A-CHA Privacy Policy

Introduction

아차코리아 (ACHA KOREA) ("A-CHA", "we") runs the A-CHA mobile app and the website a-cha.app (the "Service"). This policy explains how we handle personal data under the Korean Personal Information Protection Act and how to reach us. We do not sell your personal data, and we do not track you for advertising.

Article 1 (Why we process personal data)

We process personal data only for the purposes below. If a purpose changes, we tell you first and ask for consent where required.

1. Accounts: confirming who you are, sign-in, managing your account, preventing abuse, and closing accounts
2. Community: showing your profile (only the fields you choose), boards, chats, friends and flash meetups
3. A-CHA events: booking, payment and payment checks, tickets and entry, cancellations and refunds
4. Partner services: passing club event and dues sign-ups, and booking requests, to that club or vendor
5. Split bills: keeping expense records and showing the payout details you enter to the people you split with
6. Ordering together: showing the food needs a member sends at a shared table to the member who opened it, and making the order sentence for the staff
7. Places and dishes: showing the places and dishes you like to your friends, and showing other users how many people like them and whether a dish was spicy, as numbers only
8. Answering your questions and sending the notifications you turn on
9. Safety: handling reports and blocks, school verification, and responding to illegal activity
10. Legal duties, such as keeping transaction records

Article 2 (What we collect)

Profile links (optional): the username or ID you add for Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Threads, BeReal, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Spotify, VSCO, KakaoTalk, WeChat or LINE, and whether you chose to show each link on the web. For WhatsApp this is your phone number, and the app asks you to confirm before it is saved. We store only what you type.

Allergies are health information, and a diet such as halal or vegetarian can reveal religion or beliefs, so we treat them as sensitive information under Article 23 of the Personal Information Protection Act. We process them only when you tap Send at a shared table, with your separate consent, and only the person who opened that table can see them. You can add dishes without sending them, and every other part of the app works the same. Until you send them, these settings stay on your device only.

The free tests on the website (Kimchi Gauge, Korean Saju, the Nunchi Exam) keep your answers and results in your browser only and do not store them on our servers. If you share a result, the result (for Saju, including the birth date and name you entered) is part of the share link. Visit counts send only the event name, the referring channel and your browser language, with nothing that identifies you.

Article 3 (How long we keep it)

We delete personal data without delay when you delete your account or the purpose is fulfilled, except for the following.

Profile links are deleted when you remove them or delete your account. Verification documents are deleted right after the review decision.

Article 4 (Sharing with third parties)

We use personal data only for the purposes in Article 1 and share it with third parties only with your consent or where the law specifically requires it. We share it, with your consent at the time you apply, in these cases:

Payout details you enter in split bills are visible only to the people you split with. If a club's staff connect their member list to a Google Sheet, that club's list is also written to that sheet.

Some club events, such as SeoulMate walking tours, are booked on an outside site. When you say you can't make it or are running late, that tour's guides may get a notification. Cancelling in A-CHA does not cancel your booking on the outside site.

Article 5 (Service providers and transfers abroad)

We use the providers below to run the Service. Most are outside Korea, so personal data is sent to them over the network when you use the Service. They keep it until the contract ends or you delete your account.

If you do not want your data transferred abroad, you can stop it by deleting your account, but you will then be unable to use the Service.

Article 6 (Who can see your information)

1. Other users see only your nickname and the profile fields you have enabled. Nationality, stay and school can each be turned on or off. School needs verification and is off by default. Friend cards are hidden until you turn them on.
2. Profile links: by default only you and your accepted friends can see the usernames and numbers you add. Other users see which apps you have linked (their logos) and nothing else, and the username is not sent to their device, unless you share that link on the web (below). People you have blocked, and people who have blocked you, see nothing in the app.
3. Links on the web (optional): if you turn on "Share my links on the web" in Edit profile, anyone, including people who are not signed in, can see the links you choose on your page at a-cha.app/u/… and in the app. Your WhatsApp number is never shown there. That page cannot tell who is looking, so blocking someone does not hide your links on it. Turn sharing off and the links are removed right away.
4. Live location is visible only to the people in the chat you started it in, and only while it is running.
5. Ordering together: only the person who opened the table sees the food needs you send. Others at the table see your name, the dishes you added and the sentence the orderer shows the staff, which has no names ("one person is …"). Tap Take back or Leave to delete what you sent right away.
6. Likes on places and dishes: your accepted friends see your nickname on the places and dishes you like. Other users see only how many people like them, with no names, and only when 3 or more people do. Whether a dish was spicy is shown only as a number, with no names, when 3 or more people report it. Turn off "Show my Korea 100 and likes" in Edit profile and your likes are left out for friends and from the numbers. People you have blocked, and people who have blocked you, do not see your name.

Article 7 (Location)

We use your device location only when you open a nearby map or share a location in a chat, and never in the background. On a nearby map, your location is used on your device to center the map. A pin you choose to share is stored as your chat message. Live location is always opt-in: you pick how long it runs (15 minutes, 1 hour or 8 hours, extendable up to 8 hours in total), it updates only in that chat, you can stop it any time from the banner in the chat, and it stops by itself when the time runs out.

Article 8 (How we delete data)

When the retention period ends or the purpose is fulfilled, we delete the data without delay. Electronic files are deleted so they cannot be recovered, and we keep no paper records. Data kept by law is stored separately and deleted when its period ends. When you delete your account, we delete or anonymize your profile, posts, comments, reviews, chat messages and verification documents.

Article 9 (Your rights)

1. You can ask at any time to see, correct or delete your personal data, to stop its processing, or to withdraw your consent.
2. In the app, change what your profile shows and your notifications in Settings, and delete your account in Settings.
3. Add, change or remove your profile links, or turn web sharing on or off, any time in Edit profile.
4. For anything else, contact acha0516@naver.com or Contact us (a-cha.app/support) and we will act without delay. A legal representative or someone you authorize can also ask for you. If you cannot use the app, follow the email instructions on our account deletion page.

Article 10 (Children under 14)

Children under 14 cannot join without the consent of a parent or legal guardian. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 14 without that consent, and we delete it without delay if we find out.

Article 11 (How we keep data safe)

1. Encryption in transit (HTTPS) and database access control so that members can read and write only their own data (row-level security)
2. Keeping admin access to a minimum and logging admin actions
3. Partly masking emails, names, accounts and contact details in staff alerts
4. Deleting school verification documents right after review

Article 12 (Cookies and browser storage)

We do not use advertising or tracking cookies. The website keeps your language choice, test results and sign-in state in your browser's storage, which you can clear in your browser settings. Clearing it signs you out and removes saved test results.

Article 13 (Privacy officer)

Article 14 (Where to get help)

For reports or advice about a privacy violation, you can contact:

1. Personal Information Infringement Report Center (KISA): 118, privacy.kisa.or.kr
2. Personal Information Dispute Mediation Committee: 1833-6972, www.kopico.go.kr
3. Supreme Prosecutors' Office: 1301, www.spo.go.kr
4. Korean National Police Agency: 182, ecrm.police.go.kr

Article 15 (Changes and language)

When this policy changes, we announce it in the Service at least 7 days before it takes effect, or 30 days before for changes that significantly affect your rights. This policy is provided in Korean and English. If the two differ, the Korean version applies.

Addendum

1. This policy takes effect on October 31, 2026.
2. The previous Privacy Policy (October 30, 2026 version) remains available at the link below.

See the previous Privacy Policy