Privacy Policy
Effective date: November 6, 2026
chekusu, Inc. (“we”) handles information in the Parkuma iPhone app (“the app”) as described here. If this version and the Japanese version differ, the Japanese version applies.
1. Information we collect
| Information | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Name, email address, phone number, profile photo, connected sign-in services | When you sign in, or enter or change them on the account screen | Sign-in, confirming it’s you, showing your account |
| Account ID | When you sign in | Linking your data to you |
| Current location, with its accuracy | While you use the app, if you allow location access | Showing nearby lots, working out walking time, confirming you are at a lot |
| Destination, searched places, length of stay, app language | When you set them on the map or in a chat with the bear | Finding and recommending lots, showing the app in your language |
| Car details (nickname, make, model, size, weight, plate, inspection and insurance dates, and similar) | When you tell the bear | Checking whether your car fits, reminders, filling in payment pages |
| Preferences (what to prioritize, usual stays, longest walk, phone payment only) and body weight | When you set them or tell the bear | Ordering recommendations and working out a walk’s calories (body weight is used for nothing else) |
| Signboard photos and related details (where and when taken, location accuracy, direction, text read from the board, a hash of the photo) | When you photograph and submit a board with the app’s camera | Reading and updating prices, preventing abuse, awarding points |
| Reports of a lot being vacant or full, or no longer existing, with your location at the time | When you report them | Keeping lot information current |
| Your chats with the bear, reminders, scheduled tasks, and things you ask it to remember | When you use the bear | Answering you, doing what you ask, sending reminders |
| Points history | When points are earned | Showing your balance and history |
| Payment page records (lot, stall number, plate, amount, status) | When the bear opens an operator’s payment page | Guiding and recording the steps |
| Notification token and device identifiers | When you allow notifications or use network sharing | Delivering notifications, telling devices apart |
| Access logs (IP address, request URL, and similar) | When the app connects to our servers | Running the service, fixing faults, preventing abuse |
The app does not access your contacts or microphone, and does not collect location in the background. Your photo library is used only when you choose a profile photo.
2. What happens on your phone
Reading text from boards and preparing photos happen on your phone. Before upload, a photo is reduced to at most 2048 pixels on its long side, and faces and number plates that can be detected are blurred. A plate or face that can’t be detected may stay unblurred, so please avoid including people and cars.
3. Who we send information to
To run the app, we send information to these companies and services.
| Recipient | What is sent | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Clerk, Inc. (US) | Account information | Sign-in and account management |
| Cloudflare, Inc. (US) | All information our servers handle | Servers, database, photo storage |
| Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd. (China) | Your chats, what the bear needs to answer (such as location, destination, car details, plate, preferences, body weight, points balance), text read from boards, web search terms | The bear’s replies, reading boards, web search |
| Sandbank Cloud (cloud.sandbank.dev) | What is entered in the cloud browser, and a device ID for network sharing | Letting the bear open operators’ pages |
| Parking operators’ websites | The stall number, plate digits, entry time and similar that the bear enters on the page | Checking the fee. You pay in your own wallet; we never pay for you |
| Expo (650 Industries, Inc., US) and Apple | Notification token and notification text | Push notifications |
| Apple | Coordinates needed for maps, routes and Look Around | Maps and routes |
| Geospatial Information Authority of Japan | Map tile numbers around a walking route, and place names you search for | Elevation data and address lookup |
Signboard photos themselves are not sent to AI models.
When you tap a maps button, the start and end coordinates go to the app you choose: Apple Maps, Google Maps or Amap. Each company’s own policy applies.
DeepSeek’s own policy says it stores information on servers in China and may use it to improve its models. Please don’t put anything in a chat that you want to keep private.
4. Processing outside Japan
As the table shows, information is stored or processed outside Japan, including in the US and China. Cloudflare uses facilities around the world. Rules in those countries differ from Japan’s.
5. What other people can see
Other users see the lot name, prices and vehicle limits read from boards, and whether a lot is vacant or full. They don’t see photos or who reported something.
6. Network sharing
“Use my network if a page won’t open” is on by default. If an operator’s page refuses the cloud connection, the bear opens it through this iPhone’s connection. The site then sees your connection’s IP address, and your mobile data is used. This works only while the app is on screen, is limited to 100 MB a day, and never reaches devices on your home network. You can turn it off in settings.
7. How long we keep information
- Signboard photos: deleted automatically 90 days after submission.
- Everything else: there is no automatic deletion period, so we keep it until you delete your account. We keep only your latest current location, but the location attached to a board or report stays with that record.
- Access logs: kept according to Cloudflare’s service.
- Points expire after 180 days.
8. Deleting your account, and your choices
You can delete your account with “Delete account” on the app’s My car screen. This can’t be undone.
Deleted: chats, reminders, cars, preferences, points, board submissions and photos, reports, payment page records, and notification registration.
Kept:
- Your sign-in account (such as your email address), because other services using the same account share it. To have it deleted, contact us using section 11.
- Lot information that another user has also confirmed. Its link to you is removed.
- Access logs, and information already sent to the recipients in section 3, which each company handles under its own policy.
You can also:
- Change location, camera and notification permissions at any time in iOS Settings. Some features won’t work without them.
- Change or delete your cars and preferences by telling the bear or in settings.
9. Advertising and tracking
The app has no ads and no tools for analyzing or tracking how you use it. We don’t sell your information.
10. Your requests
To request disclosure, correction, suspension of use or deletion of your personal data under Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information, contact us using section 11. We’ll confirm your identity first.
11. Contact
chekusu, Inc.
Contact: support@parkuma.com
We will give you our address and our representative’s name without delay if you ask.
12. Changes
If this policy changes, we’ll update this page and its effective date.
13. Governing law and jurisdiction
This policy is governed by the laws of Japan. The Tokyo District Court has exclusive jurisdiction as the court of first instance over any dispute about it.