Welcome to StepFun AI! Shanghai StepFun Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "We" or "the Company") deeply understands the importance of personal information to you, and your trust is very important to us. We will protect your personal information and privacy in accordance with laws and regulations and by referring to industry best practices.
We have formulated this Privacy Policy and specifically remind you: We hope you carefully read and understand this Privacy Policy before using StepFun AI (hereinafter referred to as "the Product") to make appropriate choices. This Privacy Policy applies to the products and services we provide to you in the form of StepFun AI web version (https://yuewen.cn/chats/new, https://www.stepfun.com/), StepFun AI mobile version (including App and WeChat Mini Program), and other forms that emerge with technological development, which are centered on generative AI services and include other functionalities (the specific product and service names shall be subject to the names actually used by the user at that time). By actively confirming this Privacy Policy through checking or other means, you acknowledge that you have read and understood our personal information processing rules, and when you use the Product, we will process your relevant personal information in accordance with the descriptions in this Privacy Policy.
If a specific terminal, product, and/or service of ours has a separate privacy policy, the separate privacy policy shall take precedence over this Privacy Policy; for content not mentioned in the separate privacy policy, this Privacy Policy shall apply. It needs to be specially noted that this Privacy Policy does not apply to software, products, or services provided to you by other third parties. If you jump to third-party software, products, or services through web links in this Product, you will be subject to the third party's relevant agreements or other documents, and the third party will be responsible for the processing of your personal information in accordance with its relevant agreements or policies.
Please note that for you to use this Product normally, you should enable or authorize network permissions to ensure WLAN or mobile network connection, which may incur data charges. Please consult your local operator for specific fees. If you disable or do not allow us to use network permissions, you will not be able to use this Product.
If you are under 18 years old or under the age required by your place of residence to use StepFun AI, or if there are other circumstances where you do not meet the legal requirements commensurate with user behavior, please, as required by local law: (A) do not use StepFun AI, or (B) read this policy under the supervision and guidance of a guardian and ensure that the guardian agrees to the content of this policy before using StepFun AI.
This Privacy Policy will help you understand:
We will collect and use your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy, but we will not force a bundled collection of personal information just because you agree to this Privacy Policy.
When you use or enable relevant functions or services, we will collect and use relevant information as necessary to achieve the functions and services. Unless it is necessary information for the realization of business functions or required by laws and regulations, you can refuse to provide it without affecting other functions or services. We will explain the information to be collected item by item in this Privacy Policy.
We will not enable your system privacy permissions by default. We will only use them for specific functions or services with your express authorization, and you can also withdraw your authorization. It should be specifically pointed out that even with your authorization, if we obtain these sensitive permissions, we will not collect your information when the relevant functions or services do not require it.
When you use our products and services, the specific business functions may involve the following system permissions:
| Permission Name | Usage Scenario or Purpose |
|---|---|
| Microphone | Used to help users complete voice input, smart voice calls, and other related functions that require this permission. |
| Camera | Used to help users complete shooting, sending pictures, and quickly using photo-based questioning features; When your device is iPhone 15 and/or newer models or iOS 18 system and/or above, you can also set your iPhone 15 and/or newer model mobile device's left Action button, iPhone 16 camera button, iOS 18 system and/or above's lock screen shortcut, and control center to quickly open the "Ask with Photo" function and call your iPhone device's Camera permission, to facilitate your quick use of the "Ask with Photo" function and ask questions based on uploaded pictures. |
| Photo Album | May be requested when users use iOS system terminals, used to help users upload/send pictures, allow App to write/download/save pictures. |
| Clipboard | When the user chooses to paste content from the system clipboard into the chat input box, we will collect the user's clipboard information to facilitate more convenient input of text to be chatted with us. |
| Accelerometer/Gyroscope | Used to detect the rotation direction of the Sensor mobile device, to determine the horizontal and vertical orientation of user-shot images, and rotate to adapt the orientation. |
| External Storage | May be requested when users use Android system terminals, allowing the App to read pictures, files, and other content from storage, mainly used to help users upload/send pictures, record crash log information locally (if any), and other functions; allowing the App to write/download/save/modify/delete pictures, files, crash logs, and other information. |
The following will help you understand in detail how we collect, use, store, transfer (if applicable), and protect your personal information; it will also help you understand how to manage your personal information. This Privacy Policy is closely related to your use of this Product. We recommend that you carefully read and understand the entire content of this Privacy Policy and make choices that you deem appropriate. Important content, such as clauses regarding your personal information rights, has been highlighted in bold, please pay special attention. We will further highlight sensitive personal information and sensitive permissions by underlining them to draw your attention. This Product provides users with services such as text processing, knowledge learning, information retrieval, and human-computer interaction.
We have also prepared a "Privacy Policy Summary" for you to briefly introduce how we process your personal information. You can click to view the corresponding document.
Table of Contents
1. How We Collect and Use Personal Information
We will collect information you actively provide when using the product, as well as information generated during your use of functions or acceptance of services through automated means, in the following ways:
1.1 Helping You Become Our User
When you first use this product, you can create an account using your Email/Google/Discord to complete registration and become our user. We will verify your identity by sending a SMS verification code. Subsequently, you can log in to use this product by entering your registered mobile number and the SMS verification code. The mobile number is necessary information to comply with national laws and regulations regarding real-name authentication for networks. If you do not provide your mobile number and verification code for registration and login, we may not be able to provide you with complete services.
Based on our cooperation with telecommunication operators, we provide you with a "one-click login" function in the StepFun AI mobile version. If you use this function, you need to read and agree to the relevant agreements of the telecommunication operator. With your authorized consent, we will use the function provided by the telecommunication operator to use your device's mobile number as your registration and login account and exempt you from password or dynamic verification code verification, providing you with quick registration and login services. If you do not wish to use the "one-click login" function, you can register and log in through other methods.
