Velohide Privacy Policy

Velohide ("the App", "we", "our", "us", or "Company") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy governs your access to and use of the Velohide mobile application (the "Service") and outlines our policies and procedures on the collection, use, maintenance, protection, and disclosure of your information.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully before using Velohide. By downloading, installing, accessing, or using the Service, you agree to the collection, use, storage, and disclosure of your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use the Service.

Table of Contents

1. Definitions
2. Offline-First & Local Storage Principles
3. Types of Data Collected and Processed
4. Device Permissions Required
5. Legal Basis for Processing under GDPR
6. Your Data Protection Rights (GDPR)
7. California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)
8. Third-Party Services & Analytics Disclosure
9. Recycle Bin (Trash) Retention Policy
10. Data Security & Technical Controls
11. Critical Uninstall & Device Reset Notice
12. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compatibility)
13. International Data Transfers
14. Legal Disclosures & Corporate Transactions
15. Changes to this Privacy Policy
16. Contact Information & Redress

1. Definitions

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy:

• "App" (referred to as either "the App", "the Service", "Velohide", "we", "us", or "our" in this Agreement) refers to the Velohide Android application.
• "Personal Data" is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.
• "Usage Data" refers to data collected automatically, either generated by the use of the Service or from the Service infrastructure itself (for example, the duration of a page visit).
• "Device" means any device that can access the Service such as a mobile phone, tablet, or digital assistant.
• "Data Controller", for the purpose of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), refers to the Company as the legal person which alone or jointly with others determines the purposes and means of the processing of Personal Data.
• "Data Processor" (or Service Provider) means any natural or legal person who processes the data on behalf of the Data Controller. It refers to third-party companies or individuals employed by the Company to facilitate the Service.
• "Consumer", for the purpose of the CCPA/CPRA (California Consumer Privacy Act / California Privacy Rights Act), means a natural person who is a California resident.

2. Offline-First & Local Storage Principles

Unlike traditional cloud-integrated applications, Velohide operates on an Offline-First core architecture:

• No Cloud Synchronization: We do not maintain remote storage servers to host, upload, or sync your private media files or notes.
• Local Authority: All decisions to add, move, view, edit, or delete files are executed exclusively by the local binaries installed on your Device.
• No Account Requirement: The Service does not require you to create an online user profile, register an email address, or link your social media profiles, thereby minimizing your digital footprint.
• Jetpack Compose UI Framework: The user interface of Velohide is built entirely using Jetpack Compose, running natively and locally on your Device. Screen rendering and user interactions are processed entirely on-device and are not tracked, collected, or uploaded to any remote server.

3. Types of Data Collected and Processed

While utilizing our Service, we process different categories of data under strict guidelines:

A. User-Vault Files (Your Personal Content)

This includes all images, videos, audio clips, text documents, and custom notes that you choose to import into the Velohide application.

• Storage Location: Saved in an isolated, hidden directory on your Device's public shared storage path (specifically /Pictures/.velohide/).
• Format Protection & Encryption: To ensure maximum privacy and security, all files are fully encrypted on-device using strong cryptographic standards (AES-CTR or ChaCha20, determined automatically by your Device's hardware capabilities).
• Integrity Verification: An integrity check is maintained for each file by appending a Keyed-Hash Message Authentication Code (HMAC-SHA256) signature to prevent unauthorized tampering.
• Obfuscation: Media files are obfuscated with a randomized filename and appended with a generic .dap extension to prevent native system indexers (like Google Photos or Gallery) from identifying or rendering them.
• Transmission: These files are NEVER transmitted over the internet or shared with us or any third party. They remain strictly under your physical control.

B. Access and Authentication Credentials

To prevent unauthorized access to your vault, the App utilizes PIN authentication and security recovery prompts.

