Privacy Policy

Effective September 1, 2026Last updated October 3, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Flame Industries Inc., a Delaware corporation doing business as Chow (“Chow,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), collects, uses, discloses, retains, and protects personal information when you use the Chow mobile application, website, and related services collectively referred to as the “Services.”

This Privacy Policy applies worldwide, subject to additional rights that may apply under the laws where you live.

By using the Services, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy. Your use of the Services is also governed by our Terms of Service.

Where applicable law requires consent for a particular use of personal information, we will request that consent separately.

1. Who We Are

Flame Industries Inc. is the entity responsible for Chow and, where applicable, acts as the controller of personal information collected through the Services.

Our mailing address is:

Flame Industries Inc.
Attn: Chow Privacy
7901 4th St N, STE 300
St. Petersburg, FL 33702
United States

You may also contact us through the privacy or support contact published within Chow or on our website.

2. Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on how you use Chow and which features you enable.

A. Account and Identity Information

When you create or manage a Chow account, we may collect:

  • name;
  • email address;
  • account identifier;
  • profile information;
  • authentication information;
  • login provider;
  • account creation date;
  • account settings;
  • subscription status; and
  • other account-related information.

If you use Sign in with Apple, Google Sign-In, or another authentication service, the provider may send us information associated with your account according to the permissions and privacy settings you select.

For example, Apple may provide a relay email address instead of your personal email address.

B. Meal-Planning and Preference Information

To personalize Chow, we may collect information you provide regarding:

  • preferred grocery stores;
  • household size;
  • grocery budget;
  • food preferences;
  • disliked foods;
  • favorite foods;
  • preferred cuisines;
  • preferred meal types;
  • cooking preferences;
  • appliances;
  • serving preferences;
  • dietary preferences;
  • dietary restrictions;
  • allergies;
  • intolerances;
  • ingredients you wish to avoid;
  • meal-planning goals; and
  • other personalization choices.

Some dietary, allergy, intolerance, or health-oriented preferences may be considered sensitive or health-related personal information under certain laws.

C. Recipes, Meals, Grocery Lists, and User Content

We may collect information that you create, save, import, upload, or submit through Chow, including:

  • recipes;
  • ingredient lists;
  • recipe links;
  • recipe text;
  • screenshots;
  • photographs;
  • meal plans;
  • grocery lists;
  • recipe notes;
  • user-created recipes;
  • saved meals;
  • cooking preferences;
  • recipe-import data;
  • prompts or instructions sent to AI systems;
  • information extracted from third-party webpages or content at your request; and
  • information you choose to share with other people.

If you use recipe import, the material you submit may include a link to a public Instagram or TikTok post, a link to another public webpage, or recipe text you paste yourself.

Screenshots you select for import are read on your device. The text is extracted locally and the image itself is not uploaded to Chow.

Chow does not fetch or read direct messages from Instagram, TikTok, or any other platform.

If you share a grocery list or join someone else’s, the other people on that list can see the first name or display name you give, the items on the list, including items added from your meal plan and items or notes you type, and activity on the list such as items being checked off. Because items from your meal plan can appear on a shared list, the list may reflect your food preferences or dietary restrictions. People can join a shared list in the Chow app or on our website through an invitation link; a person who joins on our website gives a first name and does not need a Chow account.

If you open a Chow shared-list invitation on an iPhone that does not have Chow, iOS may open the Chow App Clip, a small part of the app that shows only that list; it handles the first name you give, the anonymous identifier we create for you, the list and its items, and our product analytics and crash reports as this policy describes for the app, it has none of our advertising or attribution tools, and installing Chow replaces it.

If you use Siri or Shortcuts to add items to your grocery list, Apple processes your voice request under Apple’s own privacy terms. Chow receives only the resulting text, which it handles like any item you type.

D. Location and Store Information

Depending on the features you use, we may collect:

  • ZIP or postal code;
  • city;
  • country;
  • selected grocery-store location;
  • approximate location;
  • IP-derived location; or
  • device location where you grant operating-system permission.

If Chow requests precise device location, we will request applicable operating-system permission before collecting it.

You can generally control device-location access through your device settings.

