Legal

Privacy Policy

Applicable in the United States and Canada  •  Compliant with PIPEDA & applicable US state laws

Your privacy matters to us. This Privacy Policy explains how Cheecle Photo collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal information when you use our website or order our photo printing services. By using our services, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

Table of Contents

1. Who We Are
2. Information We Collect
3. How We Use Your Information
4. Photo Uploads & Image Data
5. AI-Assisted Processing
6. How We Share Your Information
7. Cookies & Tracking Technologies
8. Data Retention
9. Data Security
10. Your Rights & Choices
11. Canadian Privacy Rights (PIPEDA)
12. US Privacy Rights
13. Children’s Privacy
14. Third-Party Links
15. Changes to This Policy
16. Contact Us

1.Who We Are

Cheecle Photo (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is an online photo printing service founded in 2009 in Seoul, South Korea, now serving customers in Canada and the United States. We operate the website at wp.cheecle.com.

We act as the data controller for personal information collected through our website and services. If you have any privacy-related questions, please contact us at the details provided in Section 16.

2.Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of information:

A. Information You Provide Directly

• Account information: Name, email address, password (encrypted)
• Order information: Shipping address, billing address, phone number
• Payment information: Credit/debit card details (processed and stored by our payment processor; we do not store raw card numbers)
• Photo uploads: Images you submit for printing (see Section 4 for full details)
• Communications: Messages you send us via email, chat, or contact forms

B. Information Collected Automatically

• Log data: IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, time and date of visits
• Device information: Device type, screen resolution, language settings
• Cookies and similar technologies: See Section 7 for details

C. Information from Third Parties

• Payment processors (e.g., Stripe) may share transaction status information with us
• Shipping carriers may share delivery status and tracking information

3.How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• Order fulfillment: Processing, printing, and shipping your photo orders
• Account management: Creating and maintaining your customer account
• Payment processing: Charging for orders through our payment provider
• Customer support: Responding to your inquiries, complaints, and reprint requests
• Service improvement: Analyzing usage patterns to improve our website and services
• Legal compliance: Meeting obligations under applicable laws and regulations
• Fraud prevention: Detecting and preventing fraudulent transactions and abuse
• Marketing (with consent): Sending promotional emails or offers, only where you have opted in

We will not use your personal information for purposes incompatible with those listed above without obtaining your prior consent.

4.Photo Uploads & Image Data

When you upload photos for printing, please be aware of the following:

• Purpose limitation: Your photos are used exclusively to fulfill your print order. We do not use your personal photos for advertising, AI training datasets, or any other secondary purpose.
• Storage: Uploaded images are stored securely on our servers. They are accessible only to authorized staff involved in order processing.
• Metadata: Photos may contain embedded metadata (EXIF data) such as location, camera model, and date taken. We use this data only for quality optimization purposes and do not share it with third parties.
• Faces and identifiable persons: We do not use facial recognition technology on your photos. Images containing identifiable people are treated with strict confidentiality.
• Retention: Photos are retained for up to 90 days after your order is completed to support reprint requests. After this period, images are permanently deleted from our servers unless you request earlier deletion.
• Deletion request: You may request the deletion of your uploaded photos at any time by contacting us.

5.AI-Assisted Processing

We use AI-powered tools to enhance the quality of your photos before printing. This includes automated color correction, brightness adjustment, and cropping optimization. When AI confidence is low, a human expert reviews the photo manually.

• AI processing is performed solely to improve print quality for your order.
• Your photos are not used to train AI models.
• AI-processed images are not shared with any external AI service providers in a way that retains your data.
• You may opt out of AI enhancement by noting this in your order comments; your photos will then be printed as-is.

6.How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers: We share necessary data with trusted third parties who assist us in operating our business, such as payment processors (Stripe), shipping carriers, and email service providers. These parties are contractually bound to handle your data securely and only for the specified purpose.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or governmental authority in Canada or the United States.
• Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred. We will notify you before your data becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
• Protection of rights: We may disclose information to protect the rights, property, or safety of Cheecle Photo, our customers, or others.

7.Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your experience on our website. Types of cookies we use:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function (e.g., shopping cart, login sessions). These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our site (e.g., pages visited, time on site). We use this data in aggregate form only.
• Preference cookies: Remember your settings and preferences (e.g., language, currency).

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality. We do not use third-party advertising cookies or behavioral tracking for ad targeting.

8.Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy:

• Account data: Retained for as long as your account is active, plus 2 years after account closure for legal and tax compliance purposes.
• Order records: Retained for 7 years to meet tax and accounting obligations.
• Uploaded photos: Retained for up to 90 days after order completion, then permanently deleted.
• Customer support communications: Retained for 2 years.
• Marketing data: Retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion.

9.Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures include:

• SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our servers
• Encrypted storage of sensitive data including passwords and payment tokens
• Access controls limiting staff access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
• Regular security reviews and vulnerability assessments

While we take security seriously, no method of transmission or storage over the internet is 100% secure. In the unlikely event of a data breach that affects your rights, we will notify you as required by applicable law.

10.Your Rights & Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: Request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal retention obligations.
• Withdraw consent: Withdraw consent for marketing communications at any time by clicking “unsubscribe” in any email or contacting us directly.
• Data portability: Request your data in a structured, commonly used format where technically feasible.
• Object: Object to processing of your data for certain purposes.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@cheecle.com. We will respond within 30 days of receiving your request.

11.Canadian Privacy Rights (PIPEDA)

For Canadian customers, our privacy practices comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial privacy laws (including Quebec’s Law 25).

• We collect only the minimum personal information necessary for the stated purposes (principle of data minimization).
• We obtain meaningful consent before collecting, using, or disclosing your personal information.
• You have the right to access and correct your personal information and to withdraw consent at any time.
• If you believe we have not handled your information appropriately, you may file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at www.priv.gc.ca.

12.US Privacy Rights

For US customers, we comply with applicable federal and state privacy laws. Depending on your state of residence, you may have additional rights:

• California (CCPA/CPRA): California residents have the right to know what personal information is collected and how it is used, the right to delete personal information, the right to opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information), and the right to non-discrimination for exercising these rights.
• Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and other states: Residents of states with comprehensive privacy laws have similar rights to access, correct, delete, and port their data. Contact us to make a request.

To submit a US privacy rights request, email us at support@cheecle.com with “Privacy Request” in the subject line.

13.Children’s Privacy

Our services are not directed to children under the age of 13 (or 16 where required by applicable law). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us immediately and we will promptly delete such information.

Parents and guardians who order photo prints containing images of their children retain full ownership and responsibility for those images under our Terms of Use.

14.Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit. This Privacy Policy applies solely to information collected by Cheecle Photo.

15.Changes to This Policy

Your continued use of our services after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

16.Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions, requests, or concerns, please contact our Privacy team: