Privacy Policy.

1. Scope and operator

This Privacy Policy applies to The Scribe Mac and Windows applications, getthescribe.com, account services, licensing, support, and related services owned and operated by Victory Multimedia (“The Scribe,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). It does not govern Amazon KDP, payment processors, hosting services, generation services, software repositories, or other third-party services when you interact with them independently. Their privacy notices also apply.

For privacy questions or requests, contact support@getthescribe.com.

2. Local-first data

The app stores recordings, imported files, transcripts, edits, book projects, cover files, exports, preferences, and version history on your computer unless you choose a feature that requires cloud processing or an external destination. Core transcription is designed to run locally after required transcription files are downloaded. We do not receive a copy of raw audio merely because you record or transcribe it locally.

Your computer, backups, synchronized folders, and any third-party storage you choose are outside our control. You are responsible for device security, backups, permissions, and deletion of local files. Setup downloads may be obtained from our distribution infrastructure or identified third-party repositories; those services receive ordinary network information such as an IP address.

3. Information we collect

Depending on how you use The Scribe, we process:

• Purchase and license data: email address, order and product identifiers, plan, subscription status, license activation data, entitlement, billing period, and limited transaction metadata supplied by Paddle for new purchases or Lemon Squeezy for earlier purchases. We do not store full payment-card details.
• Account and device signals: pseudonymous license or account hashes, limited device or installation identifiers, network-abuse hashes, application version, platform, and verification status.
• Usage and operations: request identifiers, feature type, status, timestamps, selected writing level, requested word or page target, token and unit counts, approximate provider cost, error codes, rate-limit buckets, and credit use and free-feature limits.
• Book and revision content: the source text, author brief, title information, editorial settings, current manuscript or chapter, and returned draft needed to perform a cloud book or revision request.
• Cover content: title, subtitle, author name, visual direction, selected manuscript themes or excerpt, and the generated image returned for the project.
• Support and legal communications: messages, attachments, order details, notices, and records needed to answer a request or comply with law.
• Website and security data: standard server logs such as IP address, request time, browser or user-agent data, referring page, requested resource, and security events. The public marketing site does not currently use behavioral advertising pixels. We measure website visits using a random browser identifier stored locally for up to 90 days. Our visitor-count database stores a protected hash of that identifier, the day, and the number of page views. It does not store your name, email, full IP address, browsing history, or page query strings. We do not link these counts to your Scribe account. We also measure clicks on website installer and checkout links, including the release or plan selected and the time. These events use the same protected browser identifier to measure repeat downloads and visitor-to-download conversion. A click does not tell us whether a download, installation, or purchase completed. The optional download-link form uses your email address to send the one-time message you request. It does not create a Scribe account or add you to a mailing list. The form’s database stores hashed email and network identifiers for abuse limits, not your email address or full IP address; these counters are removed within three days. Download-click events are retained for up to 90 days. Any contact details voluntarily provided through the former optional download form remain subject to its 90-day retention period and are not used to subscribe you to marketing emails.

4. Why we use information

We use information to:

• activate licenses, show current credits and access, validate purchases, and provide the requested service;
• transmit and complete book, revision, and cover jobs; save work in progress; prevent duplicate charges; and return results;
• enforce free and paid usage limits, prevent fraud and abuse, protect credentials, rate-limit requests, and enforce account and global spend caps;
• diagnose failures, maintain availability, measure provider cost, improve product reliability, and provide support;
• process subscription events, refunds, disputes, copyright notices, tax and accounting records, and legal obligations;
• send essential transactional or security messages. We do not use customer manuscripts for unrelated advertising.

Where privacy law requires a legal basis, we rely on performance of our contract, legitimate interests in operating and securing the service, compliance with legal obligations, and consent where specifically requested. You may withdraw consent for future processing, but that does not undo lawful processing already completed and may prevent the relevant optional feature from working.

5. When information is shared

We share only what is reasonably needed with service providers acting for us or as independently disclosed controllers:

• Paddle: merchant of record, checkout, tax, payment, receipt, subscription, and refund events for new purchases. We send your verified checkout email and account identifiers to connect payment to your account. Lemon Squeezy: earlier purchase, subscription, refund, and license records.
• Hosting and security services: website, account connections, database, workflow, security, logging, software distribution, and transactional-email infrastructure.
• Manuscript generation services: book creation and supported manuscript revision requests sent through our secured service.
• Cover generation services: requested premium cover generation.
• Software hosts: repositories used to download required transcription and private-chat components.

If you deliberately use an optional feature with your own provider key or open an external service such as Amazon KDP or a file destination, your request is also governed by that provider. We may disclose information to professional advisers, a successor in a corporate transaction, or authorities when reasonably necessary to comply with law, protect rights and safety, or investigate abuse.

We do not sell personal information, rent customer lists, or share manuscripts for cross-context behavioral advertising. We do not authorize generation providers to use submitted customer material for our advertising. Provider handling remains subject to the contract and policy applicable to that service.

6. Automated processing and human access

Book and cover generation is automated. Credit, fraud, request-rate and spending checks may automatically approve, block, pause, resume or stop a request. These controls protect accounts and prevent unexpected costs. Contact support if you believe a decision is wrong.

The private owner console displays account hashes, plan and usage status, job progress, token counts, model, cost, and errors; it is designed not to display customer manuscripts or credentials. Authorized personnel may access limited content only when required to resolve a support request, investigate abuse or security, recover a job at your request, or comply with law.

