Kazoku — Privacy Policy

Last updated: 10 October 2026

Kazoku is a private messaging app ("Kazoku", "we", "us"). This policy explains what data we process and why. It covers the Kazoku mobile apps and the server that powers them.

Data we process

• Account data — your email, @username, display name and optional avatar.
• Messages & media — the text, photos, videos, files and voice messages you send. They are stored on our server so they can be delivered and shown across your devices.
• Calls — audio and video calls are encrypted between the two devices, and our servers do not record them.
• Device & push data — device name, platform, a per-install identifier and a push token (Google Firebase Cloud Messaging, Apple Push Notification service) used to notify you of new messages and calls.
• Contacts you add — the other Kazoku users you connect with inside the app. We do not read your phone's address book.
• Safety data — the people you block and the reports you send, so we can enforce blocks and review reports.
• Technical data — connection metadata such as IP address and timestamps, plus crash and basic usage diagnostics via Google Firebase (Crashlytics, Analytics) to keep the app working.

Encryption & who can access content

Your traffic is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS), and every message, photo, video and voice message is encrypted at rest on our server, each file under its own key. Like most messengers that keep your history in the cloud, Kazoku holds those keys on the server rather than on your device: that is what lets you search your whole history and sign in on a new phone to find everything already there, with no backup file or recovery key to look after. It also means that — unlike an end-to-end encrypted messenger — we are technically able to access content. We do that only as strictly needed to operate, secure or debug the service, or where the law requires it; never for advertising or profiling, and we never sell it.

Links you send

When a message or a note contains a link, our server opens that page to show a preview — its title, description and picture. The website receives an ordinary request from our server: it does not learn who sent the link or to whom. The preview is stored with the message, encrypted like the message itself.

Reports

When you report a person or a message, the report is sent to us together with the reported message — or, when you report a person from a chat, their most recent messages in that chat — so that we can review it. This shared content is stored encrypted and is used only to handle the report: to remove content and suspend accounts that break our Terms of Service.

How we use data

Only to run the service — to deliver and display your messages, media and calls, manage your account and devices, send push notifications, and keep the service secure and reliable. We do not sell your data and we do not use it for advertising.

Sharing

We share data only with the providers needed to run the app, and only what each of them needs:

• Hosting and storage providers — they run our servers and keep encrypted backup copies. The keys that open those copies are not stored with them.
• Google Firebase — push notifications (Cloud Messaging) and crash and usage diagnostics (Crashlytics, Analytics).
• Apple — push notifications on Apple devices, and Sign in with Apple if you choose that login method.
• Google Sign-In — if you choose that login method.
• An email delivery provider — it receives your email address to deliver the codes and service messages we send you.

We do not sell your data and do not share it for advertising. Beyond this list we disclose data only where the law requires it.

Retention & deletion

We keep your data while your account exists. You can delete your account yourself, at any time, directly in the app: Settings → your profile card → the gear icon in the top right → Delete account, then confirm. Deletion is immediate and permanent — no email, no waiting period, no approval step. You can also email us instead; both routes are described on Data deletion, which also lists exactly what is erased and what is kept in anonymised form. Encrypted backup copies made before a deletion may still hold the data until newer copies replace them.

Children

Kazoku is not directed to children under 13 (or the minimum age required in your country).

Changes

We may update this policy; the "last updated" date above reflects the current version.

Contact

Questions or requests: kazokusupport@gmail.com.