Privacy Policy
This policy explains how TCF TEF TIP handles personal information in our TCF Canada and TEF Canada practice app and on this legal and support website. Read it with our Terms of Use. Contact YOUNGSIC KIM at kimloydmail@gmail.com.
1. Information we collect and where it is stored
- Accounts: Firebase Authentication supports guest/anonymous access, email/password, Sign in with Apple and Google sign-in. We process your account identifier and, where supplied, name and email address, including an Apple private relay address. We do not receive your Apple or Google password.
- Study profile: exam choice (TCF Canada or TEF Canada) and target NCLC are saved on your device and mirrored to Cloud Firestore when your signed-in account has an email address. An optional exam date is stored locally and in the account profile when supplied during registration. Guest study preferences stay on the device until linked to an account. The English/French app-language override is stored locally; the app can also follow the device language. Registration separately records your device language, device model, operating system, platform and app version in Firestore.
- Practice: activity, progress, answers, estimated scores and feedback are processed to provide study features. Recent production-task results are stored locally (up to 100 results); the local activity journal keeps a rolling 90-day window and can be mirrored to Firestore for email accounts. Cloud AI results are stored separately, including for authenticated guests. Local retention limits do not delete cloud records.
- Writing and Speaking: when you request AI feedback, we process your writing text or microphone recording and the relevant task. Speaking results include a transcript. See section 3 for processing and storage details.
- Usage and diagnostics: Firebase Analytics and Crashlytics process interactions, screen views, study and purchase events, app/device information, identifiers, crash reports and diagnostic logs. These may be associated with your account or study activity.
- Notifications: Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) uses a device registration token for content updates and support replies. Installations, including guests, subscribe to a content-update topic. For email accounts, the token may also be stored with your Firestore profile. Device notification permission controls whether alerts are shown.
- Purchases: product IDs, transaction or purchase-token references, verification records, expiry and entitlement status. Apple and Google process in-app payments. Where web checkout is offered, Stripe processes payment and we store customer/subscription references, email and entitlement information. We do not receive your full payment-card details.
- Support: contact details, feedback, error reports and attachments you choose to send.
2. Why we use information
We use information to authenticate you, personalise study, save progress, generate AI feedback, verify and restore purchases, enforce usage limits, prevent abuse, send permitted notifications, answer support requests, diagnose faults and improve the app and content.
Where UK or EU data protection law applies, the relevant bases are contract performance for requested account, practice, scoring and subscription services; legitimate interests in security, support and service improvement where appropriate; legal obligations for required records; and consent where required for advertising, tracking or other optional processing. You can withdraw consent without affecting earlier lawful processing and object to processing based on legitimate interests.
3. AI feedback, audio and saved results
When you request Writing or Speaking scoring, your writing text or Speaking audio and task context are sent through Firebase Cloud Functions to Google Gemini via Vertex AI. The backend also supports the Gemini API as a fallback or alternative. Speaking audio is sent inline with the scoring request and processed in memory; this French-scoring backend does not save the raw recording to Firebase Cloud Storage or Firestore.
The backend saves the exam, set and task identifiers, model name, scoring time and validated result in your account’s Firestore Writing or Speaking score history. The result includes estimated NCLC/CEFR, criterion scores and comments, task checks, an improved version, strengths and next steps. Writing feedback can contain excerpts and corrections from your answer; Speaking feedback includes a transcript and pronunciation notes. The raw writing answer is not separately saved by this scoring handler, but its content may appear in the saved feedback.
Speaking recordings are created as temporary files on your device for recording and replay. The task screen attempts to delete these when replaced or when the screen is disposed; interrupted sessions or file-cleanup failures may leave local files. Clearing app data or uninstalling can remove remaining app files.
Google’s retention and data-handling rules depend on the AI service used; we do not promise zero provider retention or immediate erasure of provider logs or backups. See Google Cloud’s AI data governance information and the Gemini API terms. Use fictional practice content and avoid confidential information or sensitive personal data.
All AI scores and feedback are estimates for learning, including estimated NCLC and CEFR levels. They are not official TCF Canada or TEF Canada results and cannot establish immigration eligibility.
