Privacy Policy
Last updated: 22 April 2026
Data Controller & Contact Information
Data Controller: BioNico GmbH, Zug, Switzerland
Email: info@bionico.swiss
Bionico is committed to protecting your health data with the highest level of privacy and security. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal health information.
What Health Data We Collect
Bionico collects the following types of health information when you upload data to your profile:
- Blood biomarker data: Lab results including glucose, lipids, liver enzymes, kidney function, thyroid markers, and complete blood counts parsed from lab PDFs
- Genomic variants: Genetic variants from 23andMe exports, whole-genome sequencing files (
.vcfand gzipped.vcf.gz), and manual star-allele entries (e.g. CYP2D6 *1/*4). Coverage includes APOE, SLCO1B1, MTHFR, FOXO3, CYP1A2, ALDH2, HLA-B, F5 Leiden, VKORC1, and 40+ other clinically relevant polymorphisms across pharmacogenomics, nutrition, cardiometabolic, and fitness domains. Whole-genome sequencing files are parsed entirely on-device; only the interpreted rsID and genotype pairs are transmitted to our backend — raw sequence data never leaves your device. - Wearable metrics: Integration with Apple Health, WHOOP, Oura, and Garmin data including heart rate, sleep, recovery, activity, and HRV
- Medical records: Any additional medical records or DICOM files you upload
Where Your Health Data Is Stored
Web app (demo.bionico.ch): Your health data is stored locally in your browser's localStorage. You can clear all stored information at any time by clearing your browser's localStorage.
iOS app: When you use the Bionico iOS app, your health data is stored securely in a Supabase-hosted PostgreSQL database (EU-West region). Your account is protected by authentication, and Row Level Security ensures only you can access your data. You can request deletion of your data at any time by contacting us.
Apple HealthKit: The Bionico iOS app reads health data from Apple HealthKit with your explicit permission, including heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), sleep analysis, and blood oxygen (SpO2). This data is used solely to generate your personalised health profile and is synced to your secure Supabase account. Bionico does not sell, share, or use HealthKit data for advertising or marketing purposes, in compliance with Apple's HealthKit guidelines.
Data sovereignty: You maintain complete control and ownership of your health data across both web and iOS platforms.
Backup: If you use browser sync features (iCloud, Google, etc.), your web localStorage may be synced to those services according to their privacy policies.
What Is Sent to Our Servers & Third Parties
Third-party AI processor — Anthropic PBC. Bionico uses Anthropic's Claude API (operated by Anthropic PBC, San Francisco, USA) as its sole AI provider. The Bionico iOS app and web app present an in-app disclosure and obtain your explicit permission before any data is sent to Anthropic. You can withdraw consent at any time by deleting your account from the iOS Profile tab or by emailing info@bionico.swiss.
What is sent to Anthropic, by feature:
- Coach (chat): The text messages you type into the Coach tab. No identifiers, email, or auth tokens are sent.
- Meals (photo analysis): The meal photos you choose to analyze, plus a generic non-personal "balanced eating" instruction string. No identifiers are sent.
- Lab / genomics / wearable / document upload: The contents of files you upload from the Profile tab, plus the file name and the category you selected.
- Health profile scoring: The biomarkers, wearable readings, and Apple Health summary metrics that you have stored in your Bionico account, sent only when you tap "Generate profile".
- Personalized news feed: A short text summary of your stored health profile (no raw lab values or identifiers), used to rank articles. The feed is disabled until you accept the in-app AI disclosure.
What is NOT sent to Anthropic: your email address, Apple ID, Apple Sign-in tokens, Supabase auth tokens, or any data you have not actively submitted via an AI feature.
Anthropic's data handling. Per Anthropic's Commercial Terms of Service, Anthropic does not use API inputs or outputs to train models. Anthropic retains API requests transiently for abuse monitoring and then deletes them. Anthropic processes data in the United States; appropriate transfer safeguards under the Swiss-US Data Privacy Framework and EU SCCs apply.
Other infrastructure (no AI processing):
- Supabase (Frankfurt, EU) — hosts your account database with row-level security, so only you can read your data.
- Netlify (EU edge) — hosts the website and the Netlify Functions that proxy requests to Anthropic.
- Apple HealthKit — read-only on your device with your explicit per-category permission. HealthKit data is never sold, shared, or used for advertising.
No third-party analytics or tracking: Bionico does not use Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Segment, or any third-party analytics services. We do not track your behaviour or install tracking cookies.
No advertising or data sales: We never sell, share, or license your health data to advertisers, insurers, pharmaceutical companies, or any third party. Ever.
Account Deletion
You can permanently delete your Bionico account and all associated data at any time:
- iOS app: Open the Profile tab, scroll to the "Delete account" section at the bottom, tap Delete account, and confirm. This permanently removes your account and every record we hold about you (health profile, biomarkers, genomics, wearable data, meals, chat history, uploads, daily state).
- Web app: Clear your browser localStorage for
demo.bionico.ch, or email info@bionico.swiss with "Delete my account" in the subject line.
Account deletion is irreversible. Once executed, your data cannot be recovered.
Your Health Data Rights Under Swiss Data Protection Law (nDSG)
Applicable regulation: Your health data is protected under the Federal Act on Data Protection (Bundesgesetz über den Datenschutz — nDSG), which came into force on January 1, 2023.
