1. Who we are
The Souverain apps for iOS, Android, macOS and Windows and the souverain.pro websites are made and operated by Studio WebApp B.V., Amsterdam, the Netherlands ("we"). We are the controller for the personal data processed by the Souverain system at api.souverain.pro, the system the app connects to by default. Contact: support@souverain.pro. Use of Souverain is governed by our Terms of Use, of which this policy forms part.
2. This website
- No accounts, no forms. The site is read-only. Contact happens through e-mail or telephone at your initiative.
- No analytics, no advertising. We do not use tracking services and we load no third-party scripts or fonts.
- Language choice. On your first visit we pick the language from your browser's language setting. If none of our languages matches, we derive a country from your IP address using a lookup table on our own server; nothing is sent to a third party and nothing is stored beyond a cookie that remembers your chosen language.
- Cookies. Besides the language cookie, the hosting platform may set technical cookies that are strictly needed to deliver the pages (for example page caching). They contain no personal data.
- Server logs. Our hosting provider keeps standard web-server logs (IP address, requested page, time, browser) for security and fault finding. They are deleted automatically within the provider's retention period.
- Hosting. The site is hosted within the European Union.
3. When you contact us
If you e-mail or call us, we keep your message and contact details for as long as needed to answer you and to follow up on a test version or licence. We do not share them with anyone else.
4. Systems operated by others
Souverain is a multi-system messenger: an organisation can run its own complete Souverain system on its own servers, and you can add such a system to the app by its address. Each system holds only the data of its own members; nothing is shared between systems and nothing is stored on a server that belongs to another system. For a system operated by another organisation, that organisation is the controller of the data you register there, under its own privacy notice. This policy describes what a Souverain system processes and applies in full to the system we operate ourselves.
5. What a Souverain system processes
- Your profile — the name, "about" text, profile photo and optional extra photos or a video you choose to add. There is no e-mail address, phone number or password. Your profile is visible to the members you interact with: your contacts and group members.
- A random identifier — the app generates a random 128-bit identity on your device for each system you register on. It is not derived from you or your device and is what connects your profile, contacts and messages there.
- Contacts and groups — who your contacts are and which groups and meetings you belong to, stored on the system's server so your connections work across devices and sessions.
- Messages and shared media — one-to-one messages are end-to-end encrypted on your device and can only be read by you and your contact. They are relayed through the system's server, and held there only until delivered when the recipient is offline. Photos, videos, audio messages and other shared files are stored on the server so they can be delivered. Message history lives on your device.
- Calls — voice and video calls are transmitted directly between devices (peer-to-peer, WebRTC) where possible, otherwise through the system's relay server. Calls are not recorded and not stored.
- No Bluetooth — the Souverain apps in the App Store and on Google Play do not use Bluetooth and do not look for people nearby. Nearby discovery is only part of the Nearby edition that organisations can deploy for their own system; that edition broadcasts only the random identifier, determines or stores no location, and lets every member switch discovery off at any time.
- Location — only if you actively share it: sending your location (or live location) in a chat, or viewing the map screen, which shows public venue information around a location you choose. We do not track your location in the background.
- Push notification tokens — a device token from Apple (APNs) or Google (Firebase Cloud Messaging) so a system can notify you of messages and calls when the app is closed.
- Invite links — if you invite someone, the invite link contains your random identifier; the invite web page shows your display name and profile photo to whoever opens that link, so they can see who invited them. Only share invite links with people you want to see this.
- Proof you're human — when you create a profile, the app uses Apple App Attest or Google Play Integrity to prove it is a genuine app on a genuine device. No personal data is involved; if that check is unavailable, a small picture puzzle is shown instead.
6. What we don't do
- No accounts, e-mail addresses or phone numbers are collected.
- Your address book is never uploaded. Sharing a contact in a chat is always your explicit, per-contact choice.
- No advertising, no third-party analytics, no tracking across apps or websites.
- We never sell or rent personal data.
7. Third-party services
- Apple Push Notification service / Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google) — deliver push notifications. They receive the push token and the notification payload.
- Chat backup — your recent chat history can be backed up to your own iCloud or Google account, encrypted with a key that only your devices hold, so it survives reinstalling the app. Apple or Google store that backup under their own terms; we never receive or can read it.
- Map data — the map screen uses Apple Maps (iOS, macOS) or OpenStreetMap (Android, Windows); loading map imagery sends the viewed map area to those providers, as with any maps app.
- App distribution — Apple (App Store/TestFlight), Google (Play) and Microsoft process installs under their own privacy policies.
8. Storage, security and retention
The system we operate runs on servers in the European Union. Data in transit is protected with TLS encryption; one-to-one messages are additionally end-to-end encrypted. We keep your profile, connections and shared media for as long as you use Souverain. If you delete your profile in the app's settings, your profile data is removed from the server; copies of messages you sent remain on your contacts' devices, as in any messenger.
9. Your rights
Under the GDPR you have the right to access, correct, export and erase your personal data, and the right to object to or restrict processing. Most of this you can do directly in the app (edit or delete your profile, remove contacts, leave groups, delete messages). For anything else, e-mail us at support@souverain.pro — or the operator of the system concerned. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your data protection authority; in the Netherlands, the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens.
10. Legal basis
We process the data above to provide the service you ask for (performance of a contract, Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) and, for optional features you actively use — like sharing your location or inviting a contact — on the basis of your consent (Art. 6(1)(a)), which you can withdraw by stopping the feature.
11. Children
Souverain is not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly process their data. If you believe a child is using the app, contact us and we will remove the profile. See also our Child Safety Standards.
12. Changes
If we change this policy, we will update this page and the date above. Significant changes will be announced in the app.