When you use our StepFun AI mobile version, after you complete registration, to provide you with a better service experience, including using your StepFun ID when providing feedback or complaints, we will generate a "StepFun ID" corresponding to your account. You can also set your profile picture and nickname information according to the operating instructions on the product page. The aforementioned information is not necessary for you to register as a StepFun AI user. If you do not agree to provide such information, it will not affect your registration as a user of this product or your use of its related services.
1.2 Providing You with Smart Conversation and Related Services
1.2.1 We provide you with intelligent dialogue and content generation services based on generative AI model technology. To provide you with intelligent dialogue and content generation services, perform text understanding, information retrieval, and data analysis to better understand your needs, answer your questions, and generate relevant content, we will collect the information you actively input (including text, voice, images, documents, links, and other forms), your operational instructions, and your feedback information (feedback forms include but are not limited to likes, error reports, regeneration, specific to the product page function). We will analyze and calculate the above information to better understand your questions and context, thereby providing you with more relevant and accurate information. The aforementioned information is necessary for providing intelligent dialogue and content generation functions. If you refuse to provide it, you may not be able to use the intelligent dialogue and content generation functions.
1.2.2 We may also, when needed, automatically conduct online searches based on your input information (including but not limited to text, images, documents, voice, links, etc.) to provide you with relevant replies based on the online search results. When you actively take photos, or input images, files, or voice, depending on the function, we will request your authorization for Camera, Photo Album (Storage), and Microphone permissions, respectively, based on the type of information you input. If you refuse to authorize, you will not be able to take photos or input images, file information, and voice information, but it will not affect your use of other functions of this product.
1.2.3 When you use our smart voice dialogue service through our StepFun AI mobile version, we will request your mobile device's microphone permission. With your authorized consent, we will collect your input voice information and the converted text content. We will send your voice commands to the server, and then provide feedback based on your voice commands. Our collection of such information is necessary for the smart voice dialogue function. If you refuse to provide it, you will not be able to use the smart voice dialogue service.
1.2.4 When you use our smart voice call service through this product, we will request your mobile device's microphone permission. With your authorized consent, we will continuously collect your voice call information until you actively end the smart voice call. Your voice content will be sent to the server, and then interactive feedback will be provided based on your voice commands. At the same time, we will convert the voice into text content and display the call text content in the dialogue box. You can also choose to switch the StepFun AI mobile version to the background. After switching, the StepFun AI mobile version will continue to collect voice call information and interact with you. Our collection of the aforementioned information is necessary for the smart voice call function. If you refuse to provide it, you will not be able to use the smart voice call service. To provide you with a better real-time call interaction experience, we will instantly process your historical voice message input to distinguish user voice from environmental noise, etc., to achieve voice enhancement effects for the speaker.
1.2.5 To facilitate your querying and managing historical conversations in this product, we will record and display your conversation history in this product, including your input information, system replies, and conversation topics formed based on the above information. According to the operation guide on the product page, you can also choose to bookmark specific conversation records, or choose to delete relevant conversation records and unbookmark them.
Furthermore, to provide you with continuous and consistent service experience and ensure service quality, your historical conversation records will be simultaneously displayed and managed in both the StepFun AI web version (https://www.stepfun.com/) and the StepFun AI mobile version. However, if you are using related services through the StepFun AI web version with the URL https://yuewen.cn/chats/new, the corresponding historical conversation records will not be displayed in the StepFun AI web version (https://www.stepfun.com/) and the StepFun AI mobile version. You can only query and manage the corresponding historical conversation records through the StepFun AI web version with the URL https://yuewen.cn/chats/new, please be aware.
1.2.6 Under the premise of secure encryption technology, strict de-identification, and inability to re-identify specific individuals, we may use your chat data for model training to optimize the model's effect. This product provides a user experience program switch. If you do not wish for your data to be used for the aforementioned purposes, you can follow the relevant page instructions in this product to turn off the "User Experience Program," and we will no longer use your chat data for model training.
You can also choose to use the temporary session function provided in this product. When you use the temporary session function for conversations, we will not store your historical conversation records, and regardless of whether you enable the user experience program we will not use such conversation records for model training or for optimizing or improving the replies we output to you. Each time you use the temporary session function, it will be considered a brand new conversation, unaffected by your previous input content or your previous operating instructions.
1.3 User Feedback and Services
1.3.1 You can fill in and submit your opinions and suggestions regarding this product through the feedback and complaint interfaces in this product. We will collect the information you fill in. If you wish to receive a timely response to your opinions and suggestions, you can choose to leave your contact information, and we will communicate with you through your contact information.
1.3.2 When you contact us for consultation, complaints/reports, feedback, opinions, and suggestions, to facilitate communication with you, help you solve problems as soon as possible, or record solutions and results for related problems, we may save your communication/call records and related content (including account information, feedback information, other information you provide to prove relevant facts, or your contact information). The aforementioned information is necessary for providing corresponding services. If you refuse our collection, you may not be able to use the corresponding services.
1.3.3 When you complain about others or are complained about by others, to protect your and others' legitimate rights and interests, we may provide your account information, contact information, and complaint-related content to consumer rights protection departments and regulatory authorities to promptly resolve complaint disputes, unless otherwise explicitly prohibited by laws and regulations.
1.3.4 Questionnaire Surveys: To reasonably provide products and improve service quality, we may send you questionnaires on relevant pages of this product or on cooperative platforms to understand your opinions and suggestions on this product. When analyzing questionnaires, we will use your questionnaire response information. If you do not wish to participate, you can refuse to participate in the questionnaire survey.
1.4 Providing You with Message Notifications
You know and agree that in our operations, we may send you one or more types of notifications through contact information including your mobile number provided during your use of this product, such as user experience surveys. We will push messages to you within the product, and for this purpose, we will collect and use your UID, DID, hardware model, operating system version number, device identifiers (Android includes Android ID). If you do not wish to receive this information, you can unsubscribe through the unsubscribe method provided in the SMS or contact us directly to unsubscribe.
1.5 Providing You with Sharing Functionality
You can share this product or relevant content within this product with third parties through the sharing function in this product. When you use the sharing function, we will collect and retain your sharing history.
1.6 Providing You with Operational and Security Guarantees
We are committed to providing you with a safe and trustworthy product and usage environment, and providing high-quality and reliable services and information is our core goal. To maintain the normal operation of our products and protect the legitimate interests of you or other users or the public from loss, we will collect users' device information and log information, including: your hardware model, operating system version number, device identifiers (Android includes Android ID, OAID, IMSI, SIM card information (such as ICCID), GAID; iOS includes IDFV, IDFA; different identifiers will vary in validity period, whether they can be reset by the user, and acquisition methods), network device hardware address (device MAC address), client hardware features, IP address, WLAN access point (such as SSID, BSSID), Bluetooth, base station, software version number, network access method, type, status, network quality data, network source address and destination address, network source port, operation time and operation type, usage, service logs, clipboard information, device sensor data (such as accelerometer), running process information, overall operation and frequency of pages, page crash status, overall usage, performance data.
1.7 Changes in the Purpose of Collecting and Using Personal Information
We hereby specifically remind you that to provide you with a better product and service experience, we will continuously strive to improve our products, services, and technologies. Accordingly, we may from time to time launch new or optimized functions, which may require the collection and use of new personal information or changes in the purpose or method of using personal information. If the above circumstances occur, we will further explain to you through updates to this policy, pop-up windows, page prompts, or other means, and re-obtain your consent (except where laws and regulations do not require your consent). During this process, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, you can contact us through the contact information published in this Privacy Policy, and we will answer your questions as soon as possible.
1.8 Exceptions to Obtaining Authorization and Consent (Applicable to Users in Mainland China)
Please understand that in the following circumstances, according to laws, regulations, and relevant national standards, we do not need to obtain your prior authorization and consent to collect and/or otherwise process (including but not limited to storage, use, processing, transmission, provision, disclosure, deletion) your personal information:
1.8.1 Necessary for the conclusion and performance of a contract to which the individual is a party, or for human resource management in accordance with labor rules and regulations formulated according to law and collective contracts signed according to law;
1.8.2 Necessary for fulfilling statutory duties or legal obligations;
1.8.3 Necessary for responding to sudden public health incidents, or under emergency conditions to protect the life, health, and property safety of natural persons;
1.8.4 Processing personal information within a reasonable scope for activities such as news reporting and public opinion supervision for public interest;
1.8.5 Processing personal information that has been voluntarily disclosed by the individual or has been legally disclosed otherwise, within a reasonable scope, in accordance with the provisions of the Personal Information Protection Law;
1.8.6 Other circumstances stipulated by laws and administrative regulations.
1.9 We provide third-party large language model services in this product. If you choose to use a third-party large language model on the relevant interface of this product, we will process your input content based on the locally deployed model to output content to you. In such cases, your personal information will not be transmitted to a third party for processing.
1.10 If the content you input or upload during the use of this product contains or involves third-party information (including but not limited to personal information), before inputting this information, you must ensure that your actions have obtained legal authorization to avoid disclosing others' personal information and infringing on others' rights.
2. How We Use Cookies and Similar Technologies
Cookies and similar technologies like device information identifiers are widely used technologies on the internet. When you use this Product, we may send one or more cookies or anonymous identifiers to your device to collect, identify, and store information about your access and use of this Product. We promise that we will not use cookies for any other purpose than those described in this Privacy Policy. We use cookies and similar technologies mainly to achieve the following functions or services:
2.1 Ensuring the Safe and Efficient Operation of Products and Services
We may set authentication and security cookies or anonymous identifiers to confirm whether you have securely logged into the product or encountered theft, fraud, or other illegal activities. These technologies also help us improve service efficiency and enhance login and response speed.
2.2 Helping You Get an Easier Access Experience
Using such technologies can help you save the steps and processes of repeatedly filling in your personal information (example: recording conversations).
2.3 Clearing Cookies
Most browsers provide users with the function to clear browser cache data. You can perform the corresponding data clearing operations in the browser settings. If you clear them, due to these modifications, you may not be able to use services or corresponding functions that rely on cookies.
3. Partners Involved in Data Usage, Transfer, and Disclosure of Personal Information
3.1 Partners Involved in Data Usage
3.1.1 Principles
（1）Legality Principle: Data usage activities involving cooperation with partners must have a legitimate purpose and comply with legal legitimacy bases. If a partner's use of information no longer complies with the legality principle, they should no longer use your personal information, or use it only after obtaining the corresponding legitimate basis.
（2）Justification and Minimum Necessity Principle: Data usage must have a legitimate purpose and should be limited to what is necessary to achieve that purpose.
（3）Security and Prudence Principle: We will carefully evaluate the purpose of partners' data usage, comprehensively assess these partners' security protection capabilities, and require them to comply with cooperative legal agreements.
3.1.2 Third-Party SDKs
To ensure the stable operation of our products, realize relevant product functions, and provide you with more services and functions, our products will embed software development kits (SDKs) or other similar applications from third-party partners. We will provide necessary notices for the application programming interfaces (APIs) and software development kits (SDKs) through which partners obtain relevant information, and require partners to take strict data protection measures to process personal information in accordance with the cooperation purpose, service description, this Privacy Policy, and any other relevant confidentiality and security measures, except for information separately obtained with your consent by the partner. If a third party processes your personal information in its own name, the personal information processing rules apply to its independent privacy policy, and we recommend that you read and comply with the user service agreements and privacy policies of such third parties.
