Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Plate-Wise ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application and services (collectively, the "Service").

By using Plate-Wise, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

Account Information: Email address, password, name, username
Profile Information: Age, gender, weight, height, health goals, activity level, dietary preferences, allergies, medical notes (optional)
Health Data: Meal logs, calorie intake, nutritional data (protein, carbs, fat, fiber, sugar, sodium), weight history
Photos: Food images you upload for AI analysis (temporarily processed, not permanently stored)
Barcode Data: Scanned product barcodes for nutritional lookup (not stored, only used for database queries)
Menu Photos: Restaurant menu images for text recognition and nutrition extraction (temporarily processed)
Favorites: Foods you mark as favorites with meal-type tagging and usage patterns
Social Data: Friends list, Table memberships, group activities, streak data shared with Tables
Payment Information: Billing information processed securely through Stripe (we do not store your payment card details)
Referral Data: Referral codes used and referral credits earned

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

Device Information: Device type, operating system, unique device identifiers, platform (iOS, Android, Web)
Push Notification Tokens: Device tokens for delivering notifications you've enabled
Usage Data: Features used, time spent in app, interaction patterns, input methods (camera, gallery, text, barcode, menu scanner)
Log Data: IP address, browser type, access times, crash reports
Location Data: General location (country/region) for timezone and regional features (not precise GPS location)
Offline Activity: Locally stored meal data that syncs when online
Theme Preferences: Dark mode and color theme selections

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for:

Service Delivery: Providing nutrition tracking, AI food analysis, barcode scanning, menu recognition, personalized recommendations
Personalization: Customizing meal suggestions based on your goals, preferences, allergies, and medical conditions
Diet Learning: Storing your calorie corrections and food name corrections to improve AI accuracy for future scans of similar foods
Smart Favorites: Tracking favorite food usage patterns to show most relevant quick-add options per meal type
Social Features: Enabling Tables (group tracking), Friends connections, Plate Party shared meals, and streak tracking
Account Management: Creating and managing your account, authentication, subscription billing
Communications: Sending meal reminders, social notifications (friend requests, Table activity), account notifications, subscription updates
Offline Sync: Storing meal data locally and synchronizing with cloud when connectivity is restored
Improvement: Analyzing usage patterns to improve AI accuracy, barcode database coverage, and app features
Security: Detecting and preventing fraud, abuse, rate limit violations, and security incidents
Legal Compliance: Complying with legal obligations and enforcing our Terms of Service

4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), UK, or Switzerland, we process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

Contract Performance: Processing necessary to provide the nutrition tracking service you signed up for (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR)
Consent: For optional features like analytics, personalization, and social features (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). You can withdraw consent anytime in Settings
Legitimate Interest: For security, fraud prevention, service improvement, and business operations (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR)
Legal Obligation: For compliance with applicable laws and regulations (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR)

For processing of health data (meal logs, nutrition information), we rely on your explicit consent (Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR). You provide this consent during account creation and can withdraw it by deleting your account.

5. AI and Machine Learning

Plate-Wise uses third-party AI services for food recognition, nutritional analysis, and personalized recommendations. When you use AI features:

AI Service Providers

Google Gemini (primary) — Food photo recognition, nutritional estimation, AI chat (Sage), meal planning, and safety feedback on calorie targets
OpenAI GPT-4o-mini (fallback) — Used only when the primary AI service is unavailable
OpenFoodFacts — Barcode product lookup and nutritional database queries

What data is sent to AI providers:

Food photos and menu images for nutritional analysis (processed in real-time, not stored permanently by the provider)
Your dietary preferences, allergies, and goals to personalize recommendations
Age, gender, height, weight, and activity level when calculating daily calorie targets (for safety feedback only — the calorie target itself is calculated locally)
Barcode scans query OpenFoodFacts nutritional databases
Menu scanner uses optical character recognition (OCR) to extract text from photos

Data protection:

All AI requests are routed through our secure Cloud Functions — your data is never sent directly from your device to third-party AI providers
AI-generated nutritional data is stored in your account according to your subscription tier's retention policy
Aggregate, anonymized data may be used to improve AI accuracy and database coverage
AI responses are filtered to block harmful content and protect personal information

Important: AI nutritional estimates, barcode data, and menu scanner results are approximations based on visual analysis and database information. For precise medical nutrition needs, consult a healthcare professional.

6. Information Sharing

6.1 Service Providers

We share information with trusted third parties who assist in operating our service:

Cloud Infrastructure: Authentication, database, cloud storage, and hosting services
AI Services: Food recognition, barcode lookup (OpenFoodFacts), and menu text recognition powered by Google Gemini (primary) and OpenAI GPT-4o-mini (fallback)
Payment Processing: Secure subscription billing through Stripe (we never store your card details)
Push Notifications: Delivery of meal reminders and social activity alerts
Analytics: Aggregated, anonymized usage data to improve app features (only with your consent)

✓ We never sell your personal data to third parties for advertising or marketing purposes

6.2 Social Features & Data Sharing

When you use social features (Tables, Friends, Plate Party), certain data is shared with other users:

Tables: Group members can see if you've logged meals today (for streak purposes), but not your specific meals or calories unless you choose to share
Friends: Based on your privacy settings, friends may see your streak count and daily calorie total
Plate Party: Participants see the shared meal photo and agreed calorie split
Nudges: Table members can send reminders, but cannot see your specific data

You can control social visibility in Settings > Privacy. You can leave Tables or remove friends at any time.

