Glutenwise privacy policy
Effective date: November 5, 2026
Glutenwise is an app for iPhone and Android phones that reads food labels and tells you whether a packaged food has gluten ingredients. This policy explains what data the app sends, who receives it, how long it is kept, and how to control it. Glutenwise is published by Vitaliii Iudin IE, who is responsible for this data (the "data controller" under laws such as the GDPR).
The short version
- You don't create an account. We never ask for your name, email, age or health details.
- Your Scan history and Profile stay on your phone.
- A label photo is sent only after you allow it, and only to read the ingredients.
- We don't sell data, show ads, or track you across apps or websites.
What the app sends, and why
Barcode scans. The app sends the barcode number to our server. Our server looks the product up in USDA FoodData Central and, if needed, Open Food Facts, which are public product databases. The AI model then reads the product's ingredient text, with nothing about you attached, and our server returns a Verdict. The databases receive only the barcode number. Shared Verdicts are cached by barcode and aren't linked to you.
Label scans. These happen only after you allow them on the "Label scans use an AI model" screen. The app removes location and other metadata from the photo, makes it smaller, and sends it to our server. Our server passes it to Anthropic, PBC, which runs the AI model that reads the ingredients. Our server doesn't store the photo. Anthropic processes it under its commercial terms: it doesn't use it to train its models and deletes it within 30 days, with two exceptions described under "How long data is kept". If a photo shows something other than the label, such as a hand or a receipt, that is sent too, so frame just the label.
Anonymous device ID. When the app first opens, it creates a random ID and keeps it on your phone: in the Keychain on iPhone, and in the app's private storage on Android. It isn't your Apple ID, your Google account, an advertising ID or a hardware identifier. The app sends it with every Barcode scan and Label scan, and when it checks how many free Label scans you have left. We use it to count your free Label scans for the month. Our server stores the ID with that monthly count once you complete a Label scan. It doesn't store the ID for a Barcode scan.
IP address. Like any internet service, our server sees your IP address. We use it only to limit how many requests one address can make, which protects the service from abuse. We don't store it with your device ID or your Scans.
Crash reports. If the app crashes, it sends a crash report to Sentry, our crash-reporting service. A report holds technical details: the app and operating system versions, the device model, and where the code failed. It doesn't contain photos, Scans, screenshots, your Profile or your IP address. Sentry gives each installation a random ID so that crashes can be counted.
What this can say about your health. We don't ask about your health, and your Profile stays on your phone. Even so, using an app for gluten-free eating can suggest that you, or someone you care for, follows that diet. So we use the device ID only to count free Label scans and never connect it to your name.
Why we may use this data
If you live in the European Economic Area or the UK, the law asks us to state a legal basis:
- Label photos: your consent, which you can withdraw at any time in Profile.
- Barcode scans and Label scan counts: providing the service you asked for.
- IP addresses and crash reports: our legitimate interest in keeping the service secure and working.
What stays on your phone
Your Scan history, your Profile (who the app is set up for), your consent choice and your settings are stored only on your phone. We never receive them. On Android they are also left out of Android backups and device transfer. Deleting the app deletes them.
The anonymous device ID works differently on each platform, and it never leaves the phone except as described above:
- On iPhone, the Keychain keeps the ID after the app is deleted, so that reinstalling doesn't reset the free Label scans.
- On Android, deleting the app or clearing its storage deletes the ID, and it isn't included in backups or device transfer. A reinstall creates a new ID, which starts a new count of free Label scans. The old ID and its count stay on our server until they are deleted as described below.
Who receives data
| Company | Role | What it receives |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic, PBC | Runs the AI model that reads labels | The label photo, only after you allow it; for Barcode scans, the product's ingredient text from the databases, with nothing about you |
| Cloudflare, Inc. | Hosts our server and database | Requests from the app, including the device ID, photos in transit and your IP address |
| Functional Software, Inc. (Sentry) | Crash reports | Crash reports |
| USDA FoodData Central | Product database | Barcode numbers only, from our server |
| Open Food Facts | Product database | Barcode numbers only, from our server |
Anthropic, Cloudflare and Sentry process data for us under data processing terms that require the same or equal protection as this policy, and none of them may use it for advertising. USDA FoodData Central and Open Food Facts are public databases: our server asks them about a barcode number, and they receive nothing about you.
These companies may process data in the United States and other countries. Where the law requires it, these transfers rely on safeguards in those companies' data processing terms, such as Standard Contractual Clauses.
Google, on Android only. The Android app reads barcodes on your phone with Google's ML Kit. Camera images are processed on the phone and aren't part of what the app sends. ML Kit sends Google technical data: the device model and operating system, the app's name and version, a per-installation ID that isn't meant to identify you or your device, and performance and error information. Google says it uses this data for diagnostics and usage analytics and doesn't pass it to third parties (ML Kit data disclosure). None of your Scans, Profile or device ID goes to Google through ML Kit.
How long data is kept
- Label photos: our server doesn't keep them. Anthropic deletes them within 30 days, with two exceptions. If its automated safety systems flag a request under its Usage Policy, it can keep that request for up to 2 years and a safety score for up to 7 years. It can also keep data longer when the law requires it.
- Device ID and monthly Label scan count: kept while you use the app, and deleted after 12 months without a Label scan.
- Crash reports: up to 90 days in Sentry.
- IP addresses: only as long as Cloudflare's rate limiting and security logs need them.
- ML Kit technical data on Android: kept by Google under its own terms.
Your choices
- Turn off Label scans. Go to Profile ▸ "Label scans with the AI model". No more photos are sent. Barcode scans, History and the Hidden-gluten dictionary keep working.
- Camera. You can turn off camera access at any time: on iPhone in Settings ▸ Glutenwise, and on Android in Settings ▸ Apps ▸ Glutenwise ▸ Permissions.
- Delete your data. Delete the app to remove your data from your phone. On iPhone, the device ID stays in the Keychain (see above). To delete the device ID and scan count on our server, email us the device ID shown in Profile ▸ About. We'll delete it within 30 days. On Android, deleting the app also deletes the ID from the phone, so copy it before you delete the app; otherwise we can't find your record, and it is deleted after 12 months without a Label scan.
- Ask what we hold. Email us with the same device ID.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to see the data we hold about you, correct it, delete it, receive a copy, limit how we use it, or object to that use. To use any of these, email us with the device ID shown in Profile ▸ About: we have no accounts, so it is the only way to find your record. We'll answer within 30 days, and we won't treat you differently for asking. If you disagree with our answer, you can ask us to look again, and you can complain to your data protection authority.
Children
Glutenwise is made for adults, including parents who scan food for a child with celiac disease. It isn't directed at children under 13. It doesn't ask for a child's name, age or photo. Please don't photograph children with the app. If you think a child's personal data reached us, email us and we'll delete it.
Changes
If we change what we send, or who receives it, we'll update this page and the effective date. If the change affects Label scans, the app will ask for your consent again.