Derm Valet — Privacy Policy

Who we are

Derm Valet is a free app for dermatology clinicians, published by Raashid Haque, MD (DermDad). Questions about this policy can be sent through dermdad.com.

What stays on your device

The app keeps a small amount of information on your device so it works the way you set it up:

• your confirmation that you are a clinician or clinician in training,
• the topic groups you turned on or off,
• your "more like this" and "less like this" votes,
• the cards you saved,
• which cards you have already opened (so each one is counted only once), and
• a copy of the latest weekly issue, so you can read it offline.

This information is not sent to us or to anyone else. Deleting the app deletes it.

What the app sends to our server

Anonymous view counts. The first time you open a card on your device, the app adds one to that card's view count. Only the card is recorded: no name, email, device identifier or account is stored with the count. We use the counts to sort search results by "Most viewed" and to see which topics clinicians find useful.

Notification token (only if you allow notifications). If you allow notifications, the app sends our server an anonymous notification token, created by Apple and Expo for this app on your device, together with your two choices (weekly issue on or off, priority alerts on or off). We use it only to send the notifications you chose. It is not linked to your name, email or any account. If you turn both kinds of notifications off in the app, the token is deleted from our server; tokens that stop working are deleted automatically.

Loading content. To show the weekly issue and search results, the app requests published cards from our server. Like most internet services, our hosting provider may keep standard technical logs (for example an IP address and the time of a request) for security and to keep the service running. We do not use these logs to identify you or to build a profile of you.

Service providers

We use a small number of providers to run the app. They process information only to provide their service to us:

• Supabase hosts the app's database and server (United States).
• Expo and Apple Push Notification service deliver notifications to your device.
• Apple handles app downloads and updates under its own privacy policy. We do not receive personal information about you from Apple.

Links to sources

Each card links to its source, such as a journal article, PubMed or an FDA page. These open in an in-app browser and are run by those websites, under their own privacy policies.

Editor sign-in

The "Editor sign in" button at the bottom of Topics is used only by the app's medical editor to review and publish content. It uses Sign in with Apple, which shares an email address (or an Apple private relay address) with our sign-in provider. If anyone other than the editor signs in, they are told the sign-in is for the editor only and the account is deleted immediately. Readers never need to sign in.

What we do not do

• No reader accounts or sign-in.
• No analytics, advertising or tracking tools.
• We do not track you across other apps or websites.
• We do not sell or share personal information.

Patient information

The app is for reading published updates. It does not ask for, and is not designed to hold, any patient information.

Children

The app is intended for clinicians and clinicians in training. It is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from children.

Your choices

• Turn notifications on or off at any time in the app's Topics tab or in iPhone Settings. Turning both kinds off in the app removes your token from our server.
• Delete the app to remove everything it stored on your device.
• Contact us through dermdad.com with any question or request.

Changes to this policy

If what the app collects changes, we will update this policy and its date, and explain the change in the app before it takes effect.