👋 About this portal
This portal lets you understand what data PlantWatch holds about you, exercise your rights under UK GDPR, and manage your privacy preferences — all in one place.
PlantWatch is operated by Alexander Hoppe, London, United Kingdom. ICO registration: C1901733.
⚡ Quick actions
📋 Summary
| What | Our approach |
|---|---|
| Advertising | None — ever |
| Selling your data | Never |
| Tracking cookies | None |
| Data export | Available instantly as PDF |
| Account deletion | Immediate & complete |
| ICO registered | C1901733 |
🔒 Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 2026 · ICO Registration: C1901733
1. Who we are
PlantWatch is operated by Alexander Hoppe, London, United Kingdom. We are the data controller for personal data processed through the app. Contact: [email protected].
2. What we collect
Account data: Email, username, display name, profile photo.
Plant data: Plant names, photos, watering records, AI diagnoses, locations, and notes.
Usage data: Watering streaks and in-app activity.
Device data: Push notification token for watering reminders only.
3. How we use your data
- To provide plant care tracking, reminders, and history
- To run AI plant identification, health diagnosis, growth comparison, decline detection and plant toxicity information (via the Anthropic API)
- To answer questions you ask about a specific plant, and to review your collection — these send that plant's record (species, watering history, past diagnoses) and your question as text
- To assess the light in a spot you photograph, so we can suggest which of your plants would suit it
- To let you share a care sheet with whoever is watering your plants while you are away
- To enable friends and social features
- To send push notifications (watering reminders, friend requests)
- To manage subscriptions via Apple App Store
- To moderate uploaded images for inappropriate content
4. Lawful basis
Core features: Contract performance (Art. 6(1)(b)). AI processing: Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) — DPIA completed. Social features and marketing: Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)).
5. Third-party processors
Anthropic (USA) — processes photographs and text for plant identification, health diagnosis, growth comparison, decline detection, plant toxicity information, questions you ask about a plant, collection review, image moderation, and the light-check feature. Anthropic is contractually prohibited from training its models on our customer content. Anthropic's Data Processing Addendum is incorporated into its Commercial Terms of Service, and the transfer to the USA is covered by the EU Standard Contractual Clauses (Modules 2 and 3) together with the UK Addendum issued by the Information Commissioner (template version B.1.0). Photos sent for processing are retained by Anthropic for 30 days and then deleted.
Photographs of your home. The light-check feature works by photographing a spot in a room — a shelf, a windowsill, a corner — rather than a plant. That photograph will show part of your home, and may show possessions, paperwork or anyone who happens to be in frame. It is sent to Anthropic on the same terms as any other photo and retained by them for 30 days. Use it only on a spot you are content to photograph. It is entirely optional and nothing else in PlantWatch depends on it.
Apple (USA) — Sign in with Apple, App Store payments, push notifications. Covered by Apple Developer Agreement and Apple's DPA.
5b. Sharing a care sheet
If you create a care sheet link, anyone holding that link can see, without signing in: the names of your plants, their photographs, the room each is in, their watering schedules and when each is next due. They can record a watering and leave you a note. They cannot see your name, your email address, your account, or anything else.
The link is the only credential, so treat it like a door key. Every link expires, and you can revoke one at any time from the app with immediate effect. Notes left by a sitter stay in your account after the link ends, so you do not lose what you were told.
6. Data retention
Data is retained while your account is active. On deletion: all data removed immediately. Push logs: 90 days. AI recognition logs: 1 year. GDPR request records: 3 years (legal obligation). Photos sent to our AI processor are additionally retained by them for 30 days before deletion.
7. Children
PlantWatch is rated 13+ on the App Store. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. Contact [email protected] if you believe a child under 13 has registered.
8. Your rights
You have the right to access, correct, erase, port, restrict, and object to processing of your data. Use the Data Request tab or Your Rights tab for full details.
9. Changes
We may update this policy and will notify you of significant changes through the app.
10. Contact & complaints
Email [email protected]. You may also complain to the ICO at ico.org.uk or call 0303 123 1113.
Right to access
Request a copy of all data we hold. Fulfilled instantly as a PDF.
