Updated
This policy covers the Mac app and this website. You can contact me through the form with any questions about your data.
Reading your screen
Summa uses macOS Screen Recording permission to capture a window and read its text with Apple’s Vision framework on your Mac. During a session it follows the active window unless you pin it. Switching apps can change what Summa reads, including text in a private document or message.
The capture code turns audio recording off. The annotation requests send recognized text and the window label, which includes the app name and window title. Capture images are processed on your Mac.
AI annotations
When Premium AI annotations is enabled and you have working credentials, Summa sends visible window text to its server on Cloudflare Workers. Your beta code or session token accompanies the request. The server sends the text and window label to Anthropic’s API to generate notes.
A direct Anthropic API key lets the app send requests to Anthropic from your Mac. If a beta code or signed-in session is also saved, Summa uses its server first. A custom proxy URL sends annotation requests to the server at that address.
Anthropic describes its API retention rules in its commercial data retention policy. Account settings and exceptions affect those rules. Summa makes no promise of zero retention or of a particular training opt-out agreement with Anthropic.
Turn off Premium AI annotations in Settings to stop the screen-wide AI annotation feature. Reference lookups have separate network behavior described below. Quitting Summa stops app requests; a request already sent can still finish processing.
Dictionary and reference lookups
Vocabulary definitions come from the macOS dictionary. Reference lookups query Wikipedia for a term, sometimes using nearby words to refine the search. Wikipedia receives the query and the connection information that accompanies it.
When a direct Anthropic key is configured, the reference resolver can also send a phrase with surrounding text to Anthropic. The source includes an optional Brave Search fallback that runs when a Brave API key is configured. These lookups can occur separately from screen-wide AI annotations. For reading without network requests from the app, quit Summa.
What stays on your Mac
Summa saves preferences and entered credentials in macOS app preferences. The current source uses UserDefaults for beta codes, session tokens, and a direct API key. Treat access to your macOS account as access to those credentials.
Lookup caches and records of suppressed matches are stored in ~/Library/Application Support/Summa/. Builds with the training log record the phrase you selected or dismissed, nearby text, the window label, and the offered reference choices. You can inspect or clear that log under Settings → Training Data where those controls are available.
Export Demo Catalog writes a file to a folder you choose. That file can include recognized text and the document’s window title. Review it before sharing. To remove local lookup files, quit Summa and delete its folder in Application Support. Removing the app itself can leave these files and app preferences behind.
Analytics depends on your build
The installer currently linked on this site was packaged on July 20, 2026, before the PostHog integration added to the app source on July 27. Builds from that newer source include PostHog analytics and automatic error reporting.
In those builds, PostHog receives app lifecycle and feature-use events. Reading-session events include the app name and window title; choosing or reporting an annotation sends its phrase. Successful Apple sign-in associates events with the email address returned by that sign-in. PostHog also processes device and technical information through its SDK.
The current settings screen has no analytics opt-out switch. Disabling AI annotations leaves analytics active in builds that include it. See PostHog’s privacy policy for its handling of data.
Beta access and sign-in
The beta form collects your email and, if you enter it, what you are reading. I use that information to respond to your request and arrange access.
The server supports Sign in with Apple for approved emails. In builds that offer it, the app sends Apple’s identity token to Summa’s server for verification. The server checks the email against an allowlist and issues a session token that expires after 30 days. The current download uses the beta-code field for access.
The website and feedback
Netlify hosts this site and processes its forms. Contact submissions include your name, email, and message. The feedback form also accepts a phrase, document title, and annotation. I use submissions to answer you and investigate the issue you report.
Opening a report from the app can put the phrase, window title, and annotation in the feedback page’s URL before you submit the form. That URL reaches the host and can appear in browser history or request logs. Review the fields before sending and keep sensitive text out of reports.
The website source includes no advertising or browser analytics scripts. Hosting services still handle connection details, including IP addresses and requested URLs. See Netlify’s privacy policy.
Server logs and retention
The annotation server logs an access-code prefix or an approved user’s email with request information. Depending on the request path, that information includes annotation counts and token usage with an estimated cost. Sign-in logs can include an email or a verification error.
The server code has no database that saves full reading passages. Cloudflare handles network requests and operational logs under its service settings. See Cloudflare’s privacy policy.
Summa has no published automatic deletion period for form submissions or service logs. Provider retention settings have not been verified for this policy. Ask through the contact form if you want a copy of information associated with your email, a correction, or deletion. I’ll explain any limits that apply, including records held by service providers.
Age and changes
Summa is intended for readers aged 13 and over. Contact me if a child has submitted personal information so I can address it.
Updates to this policy will appear here with a new date. Check this page when installing a new app build, since its data handling can change.