Privacy Policy
Effective Date: February 1, 2026
The short version: GlutenOrNot is designed with privacy first. We don't collect personal data, don't require accounts, and don't store your photos. Your scans stay on your device.
Introduction
GlutenOrNot ("we," "our," or "the app") is a free tool that helps people with celiac disease check ingredient labels for gluten. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle your information when you use our web app at glutenornot.com or our iOS mobile app.
Information We Collect
Information We Do NOT Collect
We want to be clear about what we don't collect:
- No user accounts, emails, or personal identifiers
- No device IDs or advertising identifiers
- No location data
- No analytics or usage tracking beyond basic aggregate statistics
- No scan history on our servers
- No images are stored — photos are processed and immediately discarded
Information Stored Locally on Your Device
The app stores a simple scan counter on your device to show you how many labels you've scanned. This counter:
- Never leaves your device
- Is not linked to any personal information
- Can be cleared by uninstalling the app or clearing app data
Information Processed (But Not Stored)
When you scan an ingredient label, your photo is temporarily processed to analyze the ingredients. Here's how it works:
- Your photo is sent to our server over an encrypted connection (HTTPS)
- We use Google Cloud Vision API to extract text from the image
- The extracted text (not the image) is sent to Anthropic's Claude API for analysis
- You receive a verdict (safe, caution, or unsafe)
- The image and text are not stored — they are discarded after processing
Third-Party Services
We use the following third-party services to provide the app's functionality:
Google Cloud Vision API
We use Google Cloud Vision to perform optical character recognition (OCR) on your photos. Google processes the image to extract text. We do not send any personal identifiers to Google. For more information, see Google Cloud Vision's data usage policy.
Anthropic Claude API
We use Anthropic's Claude to analyze extracted ingredient text. Only the text from your label is sent to Anthropic — not the original image or any personal information. For more information, see Anthropic's privacy policy.
Expo (Mobile App Only)
Our iOS app is built with Expo, which provides standard app update functionality. Expo may collect basic crash reports and app update information. For more information, see Expo's privacy policy.
Vercel (Web App Only)
Our web app is hosted on Vercel. Vercel may collect basic server logs including IP addresses for security and performance purposes. For more information, see Vercel's privacy policy.
Data Retention
We do not retain your data. Images are processed in real-time and immediately discarded. We have no database of user scans or personal information.
The only data that persists is your local scan counter, which is stored on your device and never transmitted to us.
Data Security
All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using HTTPS. We do not store sensitive data, which minimizes security risks.
Children's Privacy
GlutenOrNot is not directed at children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. Since we don't collect personal information from any users, this naturally extends to children as well.
Your Rights
Since we don't collect or store personal data, there is no personal information for us to access, correct, or delete. Your scan counter is stored locally on your device and can be cleared by uninstalling the app or clearing app data.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will update the "Effective Date" at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at:
App Store Information
GlutenOrNot is available as a free app. We do not display advertisements or sell user data. The app is provided as-is to help the celiac community.