Privacy Policy

1. Scope

MacGuard is provided by Grisha Pipoyan (“MacGuard,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). This policy applies to the MacGuard website, Mac app, iPhone and iPad companion app, MacGuard cloud API, push-notification delivery, private cloud photo-evidence features, and support correspondence. It does not apply to third-party websites, products, or services that have their own privacy policies.

MacGuard does not require a user account. The Mac and companion device are connected through a time-limited pairing process that must be confirmed on both devices.

The Mac app is distributed free of charge from the official MacGuard website. The companion app is offered as a one-time paid download through Apple’s App Store. Version 1.0 does not contain a subscription or an in-app purchase.

2. Information handled by MacGuard

Information processed on the Mac

Depending on the protections you enable, the Mac app processes:

• motion and gyroscope readings, lid state, sleep/wake events, and input-event categories such as keyboard activity, pointer movement, clicks, and scrolling;
• alarm state, settings, and local diagnostic status;
• a randomly generated MacGuard device identifier and secret stored in Apple Keychain;
• your Mac’s device name, sent during pairing so the paired companion can identify the Mac;
• optional camera frames when Camera Evidence is enabled; and
• optional custom alarm sounds and locally stored incident video.

MacGuard does not record typed keys or their contents, continuously store motion history, scan unrelated files, collect location, or record microphone audio.

Mac software update checks

The Mac app can contact getmacguard.com when you choose Check for Updates… or when it performs an automatic scheduled check. Automatic checks are enabled by default for users without a saved preference and can be disabled in MacGuard Settings. The request retrieves the update feed and, if you approve an update, the signed application download. MacGuard disables update-system profiling, automatic downloads, and silent installation. These requests can create ordinary website delivery and security metadata, including IP address, app version, request timing, and user-agent information. They do not include your MacGuard pairing secrets, alarm history, evidence, sensor readings, or custom sounds.

Website visits and support correspondence

Visiting the MacGuard website, downloading a Mac release, or loading an update resource can create ordinary website delivery and security metadata, including IP address, requested resource, request timing, user-agent information, and response status. The public website does not include an advertising tracker or behavioral analytics script.

If you contact MacGuard by email, we process your email address, message, and any device, app, operating-system, diagnostic, or attachment information you choose to provide. We use that information to respond, troubleshoot, investigate security reports, and administer legal or privacy requests. Do not send passwords, pairing claims, device or phone secrets, App Check tokens, Apple credentials, Firebase configuration files, or private evidence unless a secure support procedure has first been agreed.

Information processed on the iPhone or iPad

• a Firebase Installation identifier used for pairing and push notifications;
• an Apple Push Notification service/Firebase Cloud Messaging registration token;
• the device display label supplied by iOS or iPadOS, shown to identify the paired companion;
• a randomly generated phone-control secret stored in Apple Keychain;
• pairing state, alert history, evidence metadata, and app preferences;
• an optional custom notification sound copied into app-managed local storage; and
• device and app technical attributes and diagnostic or service-adoption data processed by Firebase Messaging and Firebase Installations, which can include device model, language, time zone, and operating-system, app, and SDK versions.

The companion’s camera is used only when you choose to scan the one-time pairing QR code. MacGuard does not upload QR camera images.

When you choose a custom notification sound, the companion app validates and copies the selected file into app-managed local storage. The original audio file is not modified or uploaded. Only the generated managed filename and sound selection are sent to the MacGuard service so notifications can reference the local copy.

Firebase Messaging and Firebase Installations may use limited diagnostic and service-adoption data for SDK analytics as disclosed by their bundled Apple privacy manifests. MacGuard does not include Firebase Analytics, does not use this information to build a behavioral profile, and does not use it for advertising or cross-company tracking.

App Store purchase information

Apple processes the purchase, payment method, Apple Account, billing, and refund information for the paid companion-app download under Apple’s own terms and privacy policy. The current MacGuard apps and cloud service do not access or transmit an individual App Store receipt or purchase transaction, and they do not receive or store your payment-card details, Apple Account password, or Apple billing information.