Classification as Sensitive Personal Data
Under Article 5 of the nDSG, health data — including genetic information, biomarkers, lab results, and wearable metrics — is classified as sensitive personal data. Processing sensitive personal data is only permitted when:
- Explicit consent has been obtained from the data subject (you), or
- Processing is required by law for specific purposes
Our Legal Basis
Bionico processes your health data on the basis of explicit consent (Article 5(1) nDSG). When you upload health data to Bionico, you provide explicit consent for us to:
- Store your data — on the iOS app, in a Supabase-hosted PostgreSQL database (EU region) protected by authentication and Row Level Security; on the web app, in your browser's localStorage
- Transmit data to Claude AI for analysis and personalised health insights, only after you have accepted the in-app AI disclosure
- Generate your Digital Health Twin and domain scores
Your Data Subject Rights
Under Article 15 of the nDSG, you have the following rights:
- Right of access: You can request confirmation of what health data Bionico holds about you and receive a copy of it
- Right of correction: You can request correction of inaccurate health data
- Right to deletion: You can delete your data yourself — on the iOS app, via Profile → Delete account; on the web app, by clearing your browser localStorage — or request deletion by contacting us
- Right to data portability: You can request your data in a structured, machine-readable format
- Right to withdraw consent: You can withdraw your consent at any time, preventing further processing
Exercising Your Rights
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@bionico.swiss with "Data Subject Request" in the subject line. We will respond to your request within 30 days.
Your Health Data Rights Under GDPR (Article 9)
Applicable regulation: If you are located in the European Union or United Kingdom, your health data is also protected under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Special Category Data
Under Article 9(1) of the GDPR, health data (including genetic information and biometric data) is classified as special category personal data. Processing special category data is prohibited unless specific conditions apply.
Our Legal Basis
Bionico processes your health data under Article 9(2)(a) GDPR — explicit consent. You provide this consent when you upload health data to Bionico and use the platform.
Your Data Subject Rights
Under Chapter III of the GDPR, you have the following rights:
- Right of access (Article 15): You can request and receive a copy of your personal data
- Right to rectification (Article 16): You can correct inaccurate data
- Right to erasure (Article 17): You can request deletion of your data
- Right to restrict processing (Article 18): You can restrict how we use your data
- Right to data portability (Article 20): You can receive your data in a portable format
- Right to object (Article 21): You can object to processing of your data
- Right to withdraw consent (Article 7): You can withdraw consent at any time
Exercising Your Rights
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@bionico.swiss with "Data Subject Request" in the subject line. We will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
Data Retention & Deletion
- iOS app: Data is stored in a Supabase-hosted PostgreSQL database (EU region). You can permanently delete your account and all associated data at any time from Profile → Delete account in the app, which executes an immediate cascading delete across every table that holds your rows. Any operational backup snapshots are purged within 30 days. You can also request deletion by email.
- Web app: Data persists in browser localStorage until you explicitly clear it. You can delete all data by clearing your browser cache and localStorage, or by emailing us.
- API logs: Data sent to Anthropic's Claude API is retained according to Anthropic's zero-retention policy for API usage (brief retention for abuse monitoring, then deleted).
- Account deletion is irreversible. Once executed, your data cannot be recovered.
Security Measures
- iOS app storage: Health data is stored in a Supabase-hosted PostgreSQL database (EU region). Every table is protected by Row Level Security policies so that only the authenticated account owner can read or write their rows. Authentication credentials are held in the iOS Keychain; application state is held in the app's private sandbox.
- Web app storage: The web demo stores data in browser localStorage on your device. Data is not encrypted at rest in localStorage; for additional security, we recommend device-level encryption (e.g. FileVault).
- On-device WGS parsing: Whole-genome sequencing files (.vcf and .vcf.gz) are parsed entirely on your device; only the interpreted rsID and genotype pairs are ever transmitted to our backend.
- Transport security: All data sent to Supabase and to Claude AI is transmitted over TLS 1.3, providing encryption in transit.
- Hosting infrastructure: Bionico website is hosted on Netlify's SOC 2 Type II compliant infrastructure in the EU. The iOS app's backend is hosted by Supabase (Frankfurt, EU) under a Data Processing Agreement.
- Authentication: Access to your account is protected by Sign in with Apple or email-based authentication with session tokens managed by Supabase Auth.
- No third-party access: We do not share encryption keys, access tokens, or authentication credentials with any third party.
Children's Privacy
Bionico is not intended for individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect health data from children. If you are aware of a child using Bionico, please contact us at info@bionico.swiss.
International Data Transfers
iOS app. Your health data is stored in the Supabase-hosted PostgreSQL database located in the EU (Frankfurt region). It does not leave the EU unless you explicitly use an AI feature that routes a request to Anthropic's Claude API, whose servers are located in the United States. Appropriate transfer safeguards apply under the Swiss–US Data Privacy Framework and the EU Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs).
Web app. Data stored in browser localStorage remains on your local device and is not transferred internationally unless you explicitly use an AI feature.
Anthropic. Anthropic does not use API data for model training. See "What Is Sent to Our Servers & Third Parties" above for per-feature detail.
Policy Changes
Bionico may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or applicable law. We will notify you of material changes by updating the "Last updated" date on this page and, if required, by email. Your continued use of Bionico following such changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.
Contact & Data Subject Requests
Email: info@bionico.swiss
Mailing address: BioNico GmbH, Zug, Switzerland
For privacy concerns, data subject requests, or to exercise your rights under nDSG or GDPR, please contact us with "Data Subject Request" or "Privacy Inquiry" in the subject line. We will respond within 30 days.
Legal Disclaimer
This Privacy Policy is an informational overview, not legal advice. While we have made efforts to ensure accuracy, data protection law is complex and jurisdiction-specific. If you require a formal legal interpretation of how nDSG, GDPR, or other data protection regulations apply to your use of Bionico, we strongly recommend consulting with qualified legal counsel in your jurisdiction.