Privacy Policy

Effective date: August 9, 2026

Vusi Studios Inc. (“Vusi Studios,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the Dot mobile application, Dot Community Library, and related Dot online services (collectively, the “Dot Services”). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect personal information when you use the Dot Services.

The Dot Services allow users to control compatible Dot devices, view and download animations, and upload animations and related information for other users to see and download. Some information submitted through the Community Library is public by design, as explained below.

This policy applies to the Dot Services. Purchases through the Vusi Studios online store are also governed by the separate Vusi Studios Store Privacy Policy. The Dot End User License Agreement and Community Content Terms governs use of the Dot Services and Community Content.

1. Privacy accountability

Vusi Studios is responsible for personal information under its control. Our Privacy Officer oversees our privacy program and may be contacted using the details in Section 16.

We collect, use, and disclose personal information only for identified purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances, with consent where required, or as otherwise permitted or required by law.

2. Information we collect

The information we collect depends on the features you use and how the Dot Services are configured.

A. Account and profile information

When you create or use an account, we may collect:

  • your email address;
  • username, display name, profile image, or other profile details you choose to provide;
  • account and authentication identifiers;
  • password information in encrypted or hashed form, where Vusi Studios manages authentication;
  • age or eligibility confirmations, without necessarily collecting your complete birth date;
  • account preferences, saved items, and blocked-user settings; and
  • records of your acceptance of our terms and policies.

If you use a third-party sign-in provider, we receive the information that provider makes available according to your settings and authorization.

B. Community Content and publishing information

If you upload or publish an animation, we may collect and store:

  • the animation file and any preview, thumbnail, or technically converted version;
  • the animation’s title, description, tags, category, attribution, and other metadata;
  • your username or display name and account identifier;
  • upload, publication, update, and removal dates;
  • visibility, availability, review, and moderation status; and
  • information about ownership, permissions, or licensing that you provide.

Do not include personal, confidential, or sensitive information in an animation, title, description, username, or other public field unless you are comfortable making it public and have the right to do so.

C. Community activity

We may collect information about how you interact with the Community Library, including:

  • animations you view, search for, preview, download, save, upload, or remove;
  • search terms, categories, sorting choices, and content preferences;
  • follows, ratings, reactions, or similar interactions, if those features are offered;
  • users or content you report or block;
  • download counts and other aggregated engagement information; and
  • dates, times, and identifiers associated with these activities.

D. Reports, moderation, and appeals

When content or a user is reported, reviewed, blocked, restricted, appealed, or otherwise moderated, we may collect:

  • the report category, explanation, evidence, and attachments;
  • the identities or account identifiers of the reporting and reported users;
  • communications with the people involved;
  • automated and human review signals, notes, and decisions;
  • warnings, restrictions, removals, appeals, and outcomes; and
  • information used to detect repeat violations, abuse of reporting tools, fraud, or safety risks.

We may use automated tools to help identify spam, malicious files, duplicate content, or potentially prohibited material. Where appropriate, human reviewers may assess flagged material, reports, and appeals.

E. Copyright and legal requests

If you submit or are involved in a copyright complaint, counter-notification, privacy complaint, legal request, or similar process, we may collect the information included in that request, such as:

  • your name, address, telephone number, and email address;
  • your physical or electronic signature;
  • information about the copyrighted work, disputed content, and claimed rights;
  • statements, evidence, court information, and related communications; and
  • records needed to process the request, comply with law, or enforce our policies.

Copyright notices and counter-notifications may be shared with the user or rights holder involved, including the sender’s contact information, as described in our Copyright and DMCA Policy and as required or permitted by law.

F. Support and communications

When you contact us, we collect the information you provide, which may include your name, email address, order or device information, message contents, attachments, support history, and information needed to investigate or resolve your request.

G. Device, network, usage, and diagnostic information

When you use the Dot Services, we may automatically collect:

  • device type, model, operating-system version, language, region, and time zone;
  • App version and installation or application identifiers;
  • IP address and approximate location inferred from the IP address;
  • dates and times of access, session duration, screens or features used, and interactions;
  • network and connection status;
  • crash reports, error logs, security events, and performance diagnostics; and
  • referral or app-store information where available.

H. Dot device and local-network information

To pair with and control a compatible Dot device, the App may access local-network information, local IP addresses, nearby-device information, Bluetooth or network permissions, and Dot device identifiers. Information used only for real-time local pairing and control may remain on your device. If diagnostic, account, or device information is transmitted to us, it is handled as described in this policy.

