1. Controller
Controller within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
Sole proprietorship
Helene-Junghans-Str. 43/1, 78713 Schramberg
E-mail: info@heyblockslabs.com
Responsible for content pursuant to Section 18(2) MStV: Justin Hofmann, Helene-Junghans-Str. 43/1, 78713 Schramberg
2. Data protection at a glance
General information
The following information provides a simple overview of what happens to your personal data when you use our application. Personal data is any data by which you can be personally identified.
Data collection
Some of the data is collected in order to ensure the error-free provision of the application. Other data is collected when you provide it to us in the course of registration, use, or contact. Uploaded content (audio files, video files, texts, URLs) is transmitted to external AI service providers for processing (see Section 5). When you use the research function, web searches are carried out via an external search service (see Section 5.4).
Your rights
You have the right at any time to obtain free information about the origin, recipients, and purpose of your stored personal data. You also have the right to rectification, deletion, or restriction of the processing of this data. In addition, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.
3. General information on data processing
As a matter of principle, we process the personal data of our users only insofar as this is necessary to provide a functional web application as well as our content and services.
Heyblocks is currently available exclusively as a web application (browser). A mobile app or desktop application is currently not offered.
4. Hosting & infrastructure
4.1 Hosting via Railway
Our application is operated via the service Railway Corp. The application runs in Docker containers on servers in the Netherlands (EU).
The following data may be processed in this context:
- IP address
- Browser and device information
- Request headers
- Log files
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in the secure and efficient provision of our application).
4.2 Railway Redis (rate limiting)
To protect against abusive use (e.g. brute-force attacks, excessive API calls), we use a Redis service provided via Railway Corp.
The following data is temporarily stored in this context:
- IP address (anonymized key) or user ID
- Timestamps of the requests
The data is used exclusively to enforce request limits and is automatically deleted after the respective time window has elapsed (generally a few minutes up to a maximum of 24 hours).
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in the security and integrity of the application).
4.3 Cloudflare (database & DNS)
We use Cloudflare Inc. as our infrastructure and database service provider. User data is stored in a Cloudflare D1 database.
The following data may be processed in this context:
- Account data (e-mail, username, encrypted password, Google ID)
- Created notes, transcripts, and generated tab content
- Usage statistics (token consumption, generation duration, costs)
- Subscription tier, usage quotas, and transaction history
Cloudflare is engaged as a processor. Insofar as data is transmitted to third countries (e.g. the USA), this is done on the basis of the standard contractual clauses.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR and Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR.
4.4 Cloudflare Turnstile (bot protection)
To protect against automated attacks and abuse (e.g. during payment transactions), we use Cloudflare Turnstile. Turnstile is a CAPTCHA service from Cloudflare Inc. that checks, without visible interaction or by means of a simple click, whether a request originates from a real user.
The following data may be processed in this context:
- IP address
- Browser and device information
- Interaction data (mouse movements, click behavior)
The data is processed by Cloudflare to distinguish between human users and bots. No personal account data is transmitted to Turnstile.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in the security of the application and the prevention of fraud).
4.5 Tigris Object Storage (media files & source files)
Uploaded and processed files are stored with Tigris Data Inc. (S3-compatible object storage). Files are stored under a user- and note-specific path.
- Audio and video files
- Documents and image files uploaded as a source (e.g. PDF, images)
- Extensive transcript and source texts that exceed the storage limit of the database are offloaded as a text file (canonical storage of the respective text)
Access to stored audio files is provided via time-limited, signed URLs (validity: 4 hours).
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (performance of a contract).
5. AI-supported processing
Content concerning other people: Recordings of lectures, meetings and conversations regularly contain the voices, names and statements of people other than you. As far as that content is concerned, you decide the purposes and means of the processing and are therefore the controller within the meaning of Art. 4(7) GDPR; please make sure you are entitled to record and upload it. That does not change our own obligations: those people are data subjects in relation to us as well, and the processing described in this section – including the transfer to the service providers named below – applies to their data in the same way as to yours, and we minimise it in the same way: no account data, no e-mail addresses and no payment data are transmitted to the AI services.
5.1 Groq Inc. (transcription & content generation)
Heyblocks uses AI services from Groq Inc. (Mountain View, USA) to process your content.
Speech recognition: Uploaded audio and video files are transmitted to Groq's speech-to-text API in order to perform an automatic transcription. The file is transmitted to Groq in full in this process.
Content generation: The generated transcript text is transmitted to an AI language model via Groq in order to generate structured content from it (e.g. summaries, notes, custom tabs).
According to Groq's terms of use, data transmitted via the API is not used to train models.
Since Groq is based in the USA, a transfer of data to a third country takes place. The transfer is based on the European Commission's standard contractual clauses (Module 2) as well as an accompanying transfer impact assessment (TIA). A certification under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework does not currently exist.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (performance of a contract – the AI processing is a core component of the service).
5.2 OpenAI Inc. (content generation)
Heyblocks uses AI services from OpenAI Inc. (San Francisco, USA) for content generation in both modes (Fast and Pro).
Content generation: The transcript text is transmitted to an AI language model from OpenAI in order to generate structured content from it (e.g. summaries, notes, custom tabs, flashcards, quiz questions).
| Data transmitted to Groq/OpenAI | Not transmitted |
|---|---|
| Audio/video files (for transcription, Groq only) | E-mail addresses or account data |
| Transcript text (for content generation) | Payment information |
| Tab labels (for content generation) | Users' IP addresses |
According to OpenAI's terms of use, data transmitted via the API is not used to train the models, unless the customer expressly consents. We have not consented to this.
Our contracting party is OpenAI Ireland Limited, so our own transfer takes place within the European Economic Area. Contact with the USA arises as an onward transfer: under Section 4.1 of OpenAI's data processing addendum, OpenAI Ireland Limited passes data to OpenAI Inc. and to other recipients outside the EEA only on the basis of the European Commission's standard contractual clauses. Because the data is in fact processed in the USA, we have assessed the legal situation there in a transfer impact assessment (TIA) as though we were transferring directly. OpenAI is not certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework; the safeguard is therefore the standard contractual clauses alone.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (performance of a contract – the AI processing is a core component of the service).
5.3 Automated content review (content safety)
Before processing by AI models, the transcript text is automatically checked for possible violations of our content policies. For this purpose, the transcript text is transmitted to a safety model from Groq Inc. In the case of exceptionally long transcripts, the part that exceeds the technical processing limit of the safety model is additionally transmitted to the moderation service of OpenAI Inc. (San Francisco, USA).
This review serves to protect against abusive content (e.g. glorification of violence, hate speech, illegal content) as well as against attempts to manipulate the AI systems (prompt injection). No personal account data is transmitted to the safety or moderation services – only the content to be reviewed (transcript text or image).
Image moderation: Image files uploaded as a source are transmitted to the moderation service of OpenAI Inc. (San Francisco, USA) before further processing, in order to automatically check them for violations of our content policies. Transmitted is exclusively the respective image file, no account data. The transfer to OpenAI follows the structure described in Section 5.2: our contracting party is OpenAI Ireland Limited, and the processing in the USA takes place as an onward transfer on the basis of the standard contractual clauses.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in the security and integrity of the application as well as protection against unlawful content).
5.4 Serper Inc. (web search – research function)
When you use the research function, search queries are transmitted to the service Serper Inc. in order to carry out web searches and find relevant sources.
The following data is transmitted in this context:
- Search terms (the research topic entered by the user)
No personal account data, e-mail addresses, or IP addresses of the users are transmitted to Serper. The search results (URLs and titles) are subsequently retrieved and processed server-side.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (performance of a contract – the research function is a component of the service).
6. User accounts & registration
The creation of a user account is required in order to use the application.
