This Policy explains what personal information TaoChi collects, how we use and share it, and the choices available to you. It applies to our website at taochi.net, related services and communications, including information submitted about another person.
1. About us
TaoChi is operated by TAOCHI TECHNOLOGY LIMITED (道吉科技有限公司). We are responsible for the personal information covered by this Policy. Our registered office is Unit 1405A, 14/F, The Belgian Bank Building, Nos. 721–725 Nathan Road, Mong Kok, Hong Kong.
For privacy questions or requests about your information, contact [email protected]. For general enquiries, contact [email protected]. You can also submit a support request without an account. Separately operated partner websites have their own privacy notices.
2. Information we collect
Account information: your email address or username, display name, password, language preference and communication choices. If you sign in with Google, we receive your Google account identifier and the profile and email information provided during sign-in, but not your Google password.
Reading information: the birth date, time, city or location and time-zone details, gender selection and optional name you provide, together with the charts, interpretations, comparison results and scores generated from them. If someone else submits your information with permission, we receive it from that person. Public-figure information used for comparisons comes from public biographical sources.
Content and transactions: mood and journal entries, community posts, support correspondence, and order, payment-status, access and redemption records. Payment providers handle card details; we do not receive full card numbers or card security codes.
Usage information: IP address, browser and device details, device and session identifiers, access times, error and security records, and actions such as generating a report or saving a journal entry. Where you allow website analytics, we also collect page views and feature interactions. Email delivery and engagement records are described in section 10.
Mood and journal entries are optional and stored with your account on our servers. They are not public, and journal text is not sent to the AI reading service. Journal usage records include the mood rating and whether you added text or tags, but not the text itself. A nickname is sufficient for readings; we do not need your street address or live GPS location. Please avoid entering identity-document numbers, card details or medical records in free-text fields.
3. How we use your information
We use account and reading information to provide the services you request: creating and managing your account, calculating charts, generating interpretations, saving reports and journals, and answering enquiries. Where EU or UK data protection law applies, we generally rely on performance of our contract with you or steps taken at your request before entering it. For information about another adult submitted for a comparison, we rely where appropriate on our legitimate interest in providing the authorised comparison, subject to that person’s rights.
We use technical and service records to protect accounts, prevent fraud and abuse, resolve faults, and assess service performance and feature use. This serves our legitimate interests in keeping the service secure, reliable and useful. You may object to processing based on legitimate interests as explained in section 9.
We use order and payment records to deliver purchased access, handle refunds and disputes, and meet accounting and other legal requirements. Depending on the purpose, we rely on performance of a contract, compliance with a legal obligation, or our legitimate interest in establishing or defending legal claims.
Optional website analytics and promotional emails are subject to your choices, and we rely on consent where required. We also use recorded purchases, access status and recent sign-ins to group accounts for relevant campaigns, relying where lawful on our legitimate interest in relevant communications. You may object to this grouping. Promotional emails are sent only to users who have opted in; section 10 explains email tracking.
Forms indicate the information required for each feature. Without the necessary birth details we may be unable to generate a reading; without account or contact information we may be unable to authenticate you or reply. Optional names, journals, website analytics and promotional emails are not required to use the core chart service.
4. AI-assisted readings
We use automated calculations and AI services to create personalised readings. AI service providers receive the chart details, report context and any identifying text included in that context needed to generate or translate your reading. We handle birth details and readings as personal information.
AI providers may process information outside your country, including in mainland China or the United States. Their retention of requests and any use for model improvement depend on the applicable service terms and processing arrangements. You can contact [email protected] for the provider, retention and data-use arrangements relevant to your reading.
Readings and scores are for entertainment and personal reflection. They are not verified assessments of your personality, health or future. We do not use them to decide eligibility for employment, credit, insurance, healthcare or other matters with legal or similarly significant effects.
5. Who receives your information
Hosting, storage and website security providers process information needed to deliver and protect the website, store account data and reports, and maintain the service. AI providers process the reading information described in section 4. Email delivery and customer support providers process contact details, message content and relevant delivery records. Access by our staff is limited to what they need for their work.
If you make a payment, the provider identified at checkout processes payment information and may use it independently to prevent fraud or meet legal obligations. If you use Google sign-in, Google processes your information under its own privacy policy. These services provide their own notices when you use them.
Community posts are visible to their intended audience. Reports and journals saved in your account are not made public by saving them. If you share a report or image outside TaoChi, recipients may keep or redistribute their copies.
We may disclose information to public authorities, professional advisers or other relevant parties where required by law, to establish or defend legal claims, or to protect people from harm. Information may also be transferred in a merger, acquisition or sale of the business, subject to applicable privacy requirements. We do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioural advertising. You can contact us for details of recipients relevant to your information.
