Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Clinical Brief ("we," "our," or "us") handles information when you use the Clinical Brief macOS application and related services. Clinical Brief is developed and operated by Eddy Castro as an independent developer.
1. Information We Collect
Local Storage on Your Mac
Clinical Brief stores your library data locally on your Mac using on-device storage. This can include imported papers, local PDF paths and bookmarks, generated briefs, evidence links, notes, highlights, favorites, tags, and exported files you create. Local files remain on your device until you remove them, delete them from the app, or uninstall the app.
Information Sent to Our Backend
To provide core features, the app sends limited data to our backend services, including:
- An app installation identifier and device-generated public key used to authenticate the installation and protect the service against abuse.
- Paper identifiers such as DOI, PMID, PubMed URLs, open-access links, and related article metadata.
- Extracted text blocks and source markers from literature you choose to process so the service can generate a brief.
- Requested brief sections, evidence-basis information, request hashes, cancellation requests, and usage events needed to operate plan limits and caching.
- Feedback you submit, including rating, note text, paper ID, and brief ID.
- Technical and anti-abuse information such as app version, timestamps, request status, and limited network-derived registration fingerprints.
Purchase Information
We use RevenueCat, a third-party service, to manage subscription validation. RevenueCat uses an anonymous app-specific identifier to determine your subscription status. We do not collect names, email addresses, phone numbers, or any personally identifiable information through RevenueCat. Purchase data is not linked to your identity.
2. AI Processing and Medical-Literature Content
When you generate a brief, Clinical Brief sends the literature text and related metadata to our backend and to OpenAI, our AI model provider, so the service can produce a structured, evidence-linked output. OpenAI processes this data under our data-processing agreement and does not use your inputs to train its models.
All AI-generated briefs are clearly presented as machine-generated summaries linked to source evidence. You should always verify AI-generated content against the original literature. The app is designed for educational literature review, not patient-specific advice. Do not submit patient information, medical records, or any data that identifies a real person.
3. How We Use Information
We use information processed through the app to:
- Import and resolve literature from DOI, PubMed, and supported open-access sources.
- Generate, cache, and return AI-assisted briefs with evidence links.
- Authenticate installations, manage entitlements, restore purchases, and enforce usage limits.
- Store feedback, troubleshoot failures, monitor reliability, and prevent abuse.
- Maintain security, comply with legal obligations, and support users who contact us.
4. Third-Party Services
We share information only as needed to operate Clinical Brief. Relevant providers include:
- OpenAI — generates structured brief output from literature text you submit for processing. Privacy Policy
- RevenueCat — manages subscription state and purchase restoration using an app-specific identifier. Privacy Policy
- Apple — App Store billing, payment processing, purchase restoration, and platform services. Privacy Policy
- Cloud hosting and database providers — help us run the backend, store operational records, and secure the service.
- Public literature sources — such as PubMed, PMC, and open-access publisher endpoints when you resolve identifiers.
We do not sell your personal information. We do not use HealthKit data, advertising SDKs, or third-party tracking in this app.
5. Subscriptions and Billing
Subscription payments are handled by Apple through your App Store account. We do not receive your full payment card details. We may receive subscription status, product identifiers, billing-cycle information, and an app-specific user identifier through Apple and RevenueCat to confirm whether your plan is active.
6. Data Retention and Deletion
Local library records remain on your Mac until you delete them. Backend records such as installation records, entitlement state, usage events, feedback, generated-artifact caches, and operational telemetry may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary to operate, secure, debug, support, and improve the service, or as required by law.
If you want us to delete backend data associated with your installation, contact clinicalbrief@eddycastro.com. We may keep limited records where necessary for fraud prevention, legal compliance, accounting, or dispute resolution.
7. Data Security
We use industry-standard security measures to protect data in transit and at rest, including TLS encryption for all network communication, cryptographic session authentication, and secure cloud infrastructure. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure.
8. Your Rights Under GDPR (European Economic Area Users)
If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right to:
- Access personal data associated with your installation.
- Request correction or deletion of your personal data.
- Object to or restrict the processing of your personal data.
- Request data portability, where applicable.
You can stop using the service at any time, delete local app content from your Mac, and contact us to request access to or deletion of backend data.
9. Children's Privacy
Clinical Brief is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us so we can review and delete it where appropriate.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the updated version on this page and update the effective date above.
11. Contact Us
If you have privacy questions or need to submit a data request, contact us at:
Email: clinicalbrief@eddycastro.com