6.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government request, or to protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of our users or the public.

6.4 Business Transfers

If Plate-Wise is involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your information may be transferred. We will notify you of any such change.

7. Data Security

Your data is stored securely using industry-leading cloud infrastructure with enterprise-grade protection:

Encryption: All data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest using AES-256 encryption
Authentication: Secure authentication with optional biometric login (fingerprint/face)
Cloud Security: Data stored on trusted, enterprise-grade cloud services (Firebase/Google Cloud) that meet the highest security standards
Access Controls: Strict access policies and monitoring with role-based permissions
Rate Limiting: Protection against abuse and automated attacks
Regular Audits: Security assessments and penetration testing

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we use trusted cloud providers and implement strong security measures, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. Retention varies by subscription tier:

By Subscription Tier:

Free Plan: 7-day meal log retention (local storage only, single device)
Pro Plan ($9.99/month launch special): 12-month meal log retention (cloud sync across all devices)

Account Data: Retained until you delete your account
Social Data: Table memberships, friends lists retained until you leave/remove them
Favorites: Retained with your account, synced for Pro users
Diet Learning Data: Corrections retained to improve AI accuracy, deletable on request
Offline Data: Pending meals stored locally until synced, then follow tier retention
Photos: Processed temporarily for AI analysis and not permanently stored
Barcode & Menu Scans: Not stored, only used for real-time database queries
Deleted Accounts: Data is permanently deleted within 30 days of account deletion
Backup Data: May remain in encrypted backups for up to 90 days

9. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

9.1 GDPR Rights (EEA, UK, Switzerland)

Access: Request a copy of your personal data
Rectification: Update or correct inaccurate information in Settings
Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): Delete your account and all associated data in Settings > Data Management
Portability: Request your data in a portable format (PDF export for Pro users, or contact support)
Restriction: Request limitation of processing in certain circumstances
Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
Withdraw Consent: Stop using specific features at any time
Lodge Complaint: Contact your local data protection authority

9.2 CCPA Rights (California Residents)

Know: Request disclosure of what personal information we collect, use, and share
Delete: Request deletion of your personal information (with certain exceptions)
Opt-Out: We do not sell personal information, so no opt-out is needed
Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights

9.3 Other Regions

Opt-Out: Disable notifications, social features, or other optional features
Correction: Update your information in Settings
Deletion: Delete your account and data at any time

To exercise these rights, use the in-app settings or contact us at privacy@plate-wise.com

10. Account & Data Deletion

You have the right to delete your account and all associated data at any time. We make this process simple and transparent.

How to Delete Your Account

1

Open Plate-Wise app and go to Settings (gear icon)

2

Scroll down and tap Data Management to expand the section

3

Tap the red Delete button next to "Delete Account"

4

Confirm your decision in the confirmation dialog

Other options in Data Management:

• Export My Data — Download a PDF report with your weight, calories, and macros
• Clear All Data — Delete all meals, progress, and settings (keeps account)

What Gets Deleted

Your account credentials and profile information
All food logs, meal history, and nutrition data
Health profile (weight, goals, medical notes)
AI chat history with Sage
Photos uploaded for food recognition
Streak data, achievements, and progress history
Subscription information (though payment records are retained by Stripe as required by law)

Deletion Timeline

Immediate: Account access is revoked and data removed from active systems
Within 30 days: All personal data permanently deleted from our servers
Within 90 days: Data removed from encrypted backup systems

Alternative: Request Deletion via Email

If you cannot access the app, you can request account deletion by emailing privacy@plate-wise.com from the email address associated with your account. Include "Delete My Account" in the subject line. We will process your request within 30 days.

⚠️ Warning: Account deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. We recommend exporting your data before deletion if you want to keep a copy of your nutrition history.

11. Children's Privacy

Plate-Wise is not intended for children under 16 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 16, please contact us immediately and we will delete such information.

12. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and maintained on servers located outside your country (primarily in the United States and European Union), where data protection laws may differ. By using Plate-Wise, you consent to the transfer of your information to these locations.

For transfers from the EEA/UK/Switzerland, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place through:

Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
Adequacy decisions where applicable
Service providers certified under relevant data protection frameworks

13. Cookies & Tracking

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies for:

Essential Cookies: Required for basic app functionality (authentication, preferences)
Analytics Cookies: Used only with your explicit consent to understand usage patterns
Preference Cookies: Remember your settings (dark mode, color theme)

You can control cookie preferences in your browser settings. Note that disabling essential cookies may limit app functionality.

14. Changes to This Policy

We reserve the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in our data practices, legal requirements, or the features we offer. The most current version will always be available within the app under Settings.

How we notify you: For material changes that affect how your personal data is collected, used, or shared, we will notify you before they take effect via: (a) a prominent notice within the app, (b) email to the address associated with your account, or (c) an in-app notification. Minor or clarifying changes may take effect immediately upon posting.

Your acceptance: Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically.

If you disagree: If you do not agree with any changes to this Privacy Policy, you must stop using the Service before the changes take effect. You may request deletion of your personal data and delete your account at any time via Settings.