Privacy Policy

Last updated: 14 June 2026

Kioku is a desktop application for spaced-repetition learning and incremental reading. It is built to be local-first: your data stays on your machine, there is no account, and nothing is uploaded unless you explicitly choose to. This page explains, in plain language, what that means.

The short version

Your data lives on your device. Everything you import or create is stored in local SQLite database files on your own computer. Kioku has no server and no account system, and your collections are never uploaded anywhere.
No cloud sync. Kioku does not sync your data to any cloud service.
Analytics is anonymous and strictly opt-in. It is off by default. Nothing is ever sent unless you turn it on yourself in Settings → Privacy & analytics.
Your data is never gated. Opening, backing up, and exporting your collections is always available and will never be placed behind a paywall.

What Kioku stores on your device

All of your content lives in a single per-user application-data directory on your machine — your collections (SQLite database files), their media, automatic local backups, and your settings. Kioku does not transmit any of this off your device. For the exact on-disk paths, see Data locations.

Because everything is local, you are in control: you can back up, export, copy, or delete your data at any time. See Back up & export.

Analytics (anonymous, opt-in)

To help decide what to improve, Kioku can collect anonymous, aggregate usage analytics through TelemetryDeck, a privacy-focused analytics service. This is off by default. Nothing is sent unless you explicitly enable it in Settings → Privacy & analytics.

When — and only when — you opt in, Kioku may send high-level, non-identifying usage signals such as:

Which features you use and how often you review.
The app version and your operating-system platform.
Anonymous counts and durations (for example, how many cards were reviewed), as numeric values and short labels only.

Kioku never sends:

Your cards, notes, reading content, titles, URLs, or files.
Any account or personal information (there is no account).
A device fingerprint.

Analytics is tied to a random per-install identifier that is not derived from your device or any personal information. It exists only to measure things like retention in aggregate, and it is hashed again by TelemetryDeck on their side.

How to turn analytics off (or on)

Analytics is opt-in, so it is already off until you enable it. To change it at any time:

Open Settings → Privacy & analytics.
Toggle Share anonymous usage analytics off (or on).

You can also exclude an individual device from sending analytics from the same section. Turning analytics off stops any further data from being sent.

Network connections

Kioku is offline-first. It makes a network connection only in these cases:

Checking for updates at startup, against the public releases on GitHub.
Loading web pages you ask it to — for example, when you import a URL or use the built-in reader, Kioku fetches that page just as a browser would.
Anonymous analytics, only if you have opted in (see above).

None of these involve a Kioku account or upload your collections.

Children’s privacy

Kioku is a general-purpose learning tool and is not directed at children. It does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone, including children.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes in a material way, the updated version will be published here with a new “last updated” date. Because this is beta software, details may evolve; substantive changes will be noted.

Contact

Questions about privacy or your data? Email kiokufeedback@gmail.com.

Kioku is proprietary software, but your data never is. For the full terms of use, see the License Agreement.