E. Subscription and Purchase Information

If you purchase a Chow subscription through Apple’s App Store or another marketplace, we may receive information such as:

  • subscription status;
  • subscription product;
  • transaction identifier;
  • purchase date;
  • renewal date;
  • trial status;
  • expiration date;
  • refund status;
  • revenue or transaction metadata; and
  • anonymized or pseudonymous identifiers associated with the purchase.

Payment-card information for App Store purchases is generally processed by Apple rather than Chow.

We generally do not receive your full payment-card number for App Store purchases.

F. Communications

If you contact us, participate in a survey, report a problem, request support, or otherwise communicate with Chow, we may collect:

  • your contact information;
  • the contents of your communication;
  • support history;
  • attachments;
  • feedback;
  • survey responses; and
  • related metadata.

G. Device and Technical Information

We and our service providers may automatically collect:

  • device type;
  • operating system;
  • operating-system version;
  • app version;
  • device language;
  • country or region;
  • IP address;
  • device or installation identifiers;
  • advertising identifiers where permitted;
  • network information;
  • crash information;
  • diagnostic data;
  • performance information;
  • session information; and
  • technical logs.

H. Usage and Analytics Information

We may collect information about how you interact with Chow, including:

  • screens viewed;
  • features used;
  • buttons tapped;
  • onboarding steps completed;
  • recipes opened;
  • meals saved;
  • grocery lists created;
  • subscription screens viewed;
  • paywall interactions;
  • trial events;
  • purchase events;
  • app opens;
  • session duration;
  • referring source;
  • campaign attribution;
  • installation attribution;
  • conversion events; and
  • other product-usage events.

I. Advertising and Attribution Information

Where permitted by law and applicable platform rules, we or our advertising and attribution providers may process:

  • device identifiers;
  • advertising identifiers;
  • IP address;
  • campaign identifiers;
  • installation events;
  • app-open events;
  • signup events;
  • subscription or purchase events;
  • attribution information;
  • advertising interactions;
  • referral source;
  • when you allow tracking, hashed (irreversibly scrambled) contact details, currently your account email address and first name, used by Meta to match advertising events to its own records; and
  • similar measurement information.

We do not send allergy information, dietary restrictions, meal-planning answers, private recipe content, precise location information, or free-form text as advertising-event data to AppsFlyer or Meta.

J. Information From Third Parties

We may receive personal information from:

  • Apple;
  • Google;
  • authentication providers;
  • app marketplaces;
  • analytics providers;
  • attribution providers;
  • subscription-management providers;
  • advertising partners;
  • retailers;
  • grocery or delivery integrations;
  • customer-support providers;
  • fraud-prevention providers; and
  • other services you choose to connect.

K. Referral Program Information

If you enroll in the Chow Referral Program or claim a reward under it, we collect your confirmation that you are at least 18 and a resident of the United States, the referral code we issue to you, if any, and the PayPal email address you provide for payouts. When someone claims a referral code, or, where the Referral Program Terms provide for it, joins a shared grocery list in the Chow app through your invitation link, we record that it happened, when, and whether it led to a qualifying subscription. We use PayPal to send payouts, so PayPal receives your PayPal email address and the payout amount. Through the Program, a referrer sees only their own referral counts and reward amounts, never the account details of the people they referred, and a referred member never sees the referrer’s. People on a shared grocery list do see each other’s names on the list, as described in section 2.C. The Referral Program Terms describe the Program.

3. How We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information to:

  • create and manage your Chow account;
  • authenticate you;
  • provide meal-planning features;
  • generate recipes;
  • generate meal plans;
  • generate grocery lists;
  • import recipes from links or text you submit;
  • convert imported source material into a structured recipe;
  • personalize recommendations;
  • remember your preferences;
  • identify relevant grocery stores;
  • estimate grocery costs;
  • provide store-specific planning;
  • process or verify subscriptions;
  • administer free trials;
  • provide customer support;
  • troubleshoot problems;
  • maintain the Services;
  • secure accounts and systems;
  • detect fraud or abuse;
  • monitor service performance;
  • understand how features are used;
  • improve onboarding;
  • improve product design;
  • develop new features;
  • conduct internal analytics;
  • measure marketing campaigns;
  • attribute installs or subscriptions to advertising campaigns;
  • build Instacart shopping pages you request, and receive affiliate commissions on resulting orders;
  • communicate service-related information;
  • send marketing communications where permitted;
  • send push notifications where permitted;
  • comply with legal obligations;
  • establish, exercise, or defend legal claims;
  • enforce our Terms;
  • protect Chow, our users, and third parties; and
  • otherwise operate our business in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy.

