Biometric & Voice Data Notice
This notice describes how Markdrip handles voice data, including data that may be classified as biometric information under applicable law.
What Markdrip creates and stores
When you name a speaker — or confirm a suggested name — Markdrip creates and stores the following on your device:
- A voice fingerprint — a compact mathematical representation of that person’s voice, used solely to recognize the same voice in future meetings.
- A short voice clip — up to approximately ten seconds of audio, stored so you can play back and verify who the voice belongs to.
- The name you assigned — linked to the fingerprint and clip.
These items are stored together in a local database (gallery.db) in Markdrip’s application-support directory on your Mac, separate from your meeting vault.
Under laws such as the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA), voice fingerprints used to identify a person may constitute biometric data, biometric identifiers, or sensitive personal information. Markdrip treats them accordingly.
Why Markdrip creates this data
Voice fingerprints and clips exist for one purpose: to label who spoke across your meetings so your notes attribute the right words to the right people. They are not used for advertising, profiling, or any purpose other than speaker recognition within the Markdrip application on your device.
Automatic voice recognition (default behavior)
On a fresh install, Markdrip recognizes voices you have previously named and automatically labels them in new meetings. Every automatic match is visibly tagged — labeled “Auto” in the transcript so you can distinguish it from a name you assigned manually — and one-click correctable: you can rename or remove any automatic label at any time.
You can turn automatic speaker recognition off in Settings. When you do, Markdrip no longer matches voices to names in new meetings.
Where your voice data lives
Only on this Mac.
Markdrip never sends your voice fingerprints, clips, or the names you assign anywhere — not to Markdrip, not to any third party, in any mode, under any setting. They are stored only on your device. This is a hard architectural constraint, not a preference or a default that can be overridden. Markdrip has no server-side access to your voice data and never acts as a collector or processor of it.
If you place your meeting vault in a cloud-synced folder such as iCloud Drive or Dropbox, that service will sync your vault files — including recordings — under your own settings; Markdrip does not do this and cannot see it. Voice data is stored outside the vault, so it is not part of that sync.
The privacy policy explains the limited license and separate commerce communications. Neither includes voice data.
Retention
Voice fingerprints, clips, and associated names are retained on your device until you delete them. There is no automatic expiration. You control retention entirely through the actions described below.
Uninstall caveat. Deleting (uninstalling) the Markdrip application does not automatically delete your voice data or your meeting vault. The gallery.db file and your vault remain in their respective directories on your Mac. To permanently destroy all voice data before uninstalling, use “Erase all voice data” in Settings.
Your controls
Markdrip provides the following controls, all exercised locally on your device with no network calls:
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Forget this voice | Permanently deletes all fingerprints and clips for one person. The contact record is kept but unlinked from voice data. |
| Delete contact | Removes the contact file from your vault. It does not automatically delete voice data; use “Forget this voice” first if you want both removed. |
| Discard sample | Removes a single voice clip and its associated fingerprint. |
| Erase all voice data | Permanently deletes every fingerprint, clip, and voice-linked record in the gallery. Contacts are unlinked but not deleted. This action cannot be undone. |
| Turn off speaker identification | Stops future voice matching. Optionally erases all stored voice data at the same time (you are asked). |
| View and play | Browse stored voice clips per person to verify identity. |
| Rename or merge | Correct a name or merge two identities. |
| Export consent records | Export your enrollment and consent history as Markdown or JSON for your own records. |
Consent
By enrolling a voice — naming a speaker or confirming a suggested name — you confirm that you have the right to capture and store that person’s voice data on your device.
If you record other people in jurisdictions that regulate biometric data — such as Illinois (BIPA), the European Union (GDPR), or California (CCPA/CPRA) — those laws may require the explicit written consent of each person whose voice is fingerprinted, not only your own. Obtaining that consent is your responsibility as the person operating the recording.
Markdrip records each enrollment action — who, when, which recording, and which version of this notice was displayed — in a local consent ledger that you can review and export at any time.
No sale, no sharing
Voice data is never sold, licensed, shared with third parties, or used for advertising. Markdrip has no server-side copy of your voice data to sell or share.