NewsGator

Privacy Policy

1. Scope and Application

This Privacy Policy applies to the native NewsGator applications for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS ("NewsGator Native" or "the Application"). It outlines how data is handled across both operational modes supported by the Application:

• Standalone Mode (Apple Intelligence & CloudKit): The complete news ingestion, clustering, and summarization pipeline runs entirely on your Apple devices and through Apple Private Cloud Compute, synchronizing exclusively via your personal iCloud account.
• Optional Server Mode: The Application connects directly to a self-hosted NewsGator server specified and controlled by you or your organization.

2. Information We Do Not Collect

The developers of NewsGator do not operate any user-tracking infrastructure. When you use the Application:

• No Personal Identification: We do not ask for or collect your name, email address, phone number, or physical address in Standalone mode.
• No Analytics or Telemetry: We do not embed telemetry libraries, performance trackers, crash analytics SDKs (such as Firebase, App Center, or Mixpanel), or behavioral trackers.
• No Advertising or Cross-App Tracking: NewsGator does not use Apple's Advertising Identifier (IDFA), does not participate in App Tracking Transparency (ATT) tracking, and does not sell or share any user data with data brokers.
• No User Profiling: We do not track which articles you read, how long you read, which topics interest you, or what search queries you enter.

3. Apple Intelligence and Foundation Models

In Standalone mode, NewsGator processes articles and generates story summaries using Apple's Foundation Models framework:

• Inference Tier: Processing occurs either on-device via Apple's SystemLanguageModel or through Apple Private Cloud Compute (PCC).
• Privacy Guarantees: PCC ensures that data sent to Apple's compute nodes is cryptographically protected, used solely to fulfill your inference request, never logged or stored by Apple, and inaccessible to anyone—including Apple and the developers of NewsGator.
• No Third-Party AI Providers: In Standalone mode, no article text, prompts, or embeddings are transmitted to commercial third-party LLM providers (e.g., OpenAI, Google, Anthropic).

4. Data Storage and Synchronization

Data Type	Storage Location	Access & Encryption
Feed URLs & Subscriptions	Local Device / Apple iCloud (CloudKit)	Encrypted by Apple; private to your iCloud container
Cached Articles & Summaries	Local SwiftData Database	Protected by iOS / macOS Data Protection
Read & Bookmark State	Local Device / Apple iCloud (CloudKit)	Syncs across your devices via CloudKit private database
Server Credentials (if used)	Apple Keychain	Hardware-backed encryption; never synced or exposed

5. Optional Server Mode Connectivity

If you choose to switch from Standalone mode to Server mode:

• The Application communicates solely with the server hostname or IP address that you explicitly enter in settings.
• Authentication tokens are securely stored in the system Keychain.
• All data exchange (feeds, stories, read states, and chat interactions) occurs directly between your device and your chosen server over TLS/HTTPS. The developers of NewsGator have no visibility into or control over your self-hosted server.

6. External Content and "Read Original Source"

NewsGator is an ethical news reader designed to respect publishers:

• Direct Feed Fetching: When fetching RSS/Atom feeds, the Application connects directly to the public web servers hosting those feeds using standard HTTPS requests.
• Publisher Websites: When you tap or click "Read Original Source" or open an article link, the Application displays the publisher's webpage directly via WebKit (in-app browser) or your default system browser (Safari).
• Third-Party Privacy: Once you visit an external news publisher's site, your interaction is subject to that publisher's terms of service, cookie practices, and privacy policy.

7. Data Retention, Control, and Deletion

You maintain complete control over all data generated or stored by NewsGator:

• In-App Deletion: You can unsubscribe from feeds or clear local cached stories directly within the Application at any time.
• iCloud Data Removal: To delete all CloudKit-synced NewsGator data, you can manage and remove application storage at any time via your device settings:
  • iOS/iPadOS: Settings > [Your Apple ID] > iCloud > Manage Storage > NewsGator > Delete Data.
  • macOS: System Settings > [Your Apple ID] > iCloud > Manage Storage > NewsGator > Delete Data.
• Uninstalling the App: Deleting the Application from your device immediately removes all local databases, caches, and Keychain items.

8. Children's Privacy

NewsGator is not directed toward children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in the European Union). Because we do not collect personal information from any user, we do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children.

9. Security

We prioritize the security of your device and data:

• All external network communications for RSS feeds, server APIs, and iCloud sync enforce transport layer security (HTTPS/TLS).
• In Server mode, passwords and access tokens are secured inside the hardware-backed Apple Keychain.
• The Application operates under the strict macOS and iOS App Sandbox environments, preventing unauthorized access to external system resources.

10. Your Rights (GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, CalOPPA)

Under international privacy regulations including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA), users possess rights regarding their personal data (including access, correction, portability, and erasure). Because NewsGator collects zero personal data on developer servers, all user data remains on your personal devices or within your private iCloud account where you can access, export, or delete it at your discretion.

11. Changes to this Policy

We may periodically update this Privacy Policy to reflect application updates or regulatory changes. Any modifications will be posted to this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

12. Contact Information

If you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or NewsGator, you can reach out via email or through our public GitHub repository:

• Support Email: support@newsgator.app
• GitHub Issues: https://github.com/Tekka90/NewsGator/issues