4. Advertising, analytics and your controls
Free users may see Google AdMob ads, including result banners and interstitials. Premium users do not see ads. AdMob and advertising partners may process device identifiers, IP address, approximate location inferred from IP, ad interactions and consent choices for ad delivery, measurement and personalisation where permitted.
We use Google’s User Messaging Platform (UMP) for required consent prompts, including in the EEA, UK and Switzerland, and request Apple App Tracking Transparency (ATT) permission on iOS. The ad SDK is initialised only when UMP allows ad requests. Declining tracking or personalised advertising does not necessarily remove all ads. See Google’s UMP information.
Manage tracking and microphone permissions in device privacy settings and notifications in device notification settings. Use available consent prompts and contact us about changing or withdrawing advertising consent. Firebase Analytics measures feature use; Crashlytics helps diagnose crashes and errors.
This static website has no scripts, analytics SDKs, advertising, external assets or cookies set by our page code. Firebase Hosting may process ordinary request information, including IP addresses, for delivery and security.
5. Recipients and international processing
Service providers include Google/Firebase for authentication, Firestore, Cloud Functions, AI, Analytics, Crashlytics and Cloud Messaging; AdMob and advertising partners where applicable; Apple and Google for sign-in and purchases; and Stripe for supported web checkout. We do not sell your practice submissions. Information may also be disclosed when legally required, to protect rights and security, or as part of a business transfer subject to applicable safeguards.
Providers operate internationally and information may be processed outside your country, including in the United States. Where required, applicable contractual safeguards and recognised transfer mechanisms are used. See the Google Privacy Policy, Apple Privacy Policy and Stripe Privacy Policy.
6. Retention and account deletion
We keep account and practice records while needed to provide the service and your history, until you delete your account. The limited purchase and financial records described below may remain for legal obligations, disputes, fraud prevention and deduplication. There is no single retention period for all records.
For registered and guest accounts, open Profile > Account > Delete Account, tap Delete and confirm. When deletion succeeds, we immediately remove your Firebase Authentication account, email- and uid-keyed profiles and all their subcollections, including saved Writing/Speaking scores and reviews, AI usage, activity, practice results, streaks, preferences, push tokens and entitlements. We also remove associated exam results, onboarding records, identifiable in-app support reports and replies, and uploaded speaking audio. The app signs you out and clears its local preferences, practice history, saved answers, recordings and cached profile.
We retain limited store transaction records, transaction indexes and subscription events for financial reconciliation, disputes, fraud prevention and event deduplication. These retain transaction/product identifiers, dates and store status; account email and routable ownership are removed, and retained account references use a hashed uid. Stripe event records retain subscription/event identifiers without your email; a hashed Stripe customer identifier prevents future billing notifications from recreating deleted app data. We delete our personal Stripe customer mapping, but do not delete or modify Stripe billing objects. Provider-managed analytics, diagnostics, logs and backups expire according to the relevant provider’s retention schedule.
To request deletion without app access or ask about other identifiable records, email kimloydmail@gmail.com, preferably from your account email. Guests may provide an available account identifier or purchase reference, never a password. We may verify identity. Support email correspondence is handled separately; records required for legal obligations, financial disputes or security may be retained for those purposes.
Uninstalling alone does not delete a server account. Account deletion or uninstalling does not cancel billing: cancel an Apple, Google Play or Stripe subscription separately. See Support.
7. Your rights and security
Depending on your location, you may request access, correction, deletion, restriction or portability, object to processing, or withdraw consent. Email us to exercise these rights; identity verification may be required. You may complain to your local data protection authority, including the UK Information Commissioner’s Office where applicable.
We use access controls and provider security features, but no storage or transmission method is completely secure. Keep credentials private and contact us about suspected unauthorised access.
8. Children, changes and contact
TCF TEF TIP is intended for exam candidates aged 16 or over and is not directed to children under 16. If you believe a child has supplied personal information, contact us to investigate and arrange deletion.
We may update this policy and its effective date as the service changes, with appropriate notice of material changes. Privacy questions and requests: YOUNGSIC KIM, kimloydmail@gmail.com.