Privacy Policy

Personal Information and GDPR

The kind of information we hold about you

Hytsioaboa Software Ltd. collects and stores the following categories of personal information about you in order to identify you and facilitate the provision of services to you:

Email address

And if provided by you:

First Name
Last Name
Company

How is your personal information collected?

Personal information is collected through engagement from you with this website's 'Let's keep you updated' or 'Get in touch' forms.

Personal information is not collected by Hytsioaboa Software Ltd. through the use of the ArchitectBuddies™ application once installed.

How we will use information about you

Hytsioaboa Software Ltd. will only use your personal information when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your information in the following circumstances:

Where we need to provide support for the ArchitectBuddies™ application.
Where we need to clarify feedback provided by you.
Where we need to comply with a legal obligation.
Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party). Where we are processing for a legitimate interest we have balanced this against your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.

We will use information about you for the following purposes:

To provide application support services to you (in accordance with the terms of our end user licence agreement with you)
Making decisions about your continued engagement with us (in accordance with the terms of our engagement with you)
Dealing with disputes involving you (in accordance with the terms of our engagement with you)
To prevent fraud (in accordance with our legal obligations)
To provide you with updates, guidance, general and tailored advice which is (or may be in the future) relevant to you

Some of the above grounds for processing may overlap.

Change of purpose

Hytsioaboa Software Ltd. will only use your personal information for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use your personal information for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so.

Please note that we may process your personal information without your knowledge of consent, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law.

Mobile App Device Permissions

The ArchitectBuddies™ application requests access to certain device features to provide its core functionality. These permissions are only used for the purposes described below:

Microphone Access

The microphone is used to recognise speech when choosing to add an element or connector using the Voice Builder button and when selecting the microphone on the keyboard to add text using speech. Audio data is processed in real-time and is not stored or transmitted to external servers by Hytsioaboa Software Ltd.

Speech Recognition

Speech recognition is used to identify the type of element, name for the element and connector/connect keyword when the user selects the Voice Builder button. This feature utilises Apple's on-device speech recognition capabilities.

These device permissions can be managed through your device's Settings app at any time. Denying these permissions will disable the corresponding voice control features but will not affect other functionality of the application.

Screenshot Analysis

The ArchitectBuddies™ application allows users to capture screenshots for analysis by AI services or for creation of images by AI services. This feature is user-initiated only. When you choose to analyse a screenshot, the image data is sent directly to your configured AI or LLM service provider (such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or other supported services). Screenshot data is not transmitted to or stored by Hytsioaboa Software Ltd. The processing of screenshot data is subject to the privacy policy of your chosen AI or LLM provider. If you use a locally downloaded model (.gguf format), screenshot analysis is performed entirely on your device without any external transmission.

You may choose to save the AI-generated response to your device's Photo Library. The application only adds images to your Photo Library and does not access or read your existing photos.

In-App Purchases and Subscriptions

The Architect Buddies application offers subscription-based features through Apple's In-App Purchase system.

Payment Processing

All in-app purchases and subscriptions are processed and handled by Apple through the App Store. Hytsioaboa Software Ltd. does not collect, store, or process any payment information directly. Payment data is subject to Apple's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Available Subscriptions

The following subscription options are available:

ArchiMate® Notation Subscription: Provides access to the full ArchiMate element palette, unlimited canvases, and save/export functionality.
Workflow Automation Subscription: Enables AI-powered architecture assistance features. Requires an active notation subscription and either your own API key for a cloud-based LLM service (e.g., Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, AI/ML, AIX, or Ollama Cloud) or a downloaded .gguf model file capable of tool support on mobile devices.

Note: Additional notation subscriptions (SysML-like, UML-like) and skills subscriptions (TOGAF-like, ISO 15288-like) may be offered in future releases.

Subscription Data

We use Apple's StoreKit 2 framework to verify subscription status. This verification occurs on-device using transaction data provided by Apple. We do not store subscription transaction details on our servers.

Third-Party AI Services (Workflow Automation)

When you choose to use cloud-based AI services through the Workflow Automation feature, your data (including screenshot images and text prompts) is transmitted directly to your chosen provider. These providers maintain their own privacy policies and data protection standard

OpenAI: Privacy Policy
Google (Gemini API): Privacy Policy
Anthropic: Privacy Policy
AIX: Privacy Policy
AI/ML API: Privacy Policy

Hytsioaboa Software Ltd. has selected AI service providers who maintain industry-standard data protection practices. However, once data is transmitted to these services, it is processed according to their respective privacy policies and terms of service. We recommend reviewing your chosen provider's privacy policy before use.

Important notes on provider data practices:

OpenAI API and Anthropic API: Do not use customer data for model training by default
Google Gemini API (Paid): Does not use prompts for model training
Google Gemini API (Free/Unpaid): May use data for model improvement
AI/ML API: Acts as an aggregator providing access to multiple AI models; data handling depends on underlying model provider

You are responsible for providing your own API key for your chosen cloud-based AI service provider

Hytsioaboa Software Ltd. does not have access to your API keys. They are stored only in your device's secure storage and are never transmitted to our servers.

Local and self-hosted alternatives (no third-party privacy policy applies):

Ollama: When using Ollama, the app connects to a server address you specify (typically your own self-hosted Ollama instance on your local network or private infrastructure). Data is transmitted only to your configured server and remains under your control. Hytsioaboa Software Ltd. does not receive or process this data.
Local LLM (.gguf models): When using downloaded model files, all inference is performed entirely on your device using the device's processor and memory. No data is transmitted externally. This option provides complete data privacy as your prompts and responses never leave your device.

Data Retention

Personal information collected through our website forms (email address, name, company) is retained for as long as you maintain an active relationship with us, or until you request deletion. We review retained data annually and remove information for contacts who have had no engagement with us for more than 24 months.

Information processed on-device by the ArchitectBuddies™ application:

Speech recognition data: Processed in real-time and not retained beyond the current voice command session
Screenshot data: Transmitted directly to your chosen AI provider (if using cloud services) and not stored by Hytsioaboa Software Ltd. If using a local model, data remains on your device only
Canvas and architecture data: Stored locally on your device using Apple's SwiftData framework and is not transmitted to Hytsioaboa Software Ltd.

Subscription verification data is processed on-device using Apple's StoreKit 2 framework and is not retained by Hytsioaboa Software Ltd.

Data Security

We have put in place measures to protect the security of your information and remain compliant with the requirements of Cyber Essentials which provide the technical controls reflected in well-established standards such as ISO/IEC 27000 series. Details of these measures are available upon request.

Your Rights and How to Exercise Them

Your Duty to Inform Us of Changes

It is important that the personal information we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal information changes during your relationship with us.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law, you have the following rights:

Right of Access — You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you. To make a subject access request, email GDPR@ArchitectBuddies.com with the subject line "Subject Access Request". We will respond within 30 days.

Right to Rectification — You have the right to request correction of any personal information we hold about you that is inaccurate or incomplete. Email GDPR@ArchitectBuddies.com with details of the information requiring correction.

Right to Erasure — You have the right to request deletion of your personal data. To exercise this right:

Website data (contact forms, mailing list): Email GDPR@ArchitectBuddies.com with the subject line "Data Deletion Request". Include the email address associated with your data. We will process your request within 30 days and confirm completion.
App data: All application data is stored locally on your device. You can delete this data by deleting individual canvases within the app, or by uninstalling the ArchitectBuddies™ application which removes all locally stored data.
AI service data: Data processed by third-party AI services is subject to their respective deletion policies. Contact your AI provider directly.

Right to Restriction of Processing — You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances, for example if you contest the accuracy of the data or object to our processing of it.

Right to Data Portability — You have the right to request transfer of your personal information to yourself or a third party in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format. For website data, email GDPR@ArchitectBuddies.com. For app data, use the export functionality within the ArchitectBuddies™ application to save your canvases in standard formats.

Right to Object — You have the right to object to processing of your personal information where we are relying on a legitimate interest. We will cease processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights and freedoms.

Right to Withdraw Consent — Where we rely on your consent to process personal information, you may withdraw that consent at any time:

Device permissions: Navigate to your device's Settings > ArchitectBuddies to disable microphone access or speech recognition.
Marketing communications: Click the unsubscribe link in any email, or email GDPR@ArchitectBuddies.com.
AI service usage: Remove your API key from the app settings or switch to a locally downloaded model.

Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

Exercising Your Rights

You will not normally be required to pay a fee to exercise any of your rights. However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances.

We may need to request specific information from you to confirm your identity before processing your request. This is a security measure to ensure personal information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it.

Contact

For all data protection enquiries and requests:

Email: GDPR@ArchitectBuddies.com

If you are not satisfied with our response to any enquiry or complaint, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection: www.ico.org.uk