Last Updated: September 8, 2026
ALTERD LLC ("ALTERD," "we," "us," or "our") operates the ALTERD mobile application and related services (the "Services"). We respect the privacy of our users and recognize the extremely sensitive nature of information related to mental health, personal reflections, consciousness exploration, and substance use experiences. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, protect, and share your personal information when you use our Services.
Data Controller: ALTERD LLC serves as the data controller for personal information collected through our Services. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and other relevant privacy regulations.
Sensitive Data Notice: Given the nature of our Services, we may process highly sensitive personal information including mental health data, substance use experiences, and other intimate personal reflections. We implement enhanced security measures and provide additional protections for such sensitive data.
If you are located in the European Union or European Economic Area, we process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:
We collect various types of information to provide and improve the Services, personalize user experiences, maintain security, and comply with legal requirements. We follow data minimization principles, collecting only data necessary for the specified purposes. The information we collect falls into the following categories:
Special Categories of Data: Due to the nature of our Services, we may process special categories of personal data under GDPR Article 9, including:
Enhanced Protections: We process sensitive data only with your explicit consent and implement additional security measures including encryption, access controls, and regular security audits.
We use the information collected for the following purposes:
Internal Access Disclosure: ALTERD staff may occasionally review individual, private journal entries for product development and app improvement. This internal access is confidential and subject to privacy controls. It does not itself authorize external research sharing; optional research is described separately below.
Internal Product Insights: To improve the Services, ALTERD staff may review de-identified or private journal entries exclusively for app functionality and user experience enhancements. All internal access is conducted under strict confidentiality agreements. Internal product review is separate from optional academic research, which includes only users who affirmatively opt in. Other disclosures, such as to service providers or when required by law, are described below.
We are committed to maintaining your trust and do not sell or rent your personal data for monetary gain. We may share your information in the following contexts:
ALTERD may prepare and license aggregate insights, such as group-level trends and statistics, consistent with your choices and applicable law. These commercial products do not include individual private journal entries or information that identifies a contributor. Replacing an account ID with a research code does not make an entry an aggregate insight. Research opt-in does not authorize the sale of private entries or their use to train unrelated commercial AI models.
Only users who affirmatively opt in through the research consent process are eligible for inclusion in academic research datasets. You can decline and continue using ALTERD. Accepting the Terms or Privacy Policy is not, by itself, consent to research. Research use must remain within the scope of the information and permission provided when you opted in; these updates do not expand earlier permission.
Research datasets may include entry text, including private entries, together with relevant categories, timestamps, and other context. A research code can link entries from the same contributor without using their account ID. Text and contextual details may remain sensitive or potentially identifying. Research may use statistical analysis and computational methods, including language models, to examine experiences such as dreams, meditation, cannabis, psychedelics, and everyday states. The review or determination needed depends on the study; one IRB determination does not cover every use of ALTERD data.
We do not make private journal research datasets available as public downloads or upload them to public code repositories. Researchers, including those seeking to replicate findings, and journal reviewers may request private access by emailing hello@alterd.me with the study or dataset, research purpose, data needed, and safeguards. We aim to respond within 14 days. We review whether the request is consistent with the permissions covering the data and privacy protections.
Approved access is subject to written conditions limiting use to the agreed purpose, protecting confidentiality, and prohibiting attempts to identify or contact contributors, onward sharing, or public posting of private entries. Findings may be published as papers, presentations, and aggregate summaries. Publication of findings is separate from release of the private dataset. Any proposed identifiable quotation requires separate consideration and any necessary publication consent.
“De-identified” describes processing that reduces identifying information, for example by removing direct identifiers or replacing an account ID with a research code. Coded data may still link multiple entries from one contributor. Entry text and combinations of contextual details can still identify someone, so de-identification does not necessarily make data anonymous or eliminate privacy risk. We do not represent that every dataset meets a particular legal anonymization standard.
We engage trusted third parties (e.g., payment processors, hosting providers, analytics services) to perform essential functions on our behalf. These providers only receive the information necessary to fulfill their services and must adhere to strict confidentiality obligations.
