Lifebook Privacy Policy¶

Effective date: August 8, 2026

This privacy policy explains how Lifebook handles information in the Lifebook Windows app and on the Lifebook manual website at lifebook.help.

Lifebook is published by Toralf Kampe, who is the data controller responsible for the limited personal information described in this policy. In this policy, "the Lifebook publisher" refers to Toralf Kampe.

Summary¶

Lifebook is designed as a local-first personal timeline and journal app. Your Lifebook entries are stored on your device, not in a Lifebook cloud account. The Lifebook publisher does not operate a server that receives or stores your journal contents.

Some optional features can involve other services, such as Microsoft Store licensing, speech and face recognition model downloads, and website analytics for this manual. Those are described below.

Information Stored By The App¶

Lifebook stores the information you add to your timeline, which may include:

text entries, titles, captions, dates, and tags
imported photos, videos, audio files, documents, folders, albums, and calendar files
file paths, generated thumbnails, preview images, and app settings
face signatures (biometric templates), face crops, and people names, once you set up face recognition
backups and exported files that you create

This information can be personal information because it may describe you, people in your life, places, dates, memories, media, or documents.

Lifebook keeps its main app data in local files and folders on your Windows device. If you choose folders for backup, export, import, or copied media, files may also be written to those locations. You control those files using the app, File Explorer, Windows backup tools, and any backup or sync software you choose to use.

Lifebook does not intentionally upload your journal entries, imported media, backups, or exported documents to a Lifebook publisher server.

Microphone And Dictation¶

Dictation is optional and only starts when you use the microphone button while editing a text entry.

When dictation is enabled, Lifebook uses your microphone to create a short temporary audio recording, transcribes it, and inserts the recognized text into the entry you are editing. The temporary recording is deleted after transcription finishes or when you cancel dictation.

When advanced dictation is enabled, transcription runs on your device using a downloaded local speech model. The audio is not uploaded to the Lifebook publisher.

If advanced dictation is turned off, Lifebook uses the speech recognizer built into Windows, which also runs on your device. Recognition quality and language coverage depend on the recognizers, languages, and privacy settings configured in Windows.

Speech Model Downloads¶

Advanced dictation may ask you to download a speech model. These downloads are optional and are stored locally on your device. Model downloads are fetched from third-party hosting services used by the model projects, such as GitHub or Hugging Face.

When you download a model, those services may receive normal web request information such as your IP address, browser or client information, request time, and the requested file. Lifebook does not send your journal contents with the model download request.

You can remove downloaded speech models from Lifebook settings.

Face Recognition¶

Face recognition is switched on by default, but it does not analyze anything until it has been set up. Face detection requires a recognition model that is not included with the app, and Lifebook only downloads that model after you agree to it. Until then no face data is created, and you can switch the feature off in Lifebook settings at any time.

Once the model is installed, Lifebook detects faces in your photos and videos, groups similar faces, and stores the resulting face data on your device: the position of each face, a small cropped image of it, any name you assign, and a numeric representation of the facial features — a face signature, also called a biometric template.

These face signatures are biometric data. Lifebook uses them to recognize and tell individual people apart, not merely to detect that a photo contains a face, and under data protection laws such as the GDPR that makes them a special category of personal information about you and the people in your photos. Storing them only on your device does not change what they are — but it does mean they stay under your control, and Lifebook is designed so they never leave your device.

All face detection and recognition run on your device. Your photos, face signatures, face crops, and assigned names are not transmitted to the Lifebook publisher, who has no access to them.

Lifebook backups you create include your people, face signatures, face positions, and review decisions. Face crop images are not included in a backup, because Lifebook can rebuild them from your photos with a library scan. Treat your backup files with the same care as the face data itself.

Using face recognition requires a one-time download of a face recognition model file, which Lifebook offers the first time you open the People page. Like speech models, this download is fetched from a third-party hosting service (Hugging Face). When you download the model, that service may receive normal web request information such as your IP address. Lifebook does not send your photos or journal contents with the model download request.

You stay in control of this data:

Remove all face data in Settings > People deletes every person, face signature, and face crop from your device in one step, after a confirmation. Your photos and videos are not deleted, and this cannot be undone.
Turning face recognition off in settings stops all further face processing. Face data already created is kept, so that turning the feature back on does not mean starting over.
Removing a single person removes their name and grouping. Their individual face signatures remain, so those faces can still be grouped again later; use Remove all face data if you want the signatures gone as well.
Deleting a photo or video also deletes the face signatures and face crops belonging to it. Deleting all entries, or uninstalling Lifebook and removing its local data, removes the face data with it.
Removing the downloaded model frees the disk space and switches face recognition off, but does not by itself delete face data already created.

Microsoft Store, Purchases, And Licensing¶

If you install Lifebook from Microsoft Store, Microsoft handles Store downloads, updates, licensing, purchases, refunds, ratings, and Store account activity. Lifebook may query Microsoft Store licensing APIs to determine whether the app is running in trial mode or full mode.

Microsoft's handling of Store and account data is governed by Microsoft's privacy statement and Store terms.

Logs And Diagnostics¶

Lifebook may write local diagnostic logs on your device to help troubleshoot app errors. Logs can include technical messages and may include entry titles, file paths, or error details depending on what happened.

Logs are stored locally and are kept as a rolling set of recent daily files (about the last 30 days), with older files removed automatically. They are not automatically uploaded to the Lifebook publisher. If you contact support, only send logs or screenshots that you are comfortable sharing.

Manual Website Analytics¶

The lifebook.help manual may use Cloudflare Web Analytics to understand which manual pages are used and how the site performs. Cloudflare Web Analytics collects website performance and visit metrics for the manual site. It is privacy-focused: it does not use cookies for tracking and does not build cross-site advertising profiles. It is separate from your Lifebook app data and does not receive your Lifebook journal entries.

Browser extensions or browser privacy settings may block analytics requests.

The Lifebook publisher does not sell your Lifebook journal data.

Lifebook may share information only when you choose or trigger a feature that requires it, such as:

requesting optional speech or face recognition model files from third-party download hosts
opening Microsoft Store purchase or licensing flows
sending an email to support from your email app

Information may also be disclosed if required by applicable law.

International Data Transfers¶

Some optional features connect to services that may process requests outside your country, including outside the European Economic Area. For example, optional speech and face recognition model downloads are hosted by services such as GitHub and Hugging Face, and the manual website uses Cloudflare. When you use these optional features, related technical request information such as your IP address may be handled by those providers under their own privacy policies.

Your Controls¶

You control your Lifebook data through the app and Windows:

create, edit, export, back up, restore, and delete Lifebook entries
choose where exported documents and backups are written
remove downloaded dictation and face recognition models in Lifebook settings
enable or disable dictation in Lifebook settings
enable or disable face recognition, and remove recognized people, in the app
control microphone permission in Windows privacy settings
uninstall Lifebook from Windows
delete local app data and backups when you no longer need them

Uninstalling the app may not remove every backup, export, copied media file, or manually chosen storage folder. Check any folders where you saved Lifebook exports or backups.

Your Privacy Rights¶

Because Lifebook stores your entries on your device, you remain in direct control of that data. You can view, edit, export, and delete it at any time using the app and Windows, without needing to contact anyone.

For the limited personal information the Lifebook publisher handles directly — such as emails you send to support and the aggregate website metrics for the manual — you may have rights under data protection laws such as the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). These can include the right to:

access, correct, or delete that information
object to or restrict its processing
receive a portable copy where applicable
withdraw consent for optional features at any time

Where the GDPR applies, the legal basis for this limited processing is your consent for the optional features you choose to enable, and the Lifebook publisher's legitimate interest in responding to support requests and maintaining the manual website.

If you are in the EU, EEA, or UK, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority.

To exercise any of these rights, contact the Lifebook publisher using the details in the Contact section below.

Security¶

Lifebook stores data locally using normal Windows file storage. Protect your Windows account and device with a strong password, device encryption where available, and regular backups. Lifebook does not add separate encryption to its local storage.

Children¶

Lifebook is intended as a general personal productivity and journaling app. It is not directed at children and is not intended for use by children under 16, or the minimum age required for data-processing consent in your country. The Lifebook publisher does not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes To This Policy¶

This policy may be updated when Lifebook adds or changes features. The effective date at the top of the page will be updated when the policy changes.

Contact¶

For privacy questions or support, you can contact the Lifebook publisher, Toralf Kampe, at:

lifebook.winapp@gmail.com