I. How We Collect and Use Your Information
When you use our products and/or services, we may need to collect and use your personal information in the following scenarios:
(1) To provide the basic functions of our products/services, you must authorize us to collect and use the necessary information. If you refuse to provide the relevant information, you will not be able to use our products and/or services normally.
(2) To provide the extended functions of our products/services, you may choose to authorize us to collect and use additional information. If you refuse, you will be unable to use certain extended features, but this will not affect your normal use of the basic functions.
You understand and agree that:
1. We are committed to creating diverse products and services to meet your needs. Because we offer many products and services, and users choose different features, the types and scope of personal information collected may vary. Please refer to the specific product/service features for details.
2. To improve your experience, we continuously improve our technology and may introduce new or optimized features that require collection of new personal information or changes to how existing information is used. We will inform you of the purpose, scope, and method of collection through updated policies, pop-ups, or in-app notices, and will only collect such information after obtaining your consent.
A. How We Collect Your Personal Information:
1. Information You Actively Provide
(1) Creating an Account
When you register a Zhiliao account, you may log in by binding your WeChat account, Apple ID, or mobile phone number. Binding WeChat requires your authorization for us to obtain your WeChat user identifier. After authorizing WeChat login and binding a phone number, we will link your WeChat to the Zhiliao account associated with that phone number. Binding your Apple ID requires your authorization for us to obtain your Apple user identifier. After authorizing Apple login and binding a phone number, we will link your Apple login to the Zhiliao account associated with that phone number. If you refuse to provide this information, you will not be able to create or log in to a Zhiliao account.
Your phone number, in addition to being used for account registration, login verification, identity confirmation, and account security, may also be used to send you service-related notifications, including but not limited to membership benefit reminders, platform activity announcements, membership expiration alerts, and service update notifications. We will strictly control the frequency of such messages to ensure only content directly related to your use of the service is sent.
2. Information We Collect Automatically
(1) Device Information: Based on the specific permissions you grant during installation or use of the app, we receive and record information about your device, including device name, model, OS version, app version, language settings, unique device identifiers (e.g., UUID, IMEI, IMSI, SN, Android ID, OAID, IDFV, IDFA), carrier network type (IMSI), and location-related information (including IP address, GPS location, and sensor data from nearby WLAN access points, Bluetooth, and base stations). Device information is fundamental to providing the service; refusing to provide it may prevent normal use.
(2) Log Information: When you use our features or services, we automatically collect detailed usage data as network logs, including your search queries, browser type, browsing history, order information, IP address, access date and time, pages visited, and time spent on pages. Log information is fundamental to providing the service; refusing to provide it may prevent normal use.
(3) Location Information: When you use location-based services, we may record your device's location to provide relevant services, obtained via IP address, GPS, WiFi, or cellular base stations. Refusing to provide location information only affects location-based features and does not affect your use of other functions.
(4) Payment Information: When subscribing to membership, we collect your payment information during the transaction, including WeChat Pay account, Alipay account, user account, order reference number, transaction amount, and transaction time. Refusing to provide payment information only prevents membership subscription and does not affect use of other features.
(5) Device Photos/Images: With your authorization, images you actively upload are encrypted and transmitted to our servers for storage. We may also extract app name and version information from your device, encrypted and uploaded for processing. You may revoke this permission at any time through app settings. Revoking this permission only affects features dependent on it and does not affect other features or services.
(6) Microphone and Audio: When you use the voice input feature, we collect your voice information and voice interaction data. Refusing to enable the microphone only affects voice input features and does not affect other functions.
3. Information Obtained from Third Parties with Your Authorization
(1) For security and fraud prevention purposes, and for specific account and financial transaction services, we may verify your information (including phone number) from legitimate sources with your authorization.
(2) When you bind your WeChat account, we obtain your user identifier, profile picture, and nickname from WeChat's platform.
4. Information Collected by Third-Party SDKs
To provide better services, third-party partners integrated into Zhiliao may obtain your device platform, microphone permission, app list, and network information (including IP address, WiFi information, and location) via SDK interfaces. Third-party suppliers who may actively collect your information include: Umeng Tongxin (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. and Shenzhen Tencent Computer Systems Co., Ltd.
5. Situations Where We May Collect and Use Personal Information Without Your Consent
Under applicable laws and national standards, we may collect and use your personal information without separate consent in the following circumstances:
(1) Related to the personal information controller's fulfillment of statutory obligations;
(2) Directly related to national security or national defense;
(3) Directly related to public safety, public health, or significant public interests;
(4) Directly related to criminal investigation, prosecution, trial, or sentence execution;
(5) Necessary to protect the vital interests of you or another person but where consent is difficult to obtain;
(6) Where the personal information has been voluntarily disclosed to the public by the individual;
(7) Necessary to conclude or perform a contract at your request;
(8) Collected from lawfully and publicly disclosed information;
(9) Necessary to maintain the security and stable operation of the provided features or services;
(10) Where the personal information controller is a news organization conducting lawful journalism;
(11) Where the personal information controller is an academic research institution conducting statistical or academic research for public interest, and de-identifies personal information in published results.
