et al Labs collects nothing. Your highlights and notes stay on your devices.

What et al Labs collects

Nothing. et al. doesn’t collect, send, or store any personal information about you.

• No et al. account to create, no sign-ups, and no email addresses.
• No analytics or telemetry.
• No crash reporting that includes user data.
• No advertising identifiers.
• No third-party SDKs or tracking libraries.

Where your highlights and notes (annotations) live

Safari stores your highlights and notes on your device. By default they stay there. et al Labs runs no server that can receive them, and has no way to read them.

iCloud Sync (optional, off by default)

et al. includes an optional iCloud Sync feature. It is off until you turn it on, and you can turn it off again at any time.

When it is on, your highlights, notes, folders, and tags sync across your devices through your iCloud account, using the Apple Account you already have. They are stored in your own private iCloud database. et al Labs operates no server in that path, receives none of this data, and has no ability to read it. Apple’s handling of data in iCloud is governed by Apple’s privacy policy.

Smart features on supported devices

On devices that support Apple’s on-device models, et al. offers a few optional smart features. They work with the highlights and notes you’ve saved: short summaries and answers to questions about your highlights, suggested searches based on your Library, suggested names when you create a folder or tag, and suggested citation details from a page you saved. All of this runs on your device, using Apple’s on-device models built into the system. Nothing about your highlights, notes, or browsing is sent to et al Labs or to anyone else.

Permissions the extension asks for

et al. asks Safari for a small number of permissions. Here’s what each one is for:

• activeTab: to read the text on the page you’re looking at, so it can be highlighted.
• scripting: to draw your highlights on the page.
• storage and unlimitedStorage: to remember your highlights and notes between visits on your device.
• downloads: to save a file when you export your highlights, notes, or citations.
• nativeMessaging: so the extension can ask the bundled app on your device to run the smart features described above, and to handle iCloud Sync when you turn it on. The messages stay between the extension and the app, both on your device.

Web pages you visit

et al. reads the content of pages you choose to highlight, so it can attach highlights and notes. This reading happens on your device. Page content is never sent anywhere.

Third parties

et al. doesn’t share data with anyone else. There’s no data to share.

Children

et al. isn’t directed at children under 13. et al Labs doesn’t knowingly collect information from anyone, children included.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes in any meaningful way, the date at the top will be updated and the change noted on this page.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Write to support@getetal.com.