You can click here for the "Personal Information Sharing List, Third-Party SDK List" to view the specific situation of third-party SDKs integrated into our product.
3.1.3 Sharing
When you use this Product, based on obtaining your consent separately, or in circumstances stipulated by laws and regulations, we may share your personal information with partners to facilitate your use of the services provided by the partners to you. Except for these situations, we generally will not provide your personal information to any other company, organization, or individual.
If we need to share your personal information with a third party, if applicable law requires, we will inform you of the name or identity of the recipient, contact information, processing purpose, processing method, and type of personal information, and obtain your separate consent in advance (except for situations where laws and regulations do not require your consent) before providing your personal information externally, and at the same time fulfill other obligations for providing personal information externally according to relevant laws.
You can click here for the "Personal Information Sharing List, Third-Party SDK List" to view the specific circumstances of our sharing of personal information.
3.1.4 Entrusted Processing
We may entrust authorized partners to process your personal information to enable authorized partners to provide certain services or perform functions on our behalf. We will only entrust them to process your information for legitimate, proper, necessary, specific, and explicit purposes stated in this Privacy Policy. Authorized partners can only access information necessary for them to perform their duties. For scenarios involving entrusted processing of personal information, we will sign relevant processing agreements with the entrusted partners in accordance with legal provisions and supervise their personal information usage activities. We entrust necessary information to partners who support our business for processing, which includes content review services, server deployment of code and data, database storage services, and SMS sending services entrusted by us.
3.2 Transfer
As our business continues to develop, we may undergo mergers, acquisitions, or asset transfers, and your personal information may be transferred as a result. In the event of the aforementioned changes, we will require the successor to continue to fulfill the obligations of the personal information processor in accordance with laws and regulations and security standards no lower than those stated in this Privacy Policy. If the successor changes the original processing purpose or processing method, we will require the successor to re-obtain your authorized consent.
3.3 Public Disclosure
We will not publicly disclose your personal information unless required by national laws and regulations or with your consent. We will adopt security protection measures that meet industry standards when publicly disclosing your personal information.
3.4 Please understand that, in accordance with the provisions of laws and regulations, if we need to share, transfer, disclose, or otherwise process your personal information based on the circumstances listed in Article 1.8 above, we do not need to obtain your consent.
4. How We Store Personal Information
4.1 Storage Location
For users in mainland China, in accordance with laws and regulations, we store your personal information collected and generated during our operations within the territory of the People's Republic of China. Currently, we will not transmit the aforementioned information overseas. If we transmit it overseas, we will strictly comply with China's relevant laws and regulatory policies, and will follow relevant national regulations or seek your consent.
For users in the United States, we store your personal data in the United States; for users in other overseas countries, we store your personal data in Malaysia. We take measures to ensure that our processors provide an adequate level of data protection by ensuring appropriate safeguards are in place and data transfer arrangements are adequately implemented.
4.2 Storage Period
We only retain your personal information for the period necessary to provide this service, for example:
4.2.1 Mobile number: When you register and log in with your mobile number, we need to continuously retain your mobile number to provide you with normal services, respond to your possible inquiries and customer complaints, and ensure the security of your25 account and system.
4.2.2 The information, documents, and pictures you input, and feedback information, will be retained by us for continuous provision of business functions as long as you do not withdraw, delete, or cancel your account.
4.2.3 The retention period for IP addresses is 3 years.
4.2.4 If you cancel your account, actively delete personal information, or after exceeding the necessary storage period, we will delete or anonymize your personal information, except for the following situations:
Compliance with legal and regulatory requirements for information retention.
Reasonable extension of the period for financial, auditing, dispute resolution, and other purposes.
5. How We Protect the Security of Personal Information
5.1 We attach great importance to the security of your personal information and will strive to adopt reasonable security measures (both technical and managerial) to protect your personal information, preventing improper use, unauthorized access, public disclosure, use, modification, damage, loss, or leakage of the personal information you provide.
5.2 We will use encryption technology, anonymization, and other reasonable and feasible means no less than those used by our industry peers to protect your personal information, and use security protection mechanisms to prevent your personal information from malicious attacks.
5.3 We will establish a specialized security department, security management system, and data security process to ensure the security of your personal information. We adopt strict data usage and access systems to ensure that only authorized personnel can access your personal information and conduct security audits on data and technology from time to time.
5.4 Although the aforementioned reasonable and effective measures have been taken and the standards required by relevant laws have been complied with, please understand that due to technological limitations and various possible malicious means, in the internet industry, even with the utmost efforts to strengthen security measures, it is impossible to always guarantee 100% information security. We will do our best to ensure the security of the personal information you provide to us.
5.5 You know and understand that the systems and communication networks you use to access our products may encounter problems due to factors beyond our control. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you take active measures to protect the security of personal information, including but not limited to not disclosing your account information to others.
5.6 We will formulate emergency response plans and immediately activate emergency plans when a user information security incident occurs, striving to prevent the impact and consequences of these security incidents from expanding. Once a user information security incident (leakage, loss) occurs, we will promptly inform you in accordance with the requirements of laws and regulations: the basic situation and possible impact of the security incident, the disposal measures we have taken or will take, suggestions for you to independently prevent and reduce risks, and remedial measures for you. We will timely inform you of the relevant situation of the incident through push notifications, emails, letters, SMS, and other relevant forms. When it is difficult to inform each individual, we will adopt reasonable and effective methods to publish announcements. At the same time, we will also report the handling of user information security incidents to relevant regulatory authorities as required.
5.7 Once you leave this product page and browse or use other websites, products, and content resources, we will not have the ability and direct obligation to protect any personal information you submit on software or websites outside this product, regardless of whether you log in, browse, or use the aforementioned software or websites based on links or guidance from this product.
