Privacy Policy
Effective
1. Who we are and what this covers
Flowtab keeps your budget on your own device by default, and we never sell your data. This policy explains what we collect, why, and the choices you have.
Flowtab is an independent budgeting app developed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is operated by Hideki Kotsubo (legal name Christian Hideki Kotsubo), a sole proprietor in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, who is responsible for your information under this policy ("Flowtab", "we", "us"). This policy applies to the Flowtab apps for iOS and Android, the web app at app.myflowtab.com, the website at myflowtab.com, and the servers behind them (together, the "Service").
2. Information we collect
Without an account, Flowtab does not send your data to us. Everything you enter is stored only in a database on your device. We receive information only when you sign in to sync, share a household, or contact us.
| What | Examples | Where it is stored | When we receive it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget data you enter | Accounts (name, institution, type), categories, transactions (amount, currency, date, merchant, note), budgets, savings goals, scheduled payments, category keywords | Your device; our servers only if you sync | Only after you sign in and sync |
| Text you type or dictate for quick entry | "Coffee 4.50 Visa" | Your device; saved with the transaction, so also our servers if you sync | Only if you sync |
| Account details | Email address | Our servers | When you sign in |
| Sign-in and device records | One-time sign-in links and 6-digit codes (stored only as one-way hashes, expire after 15 minutes), a random device ID, a device label you choose, profile display name, last-seen time, session tokens (hashed, expire after 60 days of inactivity) | Our servers | When you sign in |
| Household sharing | Who paid for or logged each entry, the profile names of household members, whether each member has set a PIN, and who last reset a member's PIN, when and on which device | Our servers and the devices of your household members | When you join or create a household |
| Technical data | IP address and request details in standard server logs | Our servers | Whenever your device contacts our servers |
| Support messages | Your email and what you write to us | Our email inbox | When you contact us |
What we do not collect. We do not ask for or store bank logins, card numbers, or account numbers. We do not use advertising IDs, analytics or tracking tools, or third-party advertising. We do not collect your precise location: the merchant field is text you type.
Device permissions. Flowtab asks for these only when you use the feature, and you can turn them off in your device settings at any time:
- Microphone and speech recognition – for voice entry. Your speech is converted to text by your device's built-in speech service (Apple on iOS, Google on Android), under their privacy terms. Flowtab receives only the resulting text and does not record or keep audio.
- Camera – to scan a QR code when pairing two of your devices. Images are processed on the device and never stored or uploaded.
3. How we use information
We use your information only to run Flowtab for you. Specifically, to:
- Sign you in by emailing you a one-time link or code, and email the account owner a code to reset a forgotten household PIN, or a notice when someone else in the household resets it.
- Sync your budget between your devices and with household members you invite.
- Keep the Service secure, such as limiting repeated sign-in attempts and investigating abuse.
- Answer your support requests.
- Send essential messages about your account or important changes to this policy. We do not send marketing email.
- Meet legal obligations.
We do not sell your data, use it for advertising, or build profiles of you. We do not use your budget data to train artificial intelligence models.
5. Storage, security and retention
Data on your device stays there until you delete it or uninstall the app. Synced data stays on our servers until you delete your account.
Security. All traffic between the app and our servers is encrypted with HTTPS (TLS). We use passwordless sign-in, so there is no password to steal. Sign-in links, codes, session tokens, and household PINs are stored only as one-way hashes. In the mobile apps, your session is kept in the device's secure storage (Keychain on iOS, Keystore on Android). Access to our servers is limited to the people who operate Flowtab. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information and will notify you and the authorities of a breach as the law requires.
How long we keep it.
| Data | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Synced budget data and account details | Until you delete your account, then removed from active systems within 30 days |
| Sign-in links and codes | Expire after 15 minutes |
| Session tokens | Expire after 60 days without use |
| Server logs | Up to 90 days |
| Backups | Overwritten within 30 days of account deletion |
| Support emails | As long as needed to resolve your request, up to 2 years |
We may keep information longer if the law requires it.
6. Your rights and choices
You can see, export, correct, or delete your data at any time, in most cases directly in the app.
- Use Flowtab without an account. Sync and sign-in are optional.
- See and correct. Everything you enter can be viewed and edited in the app.
- Export. Download your transactions as a CSV file from the app.
- Delete data on a device. Use the option in Settings to erase all data on that device, or uninstall the app.
- Delete your account. In the app, go to Settings, then Delete account. This deletes your account and all synced data from our servers straight away, for everyone in your household, so only the person who created the account can do it. You can also email us at [email protected] from the address you sign in with, and we will delete it within 30 days and confirm when it is done. Backups are overwritten within 30 days. Data already on your devices stays there until you erase it.
- Permissions. Turn microphone or camera access off at any time in your device settings.
Depending on where you live, you may have further rights under laws such as Canada's PIPEDA and British Columbia's PIPA, Brazil's LGPD, the EU and UK GDPR, or California's CCPA. These can include the right to know what we hold, to receive a copy, to correct or delete it, to object to or restrict processing, and to withdraw consent. To use any of these rights, email us; we will reply within 30 days and will not treat you differently for asking. You may also complain to your local data protection authority, such as the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or Brazil's ANPD.
Legal bases (GDPR and LGPD). We process your data to provide the Service you ask for (contract), to keep it secure (legitimate interest), with your consent for device permissions, and to meet legal obligations.
7. Children
Flowtab is not directed at children under 13, or under the minimum age for consent in your country. We do not knowingly collect their information. If you believe a child has given us information, email us and we will delete it.
8. International transfers
Our servers and providers may be located outside your country, including in Canada and the United States. When we transfer your information, we protect it as this policy describes and use safeguards required by law, such as standard contractual clauses.
9. Changes to this policy
We will post any update here and change the effective date at the top. If a change materially affects how we use your information, we will tell you in the app or by email before it takes effect.
10. Contact us
For questions, requests, or complaints about privacy, email [email protected]. We reply within 30 days.
Flowtab, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada