Privacy Policy

#Introduction

ArcScribe is a voice recorder and speech to text Chrome extension built by Birchwood Group LLC ("Birchwood Group", "we", "us", or "our"). ArcScribe was designed around a simple idea: capturing your voice and turning it into a clean, editable transcript should not require you to hand your recordings to someone else's servers. Privacy is not a feature we added at the end. It is the reason the product exists.

This Privacy Policy explains, in clear and specific terms, how ArcScribe handles information when you install the extension, record audio, generate transcripts, organize your library, and (optionally) subscribe to ArcScribe Pro. It covers the data that stays on your device, the small amount of information involved in billing, the browser permissions ArcScribe requests, and the choices and legal rights available to you under frameworks such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

We have written this document to be readable by a normal person, not only by a lawyer. Where a term carries legal weight, we define it. Where a practice could be misunderstood, we explain it. Our goal is that by the time you finish reading, you feel comfortable installing ArcScribe because you understand exactly what happens to your voice.

Note: ArcScribe stores your recordings and transcripts locally on your own device by default. We do not upload, sell, rent, or trade your recordings or transcripts. The sections below explain the narrow exceptions (for example, subscription billing) and why they exist.

#Table of Contents

1. Executive Summary
2. Purpose
3. Scope
4. Definitions
5. Information We Collect
6. Information You Provide
7. Automatically Collected Data
8. Extension Permissions
9. Browser Data and Device Information
10. Usage Analytics
11. Cookies and Local Storage
12. Third-Party Services
13. AI and Automated Processing
14. Payment Information
15. Authentication and Accounts
16. How Data Is Shared
17. Data Retention
18. Data Security and Encryption
19. International Data Transfers
20. Legal Basis for Processing
21. Your GDPR Rights
22. Your CCPA Rights
23. Children's Privacy
24. Do Not Track
25. Data Deletion Requests
26. User Responsibilities
27. Company Responsibilities
28. Examples
29. Frequently Asked Questions
30. Contact Information
31. Future Policy Changes
32. Conclusion

#Executive Summary

For readers who want the essentials before the detail, here is the short version of how ArcScribe treats your privacy:

• Your recordings and transcripts live on your device. ArcScribe saves audio, transcripts, folders, tags, and preferences in local browser storage on the computer where you use the extension. These items are not sent to Birchwood Group.
• Live transcription uses Chrome's built-in speech engine. When you use live transcription, Chrome processes the audio through its own native speech recognition service, which is part of the browser and needs an internet connection. ArcScribe receives nothing from that process except the text that Chrome returns to the page.
• We do not sell your data. We have never sold personal information and we do not build advertising profiles. There are no third-party advertising trackers embedded in ArcScribe.
• Billing is handled by trusted processors. If you subscribe to ArcScribe Pro, payment is processed by ExtensionPay and Stripe. We never receive or store your full card number.
• You are in control. You can export your data, delete individual recordings, or clear everything at any time from within the extension. You also have formal rights under GDPR and CCPA, described below.

Best practice: Even though ArcScribe keeps your data local, treat the device you record on as you would any place that holds sensitive notes. Use device encryption and a strong login. Local privacy is strongest when the device itself is secure.

#Purpose

The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to give you a complete and honest account of ArcScribe's data practices so that you can make an informed decision about installing and using the extension. Specifically, this policy is intended to:

1. Describe the categories of information ArcScribe does and does not collect.
2. Explain the browser permissions ArcScribe requests and why each one is necessary.
3. Clarify how live transcription works and where audio is processed.
4. Set out the legal grounds we rely on to process any personal information.
5. Detail the rights you hold and the practical steps for exercising them.
6. Provide a clear channel for questions, requests, and complaints.

This document supports transparency requirements under global privacy law, aligns with the Chrome Web Store user data policies, and reflects the privacy-first engineering choices behind ArcScribe.

#Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to the ArcScribe browser extension, the ArcScribe marketing website at https://usearcscribe.com, and any related support communications you have with Birchwood Group. It applies to everyone who installs or uses ArcScribe, whether on the free plan or on ArcScribe Pro.

This policy does not apply to:

• Third-party websites, applications, or services that you may reach through links, even where those links appear in our documentation. Those services operate under their own privacy policies.
• The internal speech recognition service built into Google Chrome, which is governed by Google's privacy terms, not ours. We explain this interaction in detail below so that you understand the boundary.
• Content you deliberately export from ArcScribe and then upload elsewhere. Once you move a transcript into another tool, that tool's privacy practices apply.

#Definitions

To keep the rest of this document precise, the following terms carry the meanings below.

#Information We Collect

ArcScribe is built to collect as little as possible. The most sensitive material the extension touches, your audio and your transcripts, is never collected by us in the ordinary course of use. It is created and kept on your device.

The information involved in running ArcScribe falls into three groups: information you provide, information created and stored locally, and the narrow set of data handled by our billing processors. We describe each group in the sections that follow, and we are explicit about what is and is not shared with Birchwood Group.

Note: A useful way to think about ArcScribe is that the extension is a tool that runs in your browser, not a service that streams your content to us. The default direction of your data is inward (onto your device), not outward.

#Information You Provide

There are a small number of situations where you actively give us information:

• Subscription details. If you upgrade to ArcScribe Pro, you provide payment details to our billing processors and, in most cases, an email address that identifies your subscription. This lets us confirm your plan and restore access across devices.
• Support requests. If you email us for help, you provide the contents of your message and your email address. You may also choose to include screenshots or descriptions of an issue. Please avoid pasting sensitive transcript content into support messages unless it is necessary to resolve the problem.
• Feedback. If you send feedback, feature requests, or bug reports, we receive whatever you choose to include.

You are never required to create a general ArcScribe account to use the free plan. Recording and transcription on the free plan work without any sign-up.

#Automatically Collected Data

ArcScribe deliberately minimizes automatic collection. The extension does not embed third-party advertising software development kits, behavioral tracking pixels, or content-harvesting analytics that read your recordings or transcripts.

The extension does maintain operational data on your device so that it can function, such as your saved recordings, your transcripts, your folders and tags, your export preferences, and settings like your chosen language. This operational data is stored locally and is not transmitted to Birchwood Group as part of normal use.

Where limited diagnostic signals are involved (for example, the technical exchange required for the billing processor to confirm an active subscription), those signals are the minimum necessary to deliver the requested function and are described in the relevant sections below.

#Extension Permissions

Chrome extensions must declare the permissions they use, and ArcScribe requests only what it needs. Requesting fewer permissions is a privacy decision, not an oversight. The table below lists every permission ArcScribe declares and the reason for it.

ArcScribe does not request access to your browsing history, your tabs, your bookmarks, the content of arbitrary websites, your clipboard, or your location. It does not request the tabs, activeTab, contextMenus, or notifications permissions. If a future feature ever required a new permission, we would explain the reason before enabling it.

Warning: Be cautious of any extension that requests broad permissions unrelated to its purpose. A voice recorder does not need to read every website you visit. ArcScribe is scoped narrowly on purpose.

#Browser Data and Device Information

ArcScribe reads and writes data within its own storage area in your browser. It does not scan your general browsing data, form entries, passwords, or cookies belonging to other websites.

Microphone access is central to a voice recorder, so Chrome will ask for your permission the first time you record. This permission is managed by the browser, and you can revoke it at any time in Chrome's site and extension settings. When you grant microphone access, audio is captured for the purpose of recording and, if enabled, live transcription. The resulting recording and transcript are stored locally.

ArcScribe may reference basic technical characteristics of your environment that are inherent to running any browser extension, such as the fact that a compatible version of Chrome is present. This is not the same as building a device fingerprint, and ArcScribe does not attempt to uniquely identify or track your device across the web.

#Usage Analytics

ArcScribe does not operate a hidden analytics pipeline that reads your voice notes. We do not measure the words you dictate, the content of your transcripts, or the topics you record.

If we introduce any product analytics in the future to understand aggregate, non-content signals (for example, how many people use a particular export format), we will design it to be privacy preserving, we will disclose it in this policy, and where the law requires consent, we will ask for it first. Any such measurement would focus on aggregate feature usage, never the substance of your recordings.

#Cookies and Local Storage

The ArcScribe extension itself relies on local browser storage rather than tracking cookies to do its work. Your recordings, transcripts, and settings are held in that local storage on your device.

The ArcScribe website and our billing checkout may use a small number of cookies and similar technologies that are necessary for the site to function and for a secure checkout to complete. These are described in detail in our separate Cookie Policy, which explains the categories of cookies, how long they last, and how you can control them.

Note: Clearing your browser data or removing the extension can delete locally stored recordings and transcripts. Export anything you want to keep before clearing storage or uninstalling.

#Third-Party Services

ArcScribe keeps its third-party footprint deliberately small. The services below are the only external parties involved in normal use, and each performs a specific, limited function.

We do not share your recordings or transcripts with any of these providers. The speech engine interaction involves audio because that is how live captioning works in the browser, and we explain that boundary in the section on AI and automated processing below.

#AI and Automated Processing

ArcScribe is a recording and transcription tool, not an artificial intelligence platform, and we want to be precise about what that means for your data.

• ArcScribe does not run its own AI models on your content. We do not use your recordings or transcripts to train machine learning models. We do not analyze, profile, or mine the substance of what you say.
• Live transcription is performed by Chrome's built-in speech engine. When live transcription is on, the browser's native speech recognition service converts your spoken audio into text. This service is part of Google Chrome and requires an internet connection to operate. ArcScribe does not receive your audio stream from this process; it receives the recognized text that the browser returns, which is then displayed and saved locally for you.
• No automated decisions are made about you. ArcScribe does not use automated processing to make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning you.

Because live captioning depends on the browser's speech service, transcription accuracy and availability are influenced by that service and by your connection. When you record without live transcription enabled, the audio is captured and stored locally, and you can transcribe or edit it on your own terms.

Best practice: If you handle highly confidential material and want to minimize any reliance on the browser's online speech service, record without live transcription enabled and review the audio yourself. You keep full control of when the speech engine is involved.

#Payment Information

Payments for ArcScribe Pro are handled by ExtensionPay and Stripe, established payment infrastructure providers. When you subscribe:

• Your card details are entered into a secure checkout operated by these processors.
• Birchwood Group does not receive or store your full payment card number, card verification value, or full financial credentials.
• We receive confirmation of your subscription status (for example, active, canceled, or expired) and, typically, the email address tied to your subscription so we can verify and restore access.

The payment processors act as independent controllers or processors for the payment data they handle, under their own terms and security programs. Refund handling and billing questions are covered in our Terms of Service.

#Authentication and Accounts

The ArcScribe free plan does not require an account. You can install the extension and begin recording immediately.

ArcScribe Pro uses a lightweight verification model rather than a heavy account system. Your subscription is typically tied to an email address through our billing processor, which allows the extension to confirm that Pro features should be unlocked and to restore your subscription if you reinstall or move to another device. We keep this footprint intentionally small: the point of verification is to confirm entitlement, not to build a profile of you.

You are responsible for keeping access to the email address associated with your subscription and for the security of the device where ArcScribe is installed.

#How Data Is Shared

We share personal information only in the limited circumstances described here, and never for advertising or for sale.

1. With payment processors, to deliver and manage ArcScribe Pro subscriptions, as described above.
2. To comply with the law, when we receive a valid legal request such as a court order or a lawful demand from a competent authority, and only to the extent required. Because your recordings and transcripts are stored on your own device rather than on our servers, we generally do not possess that content to disclose in the first place.
3. To protect rights and safety, where disclosure is reasonably necessary to protect the security, rights, property, or safety of Birchwood Group, our users, or the public, and to enforce our agreements.
4. In a business transfer, if Birchwood Group is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, information may transfer as part of that transaction, subject to this policy and applicable law. We would provide notice of any change in control that materially affects your personal information.

We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it with data brokers or advertising networks.

#Data Retention

Because ArcScribe is local first, retention is largely in your hands:

• Recordings and transcripts remain on your device until you delete them or remove the extension. You control how long they persist.
• Subscription records held by our billing processors are retained as long as needed to provide the subscription and to meet legal, tax, and accounting obligations.
• Support communications are retained for as long as needed to resolve your issue and to keep a reasonable record of support history, after which they are deleted or de-identified.

When information is no longer needed for the purpose it was collected, we take reasonable steps to delete or anonymize it.

#Data Security and Encryption

Security is fundamental to a privacy-first product. We combine sensible engineering with the inherent protection of a local-first design.

• Local-first storage reduces exposure by keeping your recordings and transcripts on your own device rather than on shared servers.
• Encryption in transit protects the limited network interactions ArcScribe does perform, such as subscription verification, using standard transport encryption (HTTPS/TLS).
• Minimized surface area means fewer permissions, fewer external services, and less data in motion, which reduces the number of places where something could go wrong.
• Processor safeguards apply to payment data, which is handled by providers that maintain industry-standard security and compliance programs.

No method of storage or transmission is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. However, our architecture is chosen specifically to limit risk, and we encourage you to protect the device where ArcScribe runs with full-disk encryption and a strong login.

Warning: If your device is lost, stolen, or shared, anyone with access to it may be able to reach recordings and transcripts stored locally. Device-level security is an important part of keeping your ArcScribe data private.

#International Data Transfers

Birchwood Group is based in the United States. The limited data involved in billing and support may be processed in the United States or in other countries where our processors operate. Where personal information is transferred across borders, we and our processors rely on appropriate safeguards recognized under applicable law, such as standard contractual clauses, to protect that information.

Your recordings and transcripts do not participate in international transfers in normal use because they remain on your device.

#Legal Basis for Processing

For users protected by the GDPR and similar frameworks, we rely on the following legal bases:

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we balance those interests against your rights and freedoms, and you may object as described in your rights below.

#Your GDPR Rights

If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or a jurisdiction with comparable law, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to access: to obtain confirmation of whether we process your personal information and to receive a copy.
• Right to rectification: to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to erasure: to request deletion of your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Right to restriction: to limit how we process your information in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability: to receive your information in a portable format and, where feasible, have it transmitted to another controller.
• Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, to withdraw it at any time without affecting prior lawful processing.
• Right to lodge a complaint: to contact your local data protection authority if you believe your rights have been violated.

Because most of your content lives on your device, many of these rights you can exercise directly inside the extension (for example, exporting or deleting recordings). For rights that involve data held by our processors, contact us using the details below and we will assist.

#Your CCPA Rights

If you are a California resident, the CCPA and related California privacy law give you the following rights:

• Right to know the categories and specific pieces of personal information collected, the sources, the purposes, and any parties with whom it is shared.
• Right to delete personal information we hold, subject to legal exceptions.
• Right to correct inaccurate personal information.
• Right to opt out of sale or sharing of personal information. ArcScribe does not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined under California law, so there is nothing to opt out of, but we honor this right in full.
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights. We will never degrade your ArcScribe experience because you exercised a right.

To exercise these rights, contact us using the details below. We will verify your request appropriately before acting on it, which protects you from someone impersonating you.

#Children's Privacy

ArcScribe is intended for general and professional audiences and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 (or under the age defined as a minor in your jurisdiction, where higher). If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it. Parents and guardians who share a device should be aware that locally stored recordings may be accessible to anyone using that device.

#Do Not Track

Some browsers offer a "Do Not Track" signal. Because ArcScribe does not track you across websites or build advertising profiles, there is nothing for a Do Not Track signal to disable in the extension. We treat the absence of cross-site tracking as the default, not as something you must opt out of.

#Data Deletion Requests

You can delete your ArcScribe data at any time:

1. Delete individual items by removing specific recordings or transcripts inside the extension.
2. Clear everything by using the extension's data controls to remove your local library, or by clearing the extension's storage in your browser.
3. Remove the extension to uninstall ArcScribe. Depending on your browser configuration, uninstalling may remove locally stored data.
4. Contact us for deletion of any data held by our processors, such as subscription records, subject to legal retention requirements. Email support@bwg.llc and describe your request.

Note: Deletion of local data is immediate and permanent from ArcScribe's perspective. Export anything you might need before you delete it, because we cannot recover content that only ever existed on your device.

#User Responsibilities

Protecting your privacy is a partnership. You can help keep your ArcScribe data safe by:

• Securing the device where ArcScribe is installed with encryption and a strong login.
• Recording only where you have the legal right and any necessary consent to do so, especially when recording other people.
• Exporting and backing up transcripts you cannot afford to lose, since local data can be removed by clearing browser storage.
• Keeping access to the email associated with your subscription.
• Reviewing this policy periodically so you understand any updates.

#Company Responsibilities

Birchwood Group commits to:

• Collecting the minimum information necessary to provide ArcScribe.
• Being transparent about our practices in plain language.
• Never selling your personal information.
• Using reputable processors for billing and holding them to appropriate obligations.
• Honoring valid privacy rights requests within the timelines required by law.
• Notifying users of material changes to this policy and, where required, of qualifying data incidents.

#Examples

Concrete scenarios often explain a policy better than abstractions.

Example 1: A journalist records an interview. A reporter records a source using ArcScribe. The audio and the live transcript are saved to the reporter's laptop. Birchwood Group never receives the interview. If the reporter later deletes the recording, it is gone from ArcScribe. The reporter is responsible for obtaining any consent required to record the source.

Example 2: A student upgrades to Pro. A student subscribes to ArcScribe Pro to unlock longer recordings. They enter payment details into the secure checkout run by our processors. Birchwood Group learns that the subscription is active and the associated email, but never sees the card number, and never sees the student's lecture transcripts.

Example 3: A user submits a support ticket. A user emails support about an export bug and includes a short sample transcript to illustrate the issue. That transcript is now in the support email and is retained only as long as needed to fix the problem. Had the user described the bug without pasting content, no transcript would have left their device.

#Frequently Asked Questions

Does ArcScribe upload my recordings to your servers? No. Recordings and transcripts are stored locally on your device by default and are not uploaded to Birchwood Group.

Is transcription fully offline? Not entirely. Live transcription uses Chrome's built-in speech engine, which processes audio in the browser and needs an internet connection. ArcScribe itself receives only the text that the browser returns, and that text is saved locally. If you prefer to avoid the online speech service, record without live transcription enabled.

Do you sell my data? No. We do not sell or share personal information for advertising, and we do not use data brokers.

What happens to my data if I uninstall ArcScribe? Uninstalling can remove locally stored recordings and transcripts, depending on your browser. Export anything you want to keep first.

How do I make a privacy request under GDPR or CCPA? Email support@bwg.llc with your request. We will verify your identity appropriately and respond within the timelines required by law.

Do you use cookies to track me? The extension relies on local storage, not tracking cookies, to function. Our website and checkout use a small number of necessary cookies described in the Cookie Policy. We do not use cross-site advertising trackers.

#Contact Information

If you have questions, requests, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or your personal information, contact us:

• Company: Birchwood Group LLC
• Product: ArcScribe
• Email: support@bwg.llc
• Website: https://usearcscribe.com
• Company website: https://www.bwg.llc

We take privacy inquiries seriously and aim to respond promptly.

#Effective Date, Version, and Last Updated

• Effective Date: July 19, 2026
• Version: 1.0
• Last Updated: July 19, 2026

#Future Policy Changes

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect new features, legal developments, or improvements in how we explain our practices. When we make a material change, we will update the version number and the "Last Updated" date, and where appropriate we will provide additional notice through the extension or our website. Your continued use of ArcScribe after an update takes effect means you accept the revised policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

#Conclusion

ArcScribe exists to prove that a genuinely useful voice recorder and transcription tool does not have to trade away your privacy. By keeping your recordings and transcripts on your device, requesting only the permissions the product truly needs, and refusing to sell your data, we try to earn the trust that installing a microphone-enabled extension requires. If anything in this policy is unclear, or if you would like to exercise a privacy right, we are only an email away. Thank you for trusting ArcScribe with your voice.