Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy (the "Policy") explains how CounselCat (hereinafter referred to as "Company", "we", "our", or "us") collects, uses, discloses, and protects your personal information when you use the CounselCat mobile application and related services (collectively, the "Service"). CounselCat is an AI-powered anonymous chat service that utilizes third-party artificial intelligence technologies to generate responses. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal information you share with us. This Policy will be effective on the 20th day of February, 2025.

1. Personal Data Collection

We collect personal data relating to you ("Personal Data") as follows:

1.1 Personal Data You Provide:

• Account Information: When you create an account with us, we collect information associated with your account, including your nickname, email address, and social login credentials (Apple ID, Google ID). If you use paid services, we may also collect payment and transaction history through third-party payment processors (collectively, "Account Information").
• User Content: We collect the text messages and other content you provide during sessions with our AI service ("User Content"). This includes your input text, conversation history, and any profile information you voluntarily provide such as your nickname, preferences, and interests. User Content is transmitted to third-party AI service providers to generate responses (see Section 3 for details).
• Communication Information: If you contact us for customer support or other inquiries via email or other channels, we may collect your contact information and the contents of your messages ("Communication Information").

1.2 Personal Data We Collect Automatically:

When you use our Service, we automatically collect the following information:

• Log Data: Your Internet Protocol (IP) address, operating system type and version, the date and time of your requests, and how you interact with our Service.
• Usage Data: Information about your use of the Service, such as features you use, actions you take, session duration, time zone, country, and dates and times of access.
• Device Information: Device name, operating system, device identifiers, and browser type.
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies and similar technologies to operate and administer our Service and improve your experience.

2. Purpose of Personal Data Collection and Use

We use your Personal Data for the following purposes:

2.1 Service Provision

• To provide AI-powered services by transmitting your User Content to third-party AI service providers and delivering their generated responses to you.
• User authentication, payment processing, service delivery, and communication regarding paid services.
• Service improvement through usage pattern analysis and personalization based on user preferences and interests.

2.2 Member Management

• Verification of membership registration, age verification, user identification, and processing of membership withdrawals.
• Protection of user rights and service integrity through enforcement of terms of service, prevention of unauthorized access and fraudulent transactions, delivery of policy updates, and handling of user complaints.

2.3 Service Development and Marketing

• Development of improved and new services based on usage patterns, access frequency analysis, and service statistics.
• Distribution of event information, promotional opportunities, and advertising materials.

2.4 Safety and Compliance

• To prevent fraud, illegal activity, or misuse of our Service, and to protect the security of our systems and Service.
• To comply with legal obligations and protect the rights, privacy, safety, or property of our users, the Company, or third parties.

3. Third-Party AI Service Providers

CounselCat uses third-party artificial intelligence (AI) service providers to power its AI features. When you use our service, the following data is transmitted to these providers:

3.1 Data Transmitted to AI Providers

• Your conversation text (messages you send and receive during sessions)
• Profile information you have provided (such as nickname and preferences) to enable personalized responses

3.2 AI Service Providers

We currently use the following third-party AI service providers:

3.3 How AI Providers Process Your Data

• Your data is transmitted to AI providers via their APIs solely for the purpose of generating responses in real time.
• We use API configurations that do not permit AI providers to use your data for training their models.
• Each AI provider processes data in accordance with their respective privacy policies linked above. We encourage you to review these policies.

3.4 Important Notice

• AI-generated responses are not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice. The Service is intended for general wellness and self-help purposes only.
• While we take reasonable measures to protect your data, please be mindful of the sensitive nature of information you share during sessions.

4. Disclosure of Personal Data

We may disclose your Personal Data in the following circumstances:

• Vendors and Service Providers: To assist us in providing and maintaining the Service, we may disclose Personal Data to vendors and service providers, including cloud hosting providers, AI service providers (as described in Section 3), payment processors, analytics providers, and customer support tools. These parties process Personal Data only as instructed by us and in accordance with this Policy.
• Business Transfers: If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, reorganization, bankruptcy, or sale of assets, your Personal Data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change and any choices you may have regarding your Personal Data.
• Government Authorities or Other Third Parties: We may share your Personal Data with government authorities or other third parties if required by law, to protect our legal rights, to detect or prevent fraud, or to protect the safety and security of our users or the public.
• Anonymized Data: We may share aggregated or de-identified data that cannot be used to identify you for statistical, academic research, or market research purposes.

5. Data Processing Delegation and Cross-Border Transfer

To provide and improve our Service, we entrust the processing of Personal Data to the following third-party service providers, some of which are located outside your country of residence:

You may object to the cross-border transfer of your Personal Data by contacting us at contact@counselcat.com. However, please note that if you object to such transfers, you may not be able to use some or all features of the Service.

6. Retention of Personal Data

We retain your Personal Data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law.

• Upon account termination, service discontinuation, or user request for data deletion, Personal Data will be permanently destroyed in a manner that prevents recovery or reconstruction.
• Users may request deletion of their Personal Data at any time by sending an email to contact@counselcat.com. We will process such requests within 5 business days of receipt.
• Electronic files will be permanently deleted using secure technical measures, and physical documents will be destroyed through shredding or incineration.

The following information is retained in accordance with applicable laws:

7. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your Personal Data:

1. Access and Correction: You may access and modify your registered Personal Data at any time through the "Settings" menu in the app. For additional corrections, you may contact us by email.
2. Deletion: You may request deletion of your Personal Data or account termination at any time. The Company may deny such requests only for legitimate reasons of public interest, and will notify you of the reason and appeal process within 10 days.
3. Restriction and Objection: You may request restriction of processing or object to the processing of your Personal Data.
4. Data Portability: You may request to receive your Personal Data in a structured, commonly used format.
5. Withdrawal of Consent: Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time.
6. Children's Rights: For users under the age of 14, their legal representatives have the right to access, modify, and withdraw consent for the collection and use of the child's Personal Data.

When a user requests correction of inaccurate Personal Data, such information will not be used or disclosed until the correction is completed.

Denial of access may occur where access is prohibited or restricted by law, or where there is reasonable concern that granting access would endanger life, physical safety, or unfairly infringe upon the rights of third parties.

8. Security

We implement commercially reasonable technical, administrative, and organizational measures to protect your Personal Data from loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include encryption of data in transit, access controls, and regular security reviews. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Children

Our Service is not directed to children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect Personal Data from children under 13. If you believe that a child under 13 has provided us with Personal Data, please contact us at contact@counselcat.com, and we will take steps to delete such information.

10. International Data Transfers

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), South Korea, or other jurisdictions with data protection laws, please be aware that your Personal Data may be transferred to and processed in the United States and other countries where our AI service providers and cloud infrastructure are located. These countries may not provide the same level of data protection as your home country. By using our Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to these countries as described in this Policy.

11. Personal Information Protection Officer

The Company has designated a Personal Information Protection Officer to handle inquiries and complaints regarding users' Personal Data:

• Name: Minsik Kim
• Email: contact@counselcat.com

For additional support regarding personal information protection, you may contact the following organizations:

• Personal Information Infringement Report Center (privacy.kisa.or.kr / dial 118)
• Supreme Prosecutors' Office Cyber Investigation Division (spo.go.kr / dial 1301)
• National Police Agency Cyber Safety Bureau (cyberbureau.police.go.kr / dial 182)

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

Any additions, deletions, or modifications to this Privacy Policy will be announced at least 7 days prior to implementation. For significant changes affecting user rights, such as modifications to the types of information collected or purposes of use, notice will be provided at least 30 days in advance, and user consent will be obtained where required.

Last Updated: February 20, 2026