PROOF Privacy Policy
Effective date: July 2026
PROOF is published by Steppe Summit Studio. This policy explains, plainly and completely, what happens to your data when you use PROOF. The short version: PROOF is built to keep your work on your device, and the only thing that ever leaves is text you deliberately choose to submit for a scan.
No accounts, no sign-in
PROOF has no user accounts and no sign-in. You do not create a profile, and you do not give us a name, email, phone number, or password to use the app. We do not build a user identity for you.
What stays on your device
By default, everything you create in PROOF stays on your device, including:
Your projects, drafts, and the text you write or paste in.
Your checkpoints and receipts, each stored with a timestamp, a word count, a diff against your previous checkpoint, and a SHA-256 content fingerprint of the text.
Your scan reports and their results.
Your voice profile baseline and any voice-drift findings.
Your insights and statistics, such as word counts, activity windows, heatmap data, streaks, and readability metrics, all computed locally.
Your settings and preferences.
Your available scan balance, which is stored in the device Keychain.
This on-device data is not transmitted to us and is not backed up to any server we control. It may be included in your own device or iCloud backups if you have those enabled through Apple, which are governed by Apple's terms and your device settings, not by us.
What leaves your device, and only when you ask
The only data that leaves your device is the specific text you choose to submit for a scan. When you run an authorship scan, citation check, source trace, or full report, PROOF sends that text over an encrypted HTTPS connection to a third-party AI provider to generate the analysis.
The AI provider is Anthropic, which acts as a data processor for the text you submit. The text is transmitted to Anthropic's AI API, processed to produce your analysis, and the result is returned to your device. Your use of this feature is subject to Anthropic's applicable terms and privacy practices for their API service.
For the source trace feature specifically, short sampled phrases from your submitted text may be searched against the open web by that service in order to find close matches to your phrasing. This is a general web search. It is not an academic database and it is not equivalent to Turnitin.
We do not send your projects, checkpoints, fingerprints, voice profile, insights, or settings to any server. We only ever transmit the text you actively choose to scan.
Payments
If PROOF offers purchases, they are handled entirely by Apple through the App Store. Apple processes your payment. We never see or receive your payment card details, billing address, or other payment information. Your purchase balance is recorded on your device in the Keychain. Purchases are governed by Apple's terms and privacy policy.
No tracking, no analytics, no ads
PROOF contains no third-party analytics SDKs, no advertising SDKs, and no tracking of any kind. We do not use the advertising identifier. We do not profile you, we do not serve ads, and we do not sell or share your data with data brokers or advertisers. There is nothing to opt out of because there is nothing collecting you in the first place.
Your controls
You are in control of your data at all times. You can delete individual projects, checkpoints, and reports within the app. You can also erase all PROOF data from your device using the erase option in Settings. Because your data lives on your device, deleting it removes it.
Children
PROOF is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. The app is intended for students, academics, and writers who are old enough to manage their own writing.
Changes to this policy
If we make material changes to this policy, we will update the effective date above and publish the revised policy at this address. Continued use of PROOF after an update means you accept the revised policy.
Contact
If you have questions about this policy or your privacy, email pradeep.aneesh@gmail.com.