Lecture Desk privacy notice

Updated October 25, 2026 for version 0.5.1.

Lecture Desk stores your classes, schedules, imported materials, recordings, transcripts, notes, and reading position on your Windows computer. It starts with an empty library. It has no Lecture Desk account, advertising, analytics, or automatic developer reporting.

Recording and local AI

Recording starts only when you choose Record. You choose microphone, computer audio, or both. The recording indicator and controls show the active session. Closing the window during a recording hides it; use the recording tray controls to stop. Check your class's recording rules and obtain any required permission before recording.

Transcription, study notes, recording titles, search, answers to questions you ask about your class materials, document extraction, and the included reading voice run locally unless you turn on one of the optional cloud features described below. AI output can contain errors. Review it against the original lecture or source; this app is not an authoritative academic source.

Downloads and optional network features

When you choose Set up local AI, the app downloads model files from Ollama's registry, Hugging Face, and ModelScope/CDN services. Their servers receive ordinary connection information, including your IP address and requested model filenames. Class content is not part of these model requests. Downloads are checked against the bundled SHA-256 catalog before use. The included Ollama service is private to this edition and disables its cloud features.

The standard installation includes CPU processing engines. On a supported NVIDIA laptop, you can separately choose to download GPU acceleration in Settings. This downloads a pinned Ollama runtime from its official GitHub release and NVIDIA CUDA libraries from their official Python package distributions. These downloads contain executable engines and DLLs, not additional lecture content or a graphics driver. They are verified against a bundled file and archive hash catalog before activation. Download servers receive normal connection information, but no class documents, audio, transcripts, or notes. The components run locally inside this edition's private runtime directory; the app does not install a system driver or Windows service. CPU features remain available without this optional download.

Optional phone transfer opens a temporary, token-protected HTTP receiver on the local network address you select. Only enable it on a network you trust, preferably your private hotspot. It transfers the files you select from your phone into your chosen class. The temporary link gives access to the upload page and class names while the receiver is on. Copy link places it on your Windows clipboard, and Open on laptop opens it in your browser; treat a copied link like the QR code. Stop the transfer session when finished. Local HTTP is not encrypted transport.

Optional cloud AI uses your own API key from a provider you choose, such as Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Groq, Mistral, OpenRouter, DeepSeek, xAI, Deepgram, ElevenLabs, or another OpenAI-compatible service at an address you enter. Lecture Desk does not receive your API keys or any content you send. Keys are protected using Windows encryption, kept outside the library, and excluded from library backups. Content you send is handled under that provider's API terms and privacy/data policies, and the provider bills your account. You can use every feature locally without adding a key.

• Cloud transcription. Each upload requires an explicit in-app approval showing the selected audio, the provider, and the estimated cost. Only that approved audio is sent. No paid cloud retry is automatic.
• Cloud study notes, flashcards and Ask. Off by default. If you switch it on in Settings and confirm, the transcripts, document text, study notes, and questions needed for each request are sent to the provider you chose whenever study notes, recording titles, flashcards, or Ask answers are written. Search indexing stays on this computer. Switching back to the local AI stops these requests; removing a provider's key also switches its notes back to local.

Links you choose to open use your default browser; those sites have their own policies.

Optional Chrome Reader

The separately installed Lecture Desk Reader Chrome extension can read an article or passage you choose with this app's local voices. In Settings > Chrome reader > Set up Chrome reader, Enable connection explicitly registers this Store edition's public native messaging host for its permitted extension. Turn off removes only the registration owned by this edition and stops its browser work. The extension may open this app in the background for local speech; it does not focus the app unnecessarily or change the personal edition's connection.

The browser sends short text passages and voice/preparation commands over native messaging and an authenticated local named pipe. Audio is generated on this computer and returned for browser playback. The connector does not offer class, document, recording, transcript, note, import/export, or API-key access. Browser speech is not added to the class library. Temporary audio caches stay in memory; the desktop cache is bounded and cleared when browser work is disconnected or the service closes. Clips older than 15 minutes are not reused, but can remain until cache eviction or shutdown. Preparing a browser voice can download its files from the same providers described under model downloads, after an explicit Prepare voice request; article text is not part of those downloads.

The extension keeps its own local Chrome bookmarks and preferences, separately from the desktop library. Normal listening bookmarks include selected-source URLs/titles, short current/prior sentence snippets, and listening position so you can resume. Temporary toolbar/right-click extraction requests can include selected text and source metadata in Chrome session memory until replaced or the extension/browser reloads. These are not sent to the publisher or saved into desktop class data. The extension's privacy notice describes retention, forgetting a bookmark, private-browsing preferences, and removal. Uninstalling the extension does not uninstall this desktop app or delete its models and library. Chrome and Microsoft distribute their respective updates and have their own service policies.

The app stores bounded connection-completion metadata in its package LocalState, including permitted extension/host identifiers, protocol, and contact time. It contains no article text or class content. The public Chrome connection uses a separate registration and exact allowed origin and cannot use the personal app's private host.

Storage, export, and deletion

The default library is under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Lecture Desk Classmate Beta. This edition uses separate application settings, model storage, and recorder connections from the personal Lecture Desk edition. Your Windows account and disk protections determine who can read local files; the library itself is not an encrypted vault.

Optional acceleration is stored under this beta library's runtimes folder. Removing acceleration from Settings removes those optional engine files while retaining downloaded models and class content. Completed setup removes its compressed download cache; paused setup can retain partial downloads to resume later.

You can export notes, make a library backup, and move recordings or materials to Trash and restore them. Items in Trash remain on disk with their original sources and saved results. Adding a document saves it without automatically extracting the whole book or generating notes. You choose whether to prepare searchable text, and choose the whole document, specific PDF pages, or available PDF chapters when generating study notes. Removing a class is allowed only when it has no stored items or watched folders. Backups contain class content and must be stored privately. They omit model caches and API keys.

Import class schedule reads a PDF or screenshot you choose on this computer using the bundled local PDF reader and OCR. The app shows proposed class names, meeting times, and rooms for review; it saves only the classes you approve. It does not upload or retain a copy of the schedule file. The imported weekly times can be incomplete or misread, so compare them with your school's current schedule.

Read aloud saves your most recently listened sentence locally. Stopping a local processing task keeps its original source and any previously saved results. Ignoring an attention notice hides that occurrence; its error and retry option remain available locally. Reading positions and ignored notices are not sent to the publisher.

For intentional removal of the browser connection, choose Settings > Chrome reader > Turn off before uninstalling the desktop app. The public native-host registry entry can survive Store uninstall because Chrome must access it outside package virtualization. Removing the extension is a separate action; it does not remove desktop models or library content.

The direct Windows installer preserves the beta data folder on uninstall. Store edition uninstall behavior is subject to Windows package storage handling. For complete removal, first stop recordings and quit the beta, then remove any remaining beta data folder through File Explorer. Delete any exports, backups, or original source files separately if you no longer want them. Do not delete the separate personal Lecture Desk folder.

Share class setup exports only a class's code, name, color, and optional weekly meeting details. Review those details before sharing. It excludes recordings, materials, transcripts, notes, and accounts.

Export diagnostics writes a local report containing the app/Windows versions, architecture, memory amount, item counts, and setup/recorder status. It does not include lecture content, file paths, API keys, or account details, and is not sent automatically. Review the report before sending it to the publisher.

On a Mac (preview)

The Mac preview handles your data the same way as the Windows app, with these differences:

• Your library is in ~/Library/Application Support/Lecture Desk Classmate Beta instead of %LOCALAPPDATA%.
• API keys for optional cloud AI are encrypted with the macOS Keychain instead of Windows secret protection.
• There is no separate GPU download. Lecture Desk uses the Mac's built-in graphics.
• macOS asks for your permission before Lecture Desk can use the microphone. Recording the computer's audio, such as an online lecture, needs the Screen & System Audio Recording permission. Lecture Desk uses it only to capture audio and never records the screen image.
• To remove the app, quit it and move it from Applications to the Trash. Your library stays in the folder above until you delete that folder.

Contact

Publisher: Connor Tracy. For support or privacy questions, email connor.tracy@gmail.com. Include only the information needed to explain your request; do not send passwords, API keys, or lecture recordings unless specifically needed and agreed. Support emails are received by the publisher through Gmail.