Dear Paw

Dear Paw Privacy Policy

Effective Date: November 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to Dear Paw. Dear Paw is a service operated by StoryKeepers Limited ("StoryKeepers", "we", "our", or "us").

Dear Paw is a private space for people who have lost a pet, using artificial intelligence to generate simulated conversations based on information users choose to provide about their pets. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly.

This Privacy Policy explains:

  • what information we collect;
  • how we use and protect that information;
  • how long we retain it;
  • your rights regarding your information; and
  • how you may contact us regarding privacy matters.

By using Dear Paw, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

To provide the Dear Paw service, we collect only the information reasonably necessary for the operation of the Service.

2.1 Account Information

When you create an account, we may collect:

  • Email address
  • User ID
  • Encrypted password (Dear Paw never stores your password in plain text)
  • Subscription or billing information (where applicable)
  • Account creation date
  • Authentication and login information required to secure your account

2.2 Pet Information

To create a pet profile and provide AI-simulated conversations, Dear Paw collects the pet name and species you provide.

To personalise AI-simulated conversations about your pet, you may also voluntarily provide:

  • Breed
  • Gender
  • Age
  • Personality
  • Life stories
  • Memories
  • Photographs
  • Any other information you choose to provide

This information is used solely to personalise AI-simulated conversations and provide the conversation experience.

2.3 Conversation Records

Dear Paw temporarily stores your AI-simulated conversation records.

Conversation records may include:

  • Messages you send
  • AI-generated replies
  • Time and date of conversations
  • Technical information necessary to provide the Service

Conversation records are not stored permanently.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information only for purposes necessary to operate, maintain and protect Dear Paw.

These purposes include:

  • providing AI conversation services;
  • creating and maintaining your pet's AI personality;
  • maintaining system security;
  • diagnosing technical problems;
  • investigating abnormal AI behaviour;
  • responding to customer enquiries and complaints;
  • preventing fraud or misuse of the Service;
  • complying with applicable laws;
  • protecting the legal rights of Dear Paw and its users.

We process only the minimum amount of information reasonably required for these purposes.

4. How We Do NOT Use Your Information

Dear Paw is designed with privacy as a core principle.

Unless required by law, we do not use your information for:

  • training artificial intelligence models;
  • behavioural profiling;
  • marketing profiling;
  • targeted advertising;
  • advertising analytics;
  • commercial sale of user information;
  • analysing your conversations for marketing purposes.

Your conversations are not used to improve public AI models.

5. Conversation Retention and Deletion

1. Active conversation records are retained for as long as the conversation remains active.

2. When you start a new conversation, the previous conversation becomes a retired conversation. Retired conversations are generally retained for ninety (90) days from the date of retirement. After the retention period expires, conversation records are automatically deleted unless a longer retention period is required by law or reasonably necessary for:

  • investigation of customer complaints;
  • legal proceedings;
  • lawful requests by competent authorities;
  • ongoing system or security investigations.

Where legally permitted, conversation records retained for these purposes will be deleted once they are no longer required.

Starting a new conversation allows you to return to the previous conversation before the first message in the new conversation is accepted by the system. Once that message is accepted, the previous conversation is removed from your account and can no longer be viewed or restored. Removal from your account does not mean immediate permanent deletion from the backend: retired conversations remain subject to the retention arrangements above. Access by authorised personnel remains subject to the purposes and restrictions described under Access to Conversation Records.

3. When you delete your Dear Paw account yourself, the system starts the account-deletion process immediately after confirming your deletion request, without waiting for the ninety (90)-day retention period above. Active and retired conversations and their messages are also deleted through this process.

6. Conversation PDF

Dear Paw allows users to download their own conversation history as a PDF file.

Please note:

  • downloaded PDF files are stored by you, not by Dear Paw;
  • Dear Paw does not provide permanent cloud storage of conversation history;
  • users are responsible for safeguarding any downloaded PDF files.

7. Access to Conversation Records

Protecting the privacy of conversations is one of Dear Paw's core principles.

Dear Paw personnel do not routinely read user conversations.

Conversation records may only be accessed by authorised personnel where reasonably necessary for:

  • responding to a support request initiated by the user;
  • investigating technical problems;
  • investigating user complaints;
  • complying with legal obligations or lawful requests from competent authorities.

Access is restricted to authorised personnel with a legitimate operational need.

8. Third-Party Service Providers

Dear Paw may use one or more trusted third-party service providers to operate the Service.

These providers may include:

  • AI service providers
  • Authentication providers
  • Cloud hosting providers
  • Database providers
  • Email and communications service providers
  • Payment providers

Information shared with third-party providers is limited to what is reasonably necessary for them to perform their services.

Dear Paw does not authorise third-party providers to use your information for their own marketing purposes.

9. Disclosure of AI Processing

To provide AI-generated conversations, Dear Paw uses one or more trusted third-party AI service providers.

