Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how the Symbology desktop application ("Symbology" or the "App"), published by Hantao Zhang, Yanlin Yu, and Yuzhen Yang ("we," "us," or "our"), handles information. It applies to the Windows and macOS desktop editions of Symbology, including versions distributed through the Microsoft Store and as standalone installers.

1. Privacy at a glance

Symbology is a local-first diagram editor. It does not require a Symbology account and does not include advertising, behavioral tracking, or product analytics. Your workspaces and exported files are stored in locations on your device that you select. Symbology does not upload those files to a server operated by us.

Symbology includes optional AI features. When you choose to use an AI feature, the information needed for that request is sent directly to the third-party AI provider you selected, using an API key that you provide. Those requests are not processed by a Symbology-operated cloud service.

2. Information stored on your device

Depending on the features you use, Symbology may store the following locally:

• Workspace files, diagrams, modules, images, project descriptions, and exported files in folders that you select.
• Application preferences, the selected AI provider, and paths to recently opened workspaces in the App's local configuration directory.
• API credentials that you choose to save. Packaged desktop editions encrypt these credentials using operating-system-backed secure storage. API keys are not intentionally written to workspace files or ordinary application logs.
• Rotating diagnostic logs containing technical startup, runtime, and update errors. These logs are stored locally, limited in size and number, and designed to redact API keys, authentication tokens, and the path to your home directory. We do not automatically receive these logs.

You control these local files through Symbology and your operating system. A workspace remains on your device until you delete it. Application settings, encrypted credentials, and logs may remain until you clear the relevant data in the App, uninstall the App and remove its application-data folder, or delete them using your operating system.

3. Optional AI features and third-party processing

Symbology currently supports AI services from Anthropic, OpenAI, Moonshot AI/Kimi, and DeepSeek. The provider used depends on your settings and the feature you invoke.

When you intentionally start an AI request, Symbology may transmit some or all of the following to the selected provider over an encrypted network connection:

• Your prompt and related instructions.
• Relevant diagram, canvas, module, and project-description content needed to perform the request.
• Images or PDF documents you attach, including associated filenames and file types.
• Image-generation or image-editing prompts and any input images you select.
• Your provider API key for authentication.
• Technical network information normally visible to an online service, such as your IP address, request time, and basic connection metadata.

Generated responses are returned to the App. Resulting diagrams or images are saved locally only when the App's workflow saves them to your selected workspace.

Third-party AI providers process information under their own terms, privacy policies, retention rules, security practices, and account settings. They may process information in countries different from yours. We do not control whether a provider retains request data or uses it to improve its services. Review the applicable provider's current terms and privacy documentation before submitting confidential, personal, regulated, or otherwise sensitive material. You may use Symbology's manual editing features without configuring or using an AI provider.

4. Updates and distribution services

The Microsoft Store edition uses Microsoft Store services for installation, licensing, and updates. Standalone editions may contact the configured update service to retrieve version information and, with your approval where applicable, download an update. Microsoft or an update-hosting provider may receive ordinary network and device information, such as an IP address, operating-system version, application version, request time, and download status, under its own privacy policy.

5. How information is used

Information processed locally is used to provide the functions you request, such as opening, editing, saving, exporting, recovering recent workspaces, securing credentials, diagnosing errors, and installing updates. Information sent to an AI provider is used to authenticate your request and return the AI result you requested.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your workspace content or AI prompts for advertising, profiling, or independent analytics. We do not share them with data brokers. Information may be disclosed if you expressly send it to us for support, or if disclosure is required by applicable law.

6. Support communications

If you contact us for support, we receive the contact details, message, and files that you choose to provide. We use that information only to respond, investigate the issue, protect the App, and meet legal obligations. Do not send API keys or unnecessary confidential content in a support request. We retain support communications only as long as reasonably necessary for those purposes.

7. Security

We use reasonable technical safeguards appropriate to a local desktop application. These include operating-system-backed encryption for saved API credentials in packaged builds, an authenticated loopback-only connection between App components, restricted local diagnostic logs, and encrypted HTTPS connections to supported online providers. No storage or transmission method can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You are responsible for protecting your device, workspace folders, backups, and third-party API accounts.

8. Your choices and control

You can:

• Use manual diagram editing without enabling AI features.
• Choose which supported AI provider to use and decide when to send a request.
• Avoid attaching files or entering personal information in AI prompts.
• Clear API credentials stored by Symbology.
• Delete workspaces, exports, settings, and local logs from your device.
• Exercise rights concerning data held by an AI, Store, or update provider by contacting that provider directly under its privacy policy.

Because we do not maintain a Symbology account or central database of your workspaces, we generally cannot access, export, correct, or delete files that exist only on your device.

9. Children

Symbology does not knowingly collect age information or maintain child user accounts. Children should not submit personal information to third-party AI services and should use those services only with any consent or supervision required by applicable law and the provider's terms.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when Symbology's features, providers, or legal requirements change. We will publish the revised policy with a new "Last updated" date and provide any additional notice required by applicable law.

