This Privacy Policy explains what personal data the Chess Digitizer app for iOS and Android (the “App”) collects, how it is used, and which choices you have. The website chessscanner.com has its own policy at https://chessscanner.com/privacy.
The data controller within the meaning of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is Steffen Rätzke von Stoyentin, Rosellstraße 38, 50354 Hürth, Germany, email steffen@chessscanner.com.
No account is required for the core features. Games you digitize, tournaments, players, notation settings and your preferences are stored locally in the App’s database on your device. We cannot access this data. It is removed when you delete it in the App or uninstall the App, unless you have exported it or synced it to a cloud account.
Recognizing handwritten moves and board positions is done on our servers. When you scan a scoresheet or take a photo of a board, the image and, for position analysis, the detected position are transmitted over an encrypted connection to our recognition service, processed automatically and deleted after the result has been returned to your device. The images are not used to identify you and are not used for any other purpose. Optionally, you can allow the App to keep the scoresheet image together with a saved game; in that case the image is stored only on your device. Cloud synchronization never includes images.
You may link the App to a Chess Scanner account to back up games and synchronize them across devices and the website. You can create an account with an email address and password, with Sign in with Apple, or by connecting the App to an existing account via QR code. We then process:
This data is processed to provide the service you requested (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). We use your email address for transactional messages such as sign-up verification, password reset and account deletion confirmation. We do not send marketing email without your consent.
If you sign in with your Apple ID, Apple provides us with a stable identifier for your Apple ID, your name (only on the first sign-in) and an email address. If you choose Apple’s “Hide My Email”, we only receive a private relay address and never your real email. We also store a token issued by Apple so that we can revoke the App’s access to your Apple ID when you delete your account, as required by Apple. You can review or revoke this access at any time in your device settings under Sign in with Apple. Apple’s privacy policy is available at apple.com/legal/privacy.
If you connect the App to an organizer’s online tournament, the scoresheets and games you submit for that event are transmitted to the tournament service and made available to the organizer. This only happens for tournaments you explicitly join.
In-app subscriptions are sold and processed by Apple (App Store) or Google (Google Play). We never see your payment details. To unlock premium features we receive a purchase receipt and an anonymous purchase identifier through RevenueCat, our subscription management provider. Subscriptions bought on the website are processed by Paddle as merchant of record.
To keep the App stable we use Firebase Crashlytics and Firebase Analytics by Google. They collect crash traces, device model, operating system version, App version, a random installation identifier and anonymous usage events such as which screens are used. This data is not linked to your name or email address and is processed on the basis of our legitimate interest in a reliable App (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Where your platform requires it, you will be asked for consent first.
We rely on the following providers, who process data on our behalf and under contract, only for the purposes described above:
Some of these providers process data outside the European Economic Area. Where that is the case, transfers are based on the EU Standard Contractual Clauses or an adequacy decision of the European Commission.
Data stored on your device remains until you delete it or uninstall the App. Data in your cloud account is kept for as long as the account exists. You can delete your account at any time in the App under Account → Delete Account, or on the website in your profile settings. Deleting the account permanently removes your profile, connected devices, synced games and databases, cancels any active subscription on our side, and revokes the Sign in with Apple link. Deleted data is removed from our live systems immediately; copies in backups expire within the regular backup cycle. Technical logs are deleted automatically after a short retention period.
All communication between the App and our servers is encrypted (TLS). Passwords are stored only as salted hashes, and access to your account from the App uses short-lived tokens that you can invalidate by disconnecting a device. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your data with appropriate technical and organizational measures.
Under the GDPR you have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, to have it corrected or deleted, to restrict or object to its processing, to withdraw consent you have given, and to receive your data in a portable format. You can export all your games as PGN from the App and the website at any time. To exercise any other right, contact us at the address above. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority, for example the authority responsible for North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
The App is not directed at children under 16 years of age (or the age of digital consent in your country), and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child has created an account, please contact us and we will delete it.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The current version is always available at this address, and material changes will be announced in the App. This policy is effective as of 2026-10-24.
Questions about this policy or your data: steffen@chessscanner.com