Privacy
What chalk keeps about you, why, who helps us run it, and how to have it removed.
Who we are
chalk is run by the founders of chalk. Write to us at hello@trychalk.tech about anything here.
What we collect
Your account
Your email address, and your name if Google or Apple shares it when you sign in with them. Each time you sign in we note when, and whether it was the Mac app, a web browser or a phone, along with your browser’s identifying string (its “user agent”).
What you make and upload
Boards, courses, lessons, notes, cheat sheets, flashcards, quizzes, the words and notes from recordings you make, files you upload, and your settings — including your learning profile (your subjects and levels) and the words you teach chalk to hear correctly.
What chalk remembers
From your questions, chalk keeps a few short facts about you so its answers fit you (for example, that you are learning Spanish). You can see every one in Settings › What chalk knows, forget any of them, or turn memory off.
Questions about your screen (the Mac app)
When you hold ⌘⌥ and ask, chalk takes a picture of the screen you are on and reads the text of the window in front (through macOS accessibility), and sends both with your words to be answered. During a walkthrough you started, it looks again to see when you have done each step. It does not watch your screen at any other time.
The picture is not stored.We keep your question and chalk’s short answer in your history. If you choose “Keep as board”, the picture of your screen is saved in that board, because the board points at it.
Your voice
While you hold ⌘⌥, or while a recording you started is running, your audio is sent to be turned into words. We keep the words, never the audio. Silence is never sent.
How you use chalk
What you used and how many credits it took, so your plan’s limits are counted fairly. Reports you send us from the app, with the page you were on.
Payments
Stripe takes your payment. We receive your plan, the amounts and dates, and a reference to your Stripe customer record. We never see or store your card number.
What we don’t collect
No advertising identifiers, no analytics trackers, no tracking cookies, and no data bought from anyone else.
Why we use it
- To run chalk for you — answering, drawing boards, building courses, keeping your work. (This is what you sign up for.)
- To keep it fair and safe — counting credits, stopping misuse, fixing what breaks. (Our legitimate interest in running chalk properly.)
- To bill you, if you pay, and keep the records the law asks for.
- To answer you when you write to us or send a report.
- Only with your say-so — memory (you can turn it off), and signing in with Google or Apple.
The AI that answers you
chalk’s answers are made by AI models from OpenAI. They receive what is needed to answer — your words, the picture of your screen, your audio, or the material you are studying — and send the answer back. Under the business terms we use with them, they do not use it to train their models, and they may hold it for a limited time only to detect abuse.
AI can be wrong. chalk checks the facts on its boards before walking you through them, but mistakes still happen.
Who helps us run chalk
| Who | What they do for chalk |
|---|---|
| OpenAI | AI answers, chalk’s voice, and turning speech into words |
| Vercel | Hosts the website and the app |
| Neon | The database your account and your work are stored in |
| Stripe | Payments and billing |
| Resend | Sends your sign-in codes |
| Google, Apple | Sign-in, only if you choose them |
| Upstash | Holds waitlist sign-ups |
| YouTube | Plays a tutorial clip in some lessons — only when you press play |
Each only gets what it needs for its job, and is bound to protect it.
Who else sees it
- People you share a link with. Anyone with a share link can view that one thing until you stop sharing it.
- The law. If we are legally required to hand something over, we will — and tell you, unless we are not allowed to.
- A company taking over chalk. When chalk is incorporated, or if it is ever sold, your data goes with it, under this policy.
We never sell your data.
Where it is kept
Our providers store data in the United States and other countries. Where it leaves the UK or the EU, it is protected by the safeguards they provide, such as standard contractual clauses.
How long we keep it
- Your account and your work: while your account is open.
- Something you delete: gone from chalk at once; it can stay in backups for up to 30 days.
- A closed account: deleted within 30 days of you asking.
- Payment records: as long as tax and accounting law requires.
Your rights
You can ask to see what we hold about you, correct it, have it deleted, take a copy with you, or object to how we use it — and withdraw any permission you gave. Write to hello@trychalk.tech from the email on your account and we will answer within a month. If you are unhappy with our answer, you can complain to your data protection authority — in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Children
You need to be 13 or older to have a chalk account. Younger learners can use chalk only through a parent’s or teacher’s account, with that adult. If we learn that someone under 13 has their own account, we will delete it.
Cookies and what is kept on your device
One cookie keeps you signed in, and a second, short-lived one exists only while you sign in with Google or Apple. The Mac app keeps your sign-in in your Mac’s Keychain. Some pages remember small preferences in your browser, such as text size or whether chalk’s voice is on. There are no tracking or advertising cookies.
Keeping it safe
Everything travels encrypted. Sign-in codes work once, for ten minutes, and we keep only a scrambled copy of them. The Mac app is hidden from screenshots and screen recordings by default, and it never does anything on your screen without you tapping, clicking or saying yes.
Changes
If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top. If a change matters, we will tell you by email or in the app before it takes effect.