Privacy Policy

Effective July 11, 2026 · Last updated July 11, 2026

Rubber Duck is built to keep your voice and your notes on your own Mac. Transcription runs entirely on your device, the app requires no account, and it includes no advertising or analytics tracking. This policy explains the few cases where data leaves your Mac, and always because you chose to turn a feature on.

1. Who we are

Rubber Duck (the "App") is a macOS application operated by Gravitas AI LLC ("Gravitas AI," "we," "us," or "our"). This Privacy Policy covers the App and the website at getrubberduck.com (the "Site"). By using the App or the Site, you agree to this policy.

2. The short version

• Your audio never leaves your Mac. Speech is transcribed on-device. We never receive, store, or upload your recordings.
• No account required. You can use the App without giving us your name, email, or any login.
• No tracking. The App contains no analytics, advertising, or third-party tracking software. It does not build a profile of you.
• Your notes are yours. They are stored as plain files in a folder you choose, on your Mac.
• You control what leaves. Data only goes off your device when you turn on an optional feature, such as AI cleanup with a cloud provider, or syncing to your own server.

3. What stays on your Mac

The following are processed and stored locally on your device and are not sent to us or to any third party:

• Audio. Microphone and, for meetings you record, system audio are captured only in memory, transcribed on-device using an on-device speech model, and then discarded. The App does not save your audio as a file or upload it anywhere.
• Transcripts and notes. The text of your dictations and meeting notes is saved as plain Markdown files in a folder you select on your Mac.
• App logs and usage counts. Diagnostic logs and local performance counts are written to files on your Mac to help the App run reliably. They stay on your device.

4. When data leaves your Mac

Data leaves your device only in these situations, each of which you control:

• Optional AI cleanup (cloud option). If you turn on AI cleanup and select a cloud provider, the text of the relevant transcript, along with limited context such as your existing note titles and tags, is sent to that provider to generate a title, tags, a summary, and action items. See Section 5. If you select the local option or leave AI cleanup off, this text is not sent to any third-party AI service.
• Downloading transcription models. A base speech model ships inside the App and works offline. If you choose a larger, higher-accuracy model, the App downloads the model files from Hugging Face. This is a one-time download of software; none of your audio, transcripts, or notes are sent in the process.
• Optional sync to your own server. If you turn on the vault sync feature and enter your own server address and key, the App sends your note content to that server. That server is operated by you, not by Gravitas AI. We do not receive this data.
• Purchases. When you buy a subscription or the lifetime option, purchase information is handled by Apple and our payments provider. See Section 6.

5. AI cleanup providers

AI cleanup is optional. You choose whether to use it and which engine to use:

• ChatGPT (OpenAI). If you sign in with your own ChatGPT account and select it, the transcript text and limited note context are sent to OpenAI under your account to produce the cleaned-up note. This data is handled by OpenAI under OpenAI's privacy policy. We do not operate a server in between and we do not retain this text.
• Local model (on-device). If you run a local model, cleanup happens entirely on your Mac and no text is sent off your device.
• Off. If AI cleanup is off, your transcripts stay as-is and no text is sent to any AI provider.

You are responsible for the account and credentials you connect, and for reviewing the provider's terms and privacy policy. We may add or change supported providers over time and will update this policy accordingly.

6. Purchases and subscriptions

Paid plans are sold through the Apple App Store and managed with the help of RevenueCat, our subscription-management provider. When you purchase or restore a purchase:

• Apple processes the payment. We never see or store your credit card or full payment details. Apple's handling of your data is governed by Apple's Privacy Policy.
• RevenueCat receives a randomly generated, anonymous identifier along with product, transaction, and entitlement information so we can confirm what you are entitled to use. This does not require your name or email. RevenueCat's handling is governed by RevenueCat's Privacy Policy.

Your entitlement status is cached on your Mac so paid features keep working offline.

7. Permissions the app requests

macOS will ask your permission before the App can use these. Each is used only for the stated purpose, and none of them send data to us:

• Microphone. To capture your speech for on-device transcription.
• System audio capture. To include other participants when you record a meeting. This does not require screen-recording permission.
• Automation (Apple Events). To read your browser's open tab addresses so the App can detect a Google Meet call, and to paste transcribed text into the app you are using. The App checks whether a tab is a meeting; it does not collect or transmit your browsing history.
• Accessibility. To provide the global push-to-talk shortcut and to paste text where your cursor is.

8. The website

The Site is a static marketing site. It sets no advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. It stores a single preference in your browser (light or dark theme) using local storage on your device. If you contact us by email, we receive the information you send us in that message.

9. Retention and deletion

Because your content lives on your Mac, you control it. To remove your data, delete your notes folder, delete the App's support files (in your user Library, under Application Support and Logs), and uninstall the App. Data you sent to a third party (for example, an AI provider or your own server) is governed by that party's policies; contact them to exercise deletion there. For purchase records held by Apple or RevenueCat, those parties retain data per their own policies.

10. Your privacy rights

We do not maintain servers that collect or store your personal information, and we do not sell or share your personal information for advertising. Depending on where you live, you may have rights under laws such as the GDPR or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to access, correct, or delete personal data, and the right not to be discriminated against for exercising those rights. Because we hold little to no personal data about you, most requests are satisfied by managing the data on your own device. If you have a request or question, contact us using Section 13 and we will respond as required by applicable law.

11. Children

The App is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the App evolves or as required by law. When we do, we will change the "Last updated" date above and, for material changes, provide a more prominent notice. As the product grows we may add optional features (for example, additional AI providers or an optional account and sync service); we will update this policy before such features process your data.