Accordingly:

  • User messages may be transmitted to a third-party AI service provider solely for the purpose of generating AI responses.
  • Dear Paw may change or replace its AI service provider(s) from time to time to improve the quality, security or reliability of the Service.
  • Dear Paw does not authorise AI service providers to use your conversation data to train publicly available AI models, subject to the applicable contractual commitments and data processing terms of the relevant provider.
  • Dear Paw shares only the information reasonably necessary for the AI service provider to generate responses and deliver the Service.

10. System Logs

To maintain the security and reliability of the Service, Dear Paw may retain technical system logs including:

  • System Logs
  • Security Logs
  • Error Logs

These logs are used solely for maintaining the Service, detecting security incidents and diagnosing technical problems.

They are not used for marketing or profiling.

11. Deleting Your Information

Users may delete:

  • individual pet profiles; or
  • their Dear Paw account.

You can request deletion of your own Dear Paw account through Delete Account. After you confirm the request and the system verifies that you are authorized to delete the account, the existing account-deletion process starts immediately, without waiting for the ninety (90)-day conversation retention period.

Through this process:

  • pet information will generally be permanently deleted unless retention is required by applicable law;
  • active and retired conversations and their messages will also be deleted.

Starting the process does not mean that deletion is completed instantly. Certain information may be retained where required by law or reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

12. International Services

Dear Paw provides services to users worldwide and uses third-party cloud hosting, database, artificial intelligence and payment service providers to operate the Service.

As a result, your personal information may be processed, stored or transferred in jurisdictions outside your country or region.

Where this occurs, Dear Paw will take reasonable measures to protect your personal information in accordance with applicable privacy and data protection laws.

13. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Dear Paw uses only technologies that are necessary to operate the Service.

These technologies may include authentication cookies or similar technologies required for:

  • secure login;
  • maintaining user sessions;
  • protecting account security.

Dear Paw does not use:

  • advertising cookies;
  • marketing cookies;
  • analytics cookies for behavioural tracking.

14. Analytics

Dear Paw respects user privacy.

Accordingly:

  • we do not analyse the content of your conversations for marketing purposes;
  • we do not build behavioural profiles of users;
  • we do not use your information for targeted advertising;
  • we do not use conversation data to train public AI models.

15. Crash Reporting

Dear Paw does not currently use any third-party crash reporting services.

Should this change in the future, this Privacy Policy will be updated accordingly.

16. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on the laws applicable to your jurisdiction, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information.

Subject to applicable legal requirements, you may have the right to:

  • access the personal information we hold about you;
  • request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information;
  • request deletion of your personal information;
  • object to or restrict certain processing activities where permitted by law;
  • withdraw consent where processing is based on your consent; and
  • request a copy of certain personal information in a portable format where required by applicable law.

Dear Paw will respond to legitimate requests within a reasonable period and in accordance with applicable laws.

Please note that certain information may continue to be retained where required by law or reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims, investigate security incidents, prevent fraud or comply with legal obligations.

17. Legal Basis for Processing

Dear Paw processes personal information in accordance with applicable privacy and data protection laws, including, where applicable, Hong Kong's Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486), the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and other applicable laws. Where applicable law requires a legal basis for processing, Dear Paw may rely on one or more of the following:

  • your consent;
  • the performance of a contract with you;
  • compliance with legal obligations;
  • the protection of vital interests where appropriate; and
  • Dear Paw's legitimate interests, including maintaining the security, stability and integrity of the Service, provided such interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights and freedoms.

Where consent is required by law, you may withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before such withdrawal.

18. Children's Privacy

Dear Paw is intended solely for individuals aged 18 years or above.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 18. If we become aware that an account has been created by, or personal information has been collected from, a person under the age of 18, we may suspend or terminate the account and take reasonable steps to delete the associated personal information, unless retention is required by applicable law.

If you believe that a person under the age of 18 has provided personal information to Dear Paw, please contact us so that we may investigate the matter.

19. Data Security

Dear Paw implements reasonable administrative, technical and organisational safeguards designed to protect personal information against accidental loss, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction.

These safeguards may include encryption, access controls, authentication mechanisms and security monitoring appropriate to the nature of the Service.

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure. Accordingly, while we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Users are encouraged to protect their account credentials and securely store any downloaded conversation PDF files.

20. Changes to this Privacy Policy

Dear Paw may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to:

  • our services;
  • applicable laws and regulations;
  • security practices; or
  • operational requirements.

Where required by applicable law, we will provide notice of material changes before they take effect.

The most current version of this Privacy Policy will always be available within Dear Paw and will supersede previous versions.

21. Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy, your personal information, or your privacy rights, please contact us at:

Dear Paw Email: support@dearpaw.app

We will endeavour to respond to legitimate privacy enquiries within a reasonable time and in accordance with applicable law.

— End of Privacy Policy —