Privacy Policy
We don't collect, sell, or share anything about you. The apps we ship do their work on your device. Network requests they make — fetching AlphaFold predictions from EMBL-EBI, syncing your library through Apple iCloud — happen at your direction and don't tell us anything. We don't have an analytics SDK. We don't have ad networks. We don't have a "user account" because there's nothing to log into.
1. Who we are
Fold Commons is a non-profit organisation (legal incorporation pending; fiscal sponsorship via NumFOCUS or the Open Molecular Software Foundation in progress). Contact: hello@foldcommons.org.
2. Apps this policy covers
- FoldLens for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and (later) visionOS.
- Future portfolio apps under the same non-profit umbrella (FoldCompare, FoldVision, ResearchAtlas, and others).
This policy is updated when a new app ships; the date of last review is at the top.
3. Data we collect from you
Nothing.
Specifically:
- We do not require you to create an account.
- We do not assign you a user ID.
- We do not use third-party analytics SDKs (no Mixpanel, Amplitude, Firebase Analytics, no anything).
- We do not embed advertising networks.
- We do not track your usage of the app.
- We do not access your contacts, photos, location, microphone, camera, calendar, or any other Apple-platform privacy-protected resource without an explicit, contextual permission prompt — and even then only for the specific use disclosed in the prompt.
4. Data on your device
Your library of saved structures, saved views, snapshots, and onboarding-tier preference is stored on your device, in:
- Apple SwiftData for structured metadata.
- iCloud Documents for mmCIF files and snapshots (in the app's iCloud container).
- NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore for small preferences.
If you have iCloud signed in and you opt in to iCloud sync, your data syncs across your Apple devices via Apple's iCloud infrastructure. We do not have access to that data. Apple does — refer to Apple's iCloud privacy policy for their handling.
5. Network requests the app makes
When you use FoldLens (and similar portfolio apps), the app may make HTTPS network requests to:
| Endpoint | When | What's sent | What we receive |
|---|---|---|---|
alphafold.ebi.ac.uk/files/... | When you fetch a structure | UniProt ID you requested | The mmCIF file |
alphafold.ebi.ac.uk/api/... | When you search or load metadata | UniProt ID or search query | Metadata JSON |
| Apple iCloud servers | When you opt in to sync | Your saved-library data | Sync state |
We do not interpose between you and EMBL-EBI's AlphaFold Database. AFDB's privacy policy applies to those requests; we don't see them. Apple iCloud's privacy policy applies to sync requests.
No requests go to any server operated by Fold Commons. We don't run a backend. There is nothing to log.
6. Apple Intelligence and FoundationModels
When you tap a residue for an explanation, the app uses Apple's on-device FoundationModels framework (Apple Intelligence). The prompt and the model's response stay on your device. Nothing about that interaction is transmitted to Fold Commons. Apple's Apple Intelligence privacy practices apply.
7. Crash reports and diagnostics
If you have Share with App Developers enabled in iOS / iPadOS / macOS Settings → Privacy → Analytics & Improvements, Apple may send anonymized crash data and aggregated metrics to us through Apple's Analytics framework. We receive only what Apple chooses to send — never identifying information.
If you turn Share with App Developers off, we receive nothing. We do not currently use any third-party crash reporting (no Sentry, no Bugsnag, no Crashlytics).
8. Children's privacy
We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. The apps are not directed at children under 13 specifically; they operate in the App Store Reference category (not Education). No COPPA filing is required, but if you believe a child has nonetheless sent us information (we don't see how), email us and we'll respond.
9. Donations and community participation
If you donate to the non-profit through Open Source Collective, GitHub Sponsors, or a similar platform, those platforms collect and store your information under their own privacy policies. Fold Commons receives only the information necessary to recognize your contribution (typically: amount, optional name, optional message).
If you participate in our GitHub Discussions, Mastodon presence, Bluesky presence, or other community channels, those platforms' privacy policies apply.
10. Your rights
Because we don't collect anything about you, there's nothing for you to access, correct, or delete on our side. Your in-app data is yours — delete the app or use the in-app "Bulk export" + "Reset library" actions to clear it.
If you contact us by email and we keep that thread for support purposes, you can ask us to delete that thread at any time by replying with a delete request.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the portfolio adds new apps or as Apple-platform privacy practices evolve. Material changes are announced on our GitHub Discussions and Mastodon at least 7 days before they take effect. We never reduce the privacy commitments above without a new, clearly-disclosed version.
12. Contact
hello@foldcommons.org or via GitHub Issues on the relevant repo. For privacy-specific questions: legal@foldcommons.org.