Privacy Policy
This English text is a translation provided for convenience. Where the Turkish version differs, the Turkish version prevails for users in Türkiye.
- Controller: Hasan Akgül (Pingel).
- We process your account data (Google or e-mail), your public profile and what you post; posts are automatically moderated before publication. Advertising and analytics cookies run only with your consent.
- We do not sell your data; advertising and analytics cookies run only with your consent.
- To exercise your rights: hasan@pingel.dev
Who we are
Sivis is a multilingual social platform where people from all over the world share one-sentence messages (Sivs) on a shared stage, and like and save them. This policy applies to the service provided at sivis.app and related apps.
| Data controller | Hasan Akgül (an individual developing software products under the Pingel brand; “Pingel”) |
|---|---|
| Location | Istanbul, Türkiye |
| hasan@pingel.dev | |
| Web | pingel.dev |
What we process and why
The table below lists the categories of data we process, why, the legal basis under Turkish law (KVKK) and how long we keep it. Legal bases for other regions are in the section for your region below.
| Data | Purpose | Legal basis | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account data E-mail (authentication only, never shown on your profile), name and photo with Google sign-in, password (hashed by Firebase) | Creating your account, signing you in, providing the service and service notices | Necessary to conclude or perform a contract (KVKK Art. 5(2)(c)) | While your account is open; within 30 days after deletion |
| Public profile Nickname, avatar, optional country, birth year/date and gender | Showing your profile and linking your posts to you | Necessary to conclude or perform a contract (KVKK Art. 5(2)(c)) | While your account is open; within 30 days after deletion |
| Posts and interactions Sivs, inspiration comments, likes, saves, view counts; the account link is kept for anonymous posts too | Running the platform; anonymity applies towards other users, the account link is kept to handle abuse | Necessary to conclude or perform a contract (KVKK Art. 5(2)(c)); Our legitimate interests, provided your fundamental rights are not harmed (KVKK Art. 5(2)(f)) | Until you delete them or close your account |
| Moderation inputs Post text (before publication) | Filtering rule-breaking content before publication (Cloudflare Workers AI) | Our legitimate interests, provided your fundamental rights are not harmed (KVKK Art. 5(2)(f)) | At the time of the request; not stored by the provider |
| Notifications and reports Push token, report reason and reported content | Sending notifications (if allowed), reviewing reports | Your explicit consent (KVKK Art. 5(1)); you may withdraw it at any time; Our legitimate interests, provided your fundamental rights are not harmed (KVKK Art. 5(2)(f)) | Until you revoke permission; reports 1 year |
| Agreement and consent records Documents you accepted, their versions, date and time | Proving that the agreement was concluded and you were informed | Necessary to conclude or perform a contract (KVKK Art. 5(2)(c)); Establishment, exercise or protection of a right (KVKK Art. 5(2)(e)) | 10 years after account closure (limitation period) |
| Contact and support Name, e-mail, message content | Answering your questions and requests | Our legitimate interests, provided your fundamental rights are not harmed (KVKK Art. 5(2)(f)); Establishment, exercise or protection of a right (KVKK Art. 5(2)(e)) | 2 years after the conversation ends |
| Technical and security logs IP address, browser/device info, request time, error logs | Running the service, keeping it secure, preventing abuse and attacks, obligations under Law No. 5651 | Our legitimate interests, provided your fundamental rights are not harmed (KVKK Art. 5(2)(f)); Expressly provided for by law (KVKK Art. 5(2)(a)) | Hosting provider logs 30 days; records under Law 5651 for the statutory period (1–2 years) |
| Usage statistics Pages visited, session duration, approximate location (country/city), device type, cookie ID | Anonymised statistics to improve the site (Google Analytics) — only if you consent | Your explicit consent (KVKK Art. 5(1)); you may withdraw it at any time | 14 months in Google Analytics |
| Advertising data Cookie ID, ad interactions, approximate location | Showing ads; personalising them by interest if you consent (Google AdSense) | Your explicit consent (KVKK Art. 5(1)); you may withdraw it at any time | According to Google's policy, up to 13 months |
We do not ask for sensitive data such as national ID numbers, health, religion or biometrics; please do not enter them in free-text fields either.