6.1 Registration via e-mail and password
When you register via e-mail and password, we process:
- E-mail address
- Username
- Password (stored exclusively as a cryptographic hash using Argon2; for older existing accounts, bcrypt is used and is automatically migrated to Argon2 at the next sign-in. The plaintext password is not stored.)
6.2 Registration / login via Google (OAuth)
Alternatively, you can sign in via your Google account. In this process, we receive from Google:
- E-mail address
- Name
- Google user ID
- Profile picture URL
Authentication is carried out via the service „Google Identity Services“ from Google Ireland Limited. We do not receive any Google password and no access to further Google account data.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (performance of a contract).
6.3 Session management
After a successful sign-in, a JSON Web Token (JWT) is created and stored as an HttpOnly cookie in the browser. This cookie:
- contains exclusively the user ID and an expiry time
- cannot be read out via JavaScript (HttpOnly)
- is transmitted only over encrypted connections (Secure flag)
- has a validity of 7 days
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR in conjunction with Section 25(2) TDDDG (technically necessary cookie).
7. Processed usage data
7.1 Source files
Audio and video files uploaded by the user are:
- temporarily stored on the server (for processing)
- transmitted to Groq for transcription (see Section 5)
- stored in Tigris Object Storage (see Section 4.5)
- deleted from the server after processing is complete
- automatically deleted from object storage as soon as the associated note is removed, but no later than around 30 days. Uploads flagged as non-compliant are retained within this period for moderation review. The transcript remains unaffected by this and stored in the database. The only exception is material preserved as evidence in a child-safety case: it is stored separately and for longer, as described in Sections 12 and 15a.
URLs and texts added by the user are extracted server-side and stored as source text in the database. Documents and image files uploaded as a source are also processed, and the extracted text is stored as source text (see Section 4.5). Web sources collected via the research function are also stored as source text.
7.2 Generated content
The following AI-generated content is stored in our database:
- Transcripts
- Automatically generated title
- Summary
- Custom tab content (e.g. bullet points, vocabulary, etc.)
- Flashcards (question/answer pairs) for spaced repetition
- Quiz questions including answer options
7.3 Usage statistics
For internal cost calculation, billing, the enforcement of the usage limits of your plan, and to monitor the technical performance of the service (e.g. average and worst-case generation times), we store per generation:
- Number of tokens consumed (input and output)
- Duration of the audio file
- Generation duration
- Calculated API costs (internal, not evaluated on a personal basis)
- Usage time consumed (minutes)
Legal basis for the above: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (performance of a contract – metering and billing the plan you booked), and, as far as these records are evaluated in aggregate for internal cost analysis and technical performance monitoring, Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in an economically viable, stable, and fast service). Because the metering records are required to provide the service itself, they cannot be switched off; they are deleted when your account is deleted (Section 12). You can object to the aggregate evaluation at any time under Art. 21 GDPR using the contact details in Section 1.
In addition, to understand which functions are actually used and to improve them, we record when you export a generated set (e.g. flashcards to Anki). We store only the export format, the note concerned, and the time – never the exported content itself. This evaluation is internal, is not passed on to third parties, and no profiling takes place. These entries are deleted automatically after 30 days at the latest. You can object to this recording at any time in your account settings (option „Data collection“); no further entries linked to your user ID will then be stored.
Legal basis for the export records: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in the needs-based further development and improvement of our own functions).
7.4 Blueprints
Users can create „Blueprints“ (templates) that contain tab labels. These are stored server-side in the database.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (performance of a contract).
7.5 Learning data (flashcards & quiz)
If you use the learning functions, we store the following to provide the repetition and progress logic:
- Flashcard repetitions: your self-assessment per card as well as the scheduling data calculated from it for the next repetition (spaced repetition algorithm) and the associated timestamps
- Quiz attempts: score achieved, number of questions, and time of the attempt
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (performance of a contract – provision of the learning functions).
7.6 Blueprint store (publishing templates)
Users can voluntarily publish their self-created blueprints in the „Store“ in order to make them available to other users. Publication takes place exclusively upon your active initiative.
Upon publication, the following data becomes visible to all users:
- Name of the blueprint and its tab labels
- Your username (as author of the blueprint)
- Number of installations
You can remove a published blueprint from the store again at any time by deleting the underlying blueprint.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR (consent through active publication).
7.7 Sharing notes
Users can voluntarily share individual notes with others. Sharing takes place exclusively upon your active initiative and can be revoked at any time. Two modes are available:
- Public link: anyone who has the link can view the shared note (title, tab content, and your username as the author). The link contains a randomly generated, non-guessable token; the note is not otherwise listed or discoverable.
- Specific people: the note is accessible only to the e-mail addresses you specify. Those recipients must sign in with the invited e-mail address in order to view the note.
When you share a note, the following data is processed:
- the e-mail addresses of the people you invite (in the „specific people“ mode), stored in order to control access – these may be addresses of persons who are not themselves users;
- the shared content (title, tabs), which becomes visible to the respective recipients;
- your username, which is shown to recipients as the author of the shared note.
In the „specific people“ mode, we send a one-time invitation e-mail to each newly added address (see Section 8a). Recipients can add a shared note to their own library; this creates an independent copy in their account. You can stop sharing at any time by removing the share – the link then stops working immediately – and deleting the note also removes the share.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR (consent through active sharing); for the invitation e-mails additionally Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in enabling the sharing requested by the user).
7.8 Flashcard reminder e-mails (opt-in)
Optionally, you can activate e-mail reminders that notify you when saved flashcards are due for repetition. This function is deactivated by default and is used only after your active consent (opt-in) – via the toggle in the settings or the corresponding prompt during a study session.
When activated, we process the following data:
- your notification setting (activated/deactivated) and the time of the last reminder sent (to ensure at most one reminder per day);
- a coarse regional send window („Asia-Pacific“, „Europe/Middle East/Africa“, or „Americas“), derived once from your browser's UTC offset at the moment of activation so that reminders arrive at a reasonable local time. Only this three-value region is stored – never your precise time zone or location – and it is used exclusively for send timing.
Each reminder e-mail contains the number of due flashcards, the titles of the affected notes, and your username; dispatch is handled by our e-mail service provider (see Section 8a). Every reminder contains an unsubscribe link that works without logging in; you can also deactivate the reminders at any time in the settings. Upon deactivation – by either route – the stored send window is deleted immediately; the setting and the timestamp are deleted at the latest with the user account.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR (consent). You may withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future (Art. 7(3) GDPR) via the settings or the unsubscribe link.
8. Payment processing
For paid services (e.g. concluding and managing subscriptions), we use the payment service provider Stripe Inc. Stripe processes personal data on its own responsibility in accordance with Stripe's respective applicable data protection provisions. We do not receive any complete payment information (e.g. credit card numbers) from Stripe.
After a successful payment, we receive from Stripe exclusively:
- a confirmation of the transaction
- the selected subscription tier and the billing period
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (performance of a contract).
8a. E-mail dispatch
For sending transactional e-mails (e.g. welcome e-mail after registration, replies to contact requests, one-time invitation e-mails when you share a note with specific e-mail addresses, and – only with your consent – reminder e-mails about due flashcards, see Section 7.8), we use the service Resend Inc.
The following data is transmitted to Resend in this context:
- E-mail address of the recipient
- Content of the e-mail (e.g. welcome text, support reply)
Resend processes this data exclusively for the purpose of e-mail delivery. Since Resend is based in the USA, the transfer is carried out on the basis of the European Commission's standard contractual clauses.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (performance of a contract) and Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in communicating with users); for the flashcard reminder e-mails Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR (consent, see Section 7.8).
9. Cookies & consent
Our application uses the following cookies:
| Cookie | Purpose | Type | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| heyblocks_session | Authentication (JWT token) | Technically necessary | 7 days |
| heyblocks_consent | Storage of cookie consent preferences | Technically necessary | 365 days |
The session cookie and the consent cookie are technically necessary and do not require separate consent pursuant to Section 25(2) TDDDG.
