PhenoLog Privacy Policy

Effective date: TBD (replaced on publication) Last updated: TBD (replaced on publication)

This Privacy Policy describes how PhenoLog ("the app," "we," "us") collects, uses, stores, and shares information when you use the PhenoLog iOS application and the related phenolog.io website. PhenoLog is a phenotype-tracking and cultivar-journaling application for hobbyist and small-scale growers.

PhenoLog is operated by Matt Cohen, sole proprietor, located in the State of Maine, United States. For any privacy question or request, contact hello@phenolog.app.

1. Information we collect

We collect only the information we need to run the app. Categories below describe exactly what we gather and where it comes from.

1.1 Account information

When you create an account, we collect:

• Email address. Used as your sign-in identifier and to send transactional messages (account confirmation, password reset).
• Password. Stored only as a salted hash by our authentication provider (Supabase). We never see your plaintext password and cannot recover it.
• A randomly generated user identifier (UUID). Used internally to associate your records with your account.

1.2 Content you create

When you use the app, you create records that we store on your behalf so they sync across your devices. This includes:

• Hunts (project names, strain or cultivar names, lineage notes, breeder names, timing settings).
• Phenos (individual plant records, status, stage, weights, scoring data, free-text notes).
• Observations (numeric measurements, text values, multi-select tags you log over time).
• Custom scoring rules you configure.
• Photos you upload.

You own this content. We host it only to provide the service.

1.3 Photos

Photos you take through the app are uploaded to a private cloud storage bucket. Before upload, the app re-encodes each photo to JPEG and resizes it to a maximum long edge of 1600 pixels. This re-encoding removes EXIF metadata, including any GPS coordinates, camera make/model, and timestamps that your device may have embedded. We never see or store the original EXIF payload.

Photos are stored at storage paths scoped to your account (the path begins with your user identifier). The storage bucket is private; access requires a short-lived signed URL generated for you specifically.

1.4 Purchase information

When you subscribe to a paid plan, the following are involved:

• Apple StoreKit processes the actual purchase. We never receive your payment-card information, billing address, or any other Apple Account data.
• RevenueCat is the subscription-management service that records which entitlement you hold ("premium") and reports state changes back to us. We identify you to RevenueCat using your PhenoLog user identifier. RevenueCat receives no other personal information from us.
• We store your subscription status and a RevenueCat reference identifier in your PhenoLog profile so the app can unlock paid features.

1.5 Diagnostics

The app reports crash events and a small sample of performance-trace events (currently 20% of operations) to Sentry, a third-party diagnostics service. Each event includes:

• Technical information about the error (stack trace, JavaScript engine state, app version, operating system version, device model).
• Your PhenoLog user identifier, so we can correlate reports across sessions if you contact us about a problem.

We have explicitly disabled Sentry's default personal-information collection (sendDefaultPii: false). As a result, Sentry events do not include IP addresses, cookies, browser fingerprints, or precise device identifiers beyond what is necessary to describe the crash itself.

1.6 AI Keeper input

When you tap Analyze to use AI Keeper Analysis on a hunt, the app sends the following hunt data to a server-side function on Supabase, which then sends it to Anthropic (the operator of the Claude AI service we use):

• The hunt's name, strain, lineage, breeder, source, and timing settings.
• Each pheno's display name, status, stage, weights, scores, and any free-text notes you have entered.
• Each observation you have recorded (field name, week number, recorded value).

We do not send your photos to Anthropic.

The Anthropic API key lives on our server and never on your device. Results returned by Anthropic are cached server-side so identical inputs do not produce repeated API calls. A daily cap (currently 20 analyses per user) limits how often AI Keeper can be invoked.

1.7 Information we do not collect

For clarity, we do not:

• Display ads or work with any advertising network.
• Track you across other apps or websites.
• Use third-party analytics SDKs for behavioral tracking.
• Collect your real name, postal address, phone number, location, or contacts.
• Collect health, financial, or other sensitive personal information.

We have not implemented Apple's App Tracking Transparency tracking and do not request the IDFA.

2. How we use information

We use the information described above only for the purposes listed below:

• To provide the core features of the app (account login, syncing your data across devices, displaying photos, computing scores, comparing phenos).
• To process subscription purchases and unlock paid features.
• To diagnose crashes and performance problems.
• To run AI Keeper Analysis on hunts when you invoke it.
• To respond to support requests you send us.
• To comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not share it with advertisers. We do not use it to train any machine-learning model of our own.

3. Third-party processors (subprocessors)

We rely on the following third-party services to operate PhenoLog. Each is bound by its own terms and privacy policy, linked below. We provide each only the minimum data needed to perform its function.

If you would like the current privacy policy of any of these processors, search for "[service name] privacy policy."

4. Where data is stored

PhenoLog's primary database and photo storage are hosted in the United States by Supabase. Our subprocessors are also based in the United States. If you access the app from outside the United States — including the European Union, the United Kingdom, or other regions — your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States.

For users in the EU, UK, and other regions whose laws require it, transfers are made in reliance on Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent transfer mechanisms maintained by each subprocessor.

5. How long we keep your data

We keep your account information and content for as long as your account is active. If you request deletion, we will delete your account and content within 30 days, except where retention is required by law (for example, tax records related to purchases).

Diagnostic events are retained by Sentry under its standard retention policy (currently 30 days for the Developer plan we use). AI Keeper cached results are retained as long as your account is active.

6. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you have rights regarding your personal information. We honor the rights below for all users, regardless of location.

6.1 Rights for everyone

• Access. You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction. You can correct most fields directly in the app. If something cannot be corrected in-app, email us.
• Deletion. You can request that we delete your account and content.
• Export. You can request your hunts, phenos, and observations in a machine-readable format.

6.2 Additional rights for users in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland (GDPR)

In addition to the rights above, you have the right to:

• Restrict or object to processing of your personal information.
• Withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent.
• Lodge a complaint with your local data-protection supervisory authority.

Our legal bases for processing under GDPR are:

• Contract (to provide the app you signed up for).
• Legitimate interests (to keep the service running, diagnose problems, and prevent abuse).
• Consent (for AI Keeper Analysis, which we run only when you invoke it).

6.3 Additional rights for California residents (CCPA / CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect, use, and share.
• Delete personal information we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate personal information.
• Opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information. We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
• Limit the use of sensitive personal information. We do not collect sensitive personal information as defined by the CPRA.
• Be free from discrimination for exercising your rights.

6.4 How to exercise your rights

To exercise any of the rights above, email hello@phenolog.app from the email address associated with your account. Include your PhenoLog user identifier if you know it; otherwise, we will look it up after verifying your identity. We will respond within 30 days, or within the timeframe required by your applicable law if shorter.

7. Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your information:

• All data is transmitted over TLS.
• Database access is governed by Row Level Security policies that restrict each user to their own rows.
• Photo storage paths are scoped to your account, and the storage bucket is private; photo URLs are short-lived signed links.
• The Anthropic API key and Supabase service-role key live only on our server, never on your device.
• Passwords are stored only as salted hashes by Supabase.

No system is perfectly secure. If we ever experience a breach affecting your information, we will notify you and any required authorities consistent with applicable law.

8. Children

PhenoLog is rated 17+ on the App Store and is not intended for, marketed to, or knowingly used by anyone under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make a material change, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top and, where the change is material to your rights, notify you in-app or by email before the change takes effect.

10. Contact

For any question, request, or complaint about this policy or your personal information, contact:

Matt Cohen Email: hello@phenolog.app Location: State of Maine, United States