4. Artificial Intelligence Processing

Chow uses artificial intelligence and automated systems to provide certain features.

When you request an AI-powered feature, information reasonably necessary to fulfill that request may be transmitted to an AI service provider.

This may include:

  • meal preferences;
  • dietary preferences;
  • ingredients;
  • recipe information;
  • household information;
  • grocery-planning information;
  • prompts;
  • text;
  • images; and
  • other information you intentionally submit for processing.

AI providers may include services provided by OpenAI, Google, or other providers we select.

We seek to limit information transmitted to AI providers to information reasonably necessary to provide requested features.

You should not intentionally submit unnecessary confidential information, government identifiers, financial account information, passwords, or other highly sensitive information into AI prompts or recipe-import fields.

AI systems are used to provide meal-planning and related features and are not used by Chow to make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning you.

Recipe Imports From Links, Social Posts, and Pasted Text

Recipe import is a feature you start by submitting a link or recipe text. Submitting an import sends that content for the processing described below.

When you submit an import, Chow may send:

  • the link you submitted to Supadata, which returns the public post’s caption text, the author name shown on the post, and a thumbnail image address; and
  • that caption text, and any recipe text you pasted, to the Google Gemini API, operated by Google LLC, which converts it into a structured recipe.

Chow does not download or store the source video. Chow uses the paid Gemini API tier. Each provider’s independent handling of the information it receives is governed by its own terms and privacy policy: Supadata Privacy Policy, Supadata Terms, Gemini API Terms, and the Google Privacy Policy.

A recipe created by an import is private to your account. Chow does not publish it and does not make it visible to other Chow members.

Chow does not send the link you submitted or the recipe text you submitted to any analytics provider.

Chow keeps the raw copy of the retrieved or pasted source text on its servers for up to 30 days, so that an import can be retried, resumed, or supported. It is deleted automatically after that period. The recipe produced from it is kept until you delete it or delete your account.

Your Choices for Recipe Imports

You choose whether to submit an import. Submitting a link or recipe text sends it for the processing described above; keeping the content outside Chow remains an option.

You can delete a terminally failed or unrecognized import from within Chow. The current app does not offer deletion of a queued or running import from the import detail screen. You can delete a recipe created from an import after it has been saved.

Deleting your Chow account deletes your recipe imports and the recipes created from them, subject to the exceptions described in the Account Deletion section below.

5. Health-Related and Sensitive Information

Certain information you voluntarily provide may reveal or suggest health-related information, including:

  • food allergies;
  • food intolerances;
  • medical dietary restrictions;
  • pregnancy-related dietary preferences;
  • dietary goals; or
  • other health-oriented food preferences.

Precise geolocation may also be considered sensitive personal information under some laws.

We use this information primarily to provide the features you request, personalize Chow, improve safety, and operate the Services.

We do not sell health-related preference information for money.

We do not use allergy information, medical dietary information, or precise geolocation to create advertising profiles or to provide targeted advertising.

We do not send those categories, meal-planning answers, private recipe content, or free-form text as advertising-event data to AppsFlyer or Meta.

We require our systems and advertising implementation to be configured consistently with these commitments.

If you are a Washington resident, please also review our Washington Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy for additional disclosures and rights under the Washington My Health My Data Act.

6. How We Disclose Personal Information

We may disclose personal information in the circumstances described below.

A. Service Providers

We may disclose information to vendors that perform services for us, including:

  • cloud hosting;
  • databases;
  • authentication;
  • subscription management;
  • paywall management;
  • analytics;
  • attribution;
  • artificial intelligence;
  • customer support;
  • email delivery;
  • push notifications;
  • security;
  • fraud prevention;
  • error monitoring; and
  • infrastructure.

These providers process information for purposes related to providing services to Chow.

B. Current Technology Providers

Our technology stack may include providers such as:

Supabase
Used for backend infrastructure, databases, authentication, storage, or related application services.

RevenueCat
Used to manage and analyze subscriptions, entitlements, trial status, and app-purchase information.

Superwall
Used to display, manage, test, and analyze subscription paywalls and purchase flows.

