Privacy policy.
Last Updated: April 7, 2025
This Privacy Policy describes how Toothpik, Inc. ("Toothpik," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and shares your personal information when you use our Toothpik mobile application (the "App"). By using the App, you consent to the data practices described in this policy.
1. Information We Collect
We collect the following types of information when you use the1 App:
User-Provided Information:
Uploaded Images: When you take or upload images of items for identification, these images are collected and stored by us.
Account Information (Optional): If you create an account, we may collect your name, email address, or other contact information.
Feedback and Support Requests: If you contact us for support or provide feedback, we may collect your name, email address, and the content of your communication.
Automatically Collected Information:
Device Information: We may collect information about your device, including the device model, operating system, unique device identifiers2 (such as Advertising ID), and mobile network information.
Usage Information: We may collect information about how you use the App, such as the features you3 use, the frequency and duration of your usage, and the actions you take within the App.
Location Information (Optional): With your consent, we may collect your device's location information to enhance certain features (e.g., suggesting local recycling centers). You will be asked for explicit permission before we collect precise location data.
Log Data: Our servers automatically record certain information in log files, including your IP address, browser type, referring/exit pages, and timestamps.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
Providing and Improving the App:
To identify whether an item in an image is recyclable, compostable, or trash.
To continuously improve the accuracy of our object detection model through training using uploaded images.
To personalize your experience within the App.
To provide technical support and respond to your inquiries.
To monitor and analyze usage trends to improve the functionality and design of the App.
To debug and troubleshoot issues with the App.
Communication:
To send you important notices and updates about the App.
To respond to your feedback and support requests.
With your consent, to send you promotional materials or information about new features (you can opt-out of these communications at any time).
Research and Development:
To conduct research and analysis to improve our AI model and develop new features and functionalities.
Legal Compliance:
To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.
To enforce our Terms of Service.
To protect our rights, property, or safety, and the rights, property, or safety of our users and others.
3. Sharing Your Information
We may share your information with third parties in the following circumstances:
Service Providers: We may share your information with third-party service4 providers who assist us in operating,5 providing, and improving the App (e.g., cloud hosting providers, analytics providers, customer support services). These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.
Business Transfers: If6 we are involved in a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, bankruptcy, or other corporate transaction, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or a prominent notice in the App of any change in ownership or uses of your personal information,7 as well as any choices you may have regarding your personal information.8
Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to a valid legal9 process, such as a court order or subpoena.
Protection of Rights: We may disclose your information when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, property,10 or safety, or the rights, property, or safety of our users or others.11
Aggregated and Anonymized Data: We may share aggregated and anonymized data that does not directly identify you with third parties for12 research, analytics, or other purposes.
Regarding Uploaded Images for Model Training:
We may use the images you upload to train our AI model to improve its accuracy in identifying recyclable, compostable, and trash items.
We may anonymize or aggregate these images to remove personally identifiable information before using them for model training.
By using the App, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, reproduce, modify, and process the images you upload for the purpose of improving and providing the Toothpik App, including model training.
4. Your Rights and Choices
Depending on your location and applicable data protection laws, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including:13
Right to Access: You may have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you.
Right to Rectification: You may have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate14 or incomplete personal information.
Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): In certain circumstances, you may have the right to request that we delete your personal information.
Right to Restriction of Processing: You may have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information15 in certain circumstances.16
Right to Data Portability: You may have the right to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to17 transmit that data to another controller.
Right to Object: You18 may have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances, such as for direct marketing purposes.19
Right to Withdraw Consent: If we are processing your personal information based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw your20 consent at any time.
To exercise these rights, please contact us21 at discover@toothpik.co. We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling your request.22
5. Data Security
We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include23 secure storage and access controls. However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security24 of your information.
6. Data Retention
We will retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes25 outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. The retention26 period for specific types of data may vary depending on the purpose of processing. For uploaded images used for model training, we may retain them for an extended period to continuously improve our algorithms, subject to our anonymization practices where applicable.
7. Children's Privacy
The App is not intended for children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children27. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us28 at discover@toothpik.co, and we will take steps to delete such information.
8. Links to Other Websites and Services
The App may contain links to other websites or services that are not operated by us. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party websites or services. We encourage you to review their29 privacy policies before providing30 them with any personal information.
9. International Data Transfers
Your personal information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence,31 which may have data protection laws that are different from the laws in your country. By using the App, you consent to the transfer of your personal information to these countries. We will take steps to ensure that your personal information is protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection32 laws.
10. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our data practices or applicable33 laws. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated Privacy Policy within the App or by other34 means, such as email. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy indicates when the latest changes were made. Your continued use of35 the App after the posting of the revised Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the changes.36
11. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us37 at:
Toothpik, Inc.
discover@toothpik.co