Content you share in community forums or other publicly accessible areas of the Services may be visible to other users or, in some cases, the general public. Please use caution when sharing personal or sensitive information in these spaces.
We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government request. We may also share data when necessary to investigate or take action regarding potential illegal activities, suspected fraud, threats to personal safety, violations of our Terms, or as evidence in litigation.
If we undergo a merger, acquisition, dissolution, restructuring, or similar transaction, user information may be transferred as part of the business asset. We will notify you of any such changes and your rights via email or by posting a prominent notice within the Services.
We may share your information with third parties if you explicitly grant permission or request such sharing (e.g., linking your ALTERD data to another app).
We use administrative and technical safeguards intended to protect personal information against unauthorized access, misuse, loss, or alteration. Access to private content must be limited to authorized purposes and subject to confidentiality requirements. Research recipients must follow the access conditions described in Section 5.
In the unlikely event of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will:
No system can guarantee complete security. If you suspect any unauthorized access to or misuse of your account, please contact us immediately at hello@alterd.me.
Depending on your location and applicable laws, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
California residents have additional rights:
You can opt in during onboarding or decline and continue using the app. To ask about your recorded choice or request withdrawal from future research data selection, email hello@alterd.me from your account email with the subject “Research participation.” Withdrawal does not affect your access to the app. See the Research FAQ for more information.
Data processing for app operation, product analytics, AI features, and commercial aggregate insights is separate from optional academic research and is described in this Policy. To request exclusion of future entries from optional product improvement or aggregate-insight uses, email hello@alterd.me with the subject “Data Use Request” from your account email. Upon verifying your identity, we will apply your request to future processing for those optional purposes and explain any processing still needed to provide the app or comply with law.
Please note:
To exercise these rights, contact us at hello@alterd.me or through the in-app privacy settings. We will:
We retain personal information for as long as it is needed to provide the Services, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce our agreements. We follow data minimization principles and retain data only for specified purposes.
Research copies: Research retention depends on the study and any applicable requirements. Contact hello@alterd.me for study-specific information or to request deletion. The research withdrawal and removal limits in Section 7 apply to copies already used in research; we do not promise that account deletion automatically removes every research copy or a published finding.
Account Closure: When you delete your account, we will:
Community Content: Content you have posted in public areas may remain accessible if other users have stored, copied, or otherwise preserved it, even after your account is deleted. We cannot control how others use publicly shared content.
ALTERD LLC is headquartered in Delaware, United States, and your personal data may be processed and stored on servers located in the United States or other countries, which may have data protection laws different from those in your jurisdiction.
When transferring personal data internationally, we implement appropriate safeguards including:
Your data may be accessed by our service providers and team members in various countries for:
We ensure all international data transfers comply with applicable data protection laws and maintain the same level of protection required in your home jurisdiction.
ALTERD is intended only for individuals aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from anyone under 18. If we learn that a user under 18 has registered or provided us with personal information, we will take steps to remove such data promptly. If you believe a minor has shared personal information with us, please contact us immediately.
Our community features allow users to share experiences, reflections, or other content about altered states of consciousness. Please note:
The Services may contain links to third-party websites, services, or plug-ins that we do not control. This Policy does not apply to the privacy practices of these external parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you visit or use.
We may update this Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, applicable laws, or the Services themselves. When we post changes, we will revise the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. In the event of material changes, we may provide additional notice (e.g., via email or an in-app notification). Your continued use of the Services following any update signifies your acceptance of the revised Policy.
Our Services use artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to provide personalized insights, content recommendations, and automated features.
We use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to enhance your experience and analyze usage patterns.
You can control cookies through your browser settings or our cookie preference center. Note that disabling certain cookies may limit functionality.
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, you can reach us at:
Email: hello@alterd.me
Data Protection Officer: Available upon request for EU/EEA inquiries
Mailing Address: Available upon request for formal notices
If you are located in a jurisdiction that grants specific rights regarding personal data handling, you may also have the right to contact your local data protection authority:
Thank you for trusting ALTERD with your personal information. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our community a safe, respectful, and enriching space for exploring altered states of consciousness in a responsible manner.