How Parrot Scribe protects your data at every layer.

Security Architecture

Parrot Scribe encrypts stored library data. Encryption at rest does not protect content from software that can access your unlocked account or the running app.

  • Encryption at Rest

    Transcript and audio files use AES-256-GCM with per-entity keys. SQLCipher separately encrypts the library's database and search index.

  • Keys in Your Mac's Keychain

    A software master secret is protected by your Mac's Keychain. If enabled, iCloud Keychain can carry that secret to another Mac. Library files and matching key sidecars must be copied separately. We never see your keys.

  • Free Recovery Key

    Your free 24-word recovery key restores the master secret, not missing files. Keep a complete encrypted library backup and its matching key sidecars. Store the phrase safely; we never see or store it.

  • Encryption Hierarchy

    Random per-session secrets are wrapped with a key derived from the master secret. HKDF derives separate transcript, audio and speaker-data keys using those session secrets and per-file salts.

  • Cryptographic Deletion

    Session deletion removes live key material and data from app-managed storage. Separate backups containing the old encrypted files and matching keys can remain readable.

Privacy by Architecture

We don't just promise privacy; we architect for it. Your data stays on your Mac because the app is designed that way. No cloud transcription and no speech data leaves your device for transcription.

Read the encryption architecture