Privacy Policy for "HN Client"

Last updated: April 2026

This app is operated by Eugen Reinus as a private individual for non-commercial purposes. Your privacy is important to me. This privacy policy explains how the HN Client app handles your data.

1. Collection and Storage of Data (Local)

In the current version of the app, no personal data is permanently stored on my servers. All data required for the app's operation remains on your device:

• Local History: To mark articles you've already read, the app stores the IDs of visited stories along with a timestamp locally in a database on your device. This data is automatically deleted after 30 days and is never transmitted to third parties.
• Settings: Your preferred font size and theme settings are stored locally in the app's preferences.

Legal basis: Storage is performed to provide the requested app functions (Section 25(2)(2) TDDDG) and to perform pre-contractual measures (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).

2. Third-Party Services (Google Play Services)

The app is provided via the Google Play Store and uses Google Play Services. Google may collect information about the use of the app (e.g., device identifiers, IP addresses, or diagnostic data). I have no direct influence over this. As Google is a U.S. company, data may be transferred to the U.S. Google is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework.

• Google Privacy Policy

3. Login Features & Cookies (Hacker News Account)

The app allows you to use a login to perform interactions such as "upvotes" or comments:

• Hacker News Credentials: If you log in to the app with your official Hacker News account, your credentials will be used exclusively for authentication with the official Hacker News servers (ycombinator.com).
• Security: The app does not store your password in plain text. Communication is encrypted and performed directly with Hacker News services.
• Session Cookies: To keep you logged in after authentication, the app stores a necessary authentication cookie (session cookie). This cookie is stored locally and securely encrypted (using the Android Keystore) on your device and is never transmitted to my servers or uninvolved third parties. The processing of this technically essential cookie is carried out to provide the login functionality you have explicitly requested (Section 25(2)(2) TDDDG).

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (Performance of a contract).

4. External Links and Websites

The app displays content from Hacker News and allows you to open linked articles:

• Custom Tabs: External websites are opened within the app via "Custom Tabs." The privacy policies of your default browser and the respective website apply.
• Hacker News API: The app uses the official Hacker News Firebase API to retrieve current stories. No device identifiers are sent to the API.

5. History Archive Service

When you access historical front page stories, the app retrieves this data from my archive server (ere.one). The servers are located in Germany. During this request, your IP address is processed and stored in server log files for technical reasons to deliver the content and ensure IT security. No personal profiles are created.

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (Legitimate interest in the technical provision and security of the service).

6. Required Permissions

The app requires the INTERNET permission to load content, access the archive, and display external websites.

7. Your Rights as a Data Subject

You have the right to access (Art. 15 GDPR) your stored data, as well as the right to rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction of processing (Art. 18), and data portability (Art. 20). In addition, you have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests (Art. 21 GDPR).

Since the history is stored locally, you can delete it yourself at any time (clear app cache or uninstall). You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR).

8. Contact / Controller

The controller for data processing (Art. 4(7) GDPR) is:
Eugen Reinus
Email: er@ere.one