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Privacy

Fully local when your setup stays local.

ExtraBrain can keep model and transcription requests on your Mac when you use on-device AI and local transcription. External model or transcription providers receive only the content required for requests you choose to send.

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Privacy

What stays local by default

Desktop app state

The app runs on your Mac rather than a hosted browser dashboard.

Fully local mode

With on-device AI and local transcription, transcripts, prompts, screenshots, notes, and saved facts can stay on your Mac.

Hardware requirement

On-device AI requires compatible hardware and may not be available on every Mac or customer environment.

Credentials

Provider credentials should stay in the app-controlled storage path and should be rotated if a device or account is compromised.

Privacy

What can leave your device

External model requests

Prompt text, transcript excerpts, screenshots, and context can be sent to OpenAI, Anthropic, Claude, Codex, or a custom endpoint when you ask ExtraBrain to use that provider.

Transcription

Local Parakeet can keep transcription on-device. Optional Deepgram can receive audio or transcription data depending on setup.

Analytics

The public website tracks page and download interactions. The app privacy posture should be reviewed separately from website analytics.

Privacy

User control

Use only providers you trust, send the minimum context required, rehearse with non-sensitive material, and avoid using ExtraBrain where interview, employer, school, or platform policies prohibit assistance.

Privacy

Local-first comparison questions

Meeting bot or desktop app

Ask whether the assistant joins calls as a participant, records through a cloud bot, or runs as a desktop app that you control locally.

Audio and transcript routing

Check whether raw audio, transcript text, screenshots, and summaries stay on the device, go to a vendor backend, or go directly to external providers you configured.

Provider retention

When external AI or transcription is enabled, review each provider account for retention, training, logging, billing, and deletion settings.

Privacy

Privacy checklist before a sensitive session

Pick the data path

Decide whether the session should use on-device AI, local transcription, external model providers, optional Deepgram, or a mixed setup.

Limit context

Send only the transcript excerpts, screenshots, notes, or prompts that the task requires.

Review provider policies

External model and transcription providers control their own retention, billing, and account settings.

Rehearse safely

Test privacy-sensitive workflows with realistic but non-confidential material before a real interview or meeting.

FAQ

Common questions.

Short answers for people and crawlers comparing ExtraBrain with other live AI assistants.

Is ExtraBrain local-first?

Yes. ExtraBrain is a local-first desktop app. With on-device AI and local transcription, requests can stay on your Mac today; external providers receive content only when you choose features that use them.

Can screenshots leave my device?

Yes, if you include screenshots in a provider request. Only send screenshots when the provider and situation are appropriate.

Is on-device AI available to everyone?

Not always. On-device AI requires compatible hardware and may not be available on every Mac or customer environment.

Can I use local transcription?

Yes. ExtraBrain supports local NVIDIA Parakeet transcription, with optional Deepgram available when configured.

Can API keys leave my control?

Provider credentials should stay in app-controlled storage. Rotate or revoke keys if a device, account, or provider credential may have been exposed.

What is the safest ExtraBrain setup?

The strictest posture is local transcription plus on-device AI on compatible hardware, with no external provider requests for sensitive content.

How is ExtraBrain different from cloud meeting agents?

ExtraBrain runs as a desktop app and can keep transcription and model requests local when your setup is fully local. Cloud meeting agents may join meetings, store transcripts in a vendor workspace, or process content through vendor infrastructure.