Your data, clearly explained
Privacy notice.
Last updated: 23 October 2026 · Articles 13 and 14 of EU Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR).
Who operates the service
The data controller is Riccardo Vagli, VAT no. 02517420507. For information about your data and to exercise your rights, contact riccardo@riccardovagli.com.
Alessandra Balzani is a co-creator of the project and the creator of its artwork, characters Ubaldo and Zazà, and videos. Riccardo Vagli is the data controller for the service.
What data we use
- Google sign-in: Firebase identifier, name and verified email address; signing in does not disclose your Google password to us. We do not request access to Gmail, Drive or contacts.
- Your kitchen: messages, agent replies, profile and preferences, pantry, recipes, baskets and simulated orders, conversation state and history.
- Sharing: recipes you choose to share and the author name displayed in the cookbook to users who access it.
- Technical data: IP address, request timestamps, browser information, and operational and security logs processed by the hosting and authentication infrastructure.
Chef Ubaldo is a cooking assistant, not a healthcare service. Do not enter diagnoses, medical reports, health data or other sensitive information about yourself or others. Do not enter passwords, payment details or identity documents. Purchases available in the prototype are simulated.
Why we process data and our legal basis
- To authenticate you, keep users' data separate, respond to messages, save and resume conversations, and manage recipes: performance of the service requested by the user, Article 6(1)(b) GDPR.
- To display a recipe in the cookbook when you expressly request sharing, and to withdraw it: performance of the requested feature, Article 6(1)(b). Other recipes remain private.
- To protect accounts, prevent abuse and diagnose errors: legitimate interest in the security and operation of the service, Article 6(1)(f), limiting data and access to what is necessary.
- To comply with legal obligations or lawful requests from authorities: Article 6(1)(c), where applicable.
Sign-in details are required to use restricted features. You can read the home page and this notice without signing in. Sharing recipes is optional and is not a condition for using the chat.
Microphone and spoken replies
Voice is optional: you can use the chat by typing alone. The microphone is activated when you press the recording button and grant permission in your browser. You can stop or cancel recording.
The recording is sent to the backend and Google Cloud Speech-to-Text for transcription. When you stop recording, the recognised text is sent automatically to the agent without a review step. The text appears in the chat and is retained in the history under the same rules as other messages. You can cancel recording or transcription until the message has been sent.
When you ask to listen to a reply, the saved reply text is sent to Google Cloud Text-to-Speech to generate audio. If you enable “Spoken replies”, this happens for new replies while the option remains enabled.
The backend does not store audio files in Firestore or Cloud Storage. Temporary files used to convert recordings are deleted after conversion. Reply audio is held temporarily in page memory to allow pausing and replaying, and is released when you change conversation or account or leave the page. Replaying audio does not run the agent or its operations again.
Voice uses the Google Cloud services listed among our service providers and is processed to provide the feature you request. Do not send recordings of other people without being entitled to do so, or sensitive information unnecessary for your cooking request.
How the artificial intelligence works
Messages and the necessary conversation context are sent to the Gemini model through Google Cloud services to generate replies. Replies may contain errors: check ingredients, quantities and instructions before using them. The service does not make automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects on users.
Who may receive data and where
We use Google/Firebase for authentication, Firestore for data, Cloud Run for the application and Google Cloud services for the model. GitLab Pages hosts the pages and static content. Providers process data under their respective contracts and roles; Google also manages the user's Google account under its own privacy notice.
The Cloud Run application is hosted in Europe (europe-west8). This does not mean that every service, support activity or provider processing operation is confined to Italy or the EU. Any transfers to third countries are subject to the safeguards in the applicable contracts, including standard contractual clauses where necessary. You may ask the controller for information about the safeguards used.
Shared recipes are visible to other users who access the cookbook. Do not include personal content or third-party data in a shared recipe. The service does not show unshared content to other users.
How long we retain data
Your profile, pantry, recipes and conversations remain associated with your account so you can retrieve them, until you request account deletion or the service closes. Automatic deletion for inactivity is not yet active. Any new rule will be communicated before it takes effect.
Ordinary application security and operational logs are retained for 30 days, except where retention is strictly necessary to investigate incidents or meet legal obligations. Providers may separately retain security and anti-abuse logs and backups under their own terms: deletion from active systems does not mean immediate removal from every copy. Firebase states that deleted authentication information is removed from live and backup systems within 180 days. For model abuse monitoring, where applicable, Google specifies retention of up to 30 days.
Deleting your account and recipes
In My account you can request permanent deletion after verifying your identity again with Google. Your personal service data, sessions and Ubaldo Firebase identity are deleted, and your shared recipes are withdrawn. Your Google account is not deleted. Copies of recipes already saved by other users in their own collections are not removed from their accounts.
You can also withdraw individual recipes from the cookbook using the sharing feature. If an error occurs, the application does not report deletion as complete and blocks account use until the operation is completed or handled by the controller. You can contact us at the address above.
Your rights
You may request access, rectification, erasure, restriction and, where applicable, data portability and object to processing based on legitimate interests. Contact riccardo@riccardovagli.com. We will respond within the time limits set by the GDPR, normally within one month; we may request what is necessary to verify your identity. You may lodge a complaint with the Italian Data Protection Authority.
Cookies and browser storage
The Cookies and browser data page describes technical storage for sign-in and preferences. In this version, we have not integrated advertising or traffic analytics tools into the site's code.
Provider documentation: Firebase privacy, Google Cloud, Google Cloud data processing agreement, GitLab privacy.
Optional recipe images
When you choose to create a recipe image, the saved recipe and the project’s character and kitchen references are sent to Google Vertex AI to generate it. The image is stored in private Google Cloud Storage and linked to your recipe. If you share that recipe, its image is also shown to other signed-in users of the recipe collection.
Images remain associated with your account until removed or replaced, or until account deletion. Deleting your account also removes its generated images from active storage. Deleted storage objects may remain recoverable for seven days under the bucket’s soft-delete policy. Images downloaded to your device remain under your control.