6. Managing Your Personal Information
We attach great importance to your management of personal information and do our best to guarantee your rights to access, copy, transfer, correct, supplement, delete, withdraw consent authorization, cancel accounts, make pre-mortem arrangements for account information, explain, and complain/report, so that you have the ability to protect your privacy and information security.
6.1 Accessing Your Personal Information
You can view your current conversation records on the chat page, and you can also view historical conversation information and historical intelligent voice call text information, and rename the topics corresponding to your conversation records, according to the operation guide on the product page. If you need to delete relevant content, you can select the corresponding conversation in the list to delete it, but if you have previously deleted some or all conversation records, you will not be able to view the deleted conversation content.
You can check your starred conversation records by clicking "Starred" in the StepFun AI mobile version, and you can also choose to unstar them.
You can view your account information, including your nickname, profile picture, and StepFun ID, by clicking your profile picture. You can edit your profile picture and nickname information.
If you wish to access other personal information generated during your use of this product, you can contact us through the contact information provided in this Privacy Policy.
6.2 Copying, Obtaining Copies of Personal Information, and Transferring Your Personal Information
6.2.1 If you wish to copy the session records under your account, you can click on the chat box on the chat page to copy the information in the current chat box. You can also contact us through the contact information provided in this Privacy Policy to request copies of other personal information we collect and store about you.
6.2.2 You have the right to contact us through the contact information provided in this Privacy Policy to request the transfer of your personal information to a personal information processor designated by you. For users in mainland China, if the conditions stipulated by the national cyberspace administration are met, we will provide a transfer method.
6.3 Correcting and Supplementing Your Personal Information
You can edit or modify your profile picture and nickname by clicking on your profile picture and entering the account profile editing interface.
If you find any errors in the personal information we process about you, you have the right to correct or supplement the erroneous or incomplete information. You can contact us at any time through the contact information provided in this Privacy Policy. To ensure security, we may verify your identity before you exercise your right to correct.
6.4 Deleting Your Personal Information
6.4.1 If you wish to delete the session records under your account, you can click to delete historical session records in the historical topic list of the StepFun AI web version, or long-press to delete historical session records on the historical topic page of the StepFun AI mobile version. Please note that once you click delete, the conversation records under this topic cannot be restored.
6.4.2 In the following circumstances, you can contact us through the contact information provided in this Privacy Policy to submit a request for deletion of personal information:
The purpose of processing has been achieved, cannot be achieved, or is no longer necessary for achieving the processing purpose;
The product or service is no longer provided, or the retention period has expired;
Personal withdrawal of consent;
We violate laws, administrative regulations, or agreements when processing personal information;
Other circumstances stipulated by laws and administrative regulations.
6.5 Changing or Withdrawing Authorization Scope
You can close your system privacy permissions in the operating system of your device, change the scope of consent, or withdraw your authorization. After withdrawing authorization, we will no longer collect information related to these permissions.
If you do not wish to receive message notifications from us, you can unsubscribe through the unsubscribe method provided in the SMS or contact us to refuse to continue receiving message notifications.
You can also contact us through the contact information provided in this Privacy Policy to request to withdraw your consent or change the scope of your authorized consent. When you withdraw your consent, we will no longer process the corresponding personal information. However, your decision to withdraw consent will not affect the personal information processing activities carried out previously based on your authorization.
6.6 Account Cancellation
You can apply to cancel your account through the StepFun AI web version account settings page or the StepFun AI mobile version "Settings - Account Management" page, following the on-screen instructions, or by contacting us through the contact information provided in this Privacy Policy to apply for cancellation of your account. We will process your request promptly upon receipt and respond within 15 working days or within the time limit required by laws and regulations. You understand and acknowledge that if you submit an account cancellation request on either the StepFun AI web version or mobile version, both the StepFun AI web version and mobile version accounts will be canceled simultaneously. Before you cancel your account, we will verify your personal identity, security status, device information, etc. You understand and acknowledge that account cancellation is an irreversible action. When you cancel your account, we will delete relevant information about you or anonymize it, unless otherwise stipulated by laws and regulations.
6.7 Rights of Close Relatives
According to relevant legal requirements, you can make arrangements for your personal information in advance. You can contact us through the contact information published in this Privacy Policy to inform us of your arrangements; if there are no other arrangements, your close relatives can, based on their legitimate and proper interests, contact us through the contact information provided in this Privacy Policy to exercise rights such as access, copying, correction, and deletion of your relevant personal information after your death, in accordance with relevant legal provisions and the terms of this Privacy Policy.
6.8 Explanation and Clarification
If you have any questions about our personal information processing rules, you can contact us through the contact information provided in this Privacy Policy to request clarification and explanation.
6.9 Responding to Personal Information Rights Exercise Requests
If you or other authorized entities have any claims, requests, or questions regarding the exercise of personal information rights granted by relevant laws and regulations, you can contact us through the contact information provided in this Privacy Policy. We will review the issue as soon as possible and respond within 15 working days after verifying your user identity or within other time limits clearly stipulated by laws and regulations.
6.10 Feedback and Complaints
If you have any comments or believe that your personal information rights may have been infringed, or if you find clues of infringement of personal information rights, you can provide feedback and complaints by following the instructions on the relevant feedback and complaint pages within this product or by contacting us through the contact information provided in this Privacy Policy. If you believe that our personal information processing activities have harmed your legitimate rights and interests, you can also report to the relevant government departments.
6.11 Ceasing Operations and Notifying You
If we cease operations, we will promptly stop processing your personal information, notify you of the cessation of operations through individual delivery or announcement, and delete or anonymize your personal information in our possession.
