Fairsum

Privacy Policy

How the Fairsum Android app handles your data. In short: what you enter stays on your device, we never see it, and the only data collected is what Google collects to show ads.

Last updated:
19 July 2026
Effective date:
19 July 2026

App: Fairsum — Android
Publisher / developer: Dennis Mercado (sole trader, Queensland, Australia)
Contact: contact [at] fairsum.au

The short version

Fairsum is a personal money-tracking app. The information you enter (bills, income, amounts, notes, categories) is stored only on your device. We, the developer, do not collect it, see it, or store it on any server. The only data collected is what Google AdMob collects to show ads, and what Google Play collects as the app store. If you choose to turn on Google Drive backup, an encrypted copy of your data is saved to a private folder in your own Google Drive — never to us. This policy explains that in detail.

1. Information you enter into the app

Your entries — bill/subscription names, amounts, dates, categories, notes, reminder settings, and currency — are stored locally on your device using the device's app storage. This data:

  • is not transmitted to the developer and is not stored on any server we control;
  • is accessible only on your device, via backups you create and control (see §3), and — if you turn it on — in your own Google Drive (see §4);
  • is deleted when you delete the app (see §6).

We cannot access, read, or recover your entries.

2. Advertising — Google AdMob

Fairsum displays ads through Google AdMob. To serve ads, Google and its partners may collect and process, from your device:

  • your device's advertising identifier (Advertising ID / AAID);
  • device and usage information (device model, OS version, IP address, general location inferred from IP, ad interactions);
  • data used to serve, personalise, measure, and improve ads and prevent fraud.

This collection is performed by Google, not by the developer, and is governed by Google's own policies:

You can limit ad personalisation in your device settings (Android → Settings → Google → Ads), including resetting or deleting your advertising ID.

3. Backups and export (features you choose to use)

  • Encrypted backup (.mtbackup): you can export an encrypted backup file and share it via your device's share options (e.g. save to Files, Google Drive, or email). Where that file goes and who can access it is controlled by you and the service you save it to. The backup is encrypted; however, the encryption key is embedded in the app, so treat the file as private but not resistant to a determined technical attacker.
  • CSV export: you can export a plain spreadsheet copy of your entries and share it the same way. It is not encrypted — anyone you share it with can read it.

We do not receive copies of your exports.

4. Optional Google Drive backup

Fairsum offers an optional cloud backup. It is off until you choose to sign in — if you never sign in, no Google data is used and this section does not apply to you.

If you sign in with your Google account and turn on Drive backup:

  • Fairsum saves an encrypted backup of your data to a private, app-specific folder in your own Google Drive (the drive.appdata scope). It keeps a small number of recent backups.
  • Fairsum accesses only its own hidden backup folder — it cannot see or access your other Google Drive files, your email, or any other Google data.
  • The backup is stored in your Google Drive, not on any server the developer controls.
  • We do not store your Google account credentials; sign-in is handled by Google.
  • You can sign out, and delete the cloud backups, at any time from within the app, and revoke the app's access at myaccount.google.com/permissions.

Fairsum's use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. The drive.appdata folder is used solely to store and retrieve your own backups.

5. Permissions the app uses

  • Notifications — to show your local bill/renewal reminders. These are generated and scheduled on your device; no reminder data is sent to us.
  • Storage / file sharing — only when you export or import a backup or CSV, to let you choose where the file goes.

Fairsum does not request access to your contacts, camera, microphone, precise location, or call/SMS data.

6. Retention and deletion

Because your entries live on your device, uninstalling the app deletes them. You can also clear individual entries within the app. Any backup files you created (.mtbackup or CSV) remain wherever you saved them until you delete them. If you turned on Google Drive backup, you can delete those cloud backups and sign out from within the app (see §4).

7. Children

Fairsum is a general-audience finance tool and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Because the app shows ads, we set our Google Play "Target audience and content" declaration so the app is not targeted to children. If you believe a child has used the app, uninstalling it removes their on-device data.

8. Your privacy rights

Fairsum is distributed in the Asia-Pacific region. Because the information you enter stays on your device and we do not collect it, your practical rights of access, correction, and deletion over that data are exercised simply by using or uninstalling the app — we hold no copy to give you or delete.

  • Australia (Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) / Australian Privacy Principles): we do not collect, hold, or disclose your entries. For any question about this policy or the limited ad data described in §2, contact us at contact [at] fairsum.au.
  • Advertising data: the personal data involved in showing ads is collected and controlled by Google (see §2). Exercise those rights through Google's ad settings and controls on your device.
  • Other Asia-Pacific countries where Fairsum is available: similar rights may apply under your local privacy law; the same points above apply, because we do not collect your entries.

9. Security

Your data is stored in your device's app-private storage. Backups can be encrypted (§3), and Google Drive backups are encrypted before upload (§4). No method of storage or transmission is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. The "Effective date" above will change and, for material changes, we will make reasonable efforts to notify users (e.g. in-app or on the store listing).

11. Contact

Questions about this policy: contact [at] fairsum.au.

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