Effective date: 1. May 2025
1. Who We Are and How to Contact Us
The mobile application MyFoodRepo ("App"), the website https://www.myfoodrepo.org ("Website"), and its application programming interface ("API"), collectively referred to as the "Services," are operated by:
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
Laboratory of Digital Epidemiology
Bâtiment AAB 1 07
Station 19
1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Email: marcel.salathe@epfl.ch
2. Parental Consent
The Services are not directed to children under 13 years of age. Children between 13 and 16 may use the Services only with verified parental consent, depending on jurisdiction. If a child has submitted personal data without parental consent, a parent may contact us and we will take steps to delete it.
3. Data We Collect
3.1. Categories of Data
We collect the following categories of data:
- Metadata (automatically collected);
- Content (pictures and text you submit);
- Device and usage information;
- Cookies and similar technologies.
You must not submit any content (including pictures or text) that contains personal data, as defined in the Terms of Use. We do not provide tools or services designed to process or identify individuals based on such data.
3.2. Metadata
Automatically collected data includes:
- Timestamps, time zone, and usage logs;
- Device type, operating system, and browser info;
- Subscription and consent records.
3.3. Content
You provide us with pictures and/or text about food and diet. You are solely responsible for ensuring these submissions do not include personal data. We do not actively verify each submission for compliance.
3.4. Cookies and Similar Technologies
We use:
- Strictly necessary cookies: for authentication and service functionality;
- Analytical cookies: to measure usage and improve Services;
- Functionality cookies: to store preferences like language.
4. Purpose and Legal Basis for Processing
4.1. Provision of Services
We process your data to provide and maintain the Services. The legal basis is the contract formed by your acceptance of the Terms of Use.
4.2. Scientific Research
We may use your data in aggregated, anonymized form for public interest research purposes under Art. 36c et seq. of the Swiss Federal Act on the Federal Institutes of Technology.
5. Data Retention
We retain your data as long as your account is active. For research purposes, data may be retained up to 10 years, or longer if legally required. Data is stored using Amazon Web Services (AWS), hosted in Frankfurt, Germany (EU), under appropriate data protection safeguards.
6. Data Sharing
We may share data with third-party service providers such as AWS, Azure, Google, Heroku, and their affiliates, for technical infrastructure purposes. These subprocessors may be located outside the European Union, including in the United States. All transfers are protected with standard contractual safeguards.
7. Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including access restrictions and encryption. However, no system can guarantee absolute security.
8. Your Rights
Under applicable data protection law, you may:
- Request access, correction, or deletion of your data;
- Withdraw consent (if applicable);
- Object to certain types of processing.
Please note that these rights may be limited if fulfilling them would affect the rights of others or interfere with research obligations.
To exercise your rights, or to delete your account, contact the entity that provided your access key. MyFoodRepo does not store your personal identity.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may revise this Privacy Policy at any time. The latest version will always be available at https://www.myfoodrepo.org/privacy. We will post a notice on the Website if significant changes are made. If you disagree with the revised policy, you must stop using the Services and request deletion of your account.
10. Contact
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact:
Prof. Marcel Salathé
EPFL SV GHI UPSALATHE1
Bâtiment AAB 1 07
Station 19
1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Email: marcel.salathe@epfl.ch
