Privacy Policy
Last updated: March 11, 2026
The short version
MeetingVault is a local meeting notes app — not a recorder. Audio is temporarily captured, transcribed on-device using Whisper, then automatically deleted. Only your text notes remain. We don't collect your data. We don't have accounts. We don't track you. Your meeting notes stay on your device. The app makes limited network calls for update checks and license validation — no meeting content is ever involved.
1. Overview
This Privacy Policy describes how MeetingVault ("the Software") handles data. MeetingVault is developed by Joe ("Developer," "we," "us," or "our").
MeetingVault is a local-first macOS application. We do not store your meeting content on servers. The limited network activity that does occur (software update checks, optional bug reports) is described in detail below. This policy exists to clearly describe what happens with your data when you use the Software.
2. What We Collect
Nothing from the app.
The MeetingVault application does not collect, transmit, or store any user data on external servers.
Website waitlist: If you sign up for launch notifications on our website, we store your email address solely to notify you when MeetingVault is available. We will not share your email with third parties, and you can request removal at any time by emailing privacy@getmeetingvault.com.
Purchases: When you purchase a license, our payment processor Paddle collects your email address to send your receipt. This is handled entirely by Paddle under their privacy policy.
Specifically, we do not collect:
- Analytics or telemetry data
- Usage statistics or behavioral data
- Account information (no accounts exist)
- Crash reports or diagnostic data
- Device identifiers or fingerprints
- IP addresses or location data
3. Data Stored Locally on Your Device
MeetingVault stores the following data locally on your Mac:
Temporary audio (auto-deleted)
Audio is temporarily captured as WAV files in ~/Library/Application Support/MeetingVault/audio/ during transcription. Audio files are automatically deleted after successful transcription. If transcription fails, audio is preserved for retry and cleaned up within 24 hours. MeetingVault is a note-taking app, not a recorder — no audio is retained.
Transcripts and meeting notes
Stored in a local SQLite database at ~/Library/Application Support/MeetingVault/meetingvault.db. These are the only persistent data MeetingVault keeps.
Application preferences
Settings stored in standard macOS UserDefaults.
Whisper ML model
Downloaded once from Hugging Face and stored locally for on-device transcription. No data is sent to Hugging Face during transcription.
4. What Leaves Your Device
By default, nothing. MeetingVault operates entirely offline after the initial Whisper model download. All transcription and note-taking happens on-device.
Data may leave your device only in these limited circumstances:
Update checks
MeetingVault uses the Sparkle framework to check for updates. This involves fetching an XML file from our update server. No personal data or usage data is transmitted during update checks.
License validation
Your license key is validated via Paddle's API. Only the license key is transmitted; no notes, transcript data, or usage data is sent.
Bug reports (user-initiated)
If you submit a bug report, the app opens a pre-populated email in your mail client containing basic system information (macOS version, app version). You review and send it manually. Nothing is transmitted automatically. No meeting content is included.
5. Biometric Data
MeetingVault does not collect, create, or store biometric data of any kind.
This includes voiceprints, speaker profiles, facial recognition data, or any other biometric identifiers. Speaker labels ("Me" and "Them") are determined solely by audio input source — microphone input is labeled "Me" and system audio is labeled "Them." No voice analysis, voice matching, or biometric identification is performed.
MeetingVault does not use speaker diarization (AI-based speaker separation). The Whisper model used for transcription does not produce speaker identities.
6. macOS Permissions
MeetingVault requests the following macOS permissions, each with a specific purpose:
- Microphone: Required to record your voice during meetings. Audio is processed and stored locally.
- System Audio: Optional. Captures audio from other meeting participants via macOS AudioTap. No screen content is captured.
- Calendar: Optional. Reads your calendar events to suggest meeting titles. No calendar data is stored or transmitted.
- Notifications: Optional. Alerts you when a meeting is detected or when recording stops automatically.
Permissions are requested just-in-time when the relevant feature is first used, not during onboarding.
7. Data Retention
Audio is temporary. Notes are permanent (until you delete them). Here is how retention works:
- Audio files are automatically deleted after successful transcription — no audio is retained. Failed transcriptions preserve audio for retry; a 24-hour cleanup handles edge cases.
- Text notes and transcripts remain on your device until you choose to delete them
- Delete individual meeting notes at any time from within the app
- Uninstalling MeetingVault and removing its Application Support folder removes all app data from your device
Because data is stored locally, there is no "account deletion" process — you control the data directly on your file system.
8. Third-Party Services
MeetingVault integrates with the following third-party services:
| Service | Purpose | Data sent |
|---|---|---|
| Hugging Face | Whisper model download | None (download only) |
| Paddle | Payment & licensing | License key; email at purchase |
| Sparkle | Update checks | None (fetch only) |
All transcription and note-taking is performed entirely on your device. No meeting content is ever sent to any external service.
9. Children's Privacy
MeetingVault is intended for users age 18 and older. We do not knowingly provide services to children under 18. Because we do not collect any data, we do not knowingly collect information from children.
10. GDPR and International Users
MeetingVault's local-first architecture means your data remains on your device under your control. All transcription and note-taking happens on-device — no meeting content is sent to any external server. Because we do not collect, process, or store personal data on any server, the standard GDPR obligations around data processing do not apply to the Developer.
Your payment processor (Paddle) may process personal data (such as your email address) for purchase transactions. Paddle's handling of this data is governed by their own privacy policy and GDPR compliance.
11. Security
MeetingVault employs the following security measures:
- Audio files automatically deleted after successful transcription — no audio retention
- Hardened runtime enabled (Apple's security hardening for macOS apps)
- App notarized by Apple (malware-scanned)
- Minimal entitlements (microphone access only)
- No network connectivity required for core functionality
- No remote code execution or dynamic module loading
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Material changes will be communicated through the app's update notes.
13. Contact
For privacy inquiries, contact us at privacy@getmeetingvault.com.