Privacy
Effective 4 July 2026
What Rote processes and what leaves your device, in plain language. A summary for transparency, not legal advice.
Who we are
Rote is operated by Tarek Sadi, Berlin, Germany, the data controller. Contact: tarek.sadi91@gmail.com.
What Rote processes
While the app runs on your Mac, it periodically captures screenshots of your screen and the text read from them (OCR) to work out how you work and where the repetitive effort is.
Stored on your device
Captures and the index built from them are stored locally on your Mac. Rote operates no server that receives or stores them.
What leaves your device
To turn captures into automation suggestions, redacted screen text (not images) is sent to Anthropic, our AI processor, handled under Anthropic's terms. This happens on every processing cycle, not occasionally. By default that text passes through a small Rote relay that holds the API key and forwards it to Anthropic; the relay does not store your text. (Bring your own key to skip the relay and go straight to Anthropic.) No raw screenshots are transmitted. Anthropic deletes API inputs and outputs within 30 days and does not train on them.
Sensitive-data guardrails
Card numbers, SSNs, IBANs, API keys and passwords are scrubbed before any text is stored or sent, and password-manager windows aren't captured. This is best-effort, not a guarantee. Scrubbing targets credentials and IDs — it does not remove the broader content of what's on your screen (messages, documents, the sites you read). That redacted text is what gets processed.
The camera on the homepage
The optional "Enable camera" preview renders you as ASCII entirely in your browser. It is never uploaded, transmitted, or stored. Turn it off and the stream stops.
Waitlist
If you join the waitlist, your email and answers are collected through Tally so we can contact you about Rote.
Legal basis & your rights
We process on the basis of your consent and to provide the app you ask for (Art. 6(1)(a) and (b) GDPR). Withdraw anytime by quitting or uninstalling the app, or leaving the waitlist. Under the GDPR you may request access, correction, deletion, restriction or portability, and complain to a supervisory authority (in Berlin, the Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection). Most data lives only on your device, under your control.
This website
No analytics or advertising cookies. The waitlist form is served by Tally, which may set cookies needed for it to work when you open it.
Changes
We may update this policy; the date above reflects the latest version. Material changes will be noted here.