Ghim
1. The short version
Ghim lets you save real-world places you spot in screenshots. We designed it to keep as much on your device as possible:
- Your screenshots never leave your phone. Text is read from them on your device using Apple's Vision framework; only the extracted text is sent to our server.
- Places are matched on your device using Apple Maps (MapKit). We do not use Google Places, and we hold no maps/location key.
- We do not track you across other apps or websites, show ads, or use advertising identifiers. The App does not present an App Tracking Transparency prompt because there is nothing to track.
- We do not request your location. The map does not use your GPS position.
2. Who we are
Ghim is provided by Mai Dat Long, an independent developer based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. For any privacy question or request, contact ghimappsupport@gmail.com.
3. What we collect and why
| Data | Why | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| Account identity — the identifier, and any email/name, provided by Sign in with Apple or Google when you sign in | To create and secure your account | Supabase (our auth/database provider) |
| Username & home city you choose | To set up your profile and center your map | Supabase |
| Extracted text from a screenshot you choose to scan | To identify the place you want to save | Sent to our server, then to OpenAI for extraction (see §5); not stored after processing beyond your resulting pin |
| Saved pins — place name, address, coordinates, category, and any notes/"vibe" text generated for that place, plus timestamps | This is the core feature: your saved places | Supabase, scoped to your account |
| Source screenshot copy for a saved pin | To let you revisit the screenshot the pin came from | Stored only on the device that saved it; never uploaded |
| Basic diagnostic logs — non-identifying events (e.g. a scan succeeded/failed) | To keep the service working and debug problems | Our server logs / error monitoring (Sentry, if enabled); never include your screenshots or raw text |
Where EEA or UK data-protection law applies, our legal bases are performance of our contract with you (your account, profile, and pins, and processing the scans you request — the first four rows above) and our legitimate interest in keeping the Service secure and working (diagnostic logs).
4. What we deliberately do not collect
- Your screenshots / photos are not collected by us. Only the text read on-device is transmitted; the image itself is never uploaded. The App keeps a private on-device copy for a saved pin so you can view its source later. That local copy is removed when you delete the pin (or your account).
- Your precise or approximate device location. The App requests no location permission.
- Advertising or cross-app tracking identifiers. No ad SDKs, no IDFA, no third-party analytics that track you across apps.
- Contacts, health, financial, or biometric data.
5. On-device processing and third-party services
To provide the service we rely on a small number of providers ("sub-processors"). We share only what each needs:
- Apple — Sign in with Apple (if you choose it); Apple Maps / MKLocalSearch for place matching, which happens on your device. Place search queries are handled by Apple under Apple's privacy terms.
- OpenAI — the extracted text from your screenshot is sent to OpenAI's API to identify the place name and details. We do not send your image, your identity, or your account to OpenAI. OpenAI processes the text to return structured place information.
- Supabase — authentication and database hosting for your account, profile, and saved pins.
- Google — only if you choose "Sign in with Google," Google handles that sign-in. Ghim no longer uses any Google Maps or Google Places service.
- Google Cloud (Cloud Run / Secret Manager) — hosts our backend server and stores our server secrets. Your data passes through this infrastructure in transit.
We do not sell your personal data, and we do not share it for advertising.
6. Permissions we ask for (only in context, only if used)
- Photos — only to show a convenience strip of your recent screenshots on the Scan tab so you can pick one quickly. If you decline, you can still import a screenshot manually. Screenshots are read on-device and not uploaded.
- Camera — only if you choose to snap a place in front of you. Optional; declining does not block the App.
You can change these anytime in iOS Settings → Ghim.
7. How long we keep data
- Your account, profile, and pins are kept until you delete them or delete your account.
- Extracted text is used to produce your pin and is not retained as a separate record beyond that; transient copies in provider systems (e.g. OpenAI) are governed by those providers' retention terms.
- Diagnostic logs are short-lived and do not contain your screenshots or raw scanned text.
- Local source screenshots are kept on the device until you delete their pin, delete your account, sign out, uninstall the App, or clear App data.
8. Deleting your data
You can delete your account at any time from Settings → Account. Deleting your account permanently removes your profile and all of your pins (enforced by a cascading delete). This action cannot be undone.
9. Security
Traffic between the App and our server is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS). Server secrets are stored in a managed secret store and never ship inside the App. Access to your pins is scoped to your authenticated account.
No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. International data transfers
Our backend is hosted in the asia-southeast1 region, and our providers (Apple, OpenAI, Supabase, Google) may process data in other countries. Where required — for example, for transfers of EEA or UK data — those transfers rely on appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses, as implemented by our providers.
11. Children's privacy
Ghim is not directed to children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child has provided us data, contact ghimappsupport@gmail.com and we will delete it.
12. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, export, or delete your personal data, and to object to or restrict certain processing. You can exercise access/deletion directly in the App (see §8), or contact ghimappsupport@gmail.com for any other request. We will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights. If you are in the EEA or the UK, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data-protection supervisory authority.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the App evolves. Material changes will be reflected by updating the effective date and, where appropriate, notifying you in the App. Continued use after an update means you accept the revised policy.
14. Contact
Questions or requests: ghimappsupport@gmail.com
Mai Dat Long, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.