Care Companion — Privacy Policy

Care Companion ("we", "us", "our") is a mobile-first web app designed to help people navigating cancer treatment manage appointments, track symptoms, prepare questions for their care team, and access evidence-based information about their condition.

Care Companion is developed and operated by Maria Agudo (ABN: 59 417 154 156), an individual based in Australia. You can contact us about privacy at support@thecarecompanion.com.au.

This policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information, including health information, in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

Although Care Companion is a small, independently-run app, health information is classified as "sensitive information" under Australian privacy law. Businesses that collect health information are not eligible for the small business exemption that would otherwise apply — so we handle your information to the same standard required of any organisation covered by the Privacy Act.

We collect only what's needed to provide the app's features.

• Account information: Name, email address, phone number, date of birth, pronouns
• Health information (sensitive information): Diagnosis, cancer type and stage, diagnosis date, grade, ER/PR/HER2 status, diagnosis notes; treatment details (medications, dosages, schedules, session counts); symptom logs; appointment details and outcomes; questions saved to ask your care team, and notes you've written; care team details (names, roles, hospitals, contact details you've entered)
• Usage information: Searches you make in the Knowledge and Guide screens; feedback you submit; basic technical information needed to run the app

We do not collect financial/payment information, precise location data, or biometric data.

We collect information directly from you when you complete onboarding and create an account, add or edit appointments/treatments/symptoms/notes/questions/care team details, use the Knowledge or Guide screens, submit feedback, or contact us for support. We do not collect information about you from any other source.

We use your information only to provide the app's core features, personalise information shown to you, respond to feedback and support requests, send service-related emails, and maintain the security of the app. We do not use your information for advertising, and we do not sell or rent it to anyone.

Because health information is sensitive information, we only collect and use it with your consent. When you sign up, you'll be asked to actively agree to this Privacy Policy before your account is created. If this policy changes materially, we'll ask you to review and re-consent. You can withdraw consent at any time by deleting your account.

We share limited information with third-party services that help us run the app:

• Supabase — receives all app data (encrypted at rest, access-controlled) — for database hosting and authentication — located in South Korea (Seoul)
• Perplexity AI (sonar-pro), a third-party AI service — when you use the Care Guide or a Knowledge topic page, the app sends your cancer type, condition, stage and treatment details to Perplexity to generate answers, including any free-text details you have entered, such as diagnosis notes or treatment names, and any question you type into the Care Guide. The app does not send your name, email address, user ID or date of birth — located in the United States
• Resend — receives your email address — for sending account-related emails — sent via Tokyo region infrastructure
• ImprovMX — receives support email correspondence — for forwarding support@thecarecompanion.com.au to our inbox

We do not otherwise disclose your information to any third party, and we never sell your information.

Your information is stored and processed outside Australia. Your core app data is hosted on Supabase infrastructure located in South Korea. If you use the AI-powered Knowledge or Guide features, your cancer type, condition, stage and treatment details, including any free-text details you have entered and any question you type into the Care Guide, are also sent to Perplexity, a third-party AI service, and processed on Perplexity's servers in the United States. Emails sent via Resend are processed through infrastructure in Tokyo.

By creating an account and using Care Companion, you consent to your information being stored and processed in South Korea via Supabase. By using the AI-powered Knowledge/Guide features specifically, you additionally consent to your cancer type, condition, stage and treatment details, including any free-text details you have entered and any question you type into the Care Guide, being sent to Perplexity, a third-party AI service, and processed on Perplexity's servers in the United States. We do not send your name, email address, user ID or date of birth to Perplexity.

Storage in South Korea applies to your use of the app generally — there isn't a way to use Care Companion without your data being held there.

We keep your information for as long as your account is active. You can request deletion at any time from Privacy & Data settings, or by emailing support@thecarecompanion.com.au. When you request deletion, you're signed out immediately and your account enters a 7-day pending deletion window, during which your data cannot be accessed or modified. After 7 days, all your data is permanently and automatically deleted. If you change your mind within the 7 days, contact support@thecarecompanion.com.au to restore your account manually. You can export a copy of your data as a PDF at any time before deletion.

All data is protected by row-level security, meaning only you can access your own records. Access to the underlying database is restricted and audited. We do not store your password — authentication is handled securely by Supabase. No system can guarantee absolute security, but we take reasonable steps consistent with the sensitivity of the information you've entrusted to us.

You can view and edit most of your information directly in the app. You can export a full copy of your data as a PDF from Privacy & Data, or contact support@thecarecompanion.com.au. If any information is incorrect, you can correct it yourself in the app, or contact us for help.

If we become aware of a data breach likely to result in serious harm to you, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as required under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

Contact us first at support@thecarecompanion.com.au. If you're not satisfied with our response, you can lodge a complaint with the OAIC at oaic.gov.au.

We may update this policy as the app evolves. If a change materially affects how your information is handled, we'll ask you to review and re-consent before continuing to use the app.

Email: support@thecarecompanion.com.au
App: thecarecompanion.com.au