Privacy Policy
Checked. — Last updated October 17, 2026
Data Controller: Simone Matteo Corno, contactable at simone.7.corno@gmail.com. Checked (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is currently operated by its founders as individuals, pending formal incorporation. This Privacy Policy explains how your personal information is collected, used, and disclosed when you use the Checked mobile application and any associated website (collectively, the “Service”). By using the Service, you agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of information as described in this Privacy Policy and in our Terms & Conditions.
1. Definitions
Personal Data: any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. Service: the Checked mobile application and any associated website. Shared Content: any link, video, audio, or text you submit to the Service to be fact-checked. Verdict: the output produced by our AI system after analyzing Shared Content against your selected Sources. Sources: the third-party outlets, publications, or databases you personally select as trusted references. Device: any internet-connected device used to access the Service. You: the individual using the Service.
2. What Information We Collect
2.1 Information you provide directly. Account information: • Sign-in details: if you sign in with Apple or Google, we receive your email address (which may be an Apple private-relay address) and a unique account identifier from them. We never receive your Apple or Google password.
• Email and password: if you create an account with your email, we collect your email address and a password (stored hashed, never in plain text).
• Onboarding answers: your answers to the questions we ask when you first open the app (the topics you scroll most, the platform you use most, whether you have ever shared something that turned out to be false, the sources you trust, and why you use Checked).
• Notification token: if you allow notifications, a device token issued by Apple that lets us tell you when a check is ready. Trusted source selections: the outlets you choose to include in your personal source library. Content you submit to check: the link, video, audio file, or text you share with the Service for verification. Communications: any message you send us directly, e.g. via support email. 2.2 Information collected automatically. Usage data: which features you use, check history, and app interaction events. Device and technical data: device type, operating system version, app version, and general diagnostic/crash data. IP address: used only for approximate location (e.g. for fraud prevention) and security logging, never for precise geolocation. We do not collect precise GPS location, contacts, photos, or microphone/camera access beyond what is strictly necessary to process content you explicitly choose to share with the Service.
3. Special Category Data
Why this section exists: Some content you choose to check may relate to health or political topics. We do not ask you to disclose your own health status or political opinions. However, your check history could, by inference, reveal topics you are personally interested in — which the GDPR treats as a special category of personal data requiring a higher standard of consent (Article 9). By creating an account and using the Service to check content on these topics, you provide explicit consent to this incidental processing, as required under Article 9(2)(a) GDPR.You can permanently delete your check history at any time from Profile → "Delete check history", or delete your whole account from Profile → "Delete account". Section 4 explains exactly what is erased and what is kept.
4. How Long We Keep Your Information
When you submit Shared Content, we store the link, the transcript or text we retrieve from it, and the Verdict we generate, so that you can see them in your check history. They are kept until you delete them or delete your account. Deleting your check history. "Delete check history" in your Profile erases the links, transcripts, Verdicts and error messages of your finished checks from our database and from our diagnostic logs. To stop the daily check limit being bypassed by deleting history, we keep a minimal record of each check: an internal identifier, your account identifier, the date and time, its status, and technical usage figures (such as the amount of text processed and its cost). These records contain no link, transcript or Verdict, and are erased when you delete your account. A check that is still being processed when you delete is erased the next time you delete. Diagnostic logs. To fix errors, our servers keep a diagnostic log of processed checks (including the link, transcript and Verdict). Your entries are removed from it when you delete your check history or your account. Account information is kept for as long as your account remains active. Deleting your account. If you delete your account, we permanently erase your personal data promptly and in any event within 30 days, except where we are legally required to retain limited records for longer. Copies held in backups are overwritten in the ordinary backup cycle.
5. Do We Share Information With Third Parties?
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers, marketing partners, or data brokers. We share information only with the specific service providers strictly necessary to operate Checked, listed below: • Google (Gemini API) — analyzes Shared Content, extracts claims, and generates verdicts based on your selected Sources and, where relevant, additional publicly available search results. • Scrape Creators — receives the link you submit and retrieves the content (video, audio, captions, or text) from the platform you shared it from, such as TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube. • Apple (Apple Push Notification service) — delivers notifications to your device and receives your device token and the notification text. • Apple and Google (Sign in with Apple, Google Sign-In) — only if you choose to sign in with them. • Render — hosts our backend servers. • Supabase — hosts our account database and authentication system. • Resend — delivers transactional emails, such as account confirmation. Each provider is contractually bound to use your data solely to provide the relevant service to us. We may also disclose information where required by law or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Checked, our users, or the public.
