Privacy Policy

Effective date: February 15, 2026 · Last updated: October 7, 2026

Tagalong AI ("Tagalong," "we," "us") makes Tagalong, a native macOS application for meeting recording, transcription, and AI-powered summary generation. We are committed to your privacy. This policy explains how your data is handled across the two licensing modes available in the application.

1. Product Overview

Tagalong operates in two distinct modes, each with different data handling characteristics:

Mode	Data Routing	API Keys
Private License	Direct to third-party APIs	User provides their own
Subscription	Through our proxy at api.tagalongai.com	Managed by Tagalong

2. Private License Mode

In Private License mode, Tagalong operates entirely between your Mac and the third-party AI services you configure. No data is sent to Tagalong servers.

Audio recording is captured and stored locally on your Mac.
Transcripts, summaries, infographics, and meeting notes are generated and stored in a directory you choose (default: ~/Documents/Tagalong/).
API keys (OpenAI, AssemblyAI, Google Gemini) are stored securely in the macOS Keychain using Data Protection. They are never transmitted to Tagalong.
Audio and transcript data is sent directly from your Mac to the third-party APIs (OpenAI, AssemblyAI, Google Gemini) for processing. These transmissions use the API keys you provide and are governed by the respective third-party privacy policies.

Private License Summary

Your data stays on your Mac and goes directly to the AI services you configure. Tagalong has no access to your recordings, transcripts, API keys, or any other data.

3. Subscription Mode

In Subscription mode, audio and transcript data is routed through our proxy server at api.tagalongai.com before being forwarded to the underlying AI services.

Ephemeral processing only. Audio chunks and transcript data pass through our proxy in real time and are forwarded to OpenAI, AssemblyAI, or Google Gemini for processing. We do not store audio, transcripts, summaries, or any meeting content on our servers.
Authentication is handled via JWT tokens. Your subscription credentials are used to authorize proxy requests — the underlying API keys are managed by Tagalong and are not exposed to you.
No long-term storage. Our proxy does not retain any meeting data after the request completes. Request logs may include metadata (timestamps, request sizes, endpoint called) for operational purposes but never contain meeting content.
Local storage of final outputs (transcripts, summaries, infographics, notes) remains on your Mac, identical to Private License mode.

Optional AI assistant connections

Release status: Tagalong 3.4.1 includes the Claude Desktop extension and a private ChatGPT setup kit. Interactive ChatGPT rendering has not been validated.

When you enable “Allow AI assistants to read this folder” in Tagalong 3.4.1, a local permission file records the library folder and your access choice. Current and future supported meeting Markdown and personal-note text in that folder and subfolders become available for retrieval. Audio, images, hidden files, symlinks and hard links are excluded. The connector searches on demand; it does not replicate the library or create a cloud index. Task status is read-only. Changing folders disables access until you enable it again; upgrading older individual-document permissions does not silently grant folder-wide access. Folder restrictions are enforced by the connector, not an operating-system sandbox.

Search results and retrieved excerpts are sent to the connected AI provider. They may remain in the provider’s conversation history according to your account and workspace policies. Turning sharing off stops future retrieval; it does not remove content already sent to an AI conversation. The ChatGPT private connection uses OpenAI Secure MCP Tunnel and requires the Mac and tunnel client to be available.

4. Third-Party AI Services

Both licensing modes rely on the following third-party services for AI processing. Your use of Tagalong means your audio and text data will be processed by these services according to their respective privacy policies:

OpenAI — Whisper (speech-to-text transcription) and GPT (meeting summary generation). OpenAI Privacy Policy
AssemblyAI — Speaker diarization (identifying who said what). AssemblyAI Privacy Policy
Google Gemini — Infographic image generation. Google AI Terms

We encourage you to review these policies to understand how your data is handled by each provider.

5. Local Data Storage

All meeting outputs are stored locally on your Mac:

Default location: ~/Documents/Tagalong/{meeting-name}/
Transcript: Markdown file (.md) with speaker labels and timestamps
Meeting notes: Plain text file (_notes.txt), human-editable
Infographic: JPEG image (_infographic.jpg)
Audio recording: WAV file (.wav), if recording was used

You can move, copy, delete, or back up these files. Tagalong reads saved meeting files when you reopen or search them. AI features may send relevant meeting content for processing, and enabled integrations may receive content you choose to share. A folder in iCloud Drive or another storage service may also sync according to that service’s settings. Deleting local files does not remove content already sent to a provider or integration.

6. Keychain Security

API keys and license keys are stored in the macOS Keychain under the service identifier com.tagalongai.tagalong. The Keychain provides:

Hardware-backed encryption via the Secure Enclave (on supported Macs)
Data Protection class access controls
Per-application access restrictions

Keys are never written to disk in plaintext, logged, or transmitted to Tagalong servers.

7. Analytics, Tracking, and Data Collection

The app does not collect any data.

Tagalong does not include analytics SDKs, tracking pixels, telemetry, or any form of usage data collection. The app does not collect personally identifiable information (PII). There are no network calls to Tagalong servers in Private License mode. The only exception is the optional text message program described in Section 8, which you join separately on our website.

Future consideration: We may introduce opt-in error reporting (e.g., via Sentry) in a future release to help diagnose crashes. This would be strictly opt-in, anonymized, and limited to crash data. This privacy policy will be updated before any such feature is shipped.

8. Text Messaging (SMS)

Tagalong AI runs an optional text message program. You join it only by entering your number and checking the consent box on our text sign-up page. This section describes the only personal information Tagalong collects through that program.

What we collect

Your first name, if you choose to provide it.
Your mobile number.
A record of your consent: the date and time you signed up, the IP address the sign-up came from, the page where you agreed, and the version of the consent wording you saw.
Message history and opt-out status for your number, such as which texts we sent and whether you replied STOP, HELP, or START.

How we use it

We use this information only to run the Tagalong text program: sending product updates and new releases, tips, and occasional offers on Tagalong Pro (message frequency varies, up to 4 msgs/month), answering HELP requests, honoring opt-outs, and keeping a record that you agreed to receive texts. We do not use your mobile number for anything else, and we do not sell it.

Message delivery

Text messages are delivered through Twilio, which processes your mobile number and message content on our behalf, solely to deliver messages and process replies. See the Twilio Privacy Notice. Your wireless carrier also handles the messages it delivers to you.

Your mobile number is never shared for marketing.

We do not sell or share your SMS opt-in data or personal information with third parties for marketing purposes. No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

Opting out and getting help

To stop: reply STOP to any Tagalong text. You will receive one confirmation and no further messages. To resubscribe later, text START.
For help: reply HELP to any Tagalong text, or email [email protected].
Retention: we keep your number and consent record while you are subscribed. After you opt out, we keep a record of the opt-out so we never text you again by mistake. To ask us to delete your information, email [email protected].

Message and data rates may apply. Consent to receive texts is not a condition of purchase. The program terms are in our Terms of Service.

9. macOS Permissions

Tagalong requests the following macOS permissions:

Microphone Access — Required for meeting recording. The app records audio from your selected input device.
System Audio Recording — Required only for Conference Mode, which captures system audio (e.g., Zoom, Teams, Google Meet) via Core Audio. This permission is not needed for microphone-only recording. No screen content is captured or accessed.

You can revoke these permissions at any time in System Settings > Privacy & Security.

10. Children's Privacy

Tagalong is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via our website and, where possible, through in-app notification. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised.

12. Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, contact us at:

[email protected]