7. Minor Protection Clause
7.1 We attach great importance to the protection of minors' personal information. The target audience of this product includes adults and minors. If you are under 18 years old or under the age required by your place of residence to use StepFun AI, or if there are other circumstances where you do not meet the legal requirements commensurate with user behavior, please, as required by local law: (A) do not use StepFun AI, or (B) read this policy under the supervision and guidance of a guardian and ensure that the guardian agrees to the content of this policy before using StepFun AI.
7.2 We protect minors' personal information in accordance with relevant national laws and regulations, and will only collect,use, or disclose minors' personal information when permitted by law, with the explicit consent of parents or other guardians, or when necessary to protect minors; if we discover that we have collected minors' personal information without prior verifiable guardian consent, we will endeavor to delete the relevant information as soon as possible.
7.3 If you are the guardian of a minor and have other questions about the personal information of the minor under your guardianship, please contact us through the contact information published in this Privac Policy.
7.4 If you are a child under the age of fourteen, before using this product, you and your parents or other guardians should carefully read our specially formulated "Rules for Handling Children's Personal Information" to ensure that you can use our products under the guidance of your parents or other guardians only after obtaining their consent to the "Rules for Handling Children's Personal Information."
8. Revisions and Notifications of the Privacy Policy
8.1 To provide you with better products and services, this product will be updated and changed from time to time. We will revise this Privacy Policy periodically, and these revisions will constitute an integral part of this Privacy Policy and have the same effect as this Privacy Policy. Without your explicit consent, we will not reduce the rights you are entitled to under the currently effective Privacy Policy.
8.2 After this Privacy Policy is updated, we will issue an updated version on the relevant pages of this product and notify you of the updated content through official website announcements or other appropriate means before the updated terms take effect, so that you can timely understand the latest version of this Privacy Policy.
9. Contact Us
9.1 This product service is provided by the company. If you have any complaints, suggestions, or questions about personal information protection, you can contact us at feedback@stepchat.cn. We will promptly respond to your complaints and reports after verifying your user identity. Our registered address is: 30th Floor, No. 701 Yunjin Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai.
9.2 If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions regarding the content of this Privacy Policy, you can contact us through the feedback and complaint pages within this product or by emailing feedback@stepchat.cn.
9.3 We have also appointed a personal information protection officer responsible for supervising personal information processing activities and protection measures. You can contact our personal information protection officer at feedback@stepchat.cn.
10. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution
The execution, interpretation, and dispute resolution of this Privacy Policy shall be governed by the laws of mainland China. You and we shall endeavor to resolve any disputes arising from the content of this Privacy Policy or its execution through friendly negotiation. If negotiations fail to resolve the dispute, you agree to submit the dispute to the people's court in the place where the company is registered for litigation.
11. Definitions
11.1 Personal Information: Refers to various information related to identified or identifiable natural persons recorded electronically or by other means, excluding information after anonymization.
11.2 Sensitive Personal Information: Refers to personal information that, once leaked or illegally used, is likely to cause harm to the dignity of natural persons or endanger personal and property safety, including biometric identification, religious beliefs, specific identity, medical health, financial accounts, whereabouts, and information of minors under the age of fourteen.
11.3 Children: Refers to minors under the age of fourteen.
11.4 De-identification: Refers to the process by which personal information is processed so that it cannot identify specific natural persons without the aid of additional information.
11.5 Anonymization: Refers to the process by which personal information is processed so that it cannot identify specific natural persons and cannot be restored.
12. EEA+ Supplemental Privacy Notice
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland (collectively, "EEA+"), please refer to the EEA+ Supplemental Privacy Notice in this section. We provide this EEA+ Supplemental Privacy Notice only to individuals located in the EEA+. This document supplements our "StepFun AI Privacy Policy" and describes how we process your personal data when you use or interact with our products and/or services. If there is any inconsistency between the "StepFun AI Privacy Policy" and this EEA+ Supplemental Privacy Notice, this notice shall prevail.
If you are located in the EEA, the EU General Data Protection Regulation and local data protection laws (as applicable) apply to our processing of your personal data. If you are located in the UK, the UK General Data Protection Regulation applies to our processing of your personal data. References to "GDPR" refer to the General Data Protection Regulation applicable in your country. If you are located in Switzerland, the Swiss Federal Data Protection Act (FDPA) applies to our processing of your personal data, and references to GDPR below should be interpreted by analogy to apply to FDPA.
（1）Who is the data controller?
The data controller is Shanghai StepFun Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. and its affiliates, with our registered address at 30th Floor, No. 701 Yunjin Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai,China.
（2）What types of personal data do we collect and how?
Please refer to Section 1 above.
（3）For what purposes do we process personal data?
Please refer to Section 1 above.
（4）What lawful bases and legitimate interests do we rely on for processing?
If we have a contract with you, and the processing is necessary for our performance of the contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, the lawful basis is its necessity under GDPR Article 6(1)(b).
If the processing is necessary for us to comply with an applicable legal obligation under EEA or UK law, the lawful basis is its necessity under GDPR Article 6(1)(c).
In some cases, based on an assessment of our legitimate interests and your privacy and other fundamental rights and interests, processing is necessary for us to achieve legitimate interests, including our efforts to provide you with a positive user experience, comply with laws or regulations outside the EEA or UK, maintain the security and integrity of our products and/or services and related platforms and systems, operate and optimize our business, improve our products and/or services, develop new services, manage our relationship with users, and manage user communities. In these cases, the lawful basis is its necessity under GDPR Article 6(1)(f).
In some cases, we rely on your consent under GDPR Article 6(1)(a) to process your personal data, including when we use non-essential cookies or other technologies to process your data. In these cases, you can withdraw your consent at any time by using the consent settings on our products and/or services or by sending an email to feedback@stepchat.cn describing which data processing activities you wish to withdraw consent from, and the withdrawal of consent will take effect in the future.