• Hashed PINs: Your 6-digit access PIN is processed through the SHA-256 one-way cryptographic hashing algorithm. The resulting hexadecimal hash is saved locally in private SharedPreferences. The plain text PIN is never saved.
• Hashed Recovery Answers: Your security question answer is trimmed, converted to lowercase, and hashed using the SHA-256 algorithm.
• Cryptographic Key Management:
  • The App generates unique, local encryption keys on setup. These keys are used to encrypt and decrypt files in your vault.
  • The individual encryption keys are wrapped (encrypted) using a Master Key Encryption Key (KEK) stored securely in the hardware-backed Android Keystore system.
  • A secure local backup of these keys is saved in JSON format (keystore.json) inside the vault directory (/Pictures/.velohide/keystore.json) to allow recovery of your vault data if the application is uninstalled or cleared.
• Zero Server Storage: These credentials and keys remain locally stored on your Device. We do not have access to these hashes or keys on any remote server, meaning we cannot decrypt, recover, or bypass your credentials or files if they are lost.

C. Application Database & Local Metadata

To manage file structures and restore files to their exact original locations when unhidden:

• SQLite Database: A Room-based SQLite database stores local metadata including the original name, original path, hidden name, hidden path, file type, file size, insertion date, deletion status, and associated album information.
• Metadata JSON: A duplicate JSON-formatted cache (metadata.json) is maintained directly within the vault's physical folder to ensure metadata survivability even if the App's system database is cleared.

D. Third-Party Ads & Payment Verification Data

• Google AdMob Data: For users utilizing the free version, the Google Mobile Ads SDK (Next Gen) may automatically gather Device-specific parameters including, but not limited to, the Google Advertising ID (AAID), IP address, language settings, mobile carrier, battery level, hardware version, and diagnostic usage statistics.
• Billing Transactions: For premium subscribers, transaction tokens and subscription states are stored locally. All payment credentials, credit card details, billing addresses, and financial processing are handled entirely by Google Play Billing.

4. Device Permissions Required

To function effectively as a secure file locker, Velohide must request specific system permissions from your operating system. We utilize these permissions solely to provide the services described:

• READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE & WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE (Max SDK 32 / Max SDK 29): Essential on older Android versions to migrate files from your public folders to the vault and to write them back to public paths during restoration.
• READ_MEDIA_IMAGES, READ_MEDIA_VIDEO, & READ_MEDIA_AUDIO (Android 13+ / API 33+): Grants granular, platform-compliant access to import your specific media categories into the App.
• MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE (Android 11+ / API 30+): Grants permission to manage, relocate, and secure files outside the standard application directories, ensuring they survive App system data clears.
• INTERNET & ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE: Allows the App to retrieve advertisements from Google AdMob and query Google Play servers to verify premium license status.

5. Legal Basis for Processing under GDPR

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom (UK), the legal basis for processing your data is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We process your information under the following legal grounds:

• Performance of a Contract: The processing of your local files, PINs, and metadata is necessary to provide the security and file locker functionalities you requested by installing the App.
• Consent: For personalized advertisements displayed via Google AdMob (where applicable and prompted), processing is based on your explicit consent.
• Legitimate Interests: We process anonymous transaction states and diagnostic usage data to protect, analyze, and optimize our services.

6. Your Data Protection Rights (GDPR)

Under the GDPR, you have the following data protection rights. Because we do not collect your files or personal information on external servers, you can exercise these rights directly on your Device:

• The Right to Access and Portability: You have the right to access the files stored in your vault at any time. You can export or unhide your files back to your Device's public directories.
• The Right to Rectification: You can edit your notes and update your access PIN or security question settings at any time directly through the Settings screen.
• The Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): You can delete any files from your vault permanently. Deleting files from the vault (and subsequently emptying the Recycle Bin) permanently overwrites and deletes the data from your physical Device storage.
• The Right to Object or Restrict Processing: You can choose to upgrade to the Premium version to disable Google AdMob ad tracking and processing entirely.
• The Right to Withdraw Consent: You can revoke consent for personalized advertising in your Device settings (e.g., resetting your Advertising ID).
• The Right to Complain: You have the right to complain to a Data Protection Authority about our third-party SDK partners' collection and use of your Personal Data.

7. California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you are protected by the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the CPRA.

• We Do Not Sell or Share Your Personal Information: Velohide does not sell, lease, or share your personal data, media, or notes with any third parties for monetary or valuable consideration.
• Right to Know and Access: You have the right to know what categories of personal data we collect. As stated, we only collect local operational parameters and hashed safety question parameters.
• Right to Delete: You can delete all your data inside the App by deleting your hidden files or clearing the application data from your Android system settings.
• Right to Correct: You have the right to correct inaccurate personal info, which you can do by modifying your lock settings or file details inside the App.
• Right to Limit the Use of Sensitive Personal Information: We do not collect or process sensitive personal information for purposes other than providing the core security functions of the App.