7. Retention

We retain information only as long as reasonably needed for the purposes above, subject to backups, infrastructure behavior, disputes, and legal requirements:

• completed cloud manuscript and chapter-result text is cleared from the application database after approximately 7 days;
• book-job, chapter-revision, request, and webhook-operation records are deleted after approximately 90 days;
• workflow execution state, which may contain submitted source and checkpoints, may remain in the workflow infrastructure for up to approximately 30 days;
• website visitor-count records are removed after approximately 90 days;
• temporary rate-limit records are removed after approximately 2 days;
• expired owner sessions are removed and owner security audit records are kept for up to approximately 1 year;
• license, entitlement, transaction, fraud-prevention, refund, accounting, and legal records may remain while the account or obligation exists and for the period required to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

Generated cover image data is returned to the app for local storage. We retain request and usage metadata as described above; generation providers may retain request content under their applicable service terms. Local recordings, transcripts, projects, and exports remain until you delete them from your computer and any backups.

8. Security

We use measures intended to protect information, including encrypted network transport, secret management, server-side authorization and metering, hashed account and abuse identifiers, least-privilege administration, short-lived owner sessions, rate limits, idempotency controls, spend caps, audit logs, and retention cleanup. No system is perfectly secure. Do not place secrets, unnecessary sensitive personal data, or material you are not permitted to process in a project.

If you believe your information or license has been compromised, contact us promptly. We will investigate and provide notices required by applicable law.

9. International processing

Our providers may process information in the United States and other countries. Those locations may have different privacy laws. Where required, we use contractual and organizational safeguards for international transfers. Mandatory local rights continue to apply.

Emailing yourself a download link

If you ask us to email the Mac and Windows download links, we use the address you enter to send that one-time message through our transactional-email service. You must choose the consent checkbox before sending. This does not create an account or subscribe you to follow-up or marketing emails.

To limit unwanted messages, we keep hashed email and network identifiers with request counters for up to three days. This form does not store your email address or full IP address in its database. Our email provider processes the recipient address to deliver the message under its service terms. You can download directly without using this form.

10. Cookies and website choices

The marketing website may use essential storage or cookies for security, routing, accessibility, and basic operation. We do not currently use behavioral advertising cookies on getthescribe.com. Paddle, Lemon Squeezy and external sites may use their own cookies when you open checkout or another link. Browser controls can block or delete cookies, although essential functions may stop working.

Our website visitor counter respects “Do Not Track” and Global Privacy Control signals. Enable either signal to opt out of this counter. Clearing this website’s local storage removes its random visitor identifier; blocking local storage also prevents this counter from running. Where a legally recognized opt-out signal applies to a processing activity we perform, we will honor it as required.

11. Children

The Scribe is not directed to children and is not intended for anyone under 18 or the age of legal majority where they live. We do not knowingly collect a child’s personal information. Contact us if you believe a child supplied information, and we will investigate and delete it where required.

12. Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live, you may request access, correction, deletion, restriction, portability, or objection; withdraw consent; opt out of certain sale, sharing, profiling, or targeted advertising; or appeal a privacy decision. We do not discriminate for exercising a privacy right.

Email support@getthescribe.com with “Privacy request,” the request, and enough information to identify the relevant license or order. We may need to verify identity and authority before acting. An authorized agent may submit a request where law permits. We will respond within the legally required period and explain any lawful exception. You may also complain to your local data-protection or consumer-protection authority.

To delete local work, use the app’s delete controls and remove related exports or backups. To cancel a subscription, use the manage-subscription link in your payment receipt or your Scribe account billing portal; deleting local files does not cancel billing.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when features, providers, practices, or laws change. The current effective date and version appear at the top. We will provide additional notice before a material change where required. Archived copies may be requested from support.

14. Contact

Privacy questions and rights requests: support@getthescribe.com.

Owner and operator: Victory Multimedia.

Connected purchases

Purchases use the same verified Scribe account across devices. Account credentials are stored in the Mac Keychain. For store versions, the service verifies purchase identifiers with Apple or Google and links them using a random account identifier. Google purchase tokens are encrypted in server storage for subscription verification. Payment card details remain with the payment provider. Store versions use system notifications when you enable daily reminders.

My Journal and optional phone sync

Journal entries include your title, entry date, recording timestamp, timezone, transcript and original transcript, book-selection preference, and recording when present. Mac entries are saved locally; the phone web companion stores entries and audio in browser storage on that device. Account ownership is checked for cloud reads. Paid access is checked for creating or editing entries; expiry does not remove access to saved work.

If you enable account sync, journal text and recordings are uploaded over HTTPS to The Scribe’s Cloudflare database and private audio storage, associated with the verified account email identifier. Access requires account authorization. This is not end-to-end encryption. Your Mac performs transcription of synced phone recordings while My Journal is open; journal audio is not sent to a cloud transcription provider by this feature.

Sync-off stops further transfers but does not remove existing server copies. Recently deleted entries remain recoverable and continue to count toward storage. Synced journal entries and recordings are retained to provide the journal across your devices; the seven-day cleanup for completed book results does not apply to journal entries. For deletion of server copies, use the verified privacy-request process in the Your privacy rights section. Local files, browser data, downloaded recordings, calendar events, and backups must also be managed on their respective devices.

The companion uses the existing secure account-session cookie and stores a limited paid-access check for offline capture. Browser storage can be cleared by the operating system or user. Mac reminders use system notifications; phone reminders are calendar events the user chooses to import. Entries are not sent for book generation merely because they were recorded or synced: users select entries and request generation separately.