Your voice stays on your computer. Full stop.

The short version

CaringDictate processes all voice recognition locally on your computer. Your voice is never uploaded to the internet. Your dictated text is never uploaded to the internet. No audio is recorded to any server, and nobody — including us — can read what you dictate.

The app does make a few small connections: it checks for software updates, and (unless you switch it off) it sends anonymous usage statistics — plain numbers about whether the software is working, described precisely below. Those numbers never include your voice, your text, your name, or anything that identifies you.

We do not sell data. We do not have data to sell. The architecture guarantees the privacy — not a policy that we promise to follow.

How voice recognition actually works in CaringDictate

When you install CaringDictate, the software downloads a recognition model (Whisper Large v3 Turbo, an open-source model from OpenAI) approximately 800MB in size. This model is stored on your computer's hard drive.

When you press your hotkey to dictate, CaringDictate captures audio from your microphone, runs it through the local recognition model on your computer's CPU, and inserts the resulting text into whatever text field has the cursor. The audio buffer is discarded immediately. The text is the only output, and it goes directly to the application you were typing in.

At no point does any audio or text leave your computer. You can verify this with any network monitoring tool — CaringDictate makes zero outbound connections during dictation.

What CaringDictate does connect to the internet for

CaringDictate makes outbound connections only in these specific cases:

• Initial install: Downloading the software and the recognition model from our update servers.
• Update checks: Periodically we check whether a newer version of CaringDictate is available. The check sends nothing about you — only the version of CaringDictate currently installed.
• License activation: One-time activation when you activate a license key. This sends the key and an anonymous device code, never any usage data.
• Anonymous usage statistics (from version 2.1.0): Occasionally the app reports plain numbers that tell us whether the software actually works out in the world: the app version, the Windows version, the computer's hardware class (processor, memory, graphics — so we know which voice models run well on which machines), which voice model you chose and how fast it transcribes, which trigger style you use (for example "hold a key" vs "press to toggle"), whether the trial or a license is active, and whether the app crashed. The report is keyed to a random ID the app invents on first run — it is not derived from your hardware and is linked to nothing about you. It never contains audio, dictated text, names, email addresses, file names, or anything else identifying. You can switch this off any time in Settings → Privacy, and the app then sends nothing at all.

License activation can be done offline by contacting support if your computer is permanently disconnected from the internet. With usage statistics switched off, update checks are the only recurring connection the app makes.

What we collect on caringdictate.com (the website)

One important distinction first: everything in this section is about this website. It has nothing to do with the CaringDictate app. The app never sends your voice or your typed text anywhere — that is described above and has not changed.

When you visit caringdictate.com (this website), standard web server logs are recorded by our hosting provider (Cloudflare). These include IP address, page accessed, user agent, and timestamp. These logs are retained for 30 days and used solely for security and operational purposes.

To understand which pages actually help people and where visitors get stuck, this website uses Google Analytics 4, loaded through Google Tag Manager. It records anonymized, aggregate usage — pages viewed, approximate region, device type, and how you arrived. Google Analytics anonymizes IP addresses, and we have turned off every advertising and cross-site ad feature. We use this only to improve the website, never to identify you personally and never to sell anything.

You are in control. If you are in the EEA, the UK, or Switzerland, analytics stays switched off until you choose "Accept" on the consent banner. Everywhere else, analytics is on by default but you can switch it off at any time by choosing "Decline" on the same banner — your choice is remembered on your device.

If you purchase CaringDictate, our payment processor (Stripe) processes the payment and stores billing information per their standard policies. We receive only the information necessary to confirm the purchase — your name, email address, and the fact that a purchase was made. We do not receive full credit card numbers or other sensitive payment details.

If you email us

Emails sent to help@caringdictate.com (and other CaringDictate email addresses) are stored in our email provider's servers per their standard retention policies. We use the email content to respond to your inquiry and to improve our support process. We do not share email content with third parties.

If you fill out the contact form

The contact form on this site is processed by Web3Forms, which forwards the submission to our email. Web3Forms retains submission data per its standard policies. The information you submit is treated identically to a direct email — used to respond, not shared.

Cookies

This website uses a small number of cookies. The only non-essential cookies are the ones Google Analytics sets (their names begin with "_ga") to recognize a returning visit — and they are only set after you allow analytics: always opt-in in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland, and opt-out everywhere else, both controlled by the consent banner. We do not use advertising cookies or cross-site tracking cookies. The rest are essential cookies for basic site functionality. You can clear or block cookies in your browser at any time without breaking the site, and you can change your analytics choice whenever you like from the banner.

Your rights under GDPR, CCPA, and similar laws

If you are in the EU, UK, California, or another jurisdiction with data protection rights, you have the right to: request a copy of any personal data we have about you; request correction of inaccurate data; request deletion of your data; opt out of any processing.

To exercise these rights, email help@caringdictate.com. Most data requests are simple to fulfill because we hold very little data about you — typically just your email address and order details if you have purchased.

Children's privacy

CaringDictate is designed for adults. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected such information, contact us and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

If we update this privacy policy, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top and, for material changes, send an email to purchasers. The architectural commitment to local processing is permanent — we will not change that aspect of CaringDictate.

Contact

Email help@caringdictate.com with any privacy questions. A real human will respond.