Privacy

Updated 20 October 2026 · Shings app and website

Shings records informal shared ownership between friends. Shings is operated by Victor Socaciu. This notice explains what the app and links.shings.app collect, how information is shared and the choices you have.

For privacy questions or requests, email socaciu.victor@gmail.com.

Your account

We use Sign in with Apple to identify your account. We store Apple's app-specific identifier, your name when provided, and the verified email address Apple supplies. That email may be a private relay address if you choose Hide My Email. We use this information to operate your account and show your display name to people you share with. Your Apple email is not included in shared owner profiles or invitation previews.

We store sign-in and session records to manage access and prevent misuse. Saved Apple refresh credentials are encrypted on our server; the app stores its session credentials in the iOS Keychain.

Shings and photos

We store the names, descriptions, photos, optional stated values and currencies you submit, together with ownership percentages, invitations, return requests, action dates and ownership history. A stated value is informational; Shings does not process payments.

You can choose up to five photos from the system photo picker or take photos after granting camera access. Selecting or taking a photo alone does not upload it to Shings: upload starts when you submit the creation form or save photos. The app prepares resized JPEG images for upload. Camera access is optional, and the app does not request access to your location, microphone or entire photo library.

Who can see shared information

Current owners and the original creator can see the shing's content, owner display names and percentages, and ownership activity. Anyone with a valid invitation link can preview the shing and its photos, creator and current owners' display names, ownership percentages and the offered share, including without signing in. Share these links only with people you intend to give that access to. The creator can cancel an open invitation; cancellation, expiry or acceptance closes its preview access. Closing a link cannot remove copies someone has already saved or shared.

We also store invitation and request statuses, and when a signed-in user first and last opens an invitation, to show their invitations and keep sharing actions consistent.

Public ownership records

Mainnet builds record ownership on Base, a public blockchain. The separate beta environment uses Base Sepolia, a public test blockchain. Production starts with a separate account and collection; beta content and ownership history are not copied to mainnet. Both networks' public records include persistent opaque owner and shing identifiers, ownership amounts, transfers, transaction details and dates. They can be linked across activity and may be connected to a person by someone who knows about their sharing.

We do not put your Apple identifier, email, display name, shing name, description, photos or stated value in those blockchain transactions. Those details are stored by Shings. Existing public blockchain records cannot be erased by Shings.

Notifications

Notifications are optional. If you allow them, we register an installation identifier and Apple's push notification token with your signed-in account. We use them to send updates about your shings and ownership activity, including accepted invitations, returns and return requests. Once enabled, these notifications are automatic; you do not need to opt in for each shing.

Apple receives the notification text and identifiers needed to open the relevant shing. Ownership notification text includes the shing's name, the other person's display name and the ownership percentage. It may appear on your lock screen, depending on your iPhone settings. Archived shings stop generating further notifications. We keep notification event and delivery records to operate the service and investigate problems. You can turn notifications off in iPhone settings without losing access to sharing.

Information on your device

The app caches collection details and photos so previously loaded content can appear quickly. It also keeps account-scoped action and recovery records so interrupted submissions can be retried safely, plus preferences such as appearance and notification setup. Signing out clears the session and collection and photo caches, but some action and recovery records can remain on the device. When you delete your account, the app also removes that account’s saved actions, drafts, photos, notification setup and private cached data. A limited deletion receipt stays on the device so the app can confirm completion.

Service providers and diagnostics

We use information to sign you in, show your collection, manage invitations and requests, save and record ownership changes, send notifications and investigate technical problems. Shings has no advertising or cross-app tracking.

Apple provides sign-in, push notification delivery and TestFlight distribution. Cloudflare hosts the website, API, database and photos. Privy signs the service's ownership-recording transactions; blockchain network providers process those transactions and related queries. These providers process information needed to operate their services and may process it in countries other than where you live.

Operational records include request identifiers, error categories, notification delivery attempts and transaction status. Cloudflare also provides website performance and security diagnostics. Hosting and network providers may process connection information, such as IP addresses and request metadata, for delivery, security and reliability.

Archiving and deleting your account

Archiving hides a shing from your active collection while keeping its photos and ownership history in Archived Shings. It does not delete your account or erase public ownership records.

To delete your account, open Settings → Delete account in Shings. First, archive every shing you created and return all ownership you received from other people. The app lists any shings that still need attention. Archiving a shared shing requires recovering its full ownership; other owners decide whether to approve a return request.

After you confirm deletion, access to your account and further notifications stop. Cleanup continues in the background: we revoke the saved Sign in with Apple authorization, remove your sign-in credentials, profile information, uploaded photos and private shing content, and clear private app data from the device. The app shows whether deletion is pending or complete. If Apple or storage services are temporarily unavailable, cleanup retries automatically; you do not need to keep the app open.

Minimal technical ownership and transaction history remains under opaque identifiers so existing public records and already saved recording operations stay consistent. It no longer includes your Apple identifier, email, display name, photos, shing name, description or stated value. Public records already written to a blockchain and copies other people saved cannot be erased by Shings. Deletion does not burn or transfer ownership.

A protected deletion-status receipt and exact-request recovery records are retained for 30 days after cleanup completes, then their credentials are removed. Signing in with Apple after deletion creates a new account; it does not restore your deleted collection. Backup copies may remain for their backup retention period and are not used to restore a deleted account to active service.

Retention and your choices

Account information, shing content, ownership and request history, and notification records remain stored while your account is active to support sharing, protect accounts, maintain accurate records and investigate problems. Shings does not currently apply a general automatic deletion period to these active-account records. Signing out or removing the app does not delete server data. Turning off notifications does not erase past notification records.

You can omit photos and stated value, cancel an open invitation, control camera and notification permissions, sign out, and initiate account deletion in the app. For access, correction or other privacy requests, email socaciu.victor@gmail.com. We may need to verify that the request comes from the account holder. We will explain what can be removed and what must remain, including public ownership history or records required by law.

Beta feedback and changes

Apple processes TestFlight usage, crash diagnostics and feedback under its own TestFlight privacy information. Feedback you send can include your message, screenshots and diagnostic information. We use information Apple makes available to investigate problems and improve Shings. We may update this notice as Shings changes; the date above identifies the latest version.