Birkin Scanner Privacy Policy
Who we are
Birkin Scanner keeps your scan data on your phone: we run no servers, require no account, and never receive your tags or locations.
This policy covers the Birkin Scanner app for Android, published by Birkin Enterprises Pty Ltd ("we", "us"). The app connects over Bluetooth to a Birkin RFID scanner, records the tags it reads, and installs firmware updates on the scanner.
Information the app handles
The app handles five kinds of information, all created by your own use of it.
| Information | What it is | When it is collected |
|---|---|---|
| Tag reads | The ID of each RFID tag scanned, with first-seen and last-seen times and a read count | While a session is running |
| Sessions | The name you give a session and its start and end times | When you start and end a session |
| Session location | Latitude, longitude and accuracy of where a session started (precise location) | Once, just after a session starts. On by default; turn off in Settings → Record location |
| Settings | Your preferences, such as sounds, tag display format and scanner name | When you change a setting |
| Diagnostics log | Recent app events, such as connection attempts and update progress | Kept in memory only; cleared when the app closes |
We do not collect your name, email address, contacts, photos, advertising ID or any account details. The app does not track your location in the background or between sessions.
How it is used and where it is stored
Everything above is stored only on your phone, in the app's private storage, and is used only to run the app.
- Tag reads and sessions are saved to a database on the phone as they arrive, so a scan survives the app being closed.
- Session location is shown on the session's detail page and included in CSV files you export.
- Settings are saved on the phone so the app remembers them.
- The diagnostics log helps you, or us if you choose to send it, understand a problem.
We have no servers that receive this information, and there is no account to sign in to. We cannot see your scans.
Sharing
Your information leaves the phone only when you share it yourself. We do not sell it, and the app contains no advertising or analytics.
- Exports you choose to make. Exporting a session as CSV, or sharing the diagnostics log, opens Android's share sheet. The file goes only to the app or person you pick, and their own privacy terms then apply.
- Firmware update checks. To check for and download scanner firmware, the app contacts GitHub (api.github.com and GitHub's file storage). These requests contain no scan data or location. Like any web request, they reveal your device's IP address to GitHub, which handles it under the GitHub Privacy Statement.
- Your scanner. The app exchanges tag reads, firmware and settings with your Birkin scanner over Bluetooth. This stays between your phone and the scanner.
Permissions
The app asks only for what it needs to talk to the scanner and tag sessions with a place.
| Permission | Why the app needs it |
|---|---|
| Nearby devices (Bluetooth scan and connect) | To find and connect to your scanner. On Android 12 and later the app declares that Bluetooth scanning is never used to work out your location |
| Location (precise) | To record where a session started. On Android 11 and earlier, Android also requires it for Bluetooth scanning. Used only while the app is open |
| Internet | To check for and download scanner firmware from GitHub |
| Vibration | To confirm a tag read, if you turn this on |
On Android 12 and later you can refuse location and still scan; sessions will simply have no location. You can change any permission in Android's settings.
Retention, deletion and your choices
You control how long your information is kept, because it exists only on your phone.
- Sessions and their tag reads stay until you delete them. Delete one from the Sessions list, or all of them at once.
- Uninstalling the app, or clearing its storage in Android's settings, deletes everything it saved.
- The diagnostics log is never saved and clears when the app closes.
- Turn off Settings → Record location to stop recording where sessions start.
Since we hold none of your information, we have nothing to send you or delete on request. If you send us a CSV or diagnostics log, we use it only to answer you and delete it when we are done.
Security
App data sits in Android's private app storage, which other apps cannot read. Firmware is downloaded over HTTPS, and the scanner checks each image's SHA-256 hash before installing it.
Children
The app is a tool for working with RFID scanners and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children.
Changes
If the app starts handling information differently, we will update this policy and its date before that version is released.
Contact
Questions about this policy: Birkin Enterprises Pty Ltd (ABN 93 632 421 437), liam@liambirkin.com.