How we collect data
We collect personal data electronically, partly by automated means, through the forms you fill in, the actions you take in your account, the e-mails you send us and the technical information your browser or device sends automatically (including cookies and similar technologies).
Who we share data with
We do not sell or rent your data to anyone for their own purposes. To run the service we share data only with the following providers, and only as far as their service requires:
| Provider | Purpose | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Google Firebase / Google Cloud (Google Ireland Ltd., Google LLC) | Hosting, authentication, database, server functions | EU and/or US data centres |
| Cloudflare, Inc. | Hosting, content delivery, DNS, attack protection | Global network (US-based) |
| Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google) | Push notifications (if you allow them) | EU and/or US |
| Google reCAPTCHA / Firebase App Check | Bot and abuse protection | United States |
| Google Analytics 4 (Google Ireland Ltd., Google LLC) | Visit statistics — only with your consent | EU and/or US |
| Google AdSense (Google Ireland Ltd., Google LLC) | Showing ads — personalised only with your consent | EU and/or US |
We also disclose information to competent public authorities and courts only where there is a lawful request or legal obligation.
International transfers
Some of the providers above process data on servers outside Türkiye (in the EU, the US and other countries). Under Article 9 of the KVKK these transfers rely on appropriate safeguards such as standard contracts and the providers' data processing terms, and, for occasional transfers where these cannot be used, on the cases in Article 9(6) (necessity for the performance of a contract or explicit consent). For users in the European Economic Area, transfers rely on the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses and, where the provider is certified, the EU–US Data Privacy Framework.
How long we keep data
We keep data for the period stated in the table above or, if none is stated, for as long as the purpose requires. We then delete, destroy or anonymise it. Copies in backups are removed within the backup cycle (at most 35 days). Payment records that tax and commercial law require us to keep are retained for the statutory period (up to 10 years).
Security
Connections are encrypted with HTTPS; database access is restricted by roles and rules; administrative access is kept to a minimum and logged. No system is perfect; if a breach affects your personal data we will notify the competent authority and you as required by KVKK Art. 12(5) and GDPR Arts. 33–34.
Children
You must be at least 13 to use Sivis; in the EU the digital age of consent in your country (13–16) applies and below it parental consent is required. Known under-18 users are not shown personalised ads.
Cookies
The cookies we use and how to change your choice: Cookie Policy
Your rights — by region
The section for your location opens automatically; you can open any section. Wherever you are, you can write to hasan@pingel.dev for any request; we reply free of charge within 30 days.
Türkiye — KVKK (Law No. 6698)
Under Article 11 of the KVKK you may ask whether your data is processed, request information about it, learn the purpose and whether it is used accordingly, know the third parties it is transferred to, request correction, deletion or destruction (under Art. 7) and notification of these to recipients, object to an adverse result arising solely from automated analysis, and claim compensation for damage caused by unlawful processing.
Send your request from the e-mail address registered with us to hasan@pingel.dev, or in writing. We reply free of charge within 30 days. If you are not satisfied you may complain to the Turkish Personal Data Protection Board. Details: KVKK Privacy Notice (Türkiye).
European Union / EEA, United Kingdom and Switzerland — GDPR
In these regions your data is protected under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK GDPR and the Swiss FADP. Our legal bases are:
| Data | Purpose | Legal basis | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account data E-mail (authentication only, never shown on your profile), name and photo with Google sign-in, password (hashed by Firebase) | Creating your account, signing you in, providing the service and service notices | Performance of a contract (GDPR Art. 6(1)(b)) | While your account is open; within 30 days after deletion |
| Public profile Nickname, avatar, optional country, birth year/date and gender | Showing your profile and linking your posts to you | Performance of a contract (GDPR Art. 6(1)(b)) | While your account is open; within 30 days after deletion |
| Posts and interactions Sivs, inspiration comments, likes, saves, view counts; the account link is kept for anonymous posts too | Running the platform; anonymity applies towards other users, the account link is kept to handle abuse | Performance of a contract (GDPR Art. 6(1)(b)); Legitimate interests (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)) | Until you delete them or close your account |
| Moderation inputs Post text (before publication) | Filtering rule-breaking content before publication (Cloudflare Workers AI) | Legitimate interests (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)) | At the time of the request; not stored by the provider |
| Notifications and reports Push token, report reason and reported content | Sending notifications (if allowed), reviewing reports | Consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a)); Legitimate interests (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)) | Until you revoke permission; reports 1 year |
| Agreement and consent records Documents you accepted, their versions, date and time | Proving that the agreement was concluded and you were informed | Performance of a contract (GDPR Art. 6(1)(b)); Legitimate interests (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)) | 10 years after account closure (limitation period) |
| Contact and support Name, e-mail, message content | Answering your questions and requests | Legitimate interests (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)); Legitimate interests (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)) | 2 years after the conversation ends |
| Technical and security logs IP address, browser/device info, request time, error logs | Running the service, keeping it secure, preventing abuse and attacks, obligations under Law No. 5651 | Legitimate interests (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)); Legal obligation (GDPR Art. 6(1)(c)) | Hosting provider logs 30 days; records under Law 5651 for the statutory period (1–2 years) |
| Usage statistics Pages visited, session duration, approximate location (country/city), device type, cookie ID | Anonymised statistics to improve the site (Google Analytics) — only if you consent | Consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a)) | 14 months in Google Analytics |
| Advertising data Cookie ID, ad interactions, approximate location | Showing ads; personalising them by interest if you consent (Google AdSense) | Consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a)) | According to Google's policy, up to 13 months |
Your rights: access, rectification, erasure (“right to be forgotten”), restriction, data portability, objection to processing based on legitimate interests and to direct marketing, withdrawing consent at any time, and not being subject to solely automated decisions. You may lodge a complaint with the data protection authority in your country. We have no EU representative; you can contact us directly at hasan@pingel.dev.
United States — California (CCPA/CPRA) and other states
In the last 12 months we collected personal information in the categories listed in the table above, from the sources and for the purposes shown there. We do not sell your personal information and we do not use sensitive personal information to infer characteristics about you. Advertising cookies run only with your consent; without it no data is shared for targeted advertising.
Under the laws of California, Colorado, Virginia, Connecticut, Utah, Texas, Oregon and similar states you have the right to know/access, correct, delete, obtain a portable copy and opt out of sale/sharing or targeted advertising. We will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights. We honour the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal as an opt-out request. Send requests to hasan@pingel.dev; you may also use an authorised agent, and we will reasonably verify your identity.
Brazil — LGPD
Under the Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD) you may confirm processing, access, correct, anonymise, block or delete data, obtain portability, learn with whom data is shared, withdraw consent and complain to the ANPD. Our legal bases are the same as in the GDPR section (contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, consent). Requests: hasan@pingel.dev.
Canada — PIPEDA
You may access and request correction of your personal information and withdraw consent. Your information may be processed outside Canada and be accessible to authorities there. Please raise concerns with us first (hasan@pingel.dev), then with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
India — DPDP Act 2023
Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act you may obtain a summary of the data processed, request correction and erasure, have grievances redressed and nominate a person to exercise your rights. Grievance contact: hasan@pingel.dev. If you are not satisfied you may approach the Data Protection Board of India.
Other countries
The laws of your country may give you additional rights. Wherever you are, you can ask us at hasan@pingel.dev to access, correct or delete your data or to withdraw consent. We reply within the period required by local law and at most 30 days.
Changes
We may update this policy. We announce material changes on the site and notify account holders. The date and version at the top show the current text.
Contact
For any privacy question or request: hasan@pingel.dev