Privacy Policy
Effective June 22, 2026 · Last updated July 2, 2026
Umbra is an independent iOS app that reads publicly released U.S. government UAP records, and is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of War, NSA, AARO, or any government agency. This document tells you exactly what data the app handles, what we collect, and what we don't. The free tier shows ads and uses anonymous usage analytics and crash diagnostics; all of these are consent-gated in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland (see below).
What we don't collect
- We do not host or operate a user account system. You are not asked to sign up.
- We do not collect, store, sell, or share your name, email, phone number, address, or any personal identifier.
- We do not store your reading history, bookmarks, or notes on our servers. They live on your device.
- We do not access your contacts, photos, microphone, calendar, or location for any reason.
- Clearance subscribers see no ads. The Google Mobile Ads SDK is not initialized for Clearance users.
What the app does talk to
- war.gov. Umbra renders document, image, and video URLs directly from the U.S. government's public PURSUE hosting. We do not proxy or rehost this content.
- Apple iCloud. The app fetches its catalog index and receives new-tranche notifications through Apple's iCloud services. No account or sign-in is required, and no identifiable data is sent to us.
- Apple StoreKit + iCloud (Clearance purchases). Apple processes the purchase. We never see your credit card. We use StoreKit 2's
AppTransactionto verify Clearance entitlement on launch. - Google AdMob (free tier only). Free-tier users see banner ads, occasional interstitial ads, and rewarded ads before video playback. AdMob's SDK collects IDFA-linked data only if you grant App Tracking Transparency permission; if you decline, contextual non-tracking ads still serve.
- Google Firebase (free tier only). Firebase Analytics measures anonymous, aggregate app usage and Firebase Crashlytics records crash diagnostics so we can fix bugs. No IDFA is used for analytics, and the data is pseudonymous — keyed to a random app/device identifier, never to your identity.
App Tracking Transparency
Per Apple guidelines, the app shows the ATT prompt before the first ad request. "Don't allow" disables IDFA-linked personalization for AdMob; ads still appear, but they are non-personalized. "Allow" enables personalized ad targeting via Apple's IDFA. You can change this choice anytime in iOS Settings → Privacy → Tracking.
On iOS, App Tracking Transparency separately governs use of the device advertising identifier (IDFA) for cross-app tracking. App Tracking Transparency and the EEA consent form below are independent: in the EEA you will see both, and personalized ads require agreeing to each.
Data collected by AdMob
The Google Mobile Ads SDK may collect: device identifier (IDFA, only if ATT granted), coarse location (country, derived from IP, never GPS), product interaction events (impressions, clicks). This data is shared with Google as a data processor. See Google's privacy policy.
Purposes and legal bases
Under the GDPR and UK GDPR, we process personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so. For each purpose, our basis is:
- Providing the app and its content (fetching the public document catalog, rendering government records) — necessary for the performance of our agreement to provide the app to you (Art. 6(1)(b), contract). This does not involve collecting personal data about you.
- Clearance purchases and entitlement verification (Apple StoreKit / in-app purchase) — necessary to perform the purchase contract (Art. 6(1)(b), contract). Apple, not us, processes your payment.
- Usage analytics (Firebase Analytics) and crash diagnostics (Firebase Crashlytics) — your consent (Art. 6(1)(a)), obtained through the Google-certified consent form (Google's User Messaging Platform / IAB TCF, region-aware). In the EEA, UK, and Switzerland these do not run at all unless you consent; if you decline, analytics and crash reporting stay off.
- Advertising (Google AdMob) — your consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) for personalized advertising. If you decline consent, ads are served in a non-personalized, limited form instead of being switched off.
Who processes your data
Umbra has no servers or accounts of our own. The following third parties act as processors or independent recipients in connection with the app:
- Apple. Provides app distribution, iCloud (catalog delivery and new-tranche notifications), and StoreKit/App Store purchase processing. Apple processes payments and never shares your card details with us. See the Apple Privacy Policy.
- Google (Firebase + AdMob). Firebase Analytics measures anonymous, aggregate app usage; Firebase Crashlytics records crash diagnostics so we can fix bugs; Google AdMob serves the ads in the app and, where you have consented, personalizes them.
- Cloudflare. Hosts this website and the data worker that assembles the public document catalog delivered to the app via Apple's CloudKit. This involves no personal data about you. See the Cloudflare Privacy Policy.
Google's handling of this data is described in the Google Privacy Policy and How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services. We do not use Apple's advertising identifier (IDFA) for analytics, and the data these services collect is pseudonymous — keyed to a random app or device identifier, never to your name, email, or contact details.
International transfers
Apple, Google, and Cloudflare are US-based providers and may process data in the United States and other countries. Where data of EEA, UK, or Swiss users is transferred outside those regions, these providers rely on their own safeguards, including the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and/or the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses. Details are in each provider's privacy policy linked above.
Retention
We retain no personal data ourselves — Umbra has no accounts or servers holding personal data. Any usage-analytics and crash data is held by Google and retained and deleted according to your Google/Firebase configuration and Google's own retention schedules. On-device data (reading history, bookmarks, notes) persists on your device and any iCloud storage you use until you delete it or remove the app.
Source of data and automated decision-making
Any personal data processed is obtained only directly from you through your use of the app — we do not acquire personal data about you from third-party sources. We do not carry out automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects within the meaning of Article 22 GDPR.
You are under no statutory or contractual obligation to provide personal data. Analytics, crash reporting, and personalized advertising are optional; the only consequence of declining is that you will not receive that optional feature (for example, ads become non-personalized).
Your privacy in the EEA, UK & Switzerland
If you use Umbra in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we rely on your consent as the legal basis for personalized advertising, usage analytics, and crash diagnostics. None of these run until you make a choice.
The first time you open the app, a Google-certified consent form (Google's User Messaging Platform) asks whether you agree to these uses. If you decline, we do not enable analytics or crash reporting, and ads are served in a non-personalized, limited form instead. Outside these regions, analytics and crash diagnostics are on by default and you can turn them off at any time in Settings — they are opt-out rather than opt-in.
Changing or withdrawing your consent
You can change your mind at any time. Open Settings → Manage privacy choices inside the app to re-open the Google consent form and update or withdraw your choices. Withdrawing consent is as easy as giving it, and it takes effect immediately for analytics and on the next launch for crash reporting. You can also use the "Share anonymous usage data" toggle in Settings to turn usage analytics off entirely.
Your rights
If you are in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, you have the right to access your personal data, to rectification (correction), to erasure ("right to be forgotten"), to restriction of processing, to object to processing, to data portability, and to withdraw consent at any time (without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal). Because Umbra holds no accounts and stores no personal data of its own, most of this concerns the pseudonymous data held by Google.
To exercise any of these rights, email support@uapfiles.app and we will help you, including passing on deletion requests to Google where applicable. You can also act directly: withdraw consent in Settings → Manage privacy choices (the in-app Google consent form), which resets the local analytics identifier, or use the "Share anonymous usage data" toggle in Settings. Google retains and deletes Analytics, Crashlytics, and ads data according to its own retention schedules, described in the Google Privacy Policy.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. In the EEA, this is your local data protection authority — you can find yours via the European Data Protection Board members list. In the UK, it is the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
Children
Umbra is rated 12+. Apple Family Sharing applies; we do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 13.
How to reach us
Umbra (published under the name "UAP Files") is developed and published by Embay, LLC, a limited liability company registered in Florida, USA. For the purposes of the EU GDPR and the UK GDPR, Embay, LLC is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. Naming Embay, LLC as publisher and data controller does not affect the app's independence — see above. We have not appointed a Data Protection Officer, and given the scale and nature of our processing we are not required to.
Email support@uapfiles.app for any privacy question or data request, or to exercise any of your rights above. You can also write to us at:
Embay, LLC
7901 4th St N, Ste 300
St. Petersburg, FL 33702
United States
Changes
If this policy changes, we will revise the effective date at the top of the document and post the update at this URL.