Security & Privacy Architecture
Your health data stays exactly where it belongs
Protecht is built on a simple principle: your results are stored only on your phone, encrypted. Here's exactly how we protect them.
Protecht doesn't store your results. They're stored only on your phone, encrypted.
The Protecht On-Device PromiseHow it works
Three layers of protection
From the moment your results arrive to the second you share them, every step is designed to keep your data under your control.
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01
Stored Only on Your Phone
Your STI results and vaccination records are downloaded to your iPhone and encrypted there. Protecht doesn't store your results.
- AES-256-GCM encryption via Apple CryptoKit
- The key is generated and kept in your iPhone's Keychain
- Protecht doesn't store your results
- Data stays only on your phone, and is deleted when you uninstall
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02
Keychain Key Protection
Your records are encrypted with AES-256. The key is kept in your iPhone's Keychain and locked to that phone, so it can't be moved to another device.
- The key stays in the Keychain, locked to this phone
- Face ID or Touch ID can lock the app
- A new phone gets a new key, so records don't travel with a backup
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03
Time-Limited Sharing
When you share, your results are encrypted on your phone before they leave it. Your partner sees a read-only view, and after 60 seconds the results disappear from their screen.
- 60-second view, enforced by the app or the browser
- Read-only. Results can't be edited.
- HTTPS-only connections
- Share events are logged for audit purposes, without result values
Data flow
From your provider to your pocket
Your results travel from your provider to your phone through Apple Health. When you share, they're encrypted on your phone before they leave it.
Healthcare Provider
Epic-based systems like Kaiser, Sutter, UCSF, and Stanford: your verified results, connected via SMART on FHIR.
Apple Health on your iPhone
Your provider syncs results here once you've linked your records. This is the connection Protecht reads from, not a separate login.
Protecht, encrypted on your phone
Results land here and are encrypted immediately by CryptoKit. Your iPhone's Keychain holds the key.
Recipient's Device
A 60-second read-only view that can't be edited. After 60 seconds, the results disappear from their screen.
What Protecht's servers handle
On-device architecture
Your iPhone is the vault
Most health apps store your data in the cloud, protected by their security. Protecht stores your data on your phone, encrypted with AES-256, with the key kept in your iPhone's Keychain and locked to that phone.
Even if Protecht had a data breach, your results wouldn't be there to steal. When you share, your results are encrypted on your phone before they leave it.
Apple CryptoKit AES-256-GCM
AES-256-GCM authenticated encryption. Each record is encrypted with a unique nonce, so a brute-force attack is computationally infeasible.
iOS Keychain
Encryption keys are kept in the iOS Keychain and locked to your phone. They can't be moved to another device.
HTTPS-Only
Every connection between the app and Protecht uses HTTPS.
Sign In with Apple
Apple handles sign-in, so Protecht never handles your password. You can hide your email with Apple's Hide My Email.
Sharing protocol
The 60-second share
When you choose to share your status, four steps make sure the recipient sees exactly what you authorized, and nothing more.
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01
You choose what to share
Pick which results and vaccinations to include. Nothing else is sent.
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02
Encrypted on your phone
Your results are encrypted with a one-time AES-256 key before they leave your phone.
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03
Key released once
App to app, results go straight from your phone to theirs. With a link, Protecht's server holds a locked key, releases it once to the first person who opens the link, and deletes it within an hour. Protecht doesn't store your results.
Key deleted within 1 hour -
04
Recipient views, once
The results are shown read-only and can't be edited. After 60 seconds they disappear from their screen.
Healthcare integration
Provider-verified. Can't be edited.
Protecht doesn't connect to your provider directly. You link your medical records in Apple Health, which handles the SMART on FHIR connection to your provider's system under the interoperability rules of the 21st Century Cures Act. Protecht then reads from Apple Health, with your permission.
The data comes from your provider's EHR system, arrives on your phone, and is marked read-only. There is no upload button and no way to edit a result.
Standards
Designed around recognized standards
Protecht is designed with these standards in mind. Protecht is not a healthcare provider, and we do not claim HIPAA certification.
HIPAA-Aligned Safeguards
Designed with HIPAA's security principles in mind, including encryption and audit logging. Protecht is not a covered entity and does not claim HIPAA certification.
HealthKit Guidelines
Built to follow Apple's HealthKit privacy requirements. Protecht doesn't store your results.
21st Century Cures Act
Data access built on USCDI standards and ONC interoperability rules, which support patients' right to their own data.
Audit Logging
Every share event and sign-in is logged for audit purposes. The logs hold timestamps and counts, never result values.
Ready to get started?
Privacy that doesn't ask you to compromise
Protecht lets you share your health status with confidence, because you control the data, the key, and the clock.
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