Privacy Policy

Effective May 26, 2026 Version 1.3 Last updated May 26, 2026

Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how Volker Tech, LLC (“Volker Tech”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) collects, uses, and shares information when you use the cryptty mobile application, including its watchOS companion (collectively, the “App”), and the cryptty.app website (the “Website”). By installing or using the App, or by visiting or signing in to the Website, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

If you do not agree with the practices described here, do not install or use the App and do not use the Website.

Data we collect

Information you provide

• Account / authentication data. When you pair the App with a crypttyd daemon, the App stores a cryptographic identity (a TLS client certificate fingerprint) used to authenticate to the daemon. This identity is generated locally on your device; no copy is sent to Volker Tech.
• Session data you enter. Terminal commands, keystrokes, and other input you type into the App are sent over an end-to-end encrypted QUIC channel to the crypttyd daemon you have paired with. Volker Tech does not receive or store these inputs.

Information collected automatically

• iCloud-synced state (optional). If you enable iCloud sync, the App stores a list of paired daemons + per-daemon trust state in your iCloud account, in the container iCloud.tech.volker.cryptty.v1. This data is visible only to your Apple-ID-linked devices and is not accessible to Volker Tech.
• Push notifications (optional). If you enable push notifications, the App receives encrypted notification envelopes via Apple Push Notification service (APNs). The envelopes are decrypted locally on your device using a key Volker Tech does not possess. The Columbarium service Volker Tech operates to deliver these envelopes only sees ciphertext. Columbarium does, however, process per-event routing metadata (such as the destination endpoint identifier, the stream identifier, and the delivery timestamp) in order to deliver each notification; see “Data retention” below for how that metadata is handled.
• Camera (optional). The App includes an augmented-reality feature that, when invoked, requests access to your device camera to render terminal sessions overlaid on the live camera view. The camera feed is processed on your device only; the App does not record, store, or transmit any camera image or video. You may decline camera access via iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera; the rest of the App continues to function without it.

The watchOS companion shares the iOS App’s data flows described above and does not collect, store, or transmit any additional categories of data on its own. It acts as a companion display and notification client paired to the iOS App on the same Apple ID.

Information we do NOT collect (in production App Store releases)

In the production version of the App distributed through the public App Store:

• We do not collect analytics, telemetry, or usage statistics by default.
• We do not collect crash reports unless you opt in via iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements.
• We do not track you across apps or websites.
• We do not share data with advertising networks.

Beta (TestFlight) builds collect additional data; see “Beta testing (TestFlight)” below.

Beta testing (TestFlight)

When you join a beta of the App through Apple’s TestFlight service, the App and the TestFlight platform collect more information than the production release, to help us find and fix bugs before launch.

Participation in the beta is voluntary: you opt in by accepting the TestFlight invitation. You can leave the beta at any time by removing the App from TestFlight, which stops further data collection from your device.

What is collected during the beta

Beta builds collect:

• Apple TestFlight diagnostics. Apple’s TestFlight service collects crash logs, app-launch metrics, and basic performance data from beta builds. See Apple’s TestFlight terms and privacy policy for how Apple handles this data.
• iOS MetricKit reports. The App receives daily diagnostic and performance reports from iOS MetricKit when you have opted in via iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements. These reports include CPU and memory usage, hang and crash data, battery impact, and similar device-side performance signals. They remain on your device unless you attach them to feedback you send to us.
• Feedback you submit. Screenshots, written comments, and any attachments (including MetricKit reports) you submit through TestFlight’s built-in feedback mechanism or through the App’s in-app feedback action.

During the beta, we may also expand collection to include additional diagnostic, performance, or usage data — for example, first-party telemetry events sent from the App to a Volker Tech-operated endpoint. Any such expansion will remain subject to this Privacy Policy or an updated version of it. If we implement first-party telemetry, the events will be keyed by a random per-install identifier generated locally on your device at first launch and stored in the iOS Keychain. This identifier persists across app reinstalls so that bug reports remain correlatable across debug sessions; it is removed when you sign out of iCloud or explicitly remove all Cryptty data from this device. It is not linked to your Apple ID, is not your device’s Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA, which the App does not request), and is not your Identifier for Vendors (IDFV).

Beta builds do not include any third-party analytics, crash-reporting, or diagnostics SDK. All collection is either Apple’s built-in TestFlight / MetricKit pipeline, or first-party to Volker Tech.