As the seller, we may receive sales, proceeds, territory, tax, and financial reports through App Store Connect. These commercial reports do not give MacGuard your payment-card details or Apple Account password and are used for accounting, tax, fraud prevention, and business administration rather than advertising or cross-app tracking.

Information sent to the MacGuard cloud service

When cloud features are used, MacGuard processes pseudonymous device and installation identifiers; device display names; pairing and verification state; device and phone control secrets transmitted over encrypted connections for authentication; alarm event information; push-send status; evidence-photo metadata and deletion state; and, when enabled, up to three compressed JPEG face-presence frames for a real alarm. The service retains cryptographic hashes rather than the original control secrets.

The service also processes Firebase App Check material produced with Apple DeviceCheck on Mac and Apple App Attest on iPhone or iPad, along with network, rate-limit, security, service-operation, and error metadata needed to operate and protect the service. This can include IP address and request timing.

When a Mac first starts cloud pairing, the service creates a device record containing the pseudonymous device identifier, Mac display name, a hash of the Mac control secret, and creation or update timestamps. The current service does not assign that parent device record an automatic expiry. Unpairing removes the current companion relationship, but it does not delete the parent device record or an alert timeline that remains within its normal retention period.

Camera Evidence

When you enable Camera Evidence, MacGuard starts the authorized camera session during the arming countdown and keeps it active while armed so it remains available after the Mac reaches the Lock Screen. macOS shows its camera-use indicator while the session is active. Before an alarm, MacGuard discards incoming frames without recording them, running face detection, or uploading photos.

When you enable Camera Evidence and an alarm starts, the Mac can record up to about 20 seconds of camera-only incident video. When successfully recorded, incident video is saved only in MacGuard’s Application Support folder on the Mac and is never uploaded. It may later be removed according to the selected local-retention period or the authenticated deletion control.

Face-presence detection runs locally on the Mac. It detects whether a face is present; it does not identify a person. While the alarm remains active, MacGuard may upload no more than three compressed JPEG evidence photos for the incident. Those photos are stored privately and can be requested only through the authenticated cloud service by the currently paired companion. MacGuard does not create public evidence URLs or provide an evidence-sharing feature.

3. How we use information

We use information to provide local alarm, pairing, remote alert, history, and evidence features; deliver the website, downloads, and update resources; respond to support, security, legal, and privacy requests; authenticate the paired Mac and companion device; prevent unauthorized access; send requested push notifications; detect abuse; enforce rate limits; deduplicate requests; diagnose failures; operate the service; administer App Store sales, accounting, tax, and legally required financial records; and honor owner-authorized evidence-deletion requests.

We do not sell personal information. We do not use MacGuard information for targeted advertising, advertising measurement, data-broker activity, or tracking across apps or websites owned by other companies. MacGuard contains no advertising SDK and does not request Apple’s App Tracking Transparency permission.

4. When information is shared

We use service providers only as needed to operate MacGuard:

• Apple distributes the paid companion app, processes App Store purchases and refunds, and provides Keychain, DeviceCheck, App Attest, device-owner authentication, and Apple Push Notification service functionality.
• Google Firebase and Google Cloud provide website hosting, App Check, Firebase Installations, Firebase Cloud Messaging, Cloud Functions, Firestore, Cloud Storage, Secret Manager, and related security and operational infrastructure.
• Support email providers used for support@getmacguard.com process the sender address, routing metadata, message, and attachments needed to deliver and store correspondence.

These providers process information under their own terms and privacy documentation. We may also disclose information when required by law, to protect rights or safety, or in connection with a business transfer, subject to applicable law. We do not give cloud evidence to the general public.

5. Retention

• Pairing sessions and pairing codes expire after about five minutes and are removed through scheduled cleanup.
• Cloud rate-limit records are retained for the relevant window plus approximately 24 hours and then become eligible for scheduled cleanup.
• Cloud alert history and uploaded JPEG evidence are scheduled for deletion after approximately 30 days. Cleanup runs periodically, so deletion may not occur at an exact moment.
• Deleting cloud photos from the companion app removes the photo objects and records a deletion state while retaining the alert timeline until its normal expiry.
• The parent cloud device record has no automatic expiry in the current service. Unpairing removes the linked companion relationship but does not delete that device record. A verified deletion request may be submitted using the contact information below.
• Local incident movies follow the retention choice on the Mac: 7, 30, or 90 days, or manual retention.
• Unpairing on the companion removes its MacGuard control secret and managed custom notification sound from that device. The Mac’s device identity remains in macOS Keychain when a companion is unpaired.
• Removing an app bundle does not necessarily remove MacGuard Keychain items, preferences, custom sounds, or files in Application Support. Those local items remain until they are separately removed from the relevant system storage.
• Support correspondence is retained as needed to respond to the request, maintain appropriate support or security records, and comply with legal obligations. MacGuard has not set a single fixed deletion period for all support correspondence.
• Infrastructure providers may retain security and operational logs under their configured retention periods and legal obligations.
• Apple retains App Store purchase and billing information under its own terms and retention practices. We may retain App Store financial, tax, and accounting reports for the periods required by applicable law.

6. Legal bases where required

Where applicable law requires a legal basis, we rely on performance of the service you request and administration of the App Store sale; our legitimate interests in providing a reliable device-security service, preventing abuse, securing the service, and diagnosing failures; your consent or affirmative feature choice for optional permissions and Camera Evidence where consent is appropriate; and compliance with legal obligations or protection of legal rights when necessary.

MacGuard does not use cloud data for solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

7. Your choices and controls

You can choose whether to enable movement and input protections, the optional Desk-mode lid and wake protections, remote alerts, Camera Evidence, and scheduled Mac software-update checks. In Closed / Sleep Guard, the next open or wake after the grace period is an inherent trigger even when the optional Desk-mode wake protection is off. Automatic update checks are enabled by default for users without a saved preference and can be disabled in Settings; manual checks remain available while MacGuard is safely disarmed and idle. Downloads and installation require user action. You can deny camera, notification, or Input Monitoring permission, although the related feature will not work. Disarming and sensitive deletion actions require successful device-owner authentication.

On the Mac, you can choose local-video retention and use the owner-authenticated Delete All Local Videos action. On the paired companion, you can use device-owner authentication to delete an incident’s cloud JPEG evidence. You can also unpair the devices. Unpairing revokes the companion’s current control relationship but does not itself erase an alert timeline still within its retention period.

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to certain processing, or to receive information about how your data is handled. Because MacGuard has no account system, we may need the MacGuard device identifier and reasonable verification before acting on a request.

Purchases, charges, payment methods, and refund requests for the companion app are managed through Apple and the App Store. MacGuard cannot access or change your Apple payment method or Apple Account credentials.

8. Security

MacGuard uses encrypted network transport, Apple Keychain, app attestation, one-time pairing claims, server-side authentication and authorization, private cloud storage, bounded upload tickets, rate limits, and owner authentication for sensitive deletion actions. Direct client access to the underlying Firestore database and Storage bucket is denied. No security method can guarantee absolute protection, and local physical access to an unlocked device can create risks outside the app’s control.

9. International processing

Apple, Google, and their infrastructure may process information in countries other than the country where you live. Where applicable, those providers use their own legal and contractual mechanisms for international transfers.

10. Children

MacGuard is a device-security utility and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from a child in a way that requires parental consent. If you believe a child has provided information improperly, contact us so we can review and delete it where appropriate.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when MacGuard’s features, providers, or legal obligations change. We will change the “Last updated” date and, when required, provide additional notice. Material product or data-flow changes will be reviewed against this policy before release.

12. Contact

Controller and seller: Grisha Pipoyan
Product: MacGuard

For privacy questions or requests, email support@getmacguard.com.