Privacy Policy
Platekind ("we," "us") helps parents and caregivers evaluate restaurant dishes against a food-allergen profile. The short version: we collect the minimum needed to run the app, we never sell your data, and we show no ads.
What we collect
- Allergen profiles you create. Profile names (a first name or nickname works fine) and the allergens you select. You control these entirely.
- Scan history. The dish names, restaurant names, verdicts, and dates of your scans, so your history follows you.
- Account information (optional). If you create an account: your email address and a password, handled securely by our authentication provider. Without an account, the app uses a random anonymous identifier stored on your device, with no name or email.
- Menu photos (kept briefly, then deleted). If you photograph a menu, the image is sent to our server and to our AI provider to read the dish names. So that a scan can keep going if you switch apps, our server holds the image for a short time, usually about an hour, and then deletes it. A copy also stays on your own device for up to 24 hours so an interrupted scan can be continued. We do not use menu photos for anything else.
- Feedback and usage logs. If you rate a result 👍/👎 (with an optional note), and when you scan, we log the dish, restaurant, verdict, and your identifier so we can find and fix wrong results. This is our core safety-improvement loop. These logs contain no names, emails, or allergen profiles, only the random identifier, and are kept only as long as needed for accuracy review.
- Usage limits. To keep the service fair we count scans per day using your anonymous identifier and your IP address. These counters hold no names and no scan content.
We do not collect precise location, contacts, advertising identifiers, or health records beyond the allergen selections you make. We use no third-party analytics or advertising SDKs.
How we use it
- To analyze dishes against the selected profile and show your history across your devices (history syncs across devices with an account).
- To improve accuracy, by reviewing logged scans and feedback to correct our dish database.
- To respond when you contact support.
- Never to sell or rent your data, and never for third-party advertising.
Where it goes
We use a small number of vetted service providers to run the app: secure cloud hosting, a managed database and authentication service that stores profiles, history, and account emails, and an email delivery service for account emails. The feedback and usage logs described above are kept in that same managed database. Dish names, restaurant names, and menu photos you submit for analysis are processed by Anthropic (Claude AI); under Anthropic's API terms, this data is not used to train their models. Subscription billing is handled entirely by Apple through the App Store, and we never see your card number. The app and this website load their fonts from Google Fonts, which receives your IP address when they load.
Children's privacy
Platekind is designed for parents and adult caregivers. It is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (COPPA). Allergen profiles describing a child are entered by you, the parent or caregiver, and you can edit or delete them at any time in the app. We recommend using first names or nicknames only. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
Your choices & rights
- Edit or delete profiles and history any time in the app.
- Delete your account and all associated data: in the app, go to Profile, Account, Delete account & data. You can also email support@platekind.app and we'll delete it within 30 days (usually much sooner).
- California residents: you have the right to know, delete, and correct personal information, and to non-discrimination for exercising those rights (CCPA/CPRA). We do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined in the CPRA.
Security
Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS). Database access is restricted by row-level security and server-held service keys; your browser or phone never talks to the database directly.
Important safety note
Platekind is an informational aid, not a medical device and not medical advice. Verdicts are estimates that can be wrong or out of date. Always confirm ingredients with restaurant staff and follow your allergist's guidance.
Changes & contact
We'll post any material changes here with a new effective date. Questions or requests: support@platekind.app.