Privacy Policy

Information We Don't Collect

ClipSalvage is built on the principle of data minimization. We do not collect, store, or transmit any of your video data or recovered files to our servers. All data processing, including drive scanning, file carving, and video recovery, happens exclusively on your computer.

Video and Drive Data

ClipSalvage requires access to your drives and files to function. We use this access to:

• Read raw data from USB drives and disk images
• Scan for recoverable video files using file carving
• Parse directory entries to recover original filenames
• Generate thumbnails for preview
• Identify which Tesla camera recorded each clip when the original filename has been overwritten, using an on-device vision model (see below)
• Export recovered videos to your chosen destination

All of this processing occurs locally on your computer. No video data, drive contents, or recovered files are transmitted to our servers or any third parties.

On-Device AI Camera-Angle Classifier

When an original Tesla filename cannot be recovered from the drive, ClipSalvage uses a small vision model to identify which Tesla camera recorded each clip (front, back, left repeater, right repeater, and — on AI4/HW4 cars — left pillar and right pillar). This model is:

• Bundled with the app (approximately 5.8 MB) — no download from a server, no update required to run
• Runs fully on your computer — the model processes the thumbnail already stored in the project database; no clip, thumbnail, or derived data ever leaves the device
• Makes no network calls — classification is performed in-process via an embedded ONNX runtime (tract-onnx)

The model is used only to assign a camera label and rewrite the output filename. It does not identify people, vehicles, license plates, locations, or any other content in the footage.

License Validation

ClipSalvage uses a licensing system to unlock the full version. For license activation and validation:

• Email Address: Your email is sent to our payment provider (Stripe) to verify your purchase and match you to an activation code
• Activation Code: Your activation code (format SR-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX) is checked against the one Stripe records for your purchase
• Device Identifier: On activation, ClipSalvage reads a hardware identifier from your computer (IOPlatformUUID on macOS, MachineGuid from the registry on Windows) and writes it to your Stripe customer record. This is used only to enforce the one-device-at-a-time license and to automatically deactivate a previous device when you reactivate on a new one. The identifier is not used for tracking, analytics, or advertising.
• License Status: The email associated with your purchase is stored locally to display your license status

License data is stored securely in your operating system's credential storage (macOS Keychain or Windows Credential Manager) and is not accessible to other applications.

Trial Mode

The trial version allows 3 free recoveries. We track the number of recovered files locally using your operating system's preferences. This count:

• Is stored only on your computer
• Is not transmitted to any server
• Is not associated with any personal identifier

No Analytics or Tracking in the App

The ClipSalvage application does not use any analytics services, tracking SDKs, or telemetry collection tools. We have no way of knowing:

• How you use the app
• What videos you recover
• What drives you scan
• Your location or driving patterns
• Any other usage data

Your usage of ClipSalvage is completely private.

Data Security

Since all data processing occurs locally on your computer and no data is transmitted to servers, your data is protected by:

• Your computer's built-in security features
• Operating system security protections (macOS sandboxing or Windows security)
• Secure credential storage encryption (macOS Keychain or Windows Credential Manager)
• Disk encryption if enabled (FileVault on macOS, BitLocker on Windows)

We cannot access your recovered videos because they never leave your computer.

Update Check

On launch, ClipSalvage fetches a small version-manifest file from clipsalvage.com/version.json to determine whether a newer version is available. If one is, a non-blocking dialog with a download link is shown in the app.

The update check consists of a standard HTTPS GET request for a static file. No personal data, device identifiers, license information, or usage data is sent. Our web server receives only what any static-file request contains (IP address, user agent, timestamp) and we do not link this information to individual users or license records.

Third-Party Services

ClipSalvage integrates with the following third-party service:

• Stripe: Payment processing and license validation. Stripe's privacy policy is available at stripe.com/privacy

The ClipSalvage app integrates with no analytics, tracking SDKs, or advertising networks — Stripe is its only third-party integration. The clipsalvage.com website separately uses analytics and advertising-measurement services, described in Website Analytics & Advertising below.

Website Analytics & Advertising

This section applies to the clipsalvage.com website, not the desktop application described above. To understand which content is useful and to measure the effectiveness of our advertising, the website uses the third-party measurement services below. They are loaded only on the website and are never part of the installed app.

• Google Analytics 4 & Google Ads (Google Ireland Ltd): page views and interaction events (such as downloads, checkout start, and completed purchases), plus conversion measurement for our Google Ads. Uses first-party cookies. See Google's privacy policy.
• Reddit Pixel (Reddit, Inc.): page visits and completed purchases, used to measure and optimise our Reddit advertising. See Reddit's privacy policy.
• Campaign attribution: when you arrive from an ad or campaign link, the website stores the campaign parameters (UTM tags and ad click identifiers) in your browser's local storage for up to 30 days. If you purchase, these are sent with the Stripe Checkout session so we can attribute the sale to the campaign that referred you. They are not used to build a profile of you or shared beyond this purpose.

Purchase events include the order value and the Stripe checkout session ID (used only to de-duplicate the conversion) — never your name, card details, or recovered files. You can limit or block this measurement with your browser's cookie controls, an ad/tracker blocker, or the providers' opt-out tools. Declining does not affect your ability to download, trial, purchase, or use ClipSalvage.

Your Rights

Since we do not collect your video data on our servers, there is no video data for you to access, correct, or delete from our systems. All recovered files remain on your computer under your complete control.

You can delete all app data by:

• Deleting the app from your computer
• Removing license data from your credential store (Keychain Access on macOS, Credential Manager on Windows)
• Deleting the app's data folder (Application Support on macOS, AppData on Windows)

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be reflected by updating the date at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

Compliance

This Privacy Policy complies with:

• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
• Other applicable privacy regulations

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us: