Privacy Policy

In short

Who is responsible

Annotate Video is developed by Marco Lüthi, the controller responsible for data processing under the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) and, where applicable, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Marco Lüthi
Gutstrasse 172
8055 Zürich
Switzerland
hi@luthi-mar.co

Camera

With your permission, Annotate Video uses the camera to record the clips you teach it and, when you turn on Auto, to watch for the things you trained. The camera only runs while the app is open on the Capture tab. The app does not use the microphone: clips have no sound.

Watching works like this: about six times a second, a camera frame is analysed on your iPhone by your own trained model, using Apple's on-device Core ML and Vision frameworks. So that clips can start a moment early, the app keeps the last two seconds of encoded video in memory. Frames that don't become a clip are discarded and never written to storage. Nothing is streamed or uploaded. You can turn camera access off at any time in the iOS Settings app.

Training and recognising

Image models are trained on your iPhone with Apple's Create ML, from frames taken out of the clips in your labels. The frames are written to a temporary folder for training and deleted when it finishes. Recognising things, checking your clips again after training, and the label names the app suggests (Apple's built-in image classifier) also run on your device. No image is sent to the developer or to any server for this.

Clips and models

Clips are saved as video files in folders named after your labels, together with the models you train and a short report for each model. They are stored in the app on your iPhone and appear in the Files app under On My iPhone › Annotate Video. The list of clips flagged for review and your app settings are stored only in the app. The app does not sync anything through iCloud. If you back up your iPhone to iCloud or a computer, Apple includes the app's files in that backup, under Apple's own privacy policy: apple.com/legal/privacy. You can delete clips, labels and models in the app or in the Files app. Deleting the app deletes all of its data on your iPhone.

Sharing

When you share a clip or a trained model, it goes only to the apps, places and people you choose in the iOS share sheet. The app does not upload it anywhere.

Legal basis

Where the GDPR applies, the processing described above is necessary to provide the features you use (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). Camera access is based on your choice to allow it, which you can withdraw at any time in the iOS Settings app. Under the Swiss FADP, we process personal data only as described here and in line with its principles. Please only film people who are happy to be filmed, and follow the rules where you point the camera.

What Annotate Video does not do

• No account, sign-up or login.
• No microphone.
• No advertising, analytics or crash reporting, and no network connection of its own.
• No tracking across apps or websites, and no selling or sharing of data with data brokers.
• No clips or models are sent to the developer.

TestFlight beta

While Annotate Video is in beta, it is distributed through Apple's TestFlight. If you join the beta, Apple shares information such as your email address (if you were invited by email), crash reports and feedback you choose to send with the developer, under the TestFlight terms and Apple's privacy policy. This is used only to fix bugs and improve the app.

This website

This website is a static site without cookies, analytics or tracking. Fonts are served from this website itself, so your browser does not contact third-party font services. When you visit a page, the hosting provider Vercel Inc. (based in the United States, with data centres worldwide) automatically records technical access data in server logs: your IP address, date and time, the requested page, referrer and browser type. This is needed to deliver the site and keep it secure (legitimate interest, Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). The logs are deleted after a short period. Links to the App Store take you to Apple, where Apple's privacy policy applies.

Your rights

You have the right to request access to your personal data and to have it corrected or deleted, to object to or restrict processing, and to data portability. Because the apps store your data on your device and do not identify you, the developer usually holds no personal data about you. Most of it you can delete yourself by deleting the app.

To exercise your rights, email hi@luthi-mar.co. You can also lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority: in Switzerland the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC), in the EU the data protection authority of your country.

International transfers

Apple may process data in the United States and other countries. Apple describes the safeguards it uses for these transfers, such as the Data Privacy Framework and standard contractual clauses, in its privacy policy. This website is hosted by Vercel Inc., based in the United States; its server logs are transferred under the same kind of safeguards.

Children

Annotate Video is not directed at children and does not knowingly collect data from them.

Changes to this policy

If the app starts handling data differently, this page will be updated before the change ships, and the date at the top will change.