AppsFlyer
Used for installation attribution and app-activity measurement using pseudonymous Chow account and device or installation identifiers, with consent-controlled advertising-event sharing through the Meta integration described in section 7.

PostHog
Used for product analytics, feature usage, funnels, and application-performance analysis.

Meta
Chow uses the AppsFlyer partner integration to share permitted attribution and conversion information with Meta for advertising measurement and optimization, subject to the tracking controls described in section 7.

OpenAI
May process information required to provide AI-powered recipe, meal-planning, grocery-planning, or related functionality.

Supadata
Used to retrieve publicly available information about a social-media post you submit for recipe import, including the caption text, the author name shown on the post, and a thumbnail image address. Its independent handling of that information is governed by the Supadata Privacy Policy and Supadata Terms.

Google
May provide authentication, AI, analytics, infrastructure, or other services depending on the Chow feature being used. This includes the Google Gemini API, which converts recipe text you submit for import into a structured recipe. Google’s independent handling of that information is governed by the Gemini API Terms and the Google Privacy Policy.

Apple
Provides App Store distribution, subscription billing, Sign in with Apple, device platform functionality, and other services.

Cloudflare
Used to host our website, including shared grocery list pages, and to store and deliver images such as recipe photos.

PayPal
Used to send Referral Program payouts. PayPal receives the payout email address and amount and handles them under its own privacy statement.

We may change providers as our Services evolve.

C. Authentication Providers

When you choose Apple or Google authentication, we exchange limited information necessary to authenticate your account.

D. Advertising, Attribution, and Analytics Partners

We may disclose device, activity, conversion, attribution, or usage information to analytics, advertising, or measurement providers.

Depending on applicable law and how these services are configured, disclosures to advertising partners may be considered:

  • targeted advertising;
  • cross-context behavioral advertising;
  • “sharing”; or
  • a “sale”

even if Chow does not receive money in exchange for the information.

We provide rights to opt out where required by law.

E. Retailers and Third-Party Integrations

If you choose to connect Chow to a retailer, grocery-delivery service, shopping service, or other third-party integration, we may transmit information at your direction to complete the requested action.

For example, we may transmit:

  • grocery-list items;
  • quantities;
  • selected store;
  • delivery-area information; or
  • other information necessary for the integration.

The third party’s own privacy policy governs its independent processing of information once transferred to it.

Instacart
When you tap “Shop on Instacart” on your grocery list or “Shop ingredients” on a recipe, Chow’s servers send Instacart the items needed to build a shopping page: ingredient names, quantities, and the item text you saw in Chow. For a recipe, Chow also sends its title, steps, and number of servings. For a Chow catalog recipe, it also sends the address of the recipe’s photo on Chow’s image server. For a recipe you created or imported, Chow sends no photo, but its title, steps, and ingredients are sent. The request may also name the grocery chain you selected in Chow. Your grocery list is shaped by the preferences you gave Chow, so it may reflect your dietary restrictions or allergies. Chow does not send the restrictions or allergies themselves.

Chow does not send Instacart your name, email address, Chow account identifier, device or advertising identifier, IP address, or location. Instacart returns a link, and your device opens it. From then on you are on Instacart’s website or app, and Instacart collects information under the Instacart Privacy Policy.

Instacart affiliate program and Impact.com
Chow takes part in Instacart’s affiliate program, which is run through Impact.com. Chow may earn a commission when you place an Instacart order through a link opened from Chow. You pay nothing extra. The links Instacart creates carry tracking parameters that identify Chow as the referring partner, not you. When you open a link, Instacart and Impact.com may use cookies, IP addresses, device information, and order details to attribute the order to Chow and to prevent fraud, under the Instacart Privacy Policy and the Impact.com Privacy Policy. Chow places no Impact.com software, pixel, or cookie in the Chow app or on our website. Chow may receive reports from Impact.com about commissions earned, such as order dates, order values, and commission status. Chow uses them to account for and receive commissions and does not use them to identify you.

F. Information You Choose to Share

If you share a meal, recipe, or grocery list, information you choose to include may be made available to the recipient.

Depending on the sharing feature, anyone with the applicable sharing link may be able to access the shared content.

On a shared grocery list, the information described in section 2.C is visible to everyone on the list, and anyone who has the list’s invitation link may be able to join it. If you leave a shared list, are removed from it, or delete your account, your name and the unchecked items from your meal plan leave the list, but items you typed and items already checked off may remain for the other people on it. If you report a problem with a shared list, we use the report and the list’s contents to review it, and we may remove content or people from the list or delete the list.

Recipients may redistribute content outside Chow.

G. Legal and Safety Disclosures

We may disclose information if we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to:

  • comply with applicable law;
  • respond to lawful legal process;
  • respond to governmental requests;
  • investigate fraud;
  • protect user safety;
  • enforce our Terms;
  • protect our rights or property;
  • prevent security incidents; or
  • establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

H. Corporate Transactions

We may disclose or transfer personal information in connection with:

  • a merger;
  • acquisition;
  • financing;
  • investment;
  • corporate reorganization;
  • bankruptcy;
  • receivership;
  • sale of assets;
  • sale of stock;
  • change of control; or
  • similar corporate transaction.

Information may be transferred to a successor, buyer, investor, lender, advisor, or other participant subject to appropriate confidentiality measures where required.

I. With Your Direction or Consent

We may disclose information for another purpose when you direct us to do so or provide consent.

7. Advertising and Marketing Measurement

Chow uses AppsFlyer to measure advertising performance and app activity, including app opens, onboarding completion, account registration, trial starts, and paid subscription starts. AppsFlyer receives a pseudonymous Chow account identifier, device or installation identifiers, and technical information including IP-derived approximate location. Registration events may include the sign-in provider. Paid subscription events may include purchase amount and currency.

When you allow tracking through Apple’s App Tracking Transparency prompt, Chow may access Apple’s advertising identifier and allow AppsFlyer to share permitted attribution and conversion information with Meta to measure and improve advertising. This can include activity from organic installs and other acquisition channels, and attribution based on ads viewed without a click. It can also include hashed (irreversibly scrambled) contact details, currently your account email address and first name, which AppsFlyer hashes on your device and forwards to Meta so Meta can match advertising events to its own records; the unscrambled values are not sent. Where additional consent is required, that permission must also be obtained.

If you decline tracking, Chow does not access Apple’s advertising identifier and does not share hashed contact details with advertising partners. AppsFlyer may still share conversion events, such as an install or a trial start, with Meta without the advertising identifier and with your tracking choice attached, for Meta’s aggregated advertising measurement, and Chow may use Apple’s SKAdNetwork for aggregate advertising attribution. Declining tracking does not disable all product analytics or subscription processing.

When you tap Get Chow, Open in Chow, or an App Store button on usechow.app, including on a shared grocery list, referral, or recipe page, the link may pass through AppsFlyer, our attribution provider, which records the tap (including IP address and device type) so the app can open what you tapped, such as a list you were invited to, after you install it.

We do not send allergy information, dietary restrictions, meal-planning answers, private recipe content, or free-form text as advertising-event data to AppsFlyer or Meta.

You can change your tracking permission in iOS Settings under Privacy & Security → Tracking → Chow. You can also request an advertising-attribution opt-out by emailing [email protected]. Platform tracking permission does not replace any additional privacy rights described in this policy.

8. Sale, Sharing, and Targeted Advertising

We do not sell personal information for money.

However, certain privacy laws define “sale” or “sharing” broadly.

Our disclosure of identifiers, device data, app activity, or advertising-event information to Meta may be considered a sale, sharing, or targeted advertising under certain U.S. state privacy laws.

Sending a grocery list or recipe to Instacart when you tap a shopping button, as described in section 6.E, does not include any identifier for you. The commission Chow may earn is paid for orders, not for personal information.

Where applicable, you may have the right to opt out.

We will provide an applicable privacy-choice mechanism where required by law.

You may request an opt-out by emailing [email protected].

If a legally recognized opt-out preference signal applies to a website interaction and Chow is required to honor it, we will process the signal as required by applicable law.

9. Marketing Emails

If you opt in or applicable law otherwise permits, we may send promotional or marketing emails regarding:

  • Chow features;
  • meal-planning content;
  • promotions;
  • subscription offers;
  • surveys;
  • product updates; or
  • other Chow services.

You may unsubscribe from promotional email using the unsubscribe mechanism contained in the message or by contacting us.

