TalkToYou Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 2, 2026

1. Controller

Steam Engine Co., Ltd. ((주)스팀엔진), 4F, 8-22, Cheongna Emerald-ro 102beon-gil, Seo-gu, Incheon, Republic of Korea. Contact: contact@steamengine.kr.

2. What we collect

• Sign-up: name, email, country, date of birth (for 18+ verification), Korean level, preferred time zone. If you sign in with Apple or Google, we receive the name and email you share and an account identifier from that provider; we never see your Apple or Google password.
• Payments: processed by our payment providers (PayPal on the website, Apple App Store in the iOS app). We receive a transaction identifier and the pack you bought; we do not store card numbers.
• Sessions: video recordings (quality & safety purposes), attendance, feedback you submit
• In-app messages: the text of messages you exchange with tutors through our messaging feature, with the time sent and read status (see Section 8)
• Marketing (optional): whether you have agreed to receive Korean tips and offers from us by email, and when you agreed. You can change this at any time in your account settings.
• App notifications (optional): if you allow notifications in our iOS app, a push notification token for your device so we can send lesson reminders. You can turn this off in the app at any time.
• Advertising measurement (mobile apps): our iOS and Android apps include the Meta (Facebook) SDK so we can measure whether our ads led to an app install, sign-up, or purchase. On iOS this happens only if you allow it in the "Allow Tracking" prompt; if you decline, only aggregated, non-identifying install measurement (Apple SKAdNetwork) is used. On Android the SDK uses your device's advertising ID, which you can reset or delete in Android settings. With your permission the SDK may share your device advertising identifier and app events (app open, registration, purchase amount) with Meta Platforms. You can change this at any time in iOS Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking, or in Android Settings > Privacy > Ads. Lesson content and messages are never shared.

3. Why we process it

To deliver booked lessons (contract), verify age (legal obligation/legitimate interest), ensure safety and service quality (legitimate interest), operate in-app messaging between you and your tutors and review those messages for safety and compliance with our Terms (contract, legitimate interest), send booking emails (contract), and send marketing emails only with your consent (unsubscribe anytime).

4. Retention

• Account profile (name, email, date of birth, country, sign-in connections): erased when you delete your account
• Session recordings (made through our video conferencing provider): 90 days
• In-app messages: while your account is active. They are deleted when you delete your account, except that conversations connected to a report, safety incident or dispute are kept for up to 1 year after deletion and then deleted
• Booking and payment records: 5 years, as required by Korean e-commerce law. Once your account is deleted, these records no longer carry your name or email
• Push notification tokens: deleted when you turn notifications off, sign out, or delete your account
• After account deletion we keep a one-way hash (not the original value) of the email address and social sign-in identifier for up to 2 years, solely to prevent repeat use of one-time promotional credits. It cannot be used to identify or contact you.

5. Sharing

Service providers only (video conferencing, scheduling, payment, email tools), bound by data processing terms. The one exception is advertising measurement in our mobile apps (Section 2): with your permission, the Meta SDK shares your device advertising identifier and app events with Meta Platforms so we can measure our ads. We never sell personal data. Data may be processed in Korea and in the countries where our providers operate.

6. Your rights

Access, correction, deletion, and withdrawal of consent: email contact@steamengine.kr. You can also delete your account yourself from the Account screen in the app or on the website. If you are in the EU/UK, you additionally have GDPR rights including complaint to a supervisory authority; our legal bases are as described in Section 3.

7. Minors

The service is not available to anyone under 18. If we learn we hold a minor's data, we delete it.

8. In-app messages

TalkToYou includes a messaging feature that lets you exchange text messages with a tutor after you have completed a lesson with them, so you can plan your next conversation together. Please note:

• Stored on our servers. Messages are stored by TalkToYou and are visible to you, the tutor you are messaging, and authorized TalkToYou staff. They are not end-to-end encrypted and are not private between you and the tutor.
• Reviewed for safety. Messages are screened automatically for content that goes against our Terms and Code of conduct (for example, exchanging phone numbers, social media accounts or other contact details, or arranging to meet outside the platform), and flagged messages and conversations may be read by TalkToYou staff. We may also review messages to investigate a report, resolve a dispute, or respond to a legal request.
• Used only for the service. We use message content to operate the feature, keep the service safe, and enforce our Terms. We do not use your messages for advertising and we do not sell them.
• Limits. To keep the feature focused on lesson planning, the number of messages a learner can send to a tutor per day is limited.
• Your choices. Messaging is optional. Do not share passwords, payment details, or other sensitive information in messages. Your messages are deleted when you delete your account, as described in Section 4.