6. International data transfers
We are based in Hong Kong and use international service providers. Depending on the service, your information may be processed in Hong Kong, Singapore, the United States, mainland China or other countries where the relevant providers operate. Data protection laws in those locations may differ from those where you live.
International transfers are subject to applicable data protection requirements. Where EU or UK law applies, transfers require a recognised legal mechanism, such as an applicable adequacy decision or approved contractual safeguards. Contact [email protected] to ask where your information is processed, which transfer arrangement applies, or to request a copy of relevant safeguards.
7. How long we keep information
Reports created without an account are normally available for seven days, after which they expire and are scheduled for deletion. Reports saved to an account do not have this seven-day limit. We keep account details, saved reports and journals for as long as needed to provide your account and the content you choose to retain. You may request deletion at any time.
We retain support and security records for as long as needed to resolve enquiries, investigate abuse and handle related claims. Order and financial records are kept for applicable accounting, tax and legal requirements. We retain limited opt-out records to respect your communication preferences. Retention depends on these purposes, legal requirements and the sensitivity of the information.
Temporary copies of AI-refined text are normally kept for 30 days. Saved reports and copies held by AI providers have separate retention arrangements. Backups and recovery archives may retain information after it has been removed from the live service. When handling a deletion request, we will explain any remaining retention, its purpose and the applicable deletion arrangements.
Logging out, clearing browser data or allowing paid access to expire does not delete information held in your account. To remove reports, birth profiles or journals, use an available deletion option or contact [email protected].
9. Your rights and choices
You can contact [email protected] or submit a support request to ask for access to your information, correction, deletion or account closure. Please identify the account or report concerned. We may request information reasonably needed to verify your identity or an agent’s authority. You do not need to sign in to make a request.
Where EU or UK data protection law applies, your rights may also include restricting processing, receiving a portable copy of your data, objecting to processing based on legitimate interests, withdrawing consent and challenging certain automated decisions. These rights are subject to the conditions in the applicable law. We normally respond within one month and will explain any permitted extension within that period.
Under Hong Kong’s Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, you may request access and correction. We handle requests within the applicable statutory periods, generally 40 days for an access request, and explain any lawful refusal or fee. Where US state privacy laws apply, you may also have rights to know, correct, delete or obtain a copy of information, opt out of specified uses, and appeal a refusal. Contact us through the same channels; applicable legal deadlines will apply.
Right to object to marketing: you may object at any time, without giving a reason, to direct marketing and related account grouping by contacting [email protected]. You can also unsubscribe from promotional emails using the link in the message. Where other processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting earlier lawful processing.
We will not penalise you for exercising your privacy rights. If deleting information needed for a feature means we can no longer provide that feature, we will explain this when handling your request.
10. Emails and communications
If you opt in, we use your contact details, language preference and relevant account group to send TaoChi updates and offers. You can unsubscribe without charge through the email link, available account preferences, or by contacting us. Essential account, security, purchase and support messages may still be sent after you unsubscribe.
We record delivery, bounce and complaint information to manage email delivery. Marketing emails may contain small tracking images and links that record whether and when a message is opened or a link is clicked. These records are associated with the recipient and help us evaluate campaigns. Email software may load images or links automatically, so these records may not reflect an actual reading or click.
Website privacy settings do not control email tracking, and our current email preferences do not offer a separate tracking choice. Blocking remote images in your email app may reduce open tracking but does not stop link-click tracking. Unsubscribing stops future promotions; tracking in messages already delivered may still operate. You can contact [email protected] about this processing or to exercise your rights.
11. Security and age requirements
We use encrypted connections, password protection and access controls to protect personal information. No method of online transmission or storage is completely secure. If you suspect a data security incident, contact [email protected]. We will investigate and notify affected people or regulators where required by law.
TaoChi is intended for adults aged 18 and over. Please do not submit information about anyone under 18. If you believe we hold such information, contact us so we can investigate and take appropriate steps to delete it or restrict its use, subject to any necessary legal retention.
12. Complaints
Please contact [email protected] if you have a concern about our handling of your information. If we decline a request, we will explain our reason and any available review, appeal or complaint route.
You may also complain directly to the relevant regulator. In Hong Kong, this is the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (pcpd.org.hk); in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk). In the EEA, you may complain to the supervisory authority where you live, work or where the alleged infringement occurred. You do not have to contact us before doing so, and any right to a judicial remedy remains available.
13. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy to reflect changes to our services, data practices or legal requirements. The latest version date appears above. We will notify you of material changes through the website or another appropriate channel and request consent before new processing where required.
The English version governs any differences with the Chinese translation, except where mandatory local law requires otherwise. Your statutory privacy and consumer rights are unaffected.