Privacy
Privacy Policy
Last updated October 1, 2026. This policy covers the TapeLine app and this website. TapeLine is made by Olduvai Tools, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("we", "us"). Questions go to support@tapeline.tools.
The short version
- We collect what you put into TapeLine so it can save it, sync it, and share it with the people you choose.
- We don't sell your information, and we don't show ads.
- There are no advertising or third-party tracking scripts on this website or in the app.
- Usage data we collect says what happened in the app, never what you entered: no numbers, names, photos, or notes.
- You can delete your account and everything it owns yourself, in the app or at tapeline.tools/delete-account.
What we collect
On this website. If you request a beta invite, we get your email address and anything else you choose to fill in: your name, your trade, and your crew size. The form also records which Try TapeLine button brought you there. Our host, Netlify, keeps standard server logs (such as your IP address, the page you asked for, and your browser type) and counts page views. The website sets no cookies.
Your account. If you create an account, we get your email address. If you sign in with Google, Google shares your name, email address, and profile picture with us. If you sign in with a password, it's handled by our sign-in provider and stored only in hashed form; we never see it.
What you put on your tapes. Your projects, folders, tapes, lines, numbers, names, notes, comments, mentions, and requests (such as asking someone to verify a line), your photos and drawings, and your voice memos (the recording and its transcript). Signed out, this stays on your phone. Signed in, it's also stored on our servers so you can reach it from another device and share it.
Photos. Every photo you add, whether as a picture on a line or attached to a note, is re-saved by the app before it is stored or uploaded. That removes the hidden information cameras record, such as location, the time, and the phone model. The one thing the app keeps is the lens's focal length, which it needs to measure on a photo and which says nothing about you or where you were.
Voice. When you speak a number, your phone's or browser's speech service (Apple's or Google's) turns it into text, under that company's privacy terms. When you're signed in, TapeLine keeps the recording and the transcript with the line, so it can be checked later.
Activity and history. TapeLine keeps a record of what happened on a tape (for example, lines added or a tape moved) and a history of the changes to each named number.
Usage events. The app records events such as "the app opened" or "a solver was used" so we can see what works. Events carry structure only, never the content you entered. Tape and project identifiers are scrambled before they leave your phone. Events carry a random ID stored on your device and, if you're signed in, your account ID.
How we use it
- To run TapeLine: save your work, sync it between your devices, and keep it working without a connection.
- To share what you choose to share, with the people you choose.
- To send the email you ask for, such as a beta invite, or the invite email when you share a tape with someone.
- To answer support requests.
- To understand how TapeLine is used and make it better, from usage events.
- To keep TapeLine secure and stop abuse.
We don't use the content of your tapes to train AI models. If a future feature would send your content to another company to process it, we'll update this policy before that feature ships.
Our legal reasons
If you're in the EU or UK, the law asks us to name a legal reason for each use:
- Running TapeLine for you (saving, syncing, sharing, invites, support): it's needed to provide the service you asked for.
- Usage events and security: our legitimate interest in keeping TapeLine safe and making it better. You can object.
- The beta list: your consent, which you can withdraw at any time.
- Legal requests: when the law requires it.
We don't make decisions about you by automated means.
Who else sees it
People you share with. When you share a project, folder, or tape, the people you invite can see it, and can change it if you give them that role. Anyone who has a share link you've created can view that tape until you turn the link off or it expires. Your name or email address is visible to the people you share with.
Companies that run TapeLine for us. They handle data only to provide their service to us:
- Supabase: our database, sign-in, and file storage.
- PowerSync: keeps your phone and our servers in sync.
- Netlify: hosts this website and the app, receives beta sign-ups, and counts page views.
- Postmark: sends invite emails.
- Google: only if you choose to sign in with Google.
When the law requires it. We'll disclose information if we're legally required to, or to protect people's safety or our rights. If Olduvai Tools is ever sold or merged, your information would move with TapeLine, under this policy.
Where it's stored
Our servers are in the United States. If you use TapeLine from another country, your information is transferred to and stored in the United States. For information from the EU or UK, our providers' terms include the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses, which set the rules for protecting it there.
How long we keep it
We keep your account and its content while your account exists. When you delete your account, we delete it and the content it owns, usually within the hour and never later than 30 days, and email you when it is done. Your notes inside projects owned by other people stay with those projects, shown as from a former member. Copies in our backups are removed as those backups expire, usually within about a week. Activity history is kept with your projects and deleted with your account. Usage events are kept while they help us improve TapeLine, and deleted with your account. Netlify keeps its server logs for a short time under its own policy. Beta sign-ups are kept until the beta ends or you ask us to remove yours.
Your choices
- See, correct, or delete your information. Deleting your account is self-serve, in the app or at tapeline.tools/delete-account. For anything else, email support@tapeline.tools from the address you sign in with; we reply to confirm. We honor these requests wherever you live.
- Leave the beta list. Email us and we'll remove your sign-up.
- Get a copy. Ask, and we'll send your information in a common file format.
- Limit or object. Ask us to stop or limit a use of your information, including usage events.
- Use TapeLine signed out. The calculator works without an account, and your work stays on your phone.
- Complain. You can complain to your local data protection authority. We'd like the chance to fix it first, so please email us too.
Cookies and storage on your device
This website sets no cookies. While you browse it, your browser briefly remembers which Try TapeLine button you clicked, only until you close the tab. The app stores your work and your sign-in on your phone so it can work offline; it uses no advertising or tracking cookies.
Children
TapeLine is a tool for work and isn't meant for children under 13. We don't knowingly collect information from them. If you believe a child has given us information, email us and we'll delete it.
Security
Everything between your phone and our servers travels encrypted, and our database only gives each account the content it has access to. No system is perfectly secure, so we can't promise that nothing will ever go wrong, but we'll tell you if a problem affects your information.
Changes to this policy
When we change this policy, we'll post the new version here and update the date at the top. If a change is significant and you have an account, we'll also email you.
Contact
Olduvai Tools, Inc. · support@tapeline.tools