8. Third-Party Services & Analytics Disclosure

The Service employs third-party developer libraries (SDKs). These third parties have access to specific diagnostic parameters to perform tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose:

• Google AdMob: Used to monetize the free version of the App. Google AdMob may collect and process pseudonymous identifiers to customize and measure ad performance. You can read their privacy policies here: https://policies.google.com/privacy
• Google Play Billing: Used for secure digital store transactions. The billing process is subject to the terms of the Google Play Terms of Service: https://play.google.com/intl/en_us/about/play-terms/
• Google Play In-App Review: Facilitates optional store ratings. Subject to Google's standard Android policies.
• Google Play In-App Updates: Utilizes Google Play Core Services to deliver critical security patches and feature updates directly within the application. This service processes device and application version information to ensure you receive the most secure and up-to-date experience, adhering to standard Google Play privacy protocols.

9. Recycle Bin (Trash) Retention Policy

To prevent accidental data loss, Velohide implements a local recycle bin.

• Retention Period: Deleted items are kept in a local /Trash folder for a default period of 30 days.
• Customization: Users can adjust this retention period in the Settings screen (e.g., 7 days, 15 days, 30 days) or disable the Recycle Bin entirely for immediate permanent deletion.
• Permanent Destruction: Once the retention window closes, the local database manager executes a permanent filesystem delete. These files cannot be recovered by the App once deleted from the Trash.

10. Data Security & Technical Controls

The security of your personal media files is our highest priority. We implement the following technical measures:

• Cryptographic Encryption: Unlike basic hiding or renaming mechanisms, Velohide performs full cryptographic encryption on your vault files using AES in Counter (CTR) mode or the ChaCha20 stream cipher, dynamically optimized for your Device's hardware-accelerated processing capabilities.
• Integrity Protection: A Keyed-Hash Message Authentication Code (HMAC-SHA256) signature is appended to each encrypted file to guarantee data integrity and detect any unauthorized file tampering.
• Hardware-Backed Security: Master key management is anchored to the Android Keystore system, utilizing hardware-backed storage (such as Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) or StrongBox/Secure Element) where available on your Device to prevent key extraction.
• Key Backup & Recovery: Encryption keys are backed up locally in a wrapped/JSON format (keystore.json) in your vault directory, enabling safe restoration after an app reinstallation.
• SHA-256 Hashing: Access PINs and security recovery answers are hashed with SHA-256. No plaintext passwords exist in the local database or settings.
• Access Isolation: The App enforces strict Android sandboxing rules, meaning other applications on your Device cannot read the private database or memory stored in the App's system folder.

11. Critical Uninstall & Device Reset Notice

12. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compatibility)

Our Service does not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided Personal Data to our third-party partners (such as Google AdMob), please contact us. If we become aware that we have collected Personal Data from anyone under the age of 13 without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to remove that information from our partner records.

13. International Data Transfers

Because we do not store user files on any cloud servers, your vault content never leaves your physical Device and is not subject to international data transfers.

However, our third-party advertising partner (Google AdMob) may transfer and store collected diagnostic data (such as Advertising IDs and IP addresses) on servers located outside your country of residence, including to the United States. Please refer to Google's Privacy Policy for information regarding their cross-border data transfer compliance mechanisms.

14. Legal Disclosures & Corporate Transactions

• Law Enforcement Requests: Since your files are stored locally on your Device, we do not possess your files, passwords, or hashes on any server. Consequently, we cannot comply with law enforcement requests to extract or decrypt your vault contents. Your data remains under your physical control and custody.
• Business Mergers: If the Company is involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your locally stored data remains unaffected and under your control. This Privacy Policy will apply to any updated versions of the App distributed after such an event.

15. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this document.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective immediately when they are posted on this page.

16. Contact Information & Redress

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

dairobi.dafa@gmail.com

* Developer Page: Official developer links on the Google Play Store.