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This translation is provided to help you understand. Only the German version is legally binding. Read the German version

Privacy Policy

Last updated: Enter date

1. Data controller

Oberndoerfer Digital Services e. K., Zum Tennenbach 15a, 91080 Uttenreuth, Germany. Email: hello@depressionapp.de. For the owner and registration details, see the Legal Notice.

2. What this is about

The app “depressionapp” supports people in difficult situations with self-help steps. When using it, you process information about your mental health. This is health data within the meaning of Article 9 GDPR. We process it only with your explicit consent (Article 9(2)(a) GDPR). You give this consent when you first launch the app. You can withdraw it at any time with effect for the future by deleting your account in the settings or writing to us.

3. How we protect your data: end-to-end encryption

During initial setup, the app generates a random key (256 bits) on your iPhone. It is stored in your device’s keychain and never leaves the device. Everything personal, including your cases, your “About me” profile and your own solutions, is encrypted on your device using AES-256-GCM before being sent to our server. Only unreadable ciphertext is stored on the server. Neither we nor our hosting provider can decrypt it. Even if the database is breached, this content cannot be read without your key.

You receive a recovery code. You can use it to unlock your data again on a new device or after reinstalling the app. If you lose both your device and your code, your data is permanently lost. We cannot recover it.

What this encryption does not hide: Your name or alias and your email address are stored with us in readable form. We can also see, at a technical level, that an account is storing data, how many entries it has, their approximate size and when they were changed. The word “secure” is not a guarantee: If your device is hacked or someone gets your code, they can read your data.

4. What data is processed

  • Account (readable): Email address (with “Sign in with Apple”, this may also be an Apple relay address if you choose “Hide My Email”), a pseudonymous Apple identifier if you use Apple, your name or alias, and the time you sign in. Email sign-in: We send you a one-time code that is valid for 10 minutes. There is no password. The code is stored only as a verification hash.
  • Cases, profile, own solutions (stored only in encrypted form on the server): Problem, trigger, severity, consequences, the name of your saved place, suggested and chosen steps, outcome, brief review, free text and notes.
  • Technical data: Time and number of requests, along with your IP address to prevent misuse, without content.

Audio is never stored or transmitted. Speech-to-text conversion takes place on your device. Your location coordinates never leave your device.

Providing app features and encrypted backup of your data: Consent, Article 6(1)(a) and Article 9(2)(a) GDPR. Sign-in, welcome email and code email: Performance of the agreement governing your use of the app, Article 6(1)(b) GDPR. Security and prevention of misuse: Legitimate interest, Article 6(1)(f) GDPR.

6. Artificial intelligence

If you use AI suggestions, the app sends an anonymised version of a case (problem, severity, trigger, consequences, time of day and, unless you have turned this off, anonymised text and an anonymised summary of your profile) through our server to Anthropic for analysis. The following applies:

  • Your name, email address, account or device identifier and location are not included. Anthropic sees only our server as the sender, not you. No one in the USA or another country can identify who made the request.
  • Transmission is encrypted (TLS). The content of the anonymised request must be readable to generate a response. It is therefore not end-to-end encrypted like your stored data.
  • Anonymisation masks detected names and numbers, but cannot reliably detect every personal detail in free text. Do not write names, addresses or numbers in free-text fields. You can turn off the sending of free text in the settings.
  • Your as-needed medication (if entered) and medication names are never sent to the AI.
  • We store neither the request nor the response. Anthropic’s terms for its commercial API apply to retention and use for training purposes: Check the current Anthropic terms and enter them here.

The AI does not make decisions with legal effects. It does not replace medical advice.

7. Recipients and data processors

  • Hosting (server and database): Our servers are located in the maincubes data centre in Frankfurt am Main (Germany). Hosting provider and data processor: Name and registered office of the web hosting provider. A data processing agreement is in place. Only the readable account data listed above and encrypted content are stored there. Development takes place in Germany.
  • Apple (Sign in with Apple; map searches using Apple Maps, which send the search term and approximate region to Apple).
  • Anthropic (AI analysis, see section 6). Transfers to the USA are possible; safeguards: Enter EU Standard Contractual Clauses or Data Privacy Framework, as applicable.
  • Resend (sending code emails and welcome emails): Your email address and the email content are transmitted for this purpose. Transfers to the USA are possible; safeguards: Enter details.

7a. Introduction, as-needed plan and purchases

During the introduction, you can voluntarily provide information about your situation (problems, duration, what you have tried so far, medication yes/no, hospital stays, therapy, treatment) and enter a personal as-needed plan with medication. This information is health data and, like your cases, is stored on the server only in encrypted form. The as-needed plan contains only what you enter yourself. The app does not recommend medication or specify dosages. Purchases (subscriptions and individual cases) are handled by Apple. We do not receive any payment details. The app stores the number of cases you have left on your device.

After explaining data protection, we explicitly ask you in the app whether you want to continue on this basis and agree to the Privacy Policy. Without your consent, we do not store any health data, and you can delete your account straight away. You also decide there whether you want to use AI support. You can change this at any time in the settings.

Starter credits and one-time special offer: Each person receives 3 free cases once and can use a one-time offer (5 additional cases). To prevent these from being granted repeatedly through deletion and re-registration, we store an irreversible verification value (HMAC hash) of your email address or Apple ID after you receive them. It contains no plain-text data and cannot be traced back to you. It remains stored even after your account is deleted, for as long as protection against misuse is necessary (legitimate interest, Article 6(1)(f) GDPR). Voucher codes: When a code is redeemed, we store which account redeemed which code so that each code can only be used once per account.

7c. Credit shop on the website

When you place an order in the credit shop, we process your email address, the selected package, the amount, payment status, invoice number, generated voucher code and your country to fulfil the order, send you the code and invoice, and retain the invoice as required by law (Article 6(1)(b) and (c) GDPR, retention for 8 years under commercial and tax law). Because VAT depends on your country, we also store the country of your payment method and the country derived from your IP address as evidence, but not the IP address itself (Article 6(1)(c) GDPR). We suggest your country based on your browser’s language setting; you can change it. To protect against misuse, we store a shortened, irreversible verification hash of your IP address for no more than seven days (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR). Payment is handled by Mollie B.V. (Netherlands). You enter your payment details directly with them; we do not receive them. We send emails through Resend. A copy of each invoice (including email address, amount and voucher code) is sent for bookkeeping to our accounting software Lexware, provided by Haufe-Lexware GmbH & Co. KG, Freiburg (Article 6(1)(c) GDPR). The shop is separate from the app in both its technical setup and content: We do not link orders to your app account or your health data. When a voucher code is redeemed in the app, it is assigned to your account so that it can only be used once.

8. Retention and deletion

Your data remains stored until you delete it. In the settings, you can delete your account along with all encrypted data on the server and on your device. Expired one-time codes and technical request data are deleted after X days.

9. Your rights

You have the right to access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability and objection, as well as the right to withdraw consent. To do so, write to us at hello@depressionapp.de. Because of the encryption, we cannot view or provide encrypted content. You can export it yourself as a PDF in the app. You can also lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority, for example the Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervision (Ansbach).

10. No obligation to provide information

All information is provided voluntarily. The app cannot be used without consent and an account.

11. Changes

We update this policy when the app or the legal situation changes.