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Your privacy is critically important to us. At Focused Scribe, we have a few fundamental principles that we follow closely:

Below is our Privacy Policy, which explains how information about you is collected, used, and protected when you use Focused Scribe.

1. Who We Are and What This Policy Covers

This Privacy Policy applies to information that we collect about you when you use Focused Scribe (focusedscribe.com), our desktop-accessible web writing environment, and associated manuscript synchronization services.

2. Information We Collect

We only collect information about you if we have a reason to do so—for example, to provide our services, communicate with you, or ensure your manuscripts sync reliably across your devices.

A. Information Handled by Clerk (Our Authentication Provider)

To provide secure, hassle-free account sign-in, account management is handled through Clerk (clerk.com):

• Basic Account Information: When you register or sign in using email, Google OAuth, or Discord OAuth, Clerk securely processes your authentication credentials, verified email address, display name, and avatar.
• Password Protection: Focused Scribe never receives or stores your Google, Discord, or third-party passwords. Authentication tokens are securely verified according to modern cryptographic standards.
• Clerk Privacy Policy: For details regarding Clerk's infrastructure and security controls, please review Clerk's Privacy Policy.

B. Your Creative Content (Manuscripts, Scripts, Spreadsheets & Story Boards)

Focused Scribe supports five distinct studio creative modalities: Pantser prose drafts, Screenwriter screenplays, Stacks narrative beat cards, Grid story spreadsheets, and Editor craft diagnostics / snapshot diffs. All creative content is treated with identical privacy safeguards:

• Local / Guest Mode: If you write without signing in, all chapters, screenplays, story cards, spreadsheet rows, notes, and preferences are stored exclusively in your browser’s local IndexedDB and LocalStorage. None of your writing is uploaded to our servers.
• Synchronized Cloud Mode: If you sign in, your studio projects are transmitted over encrypted HTTPS and saved to encrypted cloud storage (Cloudflare D1 database and R2 storage) accessible solely through your authenticated user session.
• User Backup Responsibility: You are solely responsible for maintaining backup copies of your work. Focused Scribe provides built-in export features across all formats (Manuscript JSON/Markdown/TXT, Screenplay Fountain/FDX/PDF, Stacks Board JSON, and Grid Spreadsheet CSV/JSON) so you can save offline files at any time. We are not liable for any loss of content caused by browser cache clearing, device failure, lost account access, or accidental deletion.

C. Audio, Microphone & Voice Dictation Privacy

Focused Scribe features audio tools, including speech-to-text dictation and speech recognition bridges:

• Local Speech Processing: When using the local Whisper bridge, audio is processed strictly on your own device communicating with your own local inference server (such as whisper.cpp at 127.0.0.1). No voice or audio data leaves your machine.
• Browser Web Speech: When using native browser dictation, voice recognition is handled directly by your web browser according to your browser vendor's privacy settings.
• Zero Server Audio Storage: Focused Scribe does not record, intercept, listen to, store, or stream your microphone audio or transcriptions to our servers or any third-party marketing or AI training providers.

3. Zero AI Training Guarantee

We believe human creativity is sacred. We do not sell, license, scrape, or feed your creative writing to any AI platform, LLM dataset, or third-party technology provider under any circumstances.

4. Information We DO NOT Collect: No Google Analytics

Unlike many modern web applications, Focused Scribe does NOT use Google Analytics, advertising beacons, canvas fingerprinting, or third-party session recorders.

We do not track your reading or writing habits across the web, build advertising profiles, or monetize your usage patterns. Our business is providing writers with a focused, aesthetic workspace—not advertising.

5. How and Why We Use Information

We use information about you as mentioned above and for the following limited purposes:

• To provide our services: To verify your login status and sync your chapters and manuscripts between your devices.
• To safeguard our systems: To monitor and prevent automated abuse, spam, and unauthorized access.
• To communicate with you: To respond to direct support requests you submit via email.

6. Sharing Information

We do not sell our users’ private personal information or manuscripts. We share information only in the limited circumstances spelled out below and with appropriate safeguards:

• Trusted Infrastructure Providers: We share necessary technical data with trusted third-party providers who power our infrastructure:
  • Clerk (User identity and session authentication).
  • Cloudflare (Encrypted database, cloud object storage, and secure content delivery).
• Legal Requests: We may disclose information if required to do so by a legally binding court order or valid governmental subpoena.
• To Protect Rights and Safety: When we believe in good faith that disclosure is reasonably necessary to protect the property or rights of Focused Scribe, third parties, or the public at large.

7. GDPR and International Data Rights

If you are a resident of the European Union, European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or jurisdictions with comparable privacy frameworks (such as CCPA/CPRA), you have specific statutory rights concerning your personal data:

• Right of Access & Portability: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. You can also export all your manuscripts and studio projects at any time using Focused Scribe's built-in export tools across universal formats (JSON, Markdown, Fountain, Final Draft XML, CSV, and Plain Text).
• Right to Rectification: You can update or amend your personal information directly through your Clerk user profile.
• Right to Erasure ("Right to Be Forgotten"): You can request the complete deletion of your account and all synchronized cloud manuscripts. Once deleted, your manuscripts and account details are purged from our live databases.
• Right to Restrict or Object: You can object to the processing of your data or opt out of cloud sync at any time by continuing in offline/guest mode.
• Clerk as Data Processor: For identity management, Clerk acts as our Data Processor, maintaining compliance with European standard contractual clauses (SCCs) and GDPR Article 28 data processing addenda (DPA).

8. Age Limits & Children's Privacy (COPPA & GDPR)

Focused Scribe is not intended for or directed to children under 13 years of age. In compliance with COPPA and global privacy regulations, we do not knowingly collect or solicit personal data from children under 13. If you believe that a child under 13 has provided personal data to us, please notify us at support@focusedscribe.com so we can delete it immediately.

Discord Server: Our Discord server is restricted strictly to adults 18 years of age and older. Minors under 18 are not permitted in our Discord community.

9. Support, Feedback, and Community

Because we don’t use invasive tracking tools to gather site feedback, we depend on direct, honest conversation with our community. If you need assistance, have ideas to share, or want to give feedback:

• Discord Community: Join fellow authors on the Focused Scribe Discord Server.
• Direct Support: Email our team directly at support@focusedscribe.com.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

Although most changes are likely to be minor, Focused Scribe may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We encourage visitors to frequently check this page for any updates. If we make material changes, we will notify you through our Discord community or via our website prior to the change taking effect.