Privacy Policy[TODO: 法务复核]

Last updated: 2026-09-05 · Applies to branchreader.app and the Branch Reader desktop app

1. The short version

Branch Reader is a local-first application. Your documents, reading anchors, notes, concept library and review history are stored on your device — in the desktop app's local storage — and are never uploaded to our servers. We cannot read what you read.

2. What stays on your device

• Imported documents (text, links content, PDF text) and their paragraph anchors
• Your questions, answers, notes and export files
• Concept library and spaced-repetition review state
• Settings, plan entitlement, and license activation records (including an obfuscated, non-encrypted copy of a BYOK license key used solely for local revalidation)

3. What leaves your device, and when

• LLM requests. When you use features that call a language model (preview, anchored Q&A, fact-checks, recurrence detection), the relevant text is sent through our proxy to the model provider (currently Zhipu AI / bigmodel.cn) solely to produce the answer. We do not store request bodies beyond ephemeral usage metering (token counts, action type, timestamp).
• BYOK. If you bring your own API key, requests go from your device to your chosen provider under your own terms. We never see that traffic.
• Fact-check web search. When you explicitly trigger a fact-check, the extracted claim is sent to a web search tool.
• Waitlist. If you join the waitlist on this site, we store your email address (and optional plan interest) with our form processor, solely to invite you. We send one email when your seat opens. No newsletter, no resale.
• License validation. Activating BYOK sends the license key to our licensing provider (Lemon Squeezy) for validation.

4. What we never collect

• Account passwords — there are no accounts
• Analytics or behavioral tracking — this site has no analytics scripts
• Advertising identifiers or third-party ad cookies
• Your document content on our servers

5. Your rights (GDPR / CCPA)

Because we hold so little data, most rights are exercised locally: deleting the app data on your device permanently deletes your reading data. For anything we do hold (a waitlist email, a license record):

• Access / portability: email us and we will provide a copy of what we hold about you.
• Erasure: email us and we will delete your waitlist email and any associated records within 30 days. California residents: we do not sell or share personal information as defined by the CCPA/CPRA.
• Objection / restriction (GDPR): you may object to or restrict processing of your email at any time; the only processing is storing it to invite you.
• EEA/UK residents may also lodge a complaint with their supervisory authority.

6. Data processors

• Zhipu AI (bigmodel.cn) — LLM inference for built-in (non-BYOK) usage
• Lemon Squeezy — payments and license validation
• Formspree — waitlist form processing [TODO: 法务复核]

7. Retention

Local data: until you delete it. Usage metering records: aggregated token counts, retained up to 12 months. Waitlist emails: until the beta ends or you ask us to delete them.

8. Changes & contact

We will post changes on this page. Contact: privacy@branchreader.app [TODO: 法务复核]