11. Contact

本隐私政策说明由 Hantao Zhang、Yanlin Yu、Yuzhen Yang（以下简称“我们”）发布的 Symbology 桌面应用（以下简称“Symbology”或“本应用”）如何处理信息。本政策适用于 Symbology 的 Windows 和 macOS 桌面版本，包括通过 Microsoft Store 分发的版本和独立安装包。

1. 隐私概要

Symbology 是一款以本地处理和本地存储为主的图表编辑器。本应用不要求用户注册 Symbology 账户，也不包含广告、行为跟踪或产品使用分析。工作区和导出文件保存在您自行选择的本机位置。Symbology 不会将这些文件上传至由我们运营的服务器。

Symbology 提供可选的 AI 功能。只有当您主动使用 AI 功能时，完成该请求所需的信息才会使用您提供的 API 密钥，直接发送至您选择的第三方 AI 服务商。这些请求不会经过由 Symbology 运营的云端服务。

2. 保存在您设备上的信息

根据您使用的功能，Symbology 可能在本机保存以下信息：

• 您选择的文件夹中的工作区文件、图表、模块、图片、项目说明和导出文件。
• 应用本地配置目录中的偏好设置、所选 AI 服务商以及最近打开的工作区路径。
• 您选择保存的 API 凭据。打包后的桌面版本使用操作系统支持的安全存储功能对凭据进行加密。API 密钥不会被有意写入工作区文件或普通应用日志。
• 包含启动、运行和更新错误等技术信息的轮换诊断日志。日志仅保存在本机，其数量和大小均受到限制，并被设计为隐藏 API 密钥、身份验证令牌和您的主目录路径。我们不会自动收到这些日志。

您可以通过 Symbology 和操作系统管理这些本地文件。工作区会一直保留在您的设备上，直至您主动删除。应用设置、加密凭据和日志可能会保留到您在应用中清除相关数据、卸载应用并删除其应用数据目录，或通过操作系统将其删除为止。

3. 可选 AI 功能与第三方处理

Symbology 目前支持 Anthropic、OpenAI、Moonshot AI/Kimi 和 DeepSeek 提供的 AI 服务。实际使用的服务商取决于您的设置和您调用的功能。

当您主动发起 AI 请求时，Symbology 可能通过加密网络连接将以下部分或全部信息发送至所选服务商：

• 您输入的提示词和相关指令。
• 完成请求所需的相关图表、画布、模块和项目说明内容。
• 您附加的图片或 PDF 文件，以及相关文件名和文件类型。
• 图片生成或编辑提示词，以及您选择的输入图片。
• 用于验证请求的服务商 API 密钥。
• 在线服务通常可以获知的技术网络信息，例如 IP 地址、请求时间和基本连接元数据。

AI 生成的结果会返回本应用。只有当应用流程将结果保存到您选择的工作区时，生成的图表或图片才会存储在本机。

第三方 AI 服务商会依据其自己的条款、隐私政策、保留规则、安全措施和账户设置处理信息，并可能在您所在国家或地区以外处理信息。我们无法控制第三方服务商是否保留请求数据或将其用于改进服务。在提交机密信息、个人信息、受监管信息或其他敏感材料之前，请查阅相应服务商当前有效的条款和隐私文件。您无需配置或使用任何 AI 服务商，即可使用 Symbology 的手动编辑功能。

4. 更新与分发服务

Microsoft Store 版本使用 Microsoft Store 服务完成安装、许可和更新。独立安装版可能连接到预先配置的更新服务以获取版本信息，并在适用情况下经您确认后下载更新。Microsoft 或更新托管服务商可能依据其自身隐私政策接收常规网络和设备信息，例如 IP 地址、操作系统版本、应用版本、请求时间和下载状态。

5. 信息的使用方式

本地处理的信息仅用于提供您请求的功能，例如打开、编辑、保存和导出内容，恢复最近工作区，保护凭据，诊断错误以及安装更新。发送给 AI 服务商的信息仅用于验证您的请求并返回您所请求的 AI 结果。

我们不会出售您的个人信息，不会将您的工作区内容或 AI 提示词用于广告、用户画像或独立分析，也不会将其提供给数据经纪商。只有当您主动向我们发送信息以寻求支持，或适用法律要求披露时，相关信息才可能被披露。

6. 支持沟通

如果您联系我们寻求支持，我们会收到您主动提供的联系方式、消息和文件。我们仅将这些信息用于回复、调查问题、保护应用以及履行法律义务。请勿在支持请求中发送 API 密钥或不必要的机密内容。我们只会在实现上述目的所合理需要的期限内保留支持沟通内容。

7. 安全措施

我们采取与本地桌面应用相适应的合理技术保护措施，包括：在打包版本中使用操作系统支持的加密方式保存 API 凭据；在应用组件之间使用经过身份验证、仅限本机回环地址的连接；限制本地诊断日志；以及通过加密的 HTTPS 连接访问支持的在线服务。任何存储或传输方式都无法保证绝对安全。您有责任保护自己的设备、工作区文件夹、备份以及第三方 API 账户。

8. 您的选择与控制

您可以：

• 在不启用 AI 功能的情况下使用手动图表编辑功能。
• 选择使用哪个受支持的 AI 服务商，并决定何时发送请求。
• 不在 AI 提示词中填写个人信息，也不附加文件。
• 清除 Symbology 保存的 API 凭据。
• 从设备中删除工作区、导出文件、设置和本地日志。
• 对 AI、Microsoft Store 或更新服务商所持有的信息，根据其隐私政策直接联系该服务商并行使相关权利。

由于我们不维护 Symbology 用户账户或工作区中央数据库，因此通常无法访问、导出、更正或删除仅存在于您设备上的文件。

9. 儿童隐私

Symbology 不会有意收集年龄信息，也不维护儿童用户账户。儿童不应向第三方 AI 服务提交个人信息，并应仅在适用法律和相关服务商条款所要求的同意或监护下使用这些服务。

10. 本政策的变更

当 Symbology 的功能、服务商或法律要求发生变化时，我们可能更新本隐私政策。更新后的政策将注明新的“最后更新日期”，并按照适用法律的要求提供其他通知。

11. 联系方式

如果中英文版本存在差异，英文版本为主要参考；适用法律另有强制规定的除外。