Privacy
Effective July 17, 2026
Marginalia is a small product run by one person, Vanessa Chang. This page says what the app collects, where it goes, and how to get it removed. Plain words on purpose.
The short version: your notes are yours. We store them so the app works. A few outside services power specific features, and small pieces of your data go to them only when you use those features. We never sell your data, we run no ads, and you can export or delete everything whenever you want.
What we collect
- Your account. Your email, and your name if you sign in with Google.
- Your library. The books and articles you shelve, including their text and covers.
- Your notes. Typed notes, voice recordings and their transcripts, photos of passages, highlights, and your conversations with the coach.
- Usage counts. How many coach questions and transcriptions you use each day, so fair-use limits work.
- Waitlist. Your email and which page you signed up from. Nothing else.
Where it lives
Your data is stored with Supabase (database, sign-in, and file storage) and the app runs on Railway. Both are on servers in the United States. Your library is private to your account. Database rules enforce that; no other reader can see your shelf, your notes, or your recordings.
What leaves our servers, and why
Only what a feature needs, only when you use it:
- The coach. When you ask a question, the passage and your related notes go to Anthropic to generate the coach's reply.
- Voice notes. Your recording goes to ElevenLabs for transcription. The audio also stays saved in your library.
- Snapped passages and search. Passage photos and note text go to Google (Gemini) for text extraction and search indexing.
These providers process your data to answer the request. We send your library nowhere else, and we never use your notes to train anything.
What we don't do
No ads. No selling or renting your data. No ad trackers, on the app or on these pages.
Cookies
One session cookie keeps you signed in. That is the whole list.
Export and delete
You can export everything at any time (Profile → Export everything): your notes, audio, and photos leave as ordinary files that open anywhere. To delete your account and everything in it, write to vanessa@vanessachang.com and it will be gone within 30 days. Same address to come off the waitlist.
Changes
If this policy changes in a way that matters, we will post the new version here and email active subscribers before it takes effect.