Additionally, the following cookies may be set, provided that you expressly consent:
| Cookie | Purpose | Type | Provider |
|---|---|---|---|
| _gcl_*, _gac_* | Google Ads conversion tracking | Marketing (consent required) | Google LLC |
On your first visit to our application, you are asked for your consent via a cookie banner. There you can choose between the following options:
- Accept all – Essential and marketing cookies are activated.
- Essential only – Only technically necessary cookies are set. No tracking.
- Manage settings – You can individually enable or disable specific cookie categories.
Marketing cookies (Google Ads conversion tracking) are loaded exclusively after your express consent. Without consent, no tracking takes place.
Legal basis: Essential cookies: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR in conjunction with Section 25(2) TDDDG. Marketing cookies: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR in conjunction with Section 25(1) TDDDG (consent).
10. Personalization
Personalization functions (e.g. language settings, theme preferences) are currently stored exclusively locally in the browser (localStorage). No server-side evaluation or profiling takes place.
11. Analysis & tracking
11.1 Google Ads conversion tracking
We use the service Google Ads Conversion Tracking from Google LLC (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; hereinafter „Google“).
Important: Google Ads tracking is activated exclusively after your express consent via our cookie banner. Without your consent, no tracking scripts are loaded and no cookies from Google are set.
If you have consented, a cookie is set on your device when you reach our application via a Google ad. With the help of this cookie, we and Google can determine whether a user, after clicking on an ad, carried out a specific action (registration, generation of a note).
The following data may be processed in this context:
- Cookie identifier (anonymized)
- Information about the page visited
- Date and time of the visit
- Conversion events, namely completed registration and the successful generation of a note. Only the fact that the event occurred is transmitted – never the content of your notes, recordings, or files.
The information generated by the cookie is generally transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there. Google is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework; the transfer is additionally based on the European Commission's standard contractual clauses.
You can withdraw your consent at any time by changing your cookie settings in the application or deleting your cookies. In addition, you can disable the collection via the Google Ads settings manager or at www.aboutads.info.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR (consent) in conjunction with Section 25(1) TDDDG.
11.2 Log and diagnostic data
To ensure security, for error analysis, and to defend against abuse, we store server-side application logs in our database (see Section 4.3). These logs serve exclusively the operation and security of the application; no profiling or advertising evaluation takes place.
The following data may be processed in this context:
- IP address exclusively in pseudonymized form (salted hash, never in plaintext)
- Browser/device identifier (user agent)
- User ID (if signed in)
- Path accessed, HTTP method, and response status
- Error information (error type, technical error message)
- Processing duration and size of the request
Right to object: You can object to user-related logging in your account settings (option „Data collection“). If this is disabled, no further logs that are linked to your user ID are stored. For compelling security reasons (e.g. defending against attacks), technically necessary, non-account-related logs may still be generated. Log data is automatically deleted after 90 days.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in the security, stability, and error-free operation of the application).
12. Storage period & deletion
Personal data is stored only for as long as is necessary for the respective purposes:
| Type of data | Storage period |
|---|---|
| User account | Until deletion by the user; final deletion 30 days after account deletion |
| Audio/video files | Until deletion of the associated note, at the latest after approx. 30 days |
| Source files (documents, images) | Until deletion of the associated note by the user |
| Notes, transcripts, tabs | Until deletion by the user |
| Learning data (flashcards, quiz, repetition and attempt history) | Until deletion of the associated note or the user account |
| Flashcard reminder settings (notification setting, regional send window, time of last reminder) | Send window: deleted immediately upon deactivation/unsubscribe; setting and timestamp: until deletion of the user account |
| Usage statistics | Until deletion of the user account |
| Export events (Section 7.3) | Automatically after 30 days at the latest |
| Blueprints | Until deletion by the user |
| Application logs (diagnostic data, see 11.2) | 90 days |
| Violation logs (automated content review) | Until deletion of the user account. If you request the deletion of your data without deleting the account, these records are retained to prevent further misuse and to defend legal claims (Art. 17(3)(e) GDPR) and are only removed when the account itself is deleted |
| Moderation alert e-mails to the controller (contain the excerpt and the user ID) | 6 months in the mailbox, in line with the period for support correspondence |
| Evidence preserved in child-safety cases (Section 15a) | Stored separately with restricted access until the reporting or official procedure has been concluded, and deleted immediately thereafter; absent any response from the authorities, after 90 days at the latest. This preservation is deliberately excluded from all automatic deletion routines and also outlasts a deletion request or the deletion of the account, on the basis of Art. 17(3)(b) and (e) GDPR |
| Note shares (share links, invited e-mail addresses) | Until the share is removed by the user, the note is deleted, or the user account / all data is deleted |
| Server log files (hosting/Railway) | 7–30 days |
| Backups | Maximum 30 days |
When a note is deleted, the associated audio file is removed from the object storage (Tigris).
13. Data security
We employ the following technical and organizational security measures:
- Encrypted data transmission (TLS/HTTPS) with HSTS preloading
- Content Security Policy (CSP) to protect against cross-site scripting (XSS)
- HttpOnly cookies to protect session data from JavaScript access
- Passwords are stored exclusively as cryptographic hashes (Argon2 for new accounts; bcrypt for existing accounts with automatic migration)
- Audio files are accessible only via time-limited, signed URLs
- The application runs in isolated Docker containers with restricted permissions
- Input validation and path checking to protect against injection attacks
- CSRF protection through origin/referer validation on all modifying API requests
- Rate limiting on all sensitive endpoints to protect against brute-force attacks
14. Third-country transfer
The following service providers based in the USA are used:
| Service provider | Purpose | Safeguard |
|---|---|---|
| Groq Inc. | AI transcription & content generation | Standard contractual clauses (Module 2) + TIA |
| OpenAI Ireland Ltd. (IE), onward transfer to OpenAI Inc. (USA) | AI content generation, image & text moderation | Transfer within the EEA; onward transfer to the USA on the basis of the standard contractual clauses under Section 4.1 of the OpenAI DPA + TIA |
| Cloudflare Inc. | Database, DNS, security | Standard contractual clauses, EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework |
| Stripe Inc. | Payment processing | Standard contractual clauses, EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework |
| Railway Corp. | Hosting, Redis (rate limiting) | Standard contractual clauses (Module 2) + TIA |
| Tigris Data Inc. | File storage | Standard contractual clauses (Module 2) + TIA |
| Google LLC | OAuth authentication, Google Ads conversion tracking (only with consent) | Standard contractual clauses, EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework |
| Resend Inc. | Transactional e-mail dispatch | Standard contractual clauses, EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework |
| Serper Inc. | Web search (research function) | Standard contractual clauses (Module 2) + TIA |
The currency of the DPF certifications is regularly checked via dataprivacyframework.gov. Should a certification lapse, we base the transfer exclusively on standard contractual clauses in conjunction with a transfer impact assessment.
The adequacy decision underlying the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework is currently the subject of an appeal before the Court of Justice of the European Union. It remains in force. Because we cannot rely on that remaining the case, we additionally maintain standard contractual clauses and a documented transfer impact assessment as a fallback for the DPF-certified providers listed above, so that a lapse of the adequacy decision would not by itself leave any transfer without a safeguard.
15. Rights of data subjects
Within the framework of the applicable statutory provisions, you have the following rights:
- Access to your stored personal data (Art. 15 GDPR)
- Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data (Art. 16 GDPR)
- Deletion of your data (Art. 17 GDPR)
- Restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR)
- Data portability (Art. 20 GDPR)
- Objection to processing (Art. 21 GDPR)
Insofar as processing is based on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time with effect for the future. You can carry out the withdrawal of cookie consent at any time via the cookie settings in the application.
In addition, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence or the place of the alleged infringement. The supervisory authority responsible for us is:
Heilbronner Straße 35, 70191 Stuttgart
Postal address: Postfach 10 29 32, 70025 Stuttgart
Telephone: +49 (0) 711 / 615541-0
E-mail: poststelle@lfdi.bwl.de
Web: www.baden-wuerttemberg.datenschutz.de
Requests can be made at any time via the contact details provided in the legal notice.
15a. Automated content review and human decisions
Heyblocks uses an automated content review that checks uploaded content against our usage rules before processing (see Section 5.3). If content is flagged, that upload is refused and you are told why. Nothing further happens automatically.
How it works: An AI model evaluates the content and returns a category (for example violence, hate speech, child safety, illegal activity, harassment, or an attempt to manipulate the AI system) together with a short justification. The model receives only the content itself: no user ID, no account data, no e-mail address and no history are transmitted to it, so it cannot identify you and does not evaluate you. If nothing is flagged, the review leaves no trace at all.
Consequences: A refusal prevents that one file from being processed. It does not restrict your account, and repeated refusals do not restrict it either; there is no automatic escalation and no automatic suspension. A flagged item is recorded and placed in a queue for review by a person. Only that person can restrict or suspend an account, and only after examining the case; the reason is recorded. If the review finds that the content did not in fact breach our rules, the record is marked as a false positive and the stored excerpt of your content is deleted.
Automated decision-making within the meaning of Art. 22 GDPR: We take the position that Art. 22(1) GDPR is not engaged, because the automated part of this process produces neither legal effects nor a similarly significant effect: its only outcome is that a single upload is not processed. Every decision that does affect you significantly, in particular any restriction of your account, is taken by a natural person. Regardless of that, you can at any time obtain the intervention of a natural person, express your own point of view and contest a decision, by writing to info@heyblockslabs.com. This right is not subject to any time limit. Section 9(6) of our Terms of Use additionally provides a formal complaints procedure modelled on Art. 20 of the Digital Services Act, open for six months following the decision with a reply within 10 working days.
Preservation of evidence in child-safety cases: If the review flags content in the child-safety category, we copy the file concerned and the transcript into a separate storage area with restricted access, so that the material is still available for a report to the competent authorities. This preservation is deliberately excluded from all automatic deletion routines and also outlasts a deletion request or the deletion of the account; the legal basis is Art. 17(3)(b) and (e) GDPR. It is deleted once the reporting or official procedure has concluded, and after 90 days at the latest if the authorities do not respond. Section 12 states this in the retention table as well.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in the security and integrity of the application and in protection against unlawful content), together with Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR insofar as the content rules agreed in Section 9 of our Terms of Use are being enforced.
Special categories of personal data: The review is not aimed at establishing any characteristic of you within the meaning of Art. 9(1) GDPR. It assesses whether content breaches our rules and returns a category code; it does not infer, store or evaluate your ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade-union membership, health, sex life or sexual orientation. Content you upload can nevertheless incidentally contain information of that kind. Where we retain a short excerpt documenting a breach, the legal basis for that storage is Art. 9(2)(f) GDPR (establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims). For categories where no human review is foreseen, no excerpt is stored at all.
A data protection officer has not been appointed, because the conditions for a mandatory appointment are not met: our core activity is neither extensive, regular and systematic monitoring of data subjects nor extensive processing of special categories of data (Art. 37(1) GDPR), and fewer than twenty persons are permanently engaged in the automated processing of personal data (§ 38(1) BDSG). We review this assessment whenever the processing changes.
16. Newsletter
We currently do not offer a newsletter. Should a newsletter be offered in the future, it will be sent exclusively on the basis of your express consent. The optional flashcard reminder e-mails (Section 7.8) are not a newsletter; they too are sent exclusively on the basis of your express consent.
17. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to amend this Privacy Policy in order to adapt it to changed legal requirements or new functions. The current version is always available in the application.