Privacy policy

Last updated: October 8, 2026

Ikuzo is a map editor for travelers, available on the web at ikuzo.app and as apps for iPhone, Apple Watch and Android. It is made by Meow Arts KK, a small company based in Japan ("we"). This page explains, in plain words, what we store, why, and what you can do about it.

The short version: we store what you need to use Ikuzo (your account and your maps), we do not sell your data, we do not show ads, and you can delete your account at any time.

1. What we store

Your account

• Your e-mail address, used to sign in and to send you account e-mails.
• A nickname and an avatar, if you choose them.
• Your password, stored only as a secure hash. We cannot read it.
• The language you use, your map style and similar preferences.
• A few counters and dates we need to run the service, such as when you last signed in, how many spots you have and how many searches you made this month.

Your maps

• The maps, spots and travel plans you create: titles, descriptions, statuses, types, seasons, dates and the locations of your spots.
• The photos you add to your spots.
• The people you share a map with, if you invite anyone.

Your maps are private unless you make one public. A public map, and the spots and photos in it, can be seen by anyone with the link.

Purchases

When you buy a creator map or a plan, the payment is handled by Stripe. We never see or store your card number. We keep a record of the purchase (what you bought, the price, the date and your country), because accounting law requires it.

Your location on your device

The apps can show where you are on the map and sort spots by distance. This happens on your device. When you ask Ikuzo for directions, your starting point is sent to our server to compute the route, and is not kept. We never track your position in the background.

AI assistants

You can connect an AI assistant such as ChatGPT or Claude to your Ikuzo account, by signing in from the assistant or with a personal token from your account settings. Once connected, the assistant can read your maps and create or change maps and spots, only when you ask it to. What it reads is sent to the company that runs the assistant (for example OpenAI or Anthropic) and handled under their own privacy policy.

On our side, we keep the name of each connected assistant, the date you connected it, and a secure hash of its access keys (we cannot read them). Connections expire after 90 days without use. You can see and disconnect your assistants at any time in Account and plan → Features.

Website analytics

We measure visits to ikuzo.app with Plausible, which we host ourselves. It uses no cookies and collects no personal data: it counts visits, pages, countries and where visitors come from, without identifying anyone.

Cookies

We use one cookie, to keep you signed in. There are no advertising or tracking cookies.

2. Why we use it

• To run Ikuzo: show your maps on every device, sync your changes, store your photos.
• To send you e-mails about your account, such as your password, reminders for spots you dated, a receipt after a purchase, and occasionally a short note about Ikuzo. You can ask us to stop the non-essential ones at any time.
• To support you when you contact us.
• To keep Ikuzo working and secure, and to understand in aggregate how it is used so we can improve it.

Creators who sell a map on Ikuzo receive a monthly report about their map's visits. It is written with the help of Anthropic's Claude from aggregated traffic numbers. No buyer's personal data is included.

3. Where your data lives, and who helps us

Your data is stored in Singapore. These services process it on our behalf, only to provide Ikuzo:

• MongoDB Atlas on Google Cloud (Singapore): the database with your account and maps.
• Google Cloud Storage: your photos.
• DigitalOcean (Singapore): the servers that run Ikuzo.
• Cloudflare: delivers the website and protects it from attacks.
• Mailgun: sends our e-mails.
• Stripe: payments.
• Mapbox (website), Google Maps (Android) and Apple Maps (iPhone): display the map. When you search for a place to add, your search is sent to Google Places to find it.
• Gravatar: only if you choose a Gravatar avatar, a scrambled version of your e-mail is sent to Gravatar to fetch your picture.

We do not sell, rent or share your data with anyone else, except if the law requires it.

4. How long we keep it

• Your account and maps are kept as long as you use Ikuzo.
• Accounts that have not been used for a long time may be deleted. We always send an e-mail first, and signing in again keeps the account.
• When you delete your account, see below.
• Purchase records are kept as long as accounting law requires, even after an account is deleted.

5. Deleting your account

You can delete your account at any time. Here is how.

Your account is erased 30 days after your request, and your maps, spots and photos within the following 30 days. If you change your mind, simply sign in before the 30 days are over and nothing is lost.

6. Your rights

Wherever you live, you can ask us to:

• show you the data we have about you, or send you a copy;
• correct it;
• delete it;
• stop sending you e-mails you do not need.

If you live in the European Union or the United Kingdom, these rights are guaranteed by the GDPR, and you can also complain to your local data protection authority. Write to us first, though: we answer everything ourselves.

7. Children

Ikuzo is not meant for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their data. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.

8. Security

Connections to Ikuzo are encrypted, passwords are hashed, and access to our systems is limited to what is needed to run the service. No system is perfectly secure, so if we ever learn that your data was exposed, we will tell you.

9. Changes

If we change this policy in a way that matters, we will update this page and tell you by e-mail or in the app before the change applies.

10. Contact

Questions about your data, or a request? Write to us at [email protected] or through the contact page. We read everything.