Even if you unsubscribe from marketing, we may continue sending necessary service communications such as:

  • security alerts;
  • account notices;
  • billing notices;
  • privacy notices;
  • legal notices; and
  • customer-support messages.

10. Push Notifications

If you allow notifications through your device, Chow may send:

  • meal reminders;
  • grocery reminders;
  • planning reminders;
  • product updates;
  • feature notices;
  • promotional notifications; and
  • other messages.

You may control push-notification permissions through your device settings and, where available, Chow settings.

11. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website and Services may use cookies, SDKs, pixels, local storage, and similar technologies to:

  • remember preferences;
  • maintain sessions;
  • provide security;
  • measure usage;
  • understand traffic;
  • analyze product performance;
  • attribute advertising; and
  • support marketing.

The technologies used within the mobile application may function differently from browser cookies but can serve similar purposes.

On usechow.app we use cookieless product analytics from PostHog: named events such as opening a shared recipe (we record which recipe) or a shared grocery list link, tapping to open or download Chow, joining a shared list, or checking off an item, with no cookies, no session recording, and no page address (a shared-list address contains a private invitation link). PostHog receives your IP address with each event; if you use a shared grocery list on the web, your browser also stores an anonymous sign-in and the name you entered so the list can reload, and we link those events to that sign-in. If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track signal, we send no analytics events.

When you open an Instacart link from Chow, Instacart and Impact.com may use cookies or similar technologies on Instacart’s pages to attribute your order to Chow, as described in section 6.E. Chow does not place those technologies, and their use is governed by Instacart and Impact.com’s own policies.

Where required by law, we provide appropriate choices or obtain consent before using non-essential tracking technologies.

12. Legal Bases for Processing in the EEA, United Kingdom, and Similar Jurisdictions

Where laws such as the GDPR or UK GDPR apply, we rely on one or more legal bases.

Performance of a Contract

We process information where necessary to:

  • create your account;
  • authenticate you;
  • generate requested meal plans;
  • save recipes;
  • create grocery lists;
  • personalize features;
  • provide subscriptions; and
  • otherwise provide the Services you request.

Legitimate Interests

We may process information where necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, including:

  • maintaining and improving Chow;
  • preventing fraud;
  • securing accounts;
  • analyzing product performance;
  • responding to customer support;
  • understanding product usage;
  • protecting our rights; and
  • operating our business.

We consider the impact on your rights when relying on legitimate interests.

Consent

We rely on consent where required for activities such as:

  • certain marketing;
  • certain advertising technologies;
  • optional device permissions;
  • certain cookies or SDKs;
  • precise location; or
  • other processing where applicable law requires consent.

You may withdraw consent at any time, although withdrawal does not affect processing that occurred before withdrawal.

Legal Obligation

We process information where necessary to comply with applicable legal obligations.

13. International Data Transfers

Chow is operated by a U.S. company and uses service providers located in the United States and other countries.

As a result, your personal information may be processed outside the country where you live.

Privacy laws in those countries may differ from those in your jurisdiction.

Where applicable law requires a legal mechanism for an international transfer, we rely on appropriate mechanisms made available under applicable law, which may include:

  • adequacy decisions;
  • standard contractual clauses;
  • contractual safeguards;
  • data-processing agreements; or
  • other recognized transfer mechanisms.

14. Data Retention

We retain personal information for no longer than reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer period is required or permitted by law.

The retention period depends on factors such as:

  • whether your account remains active;
  • the type of information;
  • the purpose for which it was collected;
  • legal requirements;
  • contractual requirements;
  • security and fraud-prevention needs;
  • dispute-resolution needs;
  • accounting requirements;
  • backup schedules; and
  • technical limitations.

For example:

  • account information may be retained while your account is active;
  • recipes and meal-planning information may be retained until deleted or until your account is deleted;
  • the raw copy of source text retrieved or pasted for a recipe import is retained on our servers for up to 30 days and is then deleted automatically;
  • a recipe created from an import is retained until you delete it or until your account is deleted;
  • a shared grocery list is retained while anyone remains on it; items typed onto it may remain for the other people on it after the person who typed them leaves or deletes their account, and a person who joined as a guest, including on our website, is removed from the list after a period of inactivity;
  • billing and transaction records may be retained where required for financial, tax, fraud, or legal purposes;
  • a limited financial record of each referral reward — the amount, the qualifying purchase reference, product and date, the reward’s lifecycle dates, and a pseudonymous key in place of your account — is retained for up to seven years after the reward is paid or canceled, including after account deletion, for tax and fraud-prevention purposes; the PayPal address, referral code and claims are deleted with the account;
  • security logs may be retained for a reasonable period to protect Chow;
  • backup copies may remain temporarily after deletion until normal backup rotation removes them.

When information is no longer reasonably necessary, we may delete, anonymize, or aggregate it.

15. Account Deletion

You may request deletion of your Chow account using the account-deletion functionality available within the application.

You may also contact us if you need assistance.

Deleting a Chow account may result in deletion or de-identification of personal information associated with the account, subject to:

  • legal retention obligations;
  • fraud-prevention requirements;
  • billing records;
  • active disputes;
  • security records;
  • backup retention; or
  • other lawful exceptions.

Deleting your account also deletes your recipe imports and the recipes created from them, including any raw source copy still within the 30-day retention period.

If you are on a shared grocery list, deleting your account removes you and your name from it. Items you typed onto the list, and items already checked off, may remain for the other people on it, without your name attached.

When you delete your account, we also submit applicable deletion requests to service providers, including AppsFlyer. Provider processing may finish after your account disappears from Chow. Deletion remains subject to the retention exceptions described in this policy.

If you participated in the Chow Referral Program, a limited financial record of each referral reward — the amount, the qualifying purchase reference, product and date, the reward’s lifecycle dates, and a pseudonymous key in place of your account — is retained for up to seven years after the reward was paid or canceled, as a tax and fraud-prevention record, and is then deleted. Your PayPal address, referral code and claims are deleted with your account, as is everything else described above.

Account deletion does not necessarily cancel an App Store subscription.

Subscriptions should be canceled separately through the applicable app-store settings.

16. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights concerning your personal information.

These rights may include:

  • requesting access;
  • obtaining a copy;
  • requesting correction;
  • requesting deletion;
  • requesting portability;
  • objecting to processing;
  • restricting processing;
  • withdrawing consent;
  • opting out of targeted advertising;
  • opting out of sale or sharing;
  • limiting certain uses of sensitive information;
  • appealing a denied request; and
  • lodging a complaint with a privacy regulator.

Rights vary by jurisdiction and may be subject to exceptions.

To exercise a right, email [email protected].

We may need to verify your identity before completing certain requests.

Authorized agents may submit requests where applicable law permits.

We will not unlawfully discriminate against you because you exercised a privacy right.

17. United States State Privacy Rights

Residents of certain U.S. states may have additional rights under applicable comprehensive privacy laws.

Where those laws apply, Chow provides applicable rights to:

  • know or access personal information;
  • correct inaccurate information;
  • delete personal information;
  • obtain portable data;
  • opt out of targeted advertising;
  • opt out of sale;
  • opt out of certain sharing;
  • limit certain sensitive-data uses; and
  • appeal certain privacy decisions.

We will process requests in accordance with applicable law.

Washington. The Washington My Health My Data Act requires specific disclosures to Washington residents regarding the collection, use, and sharing of consumer health data. Those disclosures and related rights are in our Washington Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy.

18. California Privacy Notice

This section supplements the Privacy Policy for California residents where the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended, applies to Chow.

Categories of Personal Information

Depending on your use of Chow, we may collect the following categories:

Identifiers

  • name;
  • email;
  • IP address;
  • account identifiers;
  • device identifiers;
  • advertising identifiers where permitted.

Customer Records Information

  • account information;
  • subscription information;
  • customer-support information.

Commercial Information

  • subscription purchases;
  • transaction history;
  • trial history;
  • purchase-related interactions.

Internet or Other Electronic Network Activity

  • app usage;
  • interactions;
  • session data;
  • browsing or device information;
  • campaign attribution;
  • analytics data.

Geolocation Information

  • approximate location;
  • selected-store location;
  • ZIP code;
  • device location where permission is granted.

Audio, Electronic, Visual, or Similar Information

  • photographs;
  • screenshots;
  • images submitted by users.

Inferences

  • food preferences;
  • product interests;
  • app-feature interests;
  • predicted preferences based on activity.

