Privacy Policy
Last updated: 2 July 2026
In a nutshell
Producing each verdict — transient
To decide whether you're on task, each time it checks the app sends — through our server to a third-party AI provider — your active app name, the window title, the full URL, and your task text (task name, details, and your configured main working site). In Screenshot detection mode only, it also sends a picture of your entire display. This is used once to return a single on-task / off-task verdict. Our own backend does not store this content, and the AI provider does not use it to train its models; it keeps it only briefly before deleting it (see “What we keep”).
If you flag a wrong verdict — stored
Only when you tell the app it judged you wrongly, a minimized report is stored: your task text and the site's domain (for example, notion.so). It never includes window titles, screenshots, or full URLs. There are no accounts, so it isn't tied to your name — but it is keyed to a random per-install ID so you can ask us to delete it. This is on by default; you can switch it off anytime in Settings.
Screenshot detection mode
Screenshot detection mode captures your entire display — everything visible at that moment, not just the app being judged — and sends that image to the AI provider for a single verdict. It is optional and off by default; it runs only if you choose “Screenshot” as your detection method in Settings. The image is used only for that check and is not stored by us.
1. Who we are and how to reach us
Attention (“the app”) is operated by Yan Cheng Chen, an individual sole proprietor based in Taiwan, trading as “Attention.” This policy is governed by the laws of Taiwan (R.O.C.). For any privacy question, or to request deletion of your data, email privacy@tryattention.app.
2. How detection works — two separate pipelines
Attention watches your current activity only during a Focus Session, and most of that watching stays entirely on your Mac. There are two separate ways information can leave your device, and they work very differently — we keep them distinct on purpose. One is transient (used to produce a verdict and not stored by us); the other is stored only when you choose to flag a mistake.
| Flow | What is sent or stored | Where it goes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local monitoring | Active app, window title, browser URL, and (in Screenshot mode) a screenshot | Stays on your Mac | The raw capture does not leave your device on its own. |
| Classification | Task text (name, details, main working site), active app, window title, full URL, and — in Screenshot mode — a full-display screenshot; plus your Install ID and local date | Our server → a third-party AI provider | Sent transiently to produce one verdict. Our backend does not store this content. |
| Free-tier metering | Install ID, local date, minutes used | Our cloud backend | Enforces the free daily limit. |
| Entitlement | Install ID and your premium-until date | Our cloud backend, set by the payment processor's webhook | No account or login is used. |
| Misjudgment telemetry | Task text and the site's registrable domain — no titles, screenshots, or full URLs | Our cloud backend (insert-only, IP dropped, rate-limited) | Pseudonymous — keyed to your Install ID and deletable. On by default; you can opt out. |
| Payment | Card and billing details | The payment processor (Merchant of Record) | The app never sees your card details. |
3. What we keep, and for how long
- AI-classification data: processed by the third-party AI provider to produce a verdict. It is not used to train their models and is retained by them only briefly — a short operational window — before deletion, except where they must keep content flagged for safety or legal reasons. We do not claim it is never stored or subject to zero retention.
- Misjudgment telemetry: kept until you request its deletion, and in any case automatically deleted after 24 months.
- Usage metering: kept for up to 12 months, then automatically deleted.
- Subscription-status data: kept while your subscription is active and for up to 24 months after it ends. Actual payment records are held by the payment processor under their own retention policy.
4. Your rights and choices
- We honor GDPR (EU) and CCPA (California) rights for all users, wherever you live. Email privacy@tryattention.app to exercise them. We do not sell your data.
- Turn off telemetry: open Settings and switch off the “Help improve accuracy” toggle.
- Delete your telemetry: because there are no accounts, deletion is keyed to your Install ID, which the app shows (and lets you copy) in Settings / About. Send it to privacy@tryattention.app and we'll delete the associated reports.
- Your local data: your tasks, history, settings, and the Install ID file live on your Mac, in your user Library. We don't sync or back them up. Because the app runs outside the macOS App Sandbox, removing the app does not automatically delete this data — to erase it, use the in-app “Delete all local data” control, or delete the app's Application Support folder and its preferences.
5. Current service providers
We rely on a small number of service providers, listed here by category so we can update them without rewriting this policy. We will update this list when it changes. Today they are: AI classification — our third-party AI provider; cloud backend and database — our backend host; and payments — our payment processor, acting as Merchant of Record.
6. Children
Attention is intended for people aged 16 and over. It is not directed to or intended for children, and we do not knowingly collect their data.
7. Changes to this policy
The “Last updated” date above reflects the current version. For routine changes we simply update that date. For material changes — especially anything that expands what data leaves your device, or changes our telemetry posture — the app will show a one-time in-app notice pointing here before the change takes effect. There is no email channel for these notices.