UCInsights ("the App", "we", "us") is a personal health companion for people living with ulcerative colitis (UC). It helps you log daily symptoms, explore community-sourced health trends, and search peer-reviewed research — all in one place.
This Privacy Policy explains what information UCInsights collects, how it is used, with whom it is shared, and the choices you have. By using the App you agree to the practices described here.
UCInsights is developed and published as an individual developer application on the Apple App Store. The data controller is:
org.ucinsight.UCInsightsFor any privacy-related question, deletion request, or concern, please contact us at the email address above. We will respond within 30 days.
UCInsights handles two categories of data, and they are treated very differently.
The following information is saved using Apple's UserDefaults storage, which means it lives entirely on your iPhone or iPad. It is never sent to our servers, never shared with third parties, and is deleted when you uninstall the App.
| Data type | What it contains | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Daily health log | Overall feeling, bowel movement count, symptom names and severity, foods eaten, medications taken, stress level (0–10), sleep times, meal descriptions, water intake, physical activity, free-text notes | Personal symptom tracking and local pattern analysis |
| Language preference | Selected app language (English or Turkish) | Display content in your preferred language |
| Notification state | Title of the last health-news headline you were notified about | Prevent duplicate push notifications |
When you use the search or chat features, certain text you enter is sent to external APIs to generate results. No information from your personal health log is ever included in these requests.
| What is sent | To whom | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Search query text and chat messages you type | Anthropic, Inc. (Claude AI) | Generate AI-assisted summaries and chat responses |
| Search query text (medical keywords only) | NCBI / PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine) | Retrieve peer-reviewed research articles |
| Search keyword text | Reddit, Inc. | Surface relevant community discussions |
| Standard HTTP request (no personal data in the payload) | Google News RSS | Display current UC-related news headlines |
We do not collect or transmit: your name, email address, phone number, precise location, device identifiers (IDFA, IDFV), IP address, or any other personally identifiable information.
We do not use your information for advertising, profiling, sale to third parties, or any purpose other than those described above.
The App integrates with the following external services. Each operates under its own privacy policy; please review them to understand how they handle data.
When you submit a search query or chat message, that text is sent to Anthropic, Inc. Anthropic processes the text to generate a response. Anthropic may retain API request data according to its own data retention policies. UCInsights does not send any health log data to Anthropic.
Search queries are sent to the U.S. National Institutes of Health's Entrez API to retrieve publicly available research articles. NCBI is a U.S. federal service and does not use the data for commercial purposes.
Search keywords are sent to Reddit's public JSON API to retrieve community discussion
threads. The User-Agent sent with these requests is UCInsights iOS App v1.0.
No personally identifiable information is included.
A standard RSS feed request is made to Google News to fetch UC-related headlines. No personal data is included in this request.
The App uses Apple's UserNotifications framework for push notifications, and stores all user data in UserDefaults on your device. Standard Apple system interactions (crash reporting if enabled at the OS level, App Store analytics) are governed by Apple's Privacy Policy.
All health data you log is stored exclusively on your device using Apple's UserDefaults. It is:
UCInsights does not integrate with Apple HealthKit. Your health logs within UCInsights are separate from and do not interact with the iOS Health app.
The App's PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy manifest declares:
On-device data — Your health logs and preferences are retained on your device until you manually delete entries within the App, or until you uninstall the App. Uninstalling the App removes all locally stored data permanently.
Third-party services — Text you send to Anthropic, PubMed, Reddit, and Google News may be retained by those services according to their own policies. UCInsights does not control how long third parties store API request data.
Deletion requests — Because UCInsights holds no data on its own servers, there is no centralized database to delete from. To remove your health data, delete individual entries within the App's Tracker screen or uninstall the App. To request deletion of any data that may be held by third-party API providers, please refer to their respective privacy policies.
If you are located in the EU or EEA, you have the following rights under the General Data Protection Regulation:
The legal basis for processing your on-device data is legitimate interest (enabling App functionality). The legal basis for transmitting search queries to third parties is your consent when you initiate a search.
California residents have the right to know what personal information is collected, the right to delete, and the right to opt out of sale. UCInsights does not sell personal information. The data practices described in this policy constitute the full extent of our data handling. To exercise your rights, contact info@ucinsights.org.
Users in Turkey are protected under the Kişisel Verilerin Korunması Kanunu (Law No. 6698). You have the right to learn whether your personal data is processed, request information about it, and request correction or deletion. Because health logs are stored exclusively on your device, the data controller for that information is effectively you. For queries related to data sent to third-party APIs, please contact info@ucinsights.org.
UCInsights is not directed at children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the EU). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has used the App and you wish to have associated data removed, please contact us at info@ucinsights.org and we will take appropriate steps to address the situation.
The App is rated 4+ on the Apple App Store and is designed for adult patients managing a chronic gastrointestinal condition.
Always consult a qualified gastroenterologist or other licensed healthcare professional regarding your specific medical condition, symptoms, or treatment options. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read or seen in UCInsights.
All network requests made by the App use HTTPS (TLS) encryption. On-device data is protected by iOS's built-in hardware encryption and your device's access controls (passcode, Face ID, Touch ID). There is no UCInsights server that could be breached because we do not operate any backend infrastructure that stores your data.
While we take commercially reasonable precautions, no system is completely secure. We encourage you to keep your device software up to date and protect your device with a strong passcode.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where the changes are material, post a notice within the App. Continued use of the App after any update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
The most current version of this policy is always available at ucinsights.org/privacy.
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please reach out:
We are committed to working with you to resolve any privacy concern and will respond to all requests within 30 days.