AnimStarter Face Mocap

AnimStarter Face Mocap — Privacy Policy

Application: AnimStarter Face Mocap Developer / Data Controller: AnimStarter Platform: iOS — iPhone (Apple App Store) Effective Date: May 10, 2026

AnimStarter ("we", "us", or "our") operates the AnimStarter Face Mocap mobile application (the "App"). This Privacy Policy explains what information is processed when you use our App, how it is handled, and the rights you hold over your data. We are committed to protecting your privacy and processing your data in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA / CPRA), applicable Canadian privacy legislation (PIPEDA and Quebec's Law 25), and Apple's App Store Privacy Guidelines.

Summary for the cautious reader: AnimStarter Face Mocap collects no personal information. The App is free to download. It processes facial geometry data exclusively on your device in real time and saves only abstract mathematical animation values — never a photo, video, or biometric identifier.

1. Who We Are (Data Controller)

The data controller responsible for this App is AnimStarter. For any privacy-related question or request, you may contact us at:

Email: animstarter@gmail.com
Website: https://www.animstarter.com

2. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies solely to the AnimStarter Face Mocap iOS application. It does not apply to any third-party websites, services, or software (including Autodesk Maya), nor to any separate companion tool we distribute outside the App (such as the optional AnimStarter Maya retargeter, the "ASFM Importer"), to which we may provide links or which you may use in conjunction with this App.

3. TrueDepth Camera & Facial Data — Critical Disclosure

⚠️ Apple App Store Mandatory Disclosure — TrueDepth API

AnimStarter Face Mocap uses Apple's TrueDepth camera system and the ARKit Face Tracking API solely to capture real-time facial expressions and convert them into abstract numerical animation parameters (Blendshape values). The following commitments apply unconditionally and permanently:

No raw facial data is stored: The App never writes, saves, caches, or records any photograph, video frame, depth map, infrared image, or raw biometric scan of your face to any storage medium.
No facial data is transmitted: No facial geometry, facial scan, or biometric information of any kind is ever sent over a network, uploaded to any server, or shared with any third party — including AnimStarter itself.
No facial recognition is performed: The App does not attempt to identify, authenticate, or profile you based on your facial features.
Processing is strictly on-device and real-time: All computation occurs locally on your device using Apple's secure hardware and software frameworks. The data never leaves the device's RAM during processing.
Only derived, non-biometric data is saved: The App saves only the resulting mathematical Blendshape animation values (floating-point numbers representing movement intensities, e.g., "jawOpen: 0.73"). These values carry no biometric identifier and cannot be used to reconstruct your face or identify you.
No sale or commercialisation of facial data: We do not sell, rent, license, or otherwise commercially exploit any data derived from the TrueDepth camera.

This usage complies with Apple's guidelines restricting TrueDepth data to app functionality and prohibiting its use for advertising, profiling, or sharing with data brokers. The front camera (TrueDepth) is accessed only while the App is in the foreground and the recording session is actively running. Camera access is requested via the standard iOS permission dialog (NSCameraUsageDescription) and can be revoked at any time through your device's Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera.

4. Data We Collect — Full Inventory

AnimStarter Face Mocap is designed with a privacy-by-design, data-minimisation philosophy. The App is free to download and use. The following summarises all data processing activities:

Facial motion parameters (Blendshape values): Held in RAM during capture, saved locally to a user-created file only upon explicit user action. Never transmitted. Not biometric. Legal basis (GDPR): legitimate interest / contractual necessity (core feature of the App).
Audio and video reference files: When you record a take, the App may save a reference video (.mov) and an audio track (.wav) to local device storage. These files remain on your device and are never transmitted to AnimStarter. You control them entirely.
Camera feed: Processed in real time, on-device only. Never stored. Never transmitted.
Device crash reports: If the App crashes, Apple's operating system may generate an anonymous, aggregated crash log and forward it to AnimStarter via Apple's App Store Connect infrastructure, subject to your device's diagnostic-sharing settings. These logs contain no personal data and no facial data. You may control this via Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements.
No payment or billing data: The App is free. AnimStarter does not collect, receive, or process any payment, billing, or financial information of any kind through the App. (The optional AnimStarter Maya companion tool — the "ASFM Importer" — is a separate product sold outside the App under its own terms; any purchase of that tool is handled by its own platform and is not covered by this Privacy Policy.)
No account data: The App requires no registration, login, username, email address, or any form of user account.
No analytics data: No third-party analytics SDK is integrated into the App. No behavioural, usage, or telemetry data is collected.
No advertising identifiers: The App does not access or use the IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) or any other advertising identifier.

5. How the App Processes Data — Technical Flow

The TrueDepth camera captures depth and infrared data to track facial landmark regions.
ARKit translates this into Blendshape coefficient values (floating-point numbers between 0.0 and 1.0) representing the intensity of each expression.
These values are held in device RAM and displayed/recorded within the App.
When you choose to export, a structured data file containing only these coefficients (along with any reference video and audio you recorded) is saved to the device's local storage (e.g., the Files app / local sandbox).
You manually transfer these files to your computer via AirDrop, USB, or any file-sharing method of your choice. AnimStarter has no involvement in or visibility of this transfer.

At no point in this flow does AnimStarter's infrastructure receive, store, or access any of your data.

6. Data Retention

AnimStarter retains no user data on its own servers, because no user data is ever transmitted to AnimStarter — in fact, AnimStarter operates no servers that receive your data. Files saved locally on your device are retained for as long as you choose to keep them; you may delete them at any time.

7. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise share your data with any third party. No data is shared with advertising networks, data brokers, analytics providers, cloud service providers, business partners, or government authorities. The only third-party involvement is Apple Inc., which manages the App Store distribution and anonymous crash reports.

8. International Data Transfers

Because AnimStarter collects no personal data from users, no international transfer of personal data takes place. Apple's crash-reporting infrastructure may process anonymous technical data on servers located in various countries; this is governed by Apple's own policies.

9. Children's Privacy

AnimStarter Face Mocap is not directed at children under the age of 13 (or 16 where applicable under local law). We do not knowingly collect any personal data from children. Because the App collects no personal data from any user, there is no specific risk of inadvertent collection from minors.

10. Your Rights Under GDPR (EEA / UK Users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you have rights under the GDPR, including the right of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, and the right to object.

Practical note: Because AnimStarter holds no personal data about you, most of these rights are satisfied by default. Should you have any questions, contact us at animstarter@gmail.com and we will respond within 30 days.

11. Your Rights Under CCPA (California Residents)

California residents have the right to know what personal information is collected, to delete personal information, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. AnimStarter does not sell or share personal information, and does not collect personal information as defined by the CCPA.

12. Your Rights Under Canadian Law (PIPEDA & Quebec Law 25)

As a business based in Quebec, Canada, AnimStarter complies with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and Quebec's Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (Law 25). Because the App collects, stores, and transmits no personal information, these obligations are met by default. For any request, contact us at animstarter@gmail.com.

13. Security

Because AnimStarter does not receive, store, or transmit user data on external infrastructure, the risk surface is minimal. On-device security is governed by Apple's iOS security architecture. Files saved to local storage are protected by the device's standard file-protection mechanisms.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in the App's functionality or applicable law. When changes are made, the "Last Updated" date above will be revised. Your continued use of the App after any change constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

15. Contact Us

For any questions, requests, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact:

Email: animstarter@gmail.com
Website: https://www.animstarter.com

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