6. Legal Basis For Processing
Under GDPR, we rely on the following legal bases for each purpose: Providing the core Service (checks, Verdicts, account, check history) — Performance of a contract — Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Security, fraud prevention, diagnostic data — Legitimate interest — Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. Incidental special category inferences (Section 3) — Explicit consent — Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR.
7. How We Use The Information We Collect
To operate the core Service — transcribing, analyzing, and verifying Shared Content against your Sources. To maintain your account and check history. To improve the reliability of our AI pipeline. To respond to support requests. To send you transactional emails (e.g. account confirmation).
8. About Our AI-Generated Verdicts
Transparency disclosure: Verdicts displayed within the Service are generated by an artificial intelligence system. The AI reads your Shared Content, extracts verifiable claims, and compares them against the Sources you have selected. Verdicts do not constitute human editorial judgment and do not guarantee absolute accuracy. Verdicts reflect the Sources you selected at the time of verification and do not constitute medical, legal, or financial advice, nor a definitive judgment of truthfulness. This disclosure is provided in accordance with Article 50 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (the EU Artificial Intelligence Act) regarding transparency obligations for AI systems that interact directly with individuals or generate content on matters of public interest.
9. How We Protect Your Information. We use industry-standard technical and organizational measures — including encryption in transit and access controls — to protect your information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. 10. International Data Transfers. Checked’s founders are based in Italy. Some of our service providers (Section 5) may process data outside the European Economic Area. Where this occurs, we rely on appropriate safeguards recognized under GDPR, such as Standard Contractual Clauses, to ensure your data remains protected. 11. Payment Information. Checked is currently free and we do not collect any payment information. If we introduce paid features, we will update this Privacy Policy when needed. 12. Your Rights. Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. Correction — request correction of inaccurate data. Deletion — request permanent deletion of your account and associated personal data. Portability — request your data in a portable format. Objection / restriction — object to or request restriction of certain processing. Withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent (e.g. the special category inferences in Section 3), you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal. Lodge a complaint — you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular the Italian Garante per la protezione dei dati personali (www.garanteprivacy.it), or the supervisory authority of your own EU member state of residence. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at simone.7.corno@gmail.com. We will respond within one month, as required by GDPR. 13. Children’s Privacy. The Service is not directed at, and may not be used by, anyone under 16 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 16. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected such data, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a child under 16 has provided us with personal data, please contact us. 14. Cookies & Local Storage. 14.1 Our website. Our website (checked-ai.com) may use cookies to remember your preferences and measure aggregate traffic. Non-essential cookies are only set with your prior consent via our cookie banner; you can withdraw consent at any time through your browser or the banner’s preference center. 14.2 Our mobile app. The Checked mobile app does not use browser cookies. It uses local device storage and secure session tokens solely to keep you signed in and to cache your preferences on your device. 15. Links to Other Websites. Shared Content may originate from or link to third-party platforms (e.g. TikTok, Instagram, YouTube). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. 16. California Residents (CCPA/CPRA). If you are a California resident, you may have the following rights, subject to certain exceptions: Right to Know — the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you. Right to Delete — request deletion of your personal information. Right to Correct — request correction of inaccurate personal information. Right to Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing — not applicable, as we do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. Right to Non-Discrimination — we will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights. We do not sell or share your personal information, as those terms are defined under the CCPA. To exercise your rights, contact simone.7.corno@gmail.com; we will respond within 45 days. 17. California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA). This Privacy Policy is posted publicly and identifies the categories of personal information we collect and the third parties we share it with (Section 5). Do Not Track: the Service does not currently respond to “Do Not Track” browser signals. Material changes to this Policy are communicated as described in the following section. 18. Changes To This Policy. We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you through the Service before the changes take effect. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy. 19. Governing Law. This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of Italy. Any disputes will first be addressed through good-faith negotiation as described in our Terms & Conditions, and, failing resolution, submitted to the competent courts of Italy. This does not affect your right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority as described in Section 12. 20. Contact Us. Data Controller: Simone Matteo Corno. Email: simone.7.corno@gmail.com