Poop Log App Privacy: What to Check Before You Log

A poop log ends up holding things most people would never post: how often you go, what it looked like, whether there was blood, how urgent it felt. Before you start, it is worth ten minutes to find out where those entries can travel.

Where a poop log can send your data

The diary itself can live in a local database on your phone. Entries reach other services or files through features like these:

• An account or cloud sync that keeps a copy on the developer’s servers
• Analytics and crash-reporting tools built into the app
• Apple Health or Health Connect, when you allow reading or writing
• PDFs or backups you export and send somewhere
• Feedback forms and support messages

Apple’s guidance for developers counts analytics tools and third-party SDKs added to an app as third-party partners, and apart from a narrow set of optional-disclosure cases, the developer has to disclose what those partners collect as well. That is why one app can store your diary locally and still send some of your entries to an analytics service.

Reading the store privacy labels

The App Store privacy section shows which data types an app may collect and whether that data is linked to you or used to track you. Health is its own data type, and it covers health data you type in yourself. Apple tells developers they are responsible for keeping these answers accurate, which also means the label is the developer’s own description. It also notes that collected data is often linked to your identity through an account, a device or other details unless the developer takes specific steps to de-identify it, so treat the word “anonymous” in marketing with some care.

Google Play’s Data safety section is also filled in by developers. Data passed to a service provider that processes it on the developer’s behalf does not have to be listed as “shared”, and an independent security review badge does not verify that the disclosure is accurate or complete.

What the privacy policy should answer

• Where is the diary stored, and does signing in copy it to a server?
• Can you log without an account?
• Which entries go to analytics or advertising tools, and which companies receive them?
• Is analytics on by default, and what exactly does the settings switch stop?
• If you delete entries or the app, what happens to data already sent?
• How do you ask for access to your data or its deletion?

What the law covers

In the US, HHS says the HIPAA Rules generally do not protect health information you enter into an app you downloaded for personal use, unless the app was provided by a covered entity such as your doctor or health plan, or by its business associate. The FTC’s Health Breach Notification Rule applies to certain businesses that HIPAA does not cover, and for identifiable health information covered by that rule and not secured by the methods HHS specifies, a breach includes an unauthorized disclosure by the company itself. Under the UK GDPR, data concerning health is special category data and gets extra protection.

Sharing your log with a doctor

Ask your clinician how they would like to see your records. You can share an exported PDF without giving anyone access to the app; check which dates the report covers. Once a file leaves the app, deleting entries in the app no longer reaches it, so keep exported copies where you keep other medical papers.

Privacy worries should never delay care. In the UK, the NHS says to ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if your poo is black or dark red or you have bloody diarrhoea, and to go to A&E or call 999 if you are bleeding non-stop or there is a lot of blood. Elsewhere, use your local urgent or emergency services. This article is general information, not medical or legal advice.

How bellySignal handles your diary

bellySignal is a self-recording diary, not a medical device. You can log Bristol stool type 1 to 7, stool color, blood or mucus, urine color, water and food triggers, then export a PDF summary of the last 90 days for a clinician.

It is free, with no subscription, on iPhone and Android in 15 languages. Your diary is stored on your device, and you can start without an account. Some health values, such as stool type, symptoms and manually entered weight, are also sent to PostHog analytics, which is on by default. The analytics switch in settings controls PostHog only. Firebase Analytics receives usage events without those health values. Free-text notes and food-trigger names are not attached to analytics events, and deleting entries in the app does not erase analytics already sent. The privacy policy covers the rest, including how to request deletion.