Sensitive Personal Information

Where applicable, information may include:

  • precise geolocation;
  • certain health-related dietary information; or
  • other information legally classified as sensitive.

Sources

We obtain personal information from:

  • you;
  • your device;
  • Apple;
  • Google;
  • analytics providers;
  • subscription providers;
  • advertising and attribution partners;
  • retailers and integrations; and
  • other service providers.

Business and Commercial Purposes

We use these categories for the purposes described throughout this Privacy Policy, including:

  • providing Chow;
  • personalization;
  • security;
  • analytics;
  • customer support;
  • subscriptions;
  • AI generation;
  • marketing measurement;
  • advertising;
  • service improvement; and
  • legal compliance.

Sale and Sharing

Chow does not sell personal information for money.

Depending on how advertising SDKs and measurement services are configured, Chow may share identifiers or internet or electronic activity information with advertising partners for cross-context behavioral advertising or related measurement in a manner that may legally constitute “sharing” or “sale.”

Where applicable, California residents may opt out.

Sensitive Personal Information

We do not intend to use sensitive personal information for purposes that require a separate right to limit under California law beyond providing requested services, security, and other permitted purposes.

Retention

We retain each category only for as long as reasonably necessary for the applicable purpose, subject to the retention criteria described above.

19. European Economic Area and United Kingdom Rights

Where the GDPR or UK GDPR applies, you may have rights to:

  • access your personal data;
  • correct inaccurate personal data;
  • request erasure;
  • restrict processing;
  • object to certain processing;
  • receive portable data;
  • withdraw consent;
  • object to direct marketing; and
  • lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

You may also have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests.

If we engage in processing that requires consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

We do not use Chow to make solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning users.

20. Other International Privacy Rights

Residents of Canada, Australia, Brazil, Switzerland, and other jurisdictions may have privacy rights under local law.

Where applicable, you may submit requests using the same privacy contact described in this Policy.

We will honor applicable rights and mandatory consumer protections required by local law.

21. Children

Chow accounts are not intended for children under 13.

We do not knowingly permit children under 13 to create Chow accounts.

If a higher minimum age applies where you live, that higher age applies.

If we learn that we collected personal information from a child in violation of applicable child-privacy law, we will take reasonable steps to delete the information or otherwise comply with applicable law.

Parents or guardians who believe a child has provided personal information in violation of this Policy may contact us.

The app marketplace age rating assigned to Chow does not change these privacy requirements.

22. Security

We use administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information.

Measures may include:

  • encrypted communications;
  • authentication controls;
  • access controls;
  • logging;
  • monitoring;
  • secure cloud infrastructure;
  • vendor-management practices; and
  • security reviews.

No method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure.

We cannot guarantee absolute security.

You are responsible for protecting your account credentials and maintaining appropriate security on your device.

23. Data Breaches and Security Incidents

If we become aware of a security incident involving personal information, we will investigate and take appropriate steps.

Where applicable law requires notification to affected individuals or regulators, we will provide such notification in accordance with applicable requirements.

24. De-Identified and Aggregated Information

We may create aggregated, statistical, or de-identified information that is not reasonably capable of being linked to an identifiable person.

We may use this information to:

  • understand usage;
  • improve Chow;
  • develop features;
  • conduct research;
  • measure performance;
  • produce business insights; and
  • operate our business.

Where required by law, we will maintain de-identified information in de-identified form and will not attempt to re-identify it except as legally permitted for validating de-identification.

25. Third-Party Links and Services

Chow may contain links to third-party websites, retailers, services, applications, or platforms.

This Privacy Policy does not govern those third parties’ independent privacy practices.

We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing information to them.

26. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as Chow evolves or as legal requirements change.

When we make material changes, we may notify you by:

  • updating the “Last Updated” date;
  • posting a notice;
  • sending an email;
  • displaying an in-app notice; or
  • requesting consent where required.

The updated Policy becomes effective as stated in the revised version.

27. Contact Us

For questions, privacy requests, complaints, or requests to exercise privacy rights, email us at [email protected].

You may also write to:

Flame Industries Inc.
Attn: Chow Privacy
7901 4th St N, STE 300
St. Petersburg, FL 33702
United States

If you live in a jurisdiction that gives you the right to complain to a data-protection regulator, you may also contact the applicable supervisory authority.