We use beta data only to develop and improve the App. We do not use beta data for advertising, do not sell or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising as defined under CPRA, and do not enrich it with data from other sources.

Closed-beta enrollment. During initial closed-beta phases, we may collect the Apple ID email address you provide so that we can send you a TestFlight invitation via App Store Connect. We use this email solely to issue the invitation and to communicate with you about the beta. We delete the Apple ID from our records when you leave the closed beta or upon your written request. See “Website” below for the storage and protection of this address.

Retention. Volker Tech retains beta diagnostic, performance, and feedback data for no longer than 90 days after the conclusion of the relevant beta phase, after which it is deleted or irreversibly aggregated. Apple’s retention of TestFlight data is governed by Apple’s own policies.

Public-release behavior. When the App is published to the public App Store, the additional collection described in this section is turned off by default. The production App reverts to the limited collection described above in “Information we do NOT collect (in production App Store releases).”

Website

Volker Tech operates a website at cryptty.app (the “Website”) that hosts this Privacy Policy and supports account-management actions including subscription management and closed-beta enrollment via Sign in with Apple.

What is collected when you use the Website

• Sign in with Apple data. If you sign in to the Website with your Apple ID, Apple shares with us your stable per-developer Apple ID user identifier and, if you grant it, your email address and your name (the email may be a per-app private relay address managed by Apple). We store the email address and name sealed with an X-Wing public-key envelope that only an offline Volker Tech operator key can open; the Website’s running servers cannot read them.
• Session metadata. When you sign in, we record the IP address and the user-agent string of your browser session so that we can authenticate subsequent requests, detect anomalous sign-ins, and enforce session timeouts.
• Subscription state. If you purchase a subscription via the iOS App, Apple sends Volker Tech App Store Server Notifications describing the lifecycle of your subscription (purchase, renewal, cancellation, refund). We store the resulting subscription state so that the App can be unlocked on your devices and so that we can comply with our tax- and refund-related record-keeping obligations.
• Closed-beta enrollment data. As described in “Beta testing (TestFlight)” above, during initial closed-beta phases we collect the Apple ID email you provide so that we can send you a TestFlight invitation via App Store Connect. This email is stored with the same X-Wing sealing as Sign in with Apple data.

How the Website is hosted

The Website’s application and database run on Amazon Web Services in the AWS US West (Northern California, us-west-1) region. Static assets served by the Website are delivered via Bunny CDN. See “Sharing and disclosure” below for the full sub-processor list and “International transfers” for the safeguards that apply to EU/EEA personal data processed in that region.

How we use information

We use the limited information described above to:

1. Operate the App’s core functionality (paired-daemon authentication, push-notification delivery).
2. Provide customer support if you contact us.
3. Comply with legal obligations.

Sharing and disclosure

We do not sell or rent your information.

We share information only as follows:

• Apple. Apple processes (a) push notifications via APNs; (b) beta distribution, crash reporting, performance metrics, and in-app feedback for TestFlight builds; and (c) App Store payments and Sign in with Apple authentication for the Website. Apple’s privacy policy applies to that processing: apple.com/legal/privacy.
• Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS). AWS is our infrastructure provider for the Columbarium notification-relay service and the Website. AWS provides managed PostgreSQL (RDS) with storage encryption at rest, container hosting (ECS Fargate), observability and log storage (CloudWatch), secrets storage (Secrets Manager and SSM Parameter Store), and a web application firewall. These services operate in the AWS US West (Northern California, us-west-1) region. The AWS GDPR Data Processing Addendum, which incorporates the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses (Module 2: Controller to Processor), governs AWS’s processing of EU personal data in that region.
• Bunny CDN (BunnyWay d.o.o.). Bunny serves static web content on our behalf, including this Privacy Policy at cryptty.app, the Website’s static assets, and (potentially) static assets bundled with the App. CDN access logs may include your IP address and user agent.
• Legal compliance. We may disclose information when required by law, valid legal process, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Volker Tech, our users, or others.
• Business transfers. If Volker Tech is acquired or merges with another entity, your information may transfer to the successor as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such transfer.

We do not use any third-party analytics, crash-reporting, or behavioral-advertising service. The Columbarium notification-relay service can export operational metrics and traces to a Volker Tech-operated observability collector; in our production AWS deployment this collector is disabled and operational metrics are written only to AWS CloudWatch.