Right to rectification
Correct inaccurate data. Update your profile in the app at any time.
Right to erasure
Delete your account and all data permanently — immediate effect.
Right to portability
Receive your data as a structured, formatted PDF download.
Right to object
Object to processing for specific purposes.
Right to restriction
Request we restrict processing in certain circumstances.
Response times
| Request type | Response time |
|---|---|
| Data access / portability (PDF) | Immediate |
| Rectification | Within 14 days |
| Erasure (in-app) | Immediate |
| Erasure (by request) | Within 30 days |
| Objection / restriction | Within 30 days |
Complaints
If you are unsatisfied with our response, you may complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113. PlantWatch ICO registration: C1901733.
📊 Data we hold about you
| Data type | What | Why | Shared? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account | Name, email, username, photo | Account management | Username & photo with friends only |
| Plants | Names, photos, locations, notes | Core feature | No |
| Watering history | Dates, amounts, notes | Reminders & streaks | No |
| AI diagnoses | Photos, results, confidence | Health diagnosis feature | Processed by Anthropic (no training) |
| AI identifications | Photos, species results, toxicity | Plant ID feature | Processed by Anthropic (no training) |
| Growth & decline checks | Photos from your plant's timeline | Growth comparison, decline detection | Processed by Anthropic (no training) |
| Light checks | A photograph of a spot in your home | Suggesting where a plant would suit | Processed by Anthropic (no training). Optional feature. |
| Questions & collection review | Your question text and the plant's record | Answering questions about your plants | Processed by Anthropic (no training). Question text is not retained by us. |
| Care sheets | Plant names, photos, rooms, schedules | Sharing with a plant sitter | Visible to anyone with the link until it expires or is revoked |
| Friends | Friend list, request history | Social features | Plant count & streak with friends |
| Notifications | In-app notification history | Alerts & reminders | No |
| Push token | Device notification token | Push notifications | Sent via Apple APNs |
| Time zone | IANA identifier (e.g. Europe/London) from your device | Localise watering reminders so a 9am reminder fires at your 9am | No |
| Subscription receipts | Apple transaction IDs, status, expiry date | Verify your PlantWatch Pro entitlement and prevent abuse | Verified against Apple's App Store Server API |
| Reminder log | Per-day record of which reminder slots were sent to you | Avoid sending the same reminder twice | No |
| Auth audit log | Event type, IP address, success/failure (only for password-reset attempts) | Detect brute-force attacks on the password-reset endpoint | No — retained 90 days then purged |
| Consent log | Date & version of terms accepted | Legal obligation | No |
What we do NOT collect
- Precise GPS location
- Contacts or address book
- Browsing history or behaviour across other apps
- Advertising identifiers (IDFA)
- Payment card details (handled entirely by Apple)
- Biometric data (Face ID stays on your device)
- IP addresses, except the narrow case of password-reset attempts, where we log IP for 90 days to detect brute-force attacks
🔐 Sign in to manage your preferences
Sign in with your PlantWatch account to view and update your communication and privacy preferences.
📋 Request your data
For access and portability requests, your data will be downloaded instantly as a formatted PDF. All other request types will be handled by email within 30 days.
Access and portability requests are fulfilled immediately via PDF download.
⏱️ Response times
| Request type | Response time |
|---|---|
| Data access / portability (PDF) | Immediate |
| Rectification | Within 14 days |
| Erasure (in-app) | Immediate |
| Erasure (by request) | Within 30 days |
| Objection / restriction | Within 30 days |
⚠️ Delete your account
Deleting your account is permanent and irreversible. All of the following is permanently erased immediately:
- Your profile (name, email, photo)
- All plants and their photos
- Complete watering history and streaks
- All AI diagnosis records
- Friends list and notifications
- Subscription records
Delete via the app
Open PlantWatch
Launch the app on your iPhone or iPad.
Go to Profile
Tap the Profile tab at the bottom of the screen.
Scroll to Delete Account
Scroll to the bottom and tap "Delete Account".
Confirm deletion
Enter your password and confirm. Your data is deleted immediately.