（5）Which categories of recipients receive personal data from us?
For details, please refer to the "Personal Information Sharing List, Third-Party SDK List".
（6）Where is your personal data processed, and on what basis do we transfer personal data across borders?
Your data will be stored and processed in Malaysia. In addition, we may disclose personal data to third parties in locations including the People's Republic of China. We take measures to ensure that our processors provide an adequate level of data protection by ensuring appropriate safeguards are in place and data transfer arrangements are adequately implemented. If you have any questions or require more information, you can contact us at feedback@stepchat.cn.
（7）How long do we process personal data?
We retain your personal data only for the period necessary for the purposes of processing personal data or as required by law. The length of time we retain personal data depends on the purpose for which we collect and use it and the period for which we need to retain personal data to comply with applicable law (including to meet any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, or reporting requirements). If we only retain personal data to meet legal requirements, we will take measures to prevent the processing of your personal data. Once personal data is no longer necessary for the purposes for which we collected it, we will delete it. For specific storage periods, please refer to Section 4 above.
（8）What data protection rights do you have?
In the EEA, Switzerland, and the UK, you have the following rights, subject to the conditions of GDPR and/or local data protection laws:
a. Based on reasons related to your specific situation, object to our processing of your personal data. This includes the right to object to our use of your personal data for direct marketing (also known as mass marketing under Swiss law), and the right to object to our processing of your personal data when performing public interest tasks or achieving our or third parties' legitimate interests. If we process your personal data based on our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party, or based on public interest, you can object to such processing, and we will stop processing your personal data unless the processing is based on compelling legitimate grounds or required for legal reasons. When we use your personal data for direct marketing of our own products and services, you can object at any time and opt-out of receiving future marketing messages through the unsubscribe link in these communications or other means.
b. Obtain confirmation from us as to whether your personal data is being processed, and where that is the case, request access to details about how we process your personal data and a copy of the personal data.
c. Obtain the rectification of inaccurate personal data concerning you from us.
d. Request us to erase your personal data, provided that such data is not necessary for legally required purposes or for security and integrity purposes.
e. Request restriction of processing of your personal data, in which case it will be marked and only used by us for specific purposes.
f. Receive your personal data which you have provided to us, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, and you have the right to transmit that personal data to another entity without hindrance from us.
g. Withdraw your consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of our use of your personal data before your withdrawal.
h. Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.
i. In certain jurisdictions (such as France and Portugal), you also have the right to provide us with instructions regarding the processing of your personal data after your death.
You can view the list of regulatory authorities in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland and their contact details at the following links:
EEA: https://edpb.europa.eu/about-edpb/about-edpb/members_en
UK: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/
Switzerland: https://www.edoeb.admin.ch/edoeb/en/home/the-fdpic/contact.html
To submit a request to exercise your privacy rights, you can contact us by sending an email to feedback@stepchat.cn. In your request, please describe the right you are exercising and how you would like us to assist. We may need to request specific information from you to help us verify your identity and your right to request what you are requesting. These are security measures to ensure that we do not disclose personal data to anyone who is not entitled to receive it, or process data in an unauthorized manner. We may also contact you to ask for more information about your request to clarify the scope of the request and expedite our response. We will respond to requests to exercise privacy rights in accordance with applicable law.
（9）Do you need to provide us with your personal data?
You are not legally obligated to provide us with personal data, but if we do not receive certain personal data from you, we will not be able to provide our products and/or services.
13. Supplemental Privacy Notice for Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Oregon, Texas, Montana, Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, or California
If you reside in Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Oregon, Texas, Montana, Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, or California, please refer to the supplemental privacy notice in this section.
We provide this U.S. Supplemental Privacy Notice only to U.S. residents. This statement does not reflect our collection, use, or disclosure of personal information of U.S. residents where exceptions under U.S. privacy laws apply.
Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Oregon, Texas, Montana, Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and New Jersey
The following applies only to residents of Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Oregon, Texas, Montana, Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and New Jersey.
Depending on your place of residence and the applicable U.S. state privacy laws, you may have the following rights regarding the personal information we collect about you or related to you:
a. The right to request confirmation as to whether your personal data is being processed, and to be provided with a copy of such data;
b. The right to request correction of inaccuracies in your personal data, taking into account the nature of the personal data and the purposes of processing the consumer's personal data, but this right is not available in Iowa and Utah;
c. The right to request deletion of personal data provided by you or about you;
d. The right to opt out of the processing of your personal data for the following purposes: (i) targeted advertising, (ii) the sale of personal data, or (iii) profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning you.
If you wish to exercise other rights, please send an email to feedback@stepchat.cn, providing a detailed description of your request in the email. Please note that exceptions to these rights may exist. To verify your identity, we may ask you to confirm receipt of an email sent to an email address matching our records, provide details of your interaction history with us, or provide other information. If we are unable to verify your identity, we may refuse your request. If your request is denied, you may have the right to appeal our decision. To appeal, please contact us at the aforementioned email address and specifically explain the matter of appeal.
California
The following applies only to residents of California.
Notice of Collection: For information on the types of personal information we collect, please refer to Section 1 above. The categories of personal information correspond to the categories of personal information listed under the definition of "Personal Information" and their respective alphabetical groupings as defined by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):
(A) -- Identifiers, including name, postal address, telephone number, unique personal identifier, IP address, email address, and account name.
(B) -- Information that identifies you or can be associated with you.
(F) -- Internet or other electronic network activity information.
(H) -- Audio, electronic, visual, or similar information.
(K) -- Inferences drawn from any of the above information to create a profile about your preferences and characteristics.
If a California resident uploads content to StepFun AI, they may also disclose any type of personal information to us and others within the content.
For the purposes for which we use personal information, please refer to Section 1 above. We are not involved in the "sale" and "sharing" of personal information as defined by the CCPA. The following is a copy of our CCPA Privacy Policy, which includes our notice of the right to opt-out of the sale/sharing of personal information.
We retain personal information only for the period necessary for the purposes of processing personal information or as required by law. The length of time we retain personal information depends on the purpose for which we collect and use it and the period for which we need to retain personal information to comply with applicable law (including to meet any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, or reporting requirements). Once personal information is no longer necessary for the purposes for which we collected it, we will delete it. For specific storage periods, please refer to Section 4 above.
CCPA Privacy Policy:
A. Right to Know Your Personal Information
We hereby describe the categories of personal information of California residents that we collect, use, and disclose. You have the right to request that we disclose the specific personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell about you ("Right to Know"). To submit a request to exercise your Right to Know, please send an email to feedback@stepchat.cn with the subject "California Right to Know Request." Please specify in your request the details you wish to know, including any specific personal information you wish to access.
We will ask you to provide certain information to verify your identity. If you have a password-protected account with us, we may verify your identity through our existing authentication processes for your account. The information we ask you to provide to verify your identity will depend on your prior interactions with us and the sensitivity of the personal information involved. We will respond to your request in accordance with the CCPA. If we deny your request, we will explain the reason.
B. Our Personal Information Processing Practices in the Past 12 Months
We have listed below the categories of personal information about California residents that we have collected in the past 12 months, which are listed in the CCPA's definition of "personal information."
a. Identifiers, including name, postal address, telephone number, unique personal identifier, IP address, email address, and account name.
b. Information that identifies you or can be associated with you.
c. Internet or other electronic network activity information.
d. Audio, electronic, visual, or similar information.
We have directly collected all of these types of personal information from California residents and used all of these types of personal information in the manner described in Section 1 above (Section 1 describes how we use each type of personal information). We have disclosed this information in the manner described in Section 2 above. We are not involved in the "sale" and "sharing" of personal information.
Additionally, under the CCPA, some of the personal information we collect may be defined as sensitive personal information. We only collect, use, and disclose such sensitive personal information based on the commercial uses of sensitive personal information permitted by the CCPA, or when it is not used to infer consumer characteristics.
C. Right to Request Deletion of Personal Information
You have the right to request the deletion of personal information we have collected or maintained about you. To submit a request to delete personal information, please contact us by mail or submit an email request to feedback@stepchat.cn with the subject "California Deletion Request." Please clearly specify in your request the personal information about you that you wish to have deleted, which, as required by the CCPA, may include all of your personal information.
We will ask you to provide certain information to verify your identity. If you have a password-protected account with us, we may verify your identity through our existing authentication processes for your account. The information we ask you to provide to verify your identity will depend on your prior interactions with us and the sensitivity of the personal information involved. Once we have verified your identity, we may ask you to confirm that you wish to delete your personal information. Once confirmed, we will respond to your request in accordance with the CCPA. If we deny your request, we will explain the reason.
D. Right to Request Correction of Personal Information
You have the right to request the correction of personal information about you that we have collected or maintained. If you wish to submit a request to correct personal information, please contact us by mail or send an email to feedback@stepchat.cn with the subject "California Correction Request." Please specifically indicate in your request the personal information related to you that you believe is incorrect, and provide supporting materials that reflect the correct information.
You need to provide specific information so that we can verify your identity. If you have a password-protected account with us, we may verify your identity through our existing authentication processes for your account. The information we ask you to provide to verify your identity will depend on your prior interactions with us and the sensitivity of the personal information involved. Once identity verification is complete, we may ask you to confirm whether personal information truly needs to be corrected. Upon confirmation, we will respond to your request in accordance with the CCPA. If we deny your request, we will explain the reason.
E. Right to Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing of Personal Information
We are not involved in the "sale" and "sharing" of your personal information as defined by the CCPA. If we engage in such activities in the future, you can submit an opt-out request by sending an email to feedback@stepchat.cn. To the best of our actual knowledge, we do not "sell" or "share" the personal information of consumers under 16 years of age.
F. Right to Non-Discrimination for Exercising Consumer Privacy Rights
You will not be discriminated against for exercising any of your rights under the CCPA.
G. Verification Process and Authorized Agents
Only you or a person legally authorized to act on your behalf may make a request related to your personal information. In your request or when seeking additional information in response, you or your authorized agent must provide sufficient information so that we can reasonably verify that you are indeed the person whose personal information was collected, which will depend on your prior interactions with us and the sensitivity of the personal information requested. We may ask you to provide information to verify your identity, and if you fail to provide sufficient information to enable us to reasonably verify your identity, we will not be able to fulfill your request. We will only use this information to verify your identity and fulfill your request.
You can designate an authorized agent to make requests on your behalf under the CCPA if:
a. The authorized agent is a natural person or business entity registered with the California Secretary of State; and
b. You sign a written declaration authorizing the agent to act on your behalf.
If you submit a request to exercise your Right to Know or deletion request through an authorized agent, in addition to the steps described in sections A and C above, please have the authorized agent take the following steps:
a. Mail a notarized copy of the written declaration authorizing the agent to act on your behalf to 30th Floor, No. 701 Yunjin Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China. (If you provide a receipt for fees paid and the fees are reasonable, we will reimburse you for the cost of notarizing the declaration and sending it to us); and
b. Provide any information we request to verify your identity and that you have given the authorized agent permission to submit the request on your behalf in accordance with the CCPA. The information we ask you to provide to verify your identity will depend on your prior interactions with us and the sensitivity of the personal information involved. If the agent fails to submit proof that they are authorized by you to act on your behalf, we may deny the agent's request.
If you have provided a power of attorney to an authorized agent under Sections 4121 to 4130 of the Probate Code, these steps may not be necessary, and we will respond to any requests from that authorized agent in accordance with the CCPA.