Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Embark is an activity, hours, and memory tracking service developed and operated by Joshua Hoffman ("Embark," "we," "us," or "our"). This Privacy Policy applies to the Embark mobile and web apps, the startembark.com website, and related services.

Embark is not a healthcare provider, educational institution, admissions organization, or medical-record system. Do not enter patient names, medical-record numbers, contact information, or other patient-identifying health information.

2. Information we collect

Information you provide

Depending on the features you use, this may include:

• Account information, such as your email address and authentication provider.
• Profile information, such as your name, profile image, academic stage, school or program, goals, path, and test-planning information.
• Your content, including activities, organizations, dates, contacts, hours, time entries, tags, memories, reflections, follow-ups, notes, and other text you choose to save.
• Audio you choose to record for dictation and the resulting transcript.
• Notification preferences, time zone, quiet hours, and interactions with notifications.
• Support communications, bug reports, diagnostic details you elect to include, and screenshots you choose to attach.

Information collected automatically

We may collect an account identifier, installation identifier, app version, device and platform category, language, time zone, authentication and sync state, feature interactions, purchase or entitlement status, push-notification token, and limited crash or error information. We do not use advertising IDs or collect precise location for the current service.

Local and synced data

Embark is designed to keep an offline copy of much of your data on your device or browser. If you use an account, eligible data is also synchronized through our cloud services so it can be available across your devices. Some device settings and developer sample data remain local only.

3. How we use information

We use information to:

• Provide accounts, local access, synchronization, backup-related functionality, and the features you request.
• Process dictation, send notifications, respond to support requests, and troubleshoot problems.
• Maintain security, prevent abuse, enforce our Terms, and protect the service and its users.
• Understand product performance and improve Embark using the limited analytics described below.
• Administer trials, purchases, subscriptions, and entitlements when those features are available.
• Comply with law and establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

We do not sell your personal information, use your private content for targeted advertising, or use activity, memory, reflection, transcript, or application text to train general artificial-intelligence models.

4. Analytics and diagnostics

Optional product analytics is enabled by default and may be linked to pseudonymous account and installation identifiers. It can include app/build/platform information, stable screen and workflow keys, selected path, academic stage, activity category, entry method, coarse duration or count ranges, whether an optional field was provided, and entitlement state.

Product analytics is designed not to include names, email addresses, school or program names, exact test scores, activity names or descriptions, contact details, notes, memories, reflections, essays, prompts, audio, transcripts, dictation content, authentication tokens, or location. Session replay and IP-based location enrichment are disabled.

You can turn off future optional product analytics in Settings on each device or browser. Limited, content-filtered crash and error diagnostics may remain active because they are needed to operate Embark safely and reliably. Changing the setting does not automatically delete analytics collected earlier.

5. Permissions and consent

Embark requests device permissions only when they are relevant to a feature you choose to use. For example, dictation requires microphone access, profile or support images may require photo library or camera access, and push alerts require notification permission. Declining an optional permission does not prevent access to unrelated features. Where practical, Embark offers a manual alternative, such as typing instead of dictating.

You can revoke device permissions at any time in your operating system settings. You can withdraw consent for future optional product analytics in Embark Settings and can change notification choices in Embark or system settings. Revoking a permission or consent stops the related future collection or processing but does not automatically delete information already processed; use the deletion options below for that.

We do not use data collected for one purpose for a materially different purpose without providing notice and obtaining further consent when required by law or platform rules.

6. How we share information

We disclose information only in the following circumstances:

• Service providers. Vendors process information for us to provide hosting, authentication, synchronization, private file storage, analytics, diagnostics, transcription, push notifications, support email, and—when enabled—payments.
• App stores and payment providers. Apple, Google, RevenueCat, Stripe, or another payment provider may process purchase and subscription information under their own terms. We generally receive transaction, product, and entitlement information rather than full payment-card details.
• Legal and safety reasons. We may disclose information when reasonably necessary to comply with law, respond to valid legal process, enforce our Terms, or protect rights, safety, and security.
• Business transfer. Information may be transferred as part of a merger, financing, acquisition, reorganization, bankruptcy, or sale of assets, subject to applicable notice and legal requirements.
• At your direction. We may disclose information when you ask us to or consent to it.

Current core providers include Supabase for authentication, application data, server functions, and file storage; PowerSync for device synchronization; PostHog for product analytics and diagnostics; Groq for user-requested dictation transcription; Firebase and platform notification services for push delivery; and Resend for support and transactional email. Providers may change as the service develops.

We contractually or otherwise require service providers that receive user data from Embark to protect it to the same or an equivalent standard described in this policy and required by applicable platform rules and law. They may process the data only to provide services to us or as otherwise disclosed to you.

7. Storage and security

Information may be stored on your device and on systems operated by us and our service providers. We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information, including access controls, private storage for profile images and support attachments, and encrypted network transport where supported.

No system is completely secure. You are responsible for securing your devices, email account, and sign-in methods and for keeping recovery information current.

8. Retention and deletion

We retain account information and synced content while your account is active and as needed to provide Embark. Items moved to Recently Deleted are scheduled for permanent deletion after 30 days once the deletion reaches our servers, unless you restore or permanently delete them sooner.

Transaction records, security logs, backups, and content-free analytics or diagnostics may be retained for a reasonable period for fraud prevention, accounting, legal compliance, dispute resolution, and service reliability. Backup copies may persist temporarily until they are overwritten.

You can permanently delete your account and associated server data from the Danger Zone on your in-app Profile after confirming your identity. This removes your synced content and detaches retained problem reports from your account, contact details, and identifying diagnostics. Other signed-in devices are blocked from restoring deleted data. We retain only limited information when legally required or necessary to investigate reported problems, protect billing integrity, or protect the service, and delete or de-identify it when it is no longer needed.

9. Your choices and rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights to access, correct, export, delete, restrict, or object to certain uses of personal information, and to appeal a denied privacy request. You can update some information and preferences in Embark or contact us to make a request. We may need to verify your identity.

You can control optional analytics in Settings, manage push permissions through Embark and your operating system, and unsubscribe from non-essential emails using the instructions in those messages. Transactional or security messages may still be sent when needed to provide the service.

We do not currently sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. If that changes, we will update this policy and provide any choice or consent required by law before the new practice begins.

10. Children

Embark is intended for people age 16 or older and is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you believe a child under 16 has provided information, contact us so we can investigate and take appropriate action.

11. International use

Embark and its providers may process information in the United States and other countries where privacy laws may differ from those where you live. Where required, we use appropriate legal mechanisms for international transfers.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as Embark changes. We will post the updated policy and revise the effective date. If a change is material, we will provide additional notice or seek consent when required. A policy update alone will not cause historical private content to be copied into analytics.

13. Contact us

Embark is operated by Joshua Hoffman. For privacy questions or requests, email support@startembark.com.