Your rights

Under GDPR (if you are in the EU / UK / EEA)

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectify inaccurate personal data.
• Erase personal data (“right to be forgotten”) subject to legal retention obligations.
• Restrict processing in certain circumstances.
• Data portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Object to processing based on our legitimate interests.
• Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@volker.tech. We will respond within 30 days.

Legal basis for processing (GDPR Art. 6): We process the limited data described in “Data we collect” under (a) your consent (push notifications, iCloud sync); (b) performance of a contract (App functionality); and (c) our legitimate interest in operating and supporting the App.

Under CCPA / CPRA (if you are a California resident)

You have the right to:

• Know what personal information we have collected about you, the sources, the purpose, and any third parties we share with.
• Delete personal information we have collected, subject to exceptions.
• Correct inaccurate personal information.
• Opt out of “sale” or “sharing” of personal information. Volker Tech does not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising as defined under CPRA.
• Limit use of sensitive personal information. Volker Tech does not collect categories of “sensitive personal information” as defined under CPRA.
• Non-discrimination for exercising any of these rights.

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@volker.tech.

For users in other US states

Equivalent rights are available under VCDPA (Virginia), CPA (Colorado), CTDPA (Connecticut), UCPA (Utah), and a growing list of state privacy laws. The mechanisms above apply to those rights as well.

Data retention

We retain the minimal information we receive for no longer than is necessary for the purposes described, typically:

• CDN access logs (Bunny): 30 days.
• AWS CloudWatch operational logs (Columbarium, Website): 30 days.
• Support communications: 3 years from last contact.
• Push-notification envelopes in the Columbarium relay: stored for the lifetime of the per-event time-to-live (at most 4 hours, typically 1 hour), then deleted by background cleanup. Envelopes are stored as opaque ciphertext that Columbarium cannot decrypt.
• Push-notification routing metadata (Columbarium): Columbarium retains a per-event delivery record (event identifier, destination endpoint identifier, delivery status, timestamps) for operational observability. Beyond the AWS CloudWatch 30-day window for log entries, we do not currently set a fixed expiry on these records. While Columbarium does not have the keys to decrypt notification contents, this routing metadata is necessarily visible to the service in order to deliver each notification, and we do not use it for any purpose other than operating the notification-relay service.
• Website session records: retained for the lifetime of the session plus a brief grace period to support session refresh; cleared on sign-out or after extended inactivity.
• Subscription state (from App Store Server Notifications): retained for the lifetime of the App Store account relationship, to unlock the App on your devices and to comply with our financial-record obligations.
• Sign in with Apple email and name (sealed): retained for the lifetime of the Website account; sealed at rest and unreadable by Volker Tech’s running infrastructure.
• Closed-beta Apple ID emails: deleted when you leave the beta or upon your written request.

iCloud-stored state is retained until you delete the App or unenroll the device from your Apple ID.

Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect the limited data we receive, including:

• End-to-end encryption of session data and notification envelopes before leaving your device
• TLS 1.3 for transport
• Code-signing and notarization of all distributed binaries

No security measure is perfect. You acknowledge that you provide information at your own risk.

Children

The App is not directed to children under 13, or such higher age as may be required by applicable law in your jurisdiction (for example, 16 in certain EU member states under GDPR Art. 8). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under the applicable age. If you believe we have collected such data, contact us and we will delete it.

International transfers

If you are outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, processed in, and stored in the United States or other countries where Volker Tech or its service providers operate. By using the App or Website, you consent to such transfers.

Specifically, the Columbarium notification-relay service and the Website are hosted on Amazon Web Services in the AWS US West (Northern California, us-west-1) region. For transfers of personal data of EU/EEA residents to that region, we rely on the AWS GDPR Data Processing Addendum, which incorporates the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses (Module 2: Controller to Processor).

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top and, for material changes, notify you via the App or via the email address you have provided. Your continued use of the App after the changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

Contact

Volker Tech evaluates the need for a designated representative in the European Union under GDPR Article 27 on an ongoing basis. As of the Effective Date of this Privacy Policy, we have not designated an Article 27 representative because our processing of EU personal data through the App and Website is limited in scope, does not involve large-scale processing of the special categories of data referred to in Article 9, and does not involve processing of personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences referred to in Article 10. We will designate a representative if and when our processing crosses the thresholds for which Article 27 requires one. EU and EEA residents may exercise their GDPR rights by contacting us at privacy@volker.tech.