Overview
CheeseAdvisor is a home-cheesemaking tracker. It helps you plan a wheel of cheese, check on it while it's aging, and log the result — chèvre, mozzarella, feta, cheddar, gouda, tomme, brie, and taleggio. This policy explains what data we collect when you use the app, how we use it, and the rights you have over it.
CheeseAdvisor works fully without an account. Planning a wheel, tracking its aging schedule, running check-ins, and logging a finished batch all work entirely on your device with no sign-in required. Creating an account is optional and unlocks one specific thing: sending a check-in or finished-batch description (and, if you choose, a photo) to our AI processing partner for a real diagnosis, instead of just saving it to your local history.
We collect the minimum data needed to make the app, and the optional account features, work. We do not sell your data to advertisers or data brokers. We do not track you across other apps and websites.
Data We Collect
Account data (optional)
If you choose to sign in, we ask for your email address, which we use to send a one-time, 8-character sign-in code. There is no password to create and no separate account-creation step — entering a valid code both signs you in and creates your account if you're new.
We assign each account an internal user ID (a randomly-generated identifier) used to associate a diagnosis request with your account, for rate-limiting and support purposes.
We do not collect your name, phone number, address, date of birth, or other personal identifiers unless you choose to enter them as part of your check-in or finish notes.
Check-ins, finishes, and photos
When you're signed in and choose to run a diagnosed Check or Finish, the description you type (and a photo, if you add one) is sent to our AI processing partner (Anthropic) to generate the read you see in the app.
We do not store your photos on our servers. A photo is sent for that one diagnosis request and is not retained afterward — not in our database, not in any log. The photo itself stays on your device, in your local wheel history, exactly as it always has, whether or not you're signed in.
The text of a diagnosed check-in or finish (your description, the resulting read, and the deterministic safety information CheeseAdvisor stamps onto it) is saved to your account so it stays available if you use CheeseAdvisor from another device. Everything you track locally — wheels, check-ins, and finishes you never send for a diagnosis — never leaves your device at all.
Data that stays on your device
Wheels you plan, the aging schedule CheeseAdvisor computes for them, local reminders, and any check-in or finish you don't choose to have diagnosed are all stored only on your device. We have no visibility into this data and it is never transmitted to us.
How We Use Your Data
We use the data we collect to:
- Generate a diagnosis (a verdict, the next move, and the relevant safety information) when you submit a check-in or finish for AI analysis.
- Save and recall your diagnosed check-in and finish history when you're signed in.
- Send you authentication emails (sign-in codes) and respond to your support requests.
- Apply a daily rate limit to diagnosis requests, to keep the service available and control abuse.
We do not use your data to make decisions about you outside the app, to build advertising profiles, or to sell to data brokers.
Third-Party Services
Anthropic (AI processing)
We use Anthropic's Claude API to generate CheeseAdvisor's diagnosis features — the Check read on a wheel mid-aging, and the Finish read on a completed wheel. When you use these features while signed in, your description and any photo you submit are sent to Anthropic for processing.
Anthropic processes this data on our behalf under their API data policy and does not use it to train their AI models. See Anthropic's Privacy Policy.
Cloudflare (infrastructure)
CheeseAdvisor's backend runs on Cloudflare's infrastructure — Workers (serverless functions), D1 (database), and KV (cache). Cloudflare stores the data we collect on our behalf in encrypted form. See Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.
Resend (email)
We use Resend to deliver authentication emails (sign-in codes). Resend receives your email address and the code content only for delivery. They do not use this for their own marketing. See Resend's Privacy Policy.
Data Retention
We retain account data for as long as your account is active. If you stop using the app, we retain your account data for up to 24 months from your last sign-in, then we anonymize or delete it on a rolling basis.
Photos are never retained on our servers at all — see the Check-ins, finishes, and photos section above.
Diagnosed check-in and finish text is retained as part of your account's saved history until you delete it or close your account.
Your Rights
Access and portability
You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. Send your request to privacy@cheeseadvisor.app from the email address tied to your CheeseAdvisor account. We respond within 30 days.
Account and data deletion
You can request deletion of your CheeseAdvisor account and all associated data at any time.
To request account deletion:
- Send an email to privacy@cheeseadvisor.app from the email address tied to your CheeseAdvisor account.
- Use the subject line "Account deletion request."
- We confirm receipt within 3 business days and complete deletion within 30 days.
What gets deleted: your account record (email address, internal user ID), and your saved diagnosed check-in and finish history. Local, on-device wheel data is not something we hold and is unaffected — delete the app to remove it.
What we retain after deletion: aggregated, anonymous usage statistics with no personal identifiers, if any exist.
California residents (CCPA)
If you reside in California, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, including the right to know what categories of personal information we collect, the right to delete your personal information, the right to correct inaccurate personal information, and the right to opt out of any sale or sharing of personal information.
CheeseAdvisor does not sell your personal information and does not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. To exercise CCPA rights, contact privacy@cheeseadvisor.app.
EEA/UK residents (GDPR)
If you reside in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have rights under the GDPR including access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability, and objection to processing.
Our lawful bases for processing your data are: (a) performance of the CheeseAdvisor service (necessary for the features you request), and (b) our legitimate interests in app reliability and abuse prevention.
To exercise GDPR rights, contact privacy@cheeseadvisor.app. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
Children's Privacy
CheeseAdvisor is intended for adults 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information to CheeseAdvisor, contact privacy@cheeseadvisor.app and we will delete it promptly.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this privacy policy as the app evolves — including when payment features are introduced, which will add a dedicated section on subscription and payment-processor data. When we make material changes, we will update the effective date at the top of this page and (where required by law) notify you through the app or by email. Continued use of CheeseAdvisor after an update means you accept the revised policy.
Contact
Questions about this privacy policy? Get in touch:
Email: privacy@cheeseadvisor.app