Privacy Policy

The Lede is built to need as little of your data as possible. This page explains exactly what that means.

Last updated: June 21, 2026

The short version.

There is no account — no name or password to create, and the app never asks for your email. Joining our launch mailing list on this website is the one optional exception (see below).
Your saved articles and highlights live in your own iCloud, not on our servers. We never receive your library.
To write a brief, the article's text is sent to our AI provider (Anthropic). It is not used to train AI models, and we don't keep the text.
We collect a small amount of usage data — keyed to a random per-device identifier, never your name — to run the service and set fair pricing.
No ads. No third-party trackers. We never sell your data.

What we don't collect

The app has no sign-up. We do not collect your name, phone number, password, precise location, contacts, photos, or any advertising identifier. The app contains no third-party advertising or analytics SDKs and no cross-app trackers. The one piece of contact information we ever collect is an email address — and only if you choose to give it to us on this website to be notified when The Lede opens to everyone (see The launch mailing list below). The app itself never asks for it.

Your article library stays in your iCloud

The articles you save, their briefs, your highlights, and your reading history are stored in your private iCloud account (Apple CloudKit) and synced across your devices by Apple. We do not store, copy, or have access to your library. We keep no readable, identity-linked record of which specific articles you read — only the limited usage signals described under "Usage data" below. If you delete the app and remove its iCloud data, that content is gone.

What happens when you save an article

When you save an article, the app sends its web address, headline, and extracted text to our server so we can produce the brief. From there:

The article text is sent to our AI provider (Anthropic) to generate the brief. Under Anthropic's commercial terms, this content is not used to train their models.
For some stories we run a web search (via Tavily or Exa) using the headline to gather additional context.
We never store the article's full text. We keep a short, non-reversible fingerprint (a hash) of the text so that an identical article isn't re-processed, alongside the brief we generated, in a temporary cache that automatically deletes itself (within 14 days for a brief, 7 days for a "Dig Deeper," 48 hours for redirected sources). And for sources your device can't read on its own, the server returns that same extracted text to your device so your copy saves alongside the brief — it passes through to you but is never stored on our servers; your saved copy lives only in your own iCloud.
The article's web address is retained — never its text. It is kept with that cached brief on the same schedule above, and it may also appear in the limited service records described under "Usage data" below (for example, to note when an article couldn't be extracted). In every case it is tied only to a random per-device identifier, never to your name or identity, and we never sell it.

To be plain about it: it's the web address we may keep or log in these cases — never the article's text. The address can also appear briefly in our hosting provider's operational logs, which we use to keep the service running.

Notifications and your device

To deliver "Dig Deeper" results, your device registers with our server using a random identifier we generate (never your Apple device's hardware ID) and an Apple push token. A device secret is stored only as a one-way hash. Push notifications are scoped so a result is only ever delivered to the device that requested it.

Usage data

We record a small amount of first-party usage data — pseudonymous, meaning it is keyed to a random per-device identifier and not to your name or identity — to operate the service, watch for abuse and runaway costs, improve the app, and decide fair pricing. This includes:

Service events — such as "a brief was generated," the AI token and cost counts, the publication's domain, and a non-reversible hash of the article address.
In-app usage & funnel events — such as which features you use, how far you get in onboarding, that a brief was opened, when an upgrade screen is shown, and subscription events (for example, a trial starting). These tell us where the app is working and where people get stuck. We log that a brief was opened and the general topic mix in aggregate — not which specific article you read, and never linked to your identity.

These events are tied to a random identifier we generate for your device (a random string — not your name, email, or Apple hardware ID). The data stays on our own servers; it is not shared with any third party, used for advertising, or combined with data from other apps or websites. It carries nothing that identifies you by name — no name, email address, or contact details — and we never sell it. The app contains no third-party advertising or analytics SDKs. If you joined our launch mailing list, that email address is stored separately and is never linked to this usage data.

Subscriptions

Subscriptions are processed entirely by Apple through the App Store. We never see your name, card, or payment details. To understand how well the app converts and to set fair pricing, Apple sends our server automatic notifications about subscription lifecycle events — a free trial converting to paid, a renewal, a cancellation, a refund, or a subscription lapsing. We record these as events tied only to the random identifier we generate for your device (never your name or payment information); a random app-account token, set to that same device identifier, lets Apple's notification be matched to your device without identifying you. We retain the Apple-issued transaction identifier for your subscription while it is active and for a limited period afterward, so we can correctly handle refunds, cancellations, and billing disputes that Apple reports to us. We may keep this identifier even if you ask us to delete your usage data, where retaining it is necessary to handle these subscription events — it is an Apple reference that contains no name or payment details.

The launch mailing list

On this website you can ask to be told when The Lede opens to everyone by giving us your email address. This is entirely optional and separate from the app — the app never asks for an email, and you do not need to join the list to use The Lede.

What we collect: only the email address you type in, plus the date you signed up. Nothing else — no name, and we don’t track whether you open or click our messages.
Why: to send you a small number of messages about The Lede’s launch — typically a single notification when it’s available. We will not use your address for anything else, or share it, without asking you first.
Where it’s stored: on our own servers (our database, Neon, and our host, Railway). We do not use a third-party email-marketing or tracking service, and we never sell or rent your address.
How long: we keep your address until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it, or until the launch list has served its purpose — whichever comes first.
Unsubscribe & deletion: every message we send includes a one-click way to unsubscribe, and you can ask us to delete your address at any time by emailing support@theledeapp.com. We honor opt-out requests promptly — always within 10 business days, and in practice much sooner.

By submitting your email you consent to receiving these launch messages. You can withdraw that consent at any time using the unsubscribe link or by emailing us.

Who processes your data

We rely on a small set of service providers, each handling only what's described above: Anthropic (AI briefs), Tavily and Exa (web search context), Apple (iCloud storage, push notifications, and subscriptions), Neon (our database), and Railway (server hosting). We do not sell or rent your information to anyone.

Data retention

The temporary AI cache deletes itself on the schedule above. Usage records are retained for up to 13 months and then automatically deleted. Your device registration is kept while the app is installed and registered. Subscription transaction identifiers that Apple reports to us are kept while your subscription is active and for a limited dispute-and-refund period afterward.

Your choices and your rights

Deleting the app removes its local data; removing its iCloud data deletes your library. For the pseudonymous usage records on our servers, you can:

Request deletion — email us and we will delete the usage records associated with your device. (We may retain the Apple transaction identifier tied to an active or recently-ended subscription where doing so is necessary to process refunds, disputes, or required financial records, as described under Subscriptions above.)
Request a copy — email us and we will provide the usage records we hold for your device.

Because this data is keyed to a random device identifier, we may ask you to make the request from the device so we can locate the right records. Wherever you live, you may ask us about the data we hold and request its deletion. California residents: we do not sell or share your personal information, and you may exercise the access and deletion rights above by contacting us.

Children

The Lede is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them.

Changes

If we change this policy we'll update the date above and, for material changes, note it in the app.

Who runs The Lede

The Lede is built and operated by Charles Klein. For any privacy question or request, email support@theledeapp.com.