6. System Permissions Requested
(1) Photos: Required when you upload photos (via online shopping scan, photo-based barcode recognition, or image search).
(2) Camera: Required when you use photo-based barcode recognition or photo search.
(3) Microphone: Required when you use the voice input feature.
Refusing some or all of these permissions only prevents use of the related features and does not affect other Zhiliao functions. After you revoke a permission, we will no longer collect that information and cannot provide the corresponding service. Unless you delete your information as required by law, revoking permission does not affect our processing or storage of information collected prior to revocation.
We understand our features and services are continually evolving. If a new feature collects information not described above, we will inform you of the purpose, scope, and method of collection through in-app notices, interactive flows, or website announcements, and will seek your consent before collection.
7. Information Related to Marketplace Services
When you use Zhiliao's marketplace features (including but not limited to browsing products, placing orders, entering delivery information, viewing orders, and applying for after-sales service), we may collect the following information to complete transactions and provide services:
(1) Account information: nickname, profile picture, and bound mobile number (for order communication and notifications);
(2) Delivery information: recipient name, contact phone number, and delivery address (for shipping);
(3) Order information: product name, quantity, price, order status, payment status, and tracking number;
(4) Payment information: transaction records completed via WeChat Pay, Alipay, or other third-party payment platforms;
(5) Device and log information: to ensure transaction security, we may record your operation logs, IP address, and device identifier.
8. AI Feature Description and Data Collection
To provide our core food safety analysis service, we collect and process the following information:
Food Packaging Images: When you use the scan or photo function, we collect the food packaging images you upload. We use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to automatically identify product names, nutrition facts tables, and additive lists.
De-identified Health Preferences: To generate personalized "Health Insights" and "Search Results," we match your health preference tags with food ingredient data.
B. How We Use Your Personal Information:
We strictly comply with applicable laws and our agreements with users, and follow Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework. With your authorization, we use collected information for the following purposes. If we use your information beyond these purposes, we will inform you and obtain your consent.
1. To provide services, including food information queries.
2. For security purposes: identity verification, security protection, anti-fraud monitoring, archiving and backup, and customer security services.
3. To evaluate and improve the effectiveness of our advertising, promotions, and marketing activities.
4. To design new services and improve existing ones through data analysis, research, and development of statistical information related to product and service usage.
5. To store and maintain information related to you for business operations (including business statistics) or fulfillment of legal obligations.
6. Other purposes for which you have given consent.
7. Other purposes that do not violate any mandatory laws or regulations.
8. To provide marketplace services, including product display and recommendations, order processing and management, logistics coordination, after-sales support (e.g., returns, refunds), user review display, promotional notifications, and invoicing.
C. Our Commitments
1. Our features and services are continually updated. If a feature or service not described above collects your information, we will inform you of the collection purpose, scope, and method via in-app notices, interactive flows, or website announcements, and obtain your consent before collection.
2. We will not proactively obtain your personal information from third parties without your authorization. If business development requires indirect acquisition of your personal information from third parties, we will disclose the source, type, and scope of use to you before collection. If our processing activities exceed your original authorized scope, we will obtain your explicit consent before processing. We will also strictly comply with applicable laws and require third parties to ensure the legality of the information they provide.
3. After collecting your personal information, we will promptly anonymize it using technical means. Without disclosing your personal information, we have the right to mine, analyze, and use anonymized user data (including for commercial purposes), and to compile and share de-identified statistical information with the public or third parties.
4. We will strictly assess the compliance of all third-party SDKs to ensure they meet Apple's privacy requirements (including providing their own privacy manifest files). We will clearly disclose SDK names, purposes, data types collected, and privacy policy links. We will not sell your personal information to any third party.
5. To provide high-accuracy text recognition (OCR), complex ingredient analysis, "Health Insights," and "Search" features, we may transmit the above information to our trusted third-party AI service provider "Qianwen" (Tongyi Yunqi (Hangzhou) Information Technology Co., Ltd.). We only share food packaging images and anonymized health preference tags necessary for the analysis — never your name, phone number, precise location, or any other identifying information. We have required this third party to adopt security and protection measures equivalent to our own through contractual agreements.
IV. How We Share, Transfer, and Disclose Your Information
A. Storage
1. Storage Location: In accordance with applicable laws and regulations, personal information collected within the territory of the People's Republic of China is stored within China. If your personal information is transferred outside of China, we will strictly comply with applicable legal requirements.
2. Retention Period
(1) Mobile Phone Number: If you provide your mobile number to use our features or services, we retain it for as long as necessary to ensure normal use of the service. After you cancel your Zhiliao account, we will delete the relevant information within a reasonable period.
(2) Other Information: We will store your personal information for the minimum period necessary as required by law. After the retention period, we will delete your personal information.
(3) If our features or services cease operations, we will notify you via push notifications or announcements and delete your personal information within a reasonable period.
B. Sharing
We will not share your personal information with any other company, organization, or individual, except in the following circumstances:
1. Sharing with Your Explicit Consent: With your explicit consent, we may share your personal information with other parties.
2. Sharing Under Legal Requirements: We may share your personal information as required by applicable laws and regulations, litigation, dispute resolution, or requests from administrative or judicial authorities.
3. Sharing Necessary to Provide Services: Sharing certain information (e.g., delivery address, order information) is required to implement core product features or provide services you request. We only share the minimum necessary personal information, subject to this Privacy Policy.
4. Sharing with Affiliates: Your personal information may be shared with our affiliated companies. We only share the minimum necessary personal information for the purposes declared in this Privacy Policy. If an affiliate changes the purpose of personal information processing, it will seek your authorization again.
5. Sharing with Authorized Partners: Some of our services are provided by authorized partners, and we may share certain personal information with them to provide better customer service and user experience. These companies must comply with our data privacy and security requirements. We only share personal information for lawful, legitimate, minimally necessary, and specified purposes.
6. To fulfill our purchase contracts with you, we may share necessary information with the following partners:
- Logistics companies: recipient name, phone number, address, and product information for shipping;
- Payment institutions: order amount and merchant information for payment verification;
- After-sales service providers: order and product information to assist with returns/exchanges.
- All such sharing is for the purpose of providing marketplace services, and we require partners to maintain strict confidentiality of your information.
C. Transfer
We will not transfer your personal information to any company, organization, or individual, except:
1. With Your Explicit Consent: We will transfer your personal information to other parties only with your explicit consent.
2. In Mergers, Acquisitions, or Bankruptcy: If personal information transfer is involved, we will require the new holder of your personal information to continue to be bound by this Privacy Policy; otherwise, we will require the new holder to seek your authorization again.
D. Public Disclosure
We will only publicly disclose your personal information in the following circumstances:
1. With your explicit consent or based on your active choice;
2. As required by law, legal proceedings, litigation, or mandatory requirements from government authorities.
V. How You Can Manage Your Personal Information
In accordance with Chinese laws, regulations, and standards, as well as common practices in other countries and regions, we ensure you can exercise the following rights over your personal information:
A. Accessing Your Personal Information
Except as otherwise required by law, you may access your personal information as follows:
Account Information — You can view and modify your profile picture and nickname in the [Profile] section.
If you are unable to access certain personal information through the above methods, you may contact us at any time via [Profile] → [Official Account], or through the contact methods described in Section XI of this Privacy Policy. We will respond to your correction request within 15 days.
B. Correcting Your Personal Information
If you find that personal information we have processed is incorrect, you have the right to request correction. You may make changes or submit a correction request through the methods described in "A. Accessing Your Personal Information" above; corrections will take effect immediately.
C. Deleting Your Personal Information
You may request deletion of your personal information in the following circumstances:
1. If our processing of personal information violates applicable laws or regulations;
2. If we collected or used your personal information without obtaining your consent;
3. If our processing of personal information violates our agreement with you;
4. If you no longer use our products or services, or you cancel your account;
5. If we no longer provide products or services to you.
If we decide to respond to your deletion request, we will also notify entities that obtained your personal information from us and require them to delete it promptly, unless otherwise required by law or those entities have obtained your independent authorization.
When you delete information from our services, we may not immediately delete it from backup systems, but will do so when backups are updated.
D. Changing the Scope of Your Consent
Some features require basic personal information to function. You may grant or withdraw your consent for collection and use of personal information at any time.
You can change the scope of your consent by modifying permission settings in your device's personal settings; changes take effect immediately.
Withdrawing consent may prevent you from continuing to use certain products or services. After withdrawal, we will stop processing the relevant personal information based on your choice. However, your decision to withdraw consent does not affect personal information processing carried out prior to withdrawal based on your earlier authorization.
E. Account Cancellation
We provide you with account cancellation rights. You may cancel your Zhiliao account at any time via [Profile] → [Settings] → [Account & Security] → [Cancel Account] (subject to applicable legal requirements). Your account will be cancelled immediately. Once you cancel your Zhiliao account, you will no longer be able to use the related features or services and will automatically forfeit existing benefits — please proceed with caution. Unless otherwise required by law, after account cancellation, we will stop providing all features or services to you, and all content, information, data, and records associated with the account will be immediately deleted or anonymized.