I. Information from other sources

We may receive information from:

  • other users, such as when they report content or an account;
  • copyright owners, authorized representatives, law-enforcement bodies, courts, or regulators;
  • app stores, authentication providers, hosting providers, analytics providers, and other service providers; and
  • the Vusi Studios store or support systems when needed to verify a Dot purchase, provide support, prevent fraud, or link a device or entitlement, where permitted by law.

3. Public information and Community Content

The Community Showcase is a public or community-facing feature. Depending on the feature and your settings, the following may be visible to other users or the public:

  • your username, display name, profile image, and public profile information;
  • animations and related titles, descriptions, tags, previews, attribution, and upload dates; and
  • public download counts, ratings, or other engagement information, if displayed.

Other users may download Showcase Content to their Dot devices as permitted by the Dot End User License Agreement. Removing Showcase Content stops future availability within a reasonable period, but it cannot retrieve copies already downloaded by other users. Search engines, screenshots, backups, or third parties may also retain copies outside our control.

Your email address, account credentials, private reports, blocked-user list, and non-public moderation information are not displayed publicly through the Community Library unless you choose to disclose them or disclosure is required or permitted by law.

4. How we use information

We may use personal information to:

  • create, authenticate, secure, maintain, and administer accounts;
  • provide App functions and communication with Dot devices;
  • host, process, convert, display, organize, search, deliver, and permit downloads of animations;
  • show attribution and public profile information you choose to publish;
  • personalize content settings and remember preferences;
  • operate reporting, blocking, moderation, appeals, and repeat-infringer processes;
  • review copyright, trademark, privacy, safety, and other complaints;
  • detect, investigate, prevent, and respond to fraud, infringement, prohibited content, security incidents, and misuse;
  • provide support and communicate about accounts, content, devices, security, policy changes, or service changes;
  • diagnose errors, analyze performance and feature use, and improve the Dot Services;
  • create aggregated or de-identified statistics that do not reasonably identify an individual;
  • establish, exercise, or defend legal claims and enforce our terms and policies;
  • comply with legal, regulatory, court, law-enforcement, and recordkeeping obligations; and
  • complete a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, sale of assets, or similar business transaction.

We do not sell personal information. We do not use personal information collected through the Dot Services for third-party targeted advertising or cross-context behavioral advertising.

If we want to use personal information for a materially new purpose not reasonably connected to the purposes above, we will provide notice and obtain consent when required by law.

5. Legal bases for processing

Where laws such as the European Economic Area or United Kingdom data-protection laws require a legal basis, we rely on one or more of the following:

  • Contract: to provide the Dot Services you request and perform our agreement with you;
  • Legitimate interests: to operate, secure, moderate, support, analyze, and improve the Dot Services; protect users and rights holders; and prevent abuse, where those interests are not overridden by your rights;
  • Legal obligation: to comply with applicable law, court orders, regulatory requirements, and valid legal process;
  • Consent: when we ask for consent for a specific optional collection, use, permission, or disclosure; and
  • Legal claims and vital interests: where necessary to protect a person’s safety or establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

6. How we disclose information

We may disclose information in the following circumstances:

A. At your direction or to the public

We make Community Content and associated public profile information available according to the settings and publishing choices you select. We may disclose information when you direct us to do so or consent to the disclosure.

B. Service providers

We may provide information to companies that perform services for us, such as cloud hosting, content delivery, file processing, authentication, security, analytics, crash reporting, customer support, communications, storage, and content moderation. They may process information only for the contracted services and must protect it appropriately.

C. Other users, claimants, and rights holders

We may share reports, notices, counter-notifications, supporting information, and contact details with affected users, claimants, or rights holders where reasonably necessary to process a complaint, permit a response or appeal, resolve a dispute, or comply with law. For example, a DMCA counter-notification is normally provided to the person who submitted the original takedown notice.

D. Legal, safety, and enforcement reasons

We may disclose information when we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to comply with law or valid legal process; respond to a court, regulator, law-enforcement body, or other competent authority; protect a person from serious harm; investigate fraud, infringement, or security incidents; enforce our agreements; or protect the rights, property, safety, and integrity of users, Vusi Studios, the Dot Services, or the public.

