Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Section titled “Privacy Policy”Last updated: March 15, 2026
Our Commitment
Section titled “Our Commitment”Qark (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is built on a simple principle: your data belongs to you. This Privacy Policy describes how we handle information when you use Qark, the desktop AI agent kernel.
The Short Version
Section titled “The Short Version”Qark is a local-first application — everything stays on your device. We do not collect, store, transmit, or have any access to your conversations, files, API keys, or personal data. No account is required to use Qark.
What We Do Not Collect
Section titled “What We Do Not Collect”- Conversations & prompts — Stored locally in a SQLite database on your device. We never see or access them.
- API keys — Encrypted on disk using a randomly generated key unique to your installation. They never leave your device.
- Files & documents — Any files processed through RAG or other features remain entirely on your machine.
- Telemetry & analytics — We collect none. No usage tracking, no crash reporting, no analytics of any kind.
What We Do Collect (Minimally)
Section titled “What We Do Collect (Minimally)”Two narrow, anonymous interactions may occur with our servers:
- License validation — When you activate a license, your license key and a hardware-derived machine identifier are verified against our licensing server. No personal data is transmitted.
- Update checks — Qark may periodically check for software updates via a standard HTTP request containing only your app version number. No personal data is transmitted.
Third-Party AI & Service Providers
Section titled “Third-Party AI & Service Providers”Qark is a Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) application. When you use any AI, search, embedding, or reranking provider, your prompts and data travel directly from your device to that provider using your own API keys. Qark does not proxy, intercept, log, or store any of this traffic.
Each provider’s own privacy policy governs how they handle your data. We encourage you to review them:
AI Providers
- Anthropic
- OpenAI
- Google Gemini
- Groq
- Together AI
- xAI / Grok
- OpenRouter
- Perplexity
- DeepSeek
- Ollama — runs entirely locally on your device
- LM Studio — runs entirely locally on your device
Search & Web Providers
Embedding & Reranking Providers
Data Storage & Portability
Section titled “Data Storage & Portability”All application data is stored locally on your device:
- Conversations — SQLite database in your application support directory
- API keys — Encrypted on disk with a per-installation encryption key
- Settings & preferences — Local configuration files
- RAG documents — Local vector store on your machine
You are in full control of your data. You can export conversations at any time as Markdown, HTML, or PDF. To delete all data permanently, simply remove the application and its associated support files from your device.
Children’s Privacy
Section titled “Children’s Privacy”Qark is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect any information from children. If you believe a child has provided information through our services, please contact us so we can address it promptly.
Changes to This Policy
Section titled “Changes to This Policy”We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any material changes will be reflected with a new “Last updated” date at the top of this page and announced on our website. Continued use of Qark after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
Contact
Section titled “Contact”Questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy? We’d love to hear from you.