Security and the EU
How Laana is secured, which European rules we follow, and what that security does not solve for you. This page exists to be checked, not to reassure.
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The security model
The strongest thing you can say about a server is that there isn’t one. Laana has no backend: your notes exist only on your own phone. That removes the entire category of risk that comes with a breached, subpoenaed or sold-off database.
- On your device: SQLite with SQLCipher, so encrypted at rest. The database key is 32 random bytes from the operating system CSPRNG, held in the iOS Keychain or Android Keystore, and never in code.
- The key is marked usable on this device only, and only while it is unlocked.
- No network traffic carrying notes — the app has nowhere to send them.
- The AI feature in development runs locally; there will be no endpoint for your text to reach.
This website
Only laana.nl runs on a server, in the Netherlands, inside the European Union. These are static pages; there is no database and no sign-in. The app does not talk to this server.
Traffic passes through Cloudflare as an entry layer. Cloudflare sees connection metadata from website visitors, such as IP addresses — nothing from the app, because the app makes no connection.
Processors
A short list, which is exactly the point.
| Supplier | What for, and what they see |
|---|---|
| Our own infrastructure (NL, EU) | Serves this website. Sees server logs of website visits. |
| Cloudflare (US, EU network) | Entry layer for the website and abuse protection. Sees visitor connection metadata. |
| Apple / Google | App distribution and the in-app tip jar, under their own terms. |
No supplier is listed for the app, because the app talks to no supplier.
European rules we follow
- GDPR: data minimisation in its strongest form — the app collects no personal data at all.
- EU AI Act Article 50: Laana is an AI character and we disclose that in the app and in both store listings. Her face and voice are AI-generated, not recorded from a real person.
- No consent-requiring cookies on this website: there are no trackers or analytics here.
What this does not solve
To be fair: storing locally does not protect you from everything.
- Anyone holding your unlocked phone can read your notes. Use a screen lock — here, that is your main security control.
- Photos and voice recordings live in your phone's media, not in the encrypted database. That is how they reach your device backup, but apps with media access can see them too. Only your text is encrypted by Laana.
- There is no backup with us. Without an export you made yourself, losing your phone means your notes are permanently gone.
- Your phone's backup does not restore your notes: the database key is tied to that one device, so a restored database is unreadable. Your photos and recordings do come back with it.
- An export is only as strong as the passphrase you choose, and beyond that it falls under wherever you keep it — iCloud, Google Drive, a usb stick, whatever you pick.
- Using two devices at once is not possible. That is the price of having no server.
Reporting a vulnerability
Think you found a security problem? Email [email protected] with a description and, if you can, steps to reproduce. We respond within five working days and tell you once it is fixed.
Please report to us before going public.