E. Business transactions

Information may be disclosed to professional advisers, potential transaction parties, and successors in connection with a proposed or completed merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, insolvency, sale of assets, or similar transaction, subject to appropriate confidentiality and legal requirements.

7. Retention and deletion

We keep personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including to provide the Dot Services, maintain security and moderation history, comply with law, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements. Retention depends on the type of information and the context:

  • account and profile information is generally retained while the account is active and for a reasonable period afterward;
  • Community Content is generally retained while published and is removed from public availability within a reasonable period after deletion, subject to backups, legal holds, disputes, and copies previously downloaded by users;
  • moderation, report, appeal, infringement, and account-enforcement records may be retained as needed to protect users, identify repeat violations, resolve disputes, and demonstrate compliance;
  • Canadian copyright notice records that identify a user may be retained for six months after a compliant notice or for one year if the claimant starts proceedings and gives the required notice within the initial six months;
  • support and legal communications are retained as needed to handle the matter and meet legal obligations; and
  • routine diagnostic and analytics logs are typically retained for approximately 30 to 90 days unless a longer period is reasonably required for security, fraud investigation, debugging, legal compliance, or de-identification.

Information may remain longer in restricted backups until overwritten under our backup schedule. We may retain aggregated or de-identified information that no longer reasonably identifies you.

8. Your choices and privacy rights

Depending on your location and subject to legal exceptions, you may have the right to:

  • access personal information we hold about you and learn how it has been used or disclosed;
  • correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
  • delete your account, Community Content, or other personal information;
  • withdraw consent for processing based on consent;
  • object to or request restriction of certain processing;
  • receive a portable copy of certain information;
  • appeal an applicable moderation or privacy decision; and
  • complain to a privacy or data-protection regulator.

You may edit available profile fields, remove Community Content, manage blocked users, or close your account through the controls offered in the App. You may also submit a request to support@vusistudios.com.

We may need to verify your identity before completing a request. Rights are not absolute, and we may retain or withhold information where permitted or required by law, including to protect another person’s rights, maintain security and infringement records, comply with legal obligations, or establish or defend claims. If we deny a request, we will explain the reason where required.

Canadian users may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if they are not satisfied with our response. Users elsewhere may contact the privacy regulator responsible for their location.

9. California and other U.S. state privacy rights

Where an applicable U.S. state privacy law gives you rights, you may request access to or correction or deletion of personal information, obtain information about categories of personal information collected or disclosed, or exercise other rights provided by that law. We do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We will not unlawfully discriminate against you for exercising an applicable privacy right.

Requests may be sent to support@vusistudios.com. An authorized agent may submit a request where permitted by law, subject to verification of the agent’s authority and your identity.

10. International transfers

Vusi Studios is based in Canada. We and our service providers may process information in Canada, the United States, or other countries where we or they operate. Information processed in another country may be subject to that country’s laws and lawful access by its courts, law-enforcement bodies, or authorities.

Where required, we use appropriate contractual, organizational, or other safeguards for international transfers. You may contact our Privacy Officer for more information about applicable safeguards.

11. Security

We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification. These safeguards are selected based on the sensitivity, amount, format, and storage of the information.

No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for using a strong, unique password, protecting your account and devices, and notifying us promptly if you suspect unauthorized access.

12. Children and teenagers

The Dot Services are not directed to children under 13 or the higher minimum digital-consent age required by applicable law. We do not knowingly collect personal information from a child who cannot lawfully consent without verified parental authorization.

Users must be at least the age of majority where they live to publish Community Content, as required by the Dot End User License Agreement. If you believe a child provided personal information or published content contrary to these requirements, contact support@vusistudios.com so we can review and take appropriate action.

13. Third-party services

The Dot Services may rely on or link to app stores, authentication providers, hosting services, analytics providers, or other third parties. Their own privacy policies govern information they collect independently. This policy does not govern a third party’s independent practices.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy to reflect changes in the Dot Services, law, or our practices. We will post the revised policy with a new effective date and provide additional notice or request consent where required. Material changes will not be applied retroactively in a manner that is inconsistent with applicable law.

15. Questions and complaints

You may contact our Privacy Officer with questions, access or correction requests, deletion requests, concerns, or complaints. We will investigate and respond within the period required by applicable law.

16. Contact us

Vusi Studios Inc.  
1805 Hunters run drive
K1C 6X3 Ottawa, Ontario
Canada  

support@vusistudios.com