Privacy Policy
Last updated: 27 October 2026
The short version. CloakPane has no accounts and no sign-up, and we never see the websites you visit. What the app stores stays on your Mac, encrypted. The app sends us only anonymous usage counts and crash reports, which never include your browsing and aren't linked to you. If you buy Pro, the purchase is handled by Apple or our payment provider, and we see only what's needed to unlock it. We don't show ads, track you across apps or websites, or sell data.
1. Who we are
CloakPane is made by Bhavya Bhut, an individual developer based in Rajkot, Gujarat, India ("we", "us"), who is responsible for the data described here. This policy covers the CloakPane app for macOS (the "App") and the website at cloakpane.com (the "Site"). It is also the privacy policy linked from the App's App Store listing. You can reach us at [email protected].
2. Our core principle: local-first
CloakPane is designed so that your browsing never reaches us. The App works without an account. Your bookmarks, history, open tabs, settings and website logins are stored only on your Mac and are encrypted at rest.
3. What the App does not collect
CloakPane does not collect, send us or sell:
- The websites you visit, their addresses, page content or your searches;
- Your bookmarks, history, tabs or downloads;
- Your website logins, cookies, passwords or anything you type into forms;
- Your name, email address or Apple Account details; or
- Any advertising identifier or cross-site tracking data.
4. What the App sends
a) Anonymous usage statistics (always on)
To understand which features are used, the App sends anonymous usage events to TelemetryDeck: for example, that the App was opened, an onboarding step was viewed, a tab or window was opened, or a Pro feature was turned on. Each event includes basic technical details such as the App and macOS versions, the Mac model and language settings. The only identifier is a random one created on your Mac and hashed before it's sent, so events can't be linked to you. They never include the websites you visit, your tabs, history, searches or any page content.
b) Crash and error reports (always on)
If the App crashes or freezes, it sends a report to Sentry so we can fix the problem. A report contains technical details about the failure (such as where in the App's code it happened), the App and macOS versions and the Mac model. Reports are configured not to include your IP address, user details or any website information.
c) Purchase status
To know whether you have Pro, the App checks your purchases with RevenueCat, using a random customer ID created by the App. See section 5.
d) Update checks (website version only)
The version downloaded from cloakpane.com checks our Site once a day for a new version. Like any web request, this shares your IP address with our host, and the request identifies the App and macOS versions. The App Store version is updated by the App Store instead.
e) Website icons
To show icons next to bookmarks that don't have one yet (for example, after importing from another browser), the App asks the website itself for its icon. If that fails, it asks DuckDuckGo's icon service, which receives only the website's domain name (such as example.com) and nothing that identifies you.
f) Your browsing
When you open a website, your Mac connects to it directly, just as with any browser, and that website's own privacy policy applies. Searches you type in the address bar go directly to Google, under Google's privacy policy; CloakPane doesn't receive them. CloakPane blocks many ads and trackers by default.
5. Purchases
Mac App Store. Apple processes the payment. We never receive your name, email address, Apple Account or payment details. Apple tells us, through RevenueCat, what was bought: the plan, prices, dates, the store's country, and whether a subscription is in a trial, renewing or cancelled. RevenueCat links this to the App's random customer ID, not to your identity, so Pro works on your Mac and can be restored on another.
Our website. Purchases made on our website or in the website version of the App are handled by Paddle, our reseller and Merchant of Record. Paddle collects the details needed to take payment and charge tax, such as your email address, country and payment method, under its own privacy policy. We receive the order details (your email address, what you bought and when, and your country) to deliver Pro, provide support and keep the records the law requires. We don't receive your card details. Your order is linked to a random purchase ID that the website version of the App creates on your Mac; Contact Support includes this ID in your email so we can find your purchase.
6. Support emails
If you email us, we receive your email address and the contents of your message, and use them only to reply and help you.
7. The website
The Site is hosted by Cloudflare, which processes visitors' IP addresses to deliver the Site and protect it from abuse. We may use Cloudflare's cookieless, aggregate traffic statistics, such as page views and referring sites. The Site uses no advertising or tracking cookies and doesn't build a profile of you.
8. Service providers
We use a small number of providers, each only for the purpose listed and only on our behalf:
- TelemetryDeck (Germany): anonymous usage statistics;
- Sentry (data stored in Germany): crash and error reports;
- RevenueCat (United States): purchase and subscription status;
- Apple: payments for App Store purchases;
- Paddle (United Kingdom): reseller and Merchant of Record for website purchases;
- Cloudflare: hosting the Site and the website version's updates;
- Zoho Mail (India): our support email; and
- DuckDuckGo: fallback website icons, as described in section 4e.
9. Legal bases (EU and UK)
Where the GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we rely on our legitimate interests in keeping CloakPane working, secure and improving for anonymous usage statistics, crash reports and update checks; on performing our contract with you to provide Pro and support; and on our legal obligations to keep purchase and tax records.
10. How long we keep data
- Anonymous usage statistics are kept in aggregate to see trends over time.
- Crash reports are kept only as long as needed to fix the problem, and usually deleted within 90 days.
- Purchase records are kept for as long as you have Pro and as long as tax and accounting laws require.
- Support emails are kept for as long as needed to help you and handle any follow-up.
11. How your data is protected
Data the App stores on your Mac is encrypted at rest with AES-GCM, using a key kept in your Mac's Keychain (named "Safe Storage"). You can also lock the App with Touch ID. Because we hold almost no personal data ourselves, there is very little about you that anyone could obtain from us.
12. Your rights
Depending on where you live, including under the GDPR, the UK GDPR, India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 and US state privacy laws, you may have the right to access, correct or delete personal data we hold about you, to object to or restrict its processing, and to complain to your data-protection authority. To exercise these rights, email [email protected] and we'll respond as the law requires.
Because the App's statistics and crash reports are anonymous, we usually can't identify which of them came from you. Everything the App stores locally can be removed by deleting the App and its data from your Mac.
13. Children
CloakPane isn't directed to children, and we don't knowingly collect personal data from children.
14. International transfers
We operate from India, and our providers are based in the countries listed above, including the European Union and the United States. The limited data they handle may therefore be processed outside your country, with the safeguards those providers offer, such as the European Commission's standard contractual clauses.
15. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We'll revise the "Last updated" date above and, for significant changes, give more prominent notice where appropriate.
16. Contact us
Bhavya Bhut, Rajkot, Gujarat, India
Email: [email protected]