system settings. Some features may not function correctly if permissions are denied.

8. Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal data. We may share limited information in the following situations:

Service providers – With trusted vendors that help us operate Kobu (for example, cloud hosting, analytics, content delivery). These providers act under agreements that limit their use of your data.
Legal requirements – When required by law or in response to valid legal process (court order, subpoena, etc.).
Business transfers – In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to appropriate safeguards.

9. User-Generated Content and Prohibited Activities

Kobu allows users to create and share User-Generated Content (“UGC”). You are solely responsible for the content you create, upload, or share in the app. We may review UGC (manually and/or automatically) to enforce our rules and applicable laws.

You must not post, upload, or share any UGC that includes, promotes, or depicts:

Sexual or pornographic content, including nudity intended to arouse, sexual acts, or fetish content.
Content that is graphically violent, gory, or likely to cause strong discomfort, including depictions of severe injuries, self-harm, or cruelty.
Gambling, such as promotion of betting services, casino-style games with real-money outcomes, or illegal lotteries.
Illegal drugs or controlled substances, including their sale, use, or encouragement of misuse of prescription medication.
Extremist, political propaganda, or content aiming to influence political opinions or elections, especially where it violates local law or platform rules.
Hate speech or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, or any other protected characteristic.
Harassment, bullying, or threats directed at individuals or groups.
Self-harm or suicide encouragement, including instructions or support for dangerous activities.
Fraud, scams, or misleading practices, including phishing, impersonation, or deceptive promotions.
Any other content that is illegal, unsafe, or otherwise inappropriate under applicable law or app store policies.

We reserve the right to remove or restrict any UGC we consider unsuitable, and to suspend or terminate accounts that repeatedly or seriously violate these rules. You may report abusive or illegal content to us at kobucooking@kobudirect.com.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be processed and stored in countries other than your country of residence. Where required by law, we apply appropriate safeguards (such as standard contractual clauses) to protect your data when it is transferred internationally.

11. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, or as required by law. Criteria we use include:

How long you maintain an active account.
Whether there are outstanding or potential disputes or legal obligations.
Whether historical usage data must be preserved for security or troubleshooting.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete or irreversibly anonymize it in accordance with applicable laws.

12. Your Rights under GDPR

If you are in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, you have the following rights (subject to certain conditions and exceptions):

Right of access – To obtain confirmation whether we process your personal data and receive a copy.
Right to rectification – To correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – To request deletion of your personal data, for example when it is no longer needed.
Right to restriction – To request limitation of processing in certain cases.
Right to data portability – To receive your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
Right to object – To object to processing based on our legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent – Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
Right to lodge a complaint – With your local data protection supervisory authority.

To exercise your rights, please contact us at kobucooking@kobudirect.com. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

13. Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures designed to protect your information against unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. However, no system can be completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security of your data. You are responsible for keeping your device secure and for choosing a strong device passcode or authentication method.

14. Third-Party Links and Services

Kobu may contain links to third-party websites or services that are not operated by us. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you access.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. In case of material changes, we may also provide additional notice within the app. Your continued use of Kobu after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

16. Contact Us

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

Email: kobucooking@kobudirect.com