Privacy Policy
This policy explains what information Everett collects, why we collect it, who can see it, and what you can do about it. The short version: we collect only what we need to run the service, no human looks at your library without your permission, and we never sell your data.
It applies to everett.tools and the Everett product, run by Seattle Thinking Tools LLC (“we”, “us”). If we make a meaningful change, we'll update the date above and email the address on your account.
What we collect and why
Our rule is to collect only what we need. In practice that means:
Account information. When you sign up we get your name and email address, either directly or from Google if you sign in with Google. We use these to run your account, send you receipts and essential service notices, and answer you when you write to us. We don't send marketing email unless you opt in, and we won't use your name in marketing without asking.
Your library. Everything you save or write in Everett — web pages, PDFs, notes, images, highlights, questions, and stances — is stored on our servers so the product can work. This content is yours. We keep it as long as your account exists and delete it when you cancel (see “Your rights and choices”).
Billing. If you pay for Everett, your card details go straight to our payment processor (Stripe) and never touