# Privacy & security BlinkWrite is built to help you write without exposing what you write. This page explains our security model in plain terms. ## The short version - BlinkWrite reads only the **text** it needs to help you write. - Personal information is **masked on your device** before anything is sent. - Suggestions come from our **customized, self-hosted models**, not third-party AI APIs. - Your text is **never stored, logged, or used to train models**. ## Reading the text you're working with BlinkWrite reads the text of the active input and its surrounding context, such as a conversation thread, email chain, or document, to understand what you're writing. It reads only the text it needs to make a suggestion, and only from the app you're actively writing in. It isn't monitoring your screen or tracking your activity. ## On-device PII masking Before any text leaves your Mac, BlinkWrite runs an **on-device** step that detects and masks personal and sensitive information, including: - Names - Email addresses and phone numbers - Physical addresses - Credit card and bank account numbers - Passwords, PINs, and other credentials This happens locally, on your device, so the sensitive values never leave your Mac. Our PII masking code is open source: ## Self-hosted models Suggestions are generated by BlinkWrite's **customized AI models**, running on our own infrastructure. Your text does **not** pass through third-party AI providers. See [Models & languages](/docs/models-and-languages). ## What is sent, and what stays local **Stays on your device:** - Your raw, unmasked text - The detection and masking of personal information - Language detection **Sent for a suggestion:** - Your **draft** (the text you're writing) after PII masking - **Surrounding context** (such as a conversation thread), after PII masking, when available - The **type of help** requested (correction, completion, rephrase, or proactive) - The **rephrase mode** and, for Custom, your instructions after PII masking - The **detected language** ## Data retention Your text is **never saved, logged, or retained**. Each suggestion is generated in the moment and then discarded. Your writing is **never used to train or fine-tune** any model. ## Accounts and access Access to BlinkWrite requires signing in (with Google) and an active trial or subscription. Requests to the suggestion service are authenticated and sent over a secure connection. ### Removing BlinkWrite and everything it keeps on your Mac Open **Settings › General** from BlinkWrite's eye icon in the menu bar and choose **Uninstall BlinkWrite**. Confirm, and BlinkWrite removes itself along with everything it stored locally: - The app itself. - The on-device privacy model. - Your settings, paused apps and per-app rules. - Your sign-in, including the saved credential in your Mac's Keychain. - Its Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions. Nothing is left behind for you to find and delete by hand, and BlinkWrite quits when it's finished. Dragging BlinkWrite to the Trash removes only the app, not the model or your settings — so use Uninstall if you want a clean removal. Uninstalling is local: **your account stays active** and you can install BlinkWrite again on this or another Mac. ### Deleting your account There are two ways to delete your BlinkWrite account, and either one does the same thing: - **On the web** — go to **Account settings** and choose **Delete account**. - **In the Mac app** — when you uninstall, tick **Also delete my BlinkWrite account** and type your email address to confirm. Both permanently erase your profile, subscription and usage history, and cancel any active subscription straight away. This cannot be undone. Past invoices stay with our payment provider, Stripe, which is required to keep them. Deleting your account on the web does not remove BlinkWrite from your Mac — use Uninstall above for that. Deleting it during an uninstall does both at once. ## Permissions BlinkWrite asks for - **Accessibility (required):** how BlinkWrite reads the text around your cursor. - **Screen Recording (required):** lets BlinkWrite read on-screen text so it works reliably across every app. It's used to read the text you're working with, not to monitor your screen or track your activity. ## You're always in control Suggestions appear only in a floating popup and never change your writing until you press **Tab**. You can pause BlinkWrite from **BlinkWrite's eye icon** in the menu bar (top right of your screen). See [Controls & shortcuts](/docs/controls-and-shortcuts).