Privacy Policy

Hot Forge Studio publishes Globo. For privacy questions, email contact@hotforgestudio.com.

Globo is a camera-first travel app. You photograph a place in front of you; we identify it (using the photo and your location) and show its history, audio, and a map of what you have discovered.

Scan photo and visual embedding. When you capture a place, the photo is sent to our identification service. We compute a visual embedding (a numerical fingerprint of the image) and use it, together with your scan-time location, to recognise the landmark. The raw photo is processed for that request and is not kept as a long-term photo library on our servers. Your scan photo stays on your device for the place card you see in the app.

When a scan matches a place with sufficient confidence, we may store the embedding with the scan-time coordinates (and compass heading when available), linked to that place and to your account identifier (including guest / anonymous accounts). Stored embeddings help Globo recognise the same places more reliably for you and other users. They are not your original photograph and cannot be played back as an image.

Location. Precise location at the moment of a scan is required to identify the place you are standing at. We also use location, if you allow it, to show nearby stories and map your discoveries.

Account. Guests can use Globo under an anonymous account identifier. If you create an account, we store the email and authentication details you provide so you can sign in on another device. Signing in keeps your discoveries under the same identifier.

Discoveries you save. Places you scan, favourites, and related history can be stored on your device and synced to our backend so they survive a reinstall or a sign-in on another device.

Purchases. Globo Pro is sold through Apple, Google, and our subscription partner (RevenueCat). We receive an entitlement (whether you have Pro), not your full card number.

Anonymous product analytics (navigation data). Unless you opt out, we collect first-party usage events so we can understand how people move through the app: screens viewed, onboarding steps, scan started / succeeded / failed (with place ids and timing codes, not photos), audio play, saves, and similar product actions. Events include a rotating session id (not a permanent device or advertising id), platform (iOS/Android), app version, UI language, and whether the account is anonymous. We do not send photos, GPS coordinates, email, names, free-text messages, or advertising identifiers in this analytics stream. There is no third-party advertising or cross-app tracking SDK in Globo. You can turn this off anytime in the app under Settings → About → Share usage data.

Optional permissions. Camera is needed to scan. Location is needed to identify the place. Notifications are optional. Saving a capture to your camera roll is optional and stays on your device unless you share it yourself.

Device diagnostics. We may receive basic technical data (app version, OS, crash logs) to keep the app working. We do not sell your data to advertisers.

To provide the scan, history, audio, and map features you ask for; to maintain your account and Pro subscription; to improve place recognition (via stored visual embeddings); to understand anonymous product usage and improve reliability; and to comply with law. Where GDPR applies, we rely on performance of the contract (providing the app), your consent for optional permissions and for Share usage data when required, and legitimate interests in keeping the service secure and improving identification quality.

We share information only with providers that help us run Globo: hosting and database, the scan identification service, and Apple, Google, and RevenueCat for payments. Product analytics stay in our first-party infrastructure. We do not sell personal information.

Account and synced discoveries are kept while your account is active. Raw scan photos are not retained as a user photo archive. Visual embeddings linked to matched places may be kept to improve recognition. Product analytics events are pruned after about 180 days. You can delete places in the app. You can request account deletion as described below; when an account is deleted, analytics rows lose their user link and remain only as anonymous aggregates where retained.

Depending on where you live, you may request access, correction, deletion, or a copy of your data, or object to certain processing. Email contact@hotforgestudio.com. EU/UK users may also contact their local data-protection authority. You can withdraw camera, location, notification, and photos permission in your device Settings, and opt out of Share usage data in the app.

You can delete places from your library in the app. To delete your Globo account and associated server-side data, email contact@hotforgestudio.com from the address on the account with the subject “Delete my Globo account”. We will complete the request within a reasonable period, unless we must keep limited records (for example a purchase receipt) that the stores already hold.

Globo is not directed at children under 13 (or 16 where a higher digital-consent age applies). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.

Our providers may process data in the EU and other countries. Where we transfer data out of the EEA/UK, we use appropriate safeguards required by law.

We may update this policy. The date at the top will change. Continued use after an update means you accept the revised policy.