Privacy policy

Who we are

Houre is provided by Seequ Oy, which is the controller of the personal data described in this policy.

What we can't see

Houre encrypts your content on your device with keys that only you hold. Your password never leaves your device; we receive only a separate sign-in secret derived from it, which we store in hashed form. These stay encrypted on our servers:

• The content of your notes, including tags and reminders
• Attachments, along with their names and file types
• Project names and colors
• Your display name
• The names of your signed-in devices
• Invitation details, such as the project name and the inviter's display name

Because we never have the keys, we can't read this data or hand it over in readable form to anyone. The security page explains how this works.

What we collect and why

Your account

To create an account you give us your email address, which we need to identify your account, sign you in, and let other people invite you to projects. We also store the hashed sign-in secret, your encrypted keys, your public key, when you signed up, and how much storage you use.

Notes and projects

For each note and attachment we store which account it belongs to, which project it's in, when it was created and changed, and its encrypted size. For projects we store who the members are, who invited whom, and when. Our servers need this to deliver your notes to the right devices and people, and to keep track of your storage.

Signed-in devices

For each device you sign in on, we store when it signed in and was last active, the app version, and its most recent IP address. These appear in the app's list of signed-in devices, so you can spot one you don't recognize and sign it out. They also help us protect your account.

Background sync on phones

When your notes change on another device, our server sends a silent message to your phone so the app can sync before you open it. The message contains only a random code that tells the app which account to sync, and it never appears on your screen. To send these messages we store your phone's push token, the random code, which signed-in device they belong to, and whether the phone runs iOS or Android. A push token is the address Apple or Google gives the Houre app on your phone for receiving messages.

Server logs

Our servers log the requests the apps make to them, such as the time and the address requested. When you sign in, this can include your email address. We use the logs to fix problems and investigate abuse. To limit repeated sign-in attempts, our servers also count requests per IP address, briefly and in memory only.

Subscriptions

If you subscribe, Apple or Google handles the payment, and we never see your payment details. We receive your subscription's status: which store it came from, a purchase reference, whether it's active, and when the current period ends. We use it to turn on syncing for your notes and the projects you own. Purchases are linked to your Houre account by an account ID, never by your email address.

Email

When you sign up, we email you a code to verify your address. That's the only email Houre sends you.

Bug reports

When you report a bug from the app's settings, we email your description to our support inbox, along with your account's email address so we can reply, the app version, your device's operating system and version, and the device model on Android or the processor type on desktop. If you choose to include the app's recent log, it's attached too. The log lists what the app did recently, such as syncing and any errors. Screenshots you add are attached as well. The app shrinks large ones and removes the details stored inside the image file, such as where a photo was taken. A screenshot shows whatever was on your screen, so if it shows a note, we'll be able to read that note. The app shows you everything in the report, log and screenshots included, before you send it. Our servers pass the report on without keeping a copy.

Update checks

The desktop app regularly asks our server whether an update is available, sending its current version and the type of computer it runs on.

What other Houre users can see

• When you share a project, its members can see your email address and display name, and you can see theirs. An invitation shows the inviter's email address.
• Someone who knows your email address can find out whether it has a Houre account. Signed-in users can also look up the public key that lets them send you an encrypted invitation.

On your device

• The apps keep a readable copy of your notes and attachments on your device, so they work offline and search is instant. That copy is protected by your device's own security, such as its screen lock and disk encryption. Your encryption keys are kept in your device's secure keychain.
• When you sign out, you can choose to also delete everything stored on that device.
• The desktop app writes diagnostic logs on your computer. They stay there and are never sent to us automatically.
• This website uses no cookies. If you switch between light and dark mode, your choice is saved in your browser and never sent to us.

Legal bases

• Providing Houre to you (contract, GDPR Article 6(1)(b)): your account, storing and syncing your notes (including background sync on phones), shared projects, subscriptions, verification emails, bug reports you send, and update checks.
• Keeping Houre secure (legitimate interests, Article 6(1)(f)): signed-in device details, server logs, and limits on repeated requests. Our interest is protecting your account and the service from abuse, and you can object to this processing.
• Legal obligations (Article 6(1)(c)): when the law requires us to keep or disclose information.

An email address is required to create an account. Houre makes no automated decisions about you.

Who handles data for us

• UpCloud Ltd (Finland) runs our servers, database, and file storage in Finland.
• Sweego (France) delivers our verification emails. It receives your email address and the code. It also delivers the bug reports you send to our support inbox, so it receives what's in them.
• RevenueCat, Inc. (United States) checks App Store and Google Play purchases and tells us when a subscription starts, renews, or ends. It receives your Houre account ID and purchase details, never your email address or notes.
• Expo (650 Industries, Inc., United States) passes our background sync messages to Apple and Google for delivery. When the app signs up for messages, Expo receives your phone's push token, its IP address, and a random ID for the app on that phone. For each message it receives the push token, the random code, and when it was sent. It never receives your email address, account ID, or notes.

These providers act only on our instructions. RevenueCat and Expo are outside the EU, and transfers to them are protected by the European Commission's standard contractual clauses.

Apple and Google distribute the mobile apps and process subscription payments as independent controllers, under their own privacy policies. Their push services also deliver the background sync messages to your phone.

We never sell personal data. We disclose it to authorities only when the law requires it, and even then your encrypted content stays unreadable.

How long we keep data

• Your account and notes: for as long as you have an account, including after a subscription ends.
• Subscription status: for as long as you have an account.
• Deleted notes: their content is removed from our servers right away, and the remaining details shortly after. Deleted attachments are erased within 31 days.
• Signed-in devices: until you sign the device out, or after 30 days without use.
• Push tokens: as long as the phone stays signed in, the same as signed-in devices. A token that Apple or Google no longer accepts is deleted the next time we try to use it.
• Unfinished sign-ups: 24 hours.
• Server logs: only as long as we need them to fix problems and investigate abuse.
• Bug reports: in our support inbox for as long as we need them to fix the problem and answer you.

When you delete your account, we delete it and your data from our servers and ask RevenueCat to delete its purchase records. Notes you added to a project someone else owns stay in that project. Deleting your account doesn't cancel a subscription; cancel it in your App Store or Google Play settings.

Your rights

Under the GDPR you can ask to access, correct, or delete your personal data, to restrict or object to how we use it, and to receive it in a portable format.

• Export: Export in the app's settings saves your notes, projects, and attachments to a single file you can keep or take elsewhere.
• Delete: you can delete your account in the app's settings. If you can't sign in, email us from your account's address and we'll do it for you.
• Anything else: email support@seequ.dev. We'll reply within one month, and we may ask you to confirm the request from your account's email address.

If you think we've mishandled your data, you can complain to the Finnish Data Protection Ombudsman or to the data protection authority in your own EU country.

Children

Houre isn't intended for children under 13, and we don't knowingly hold their data.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. For significant changes, we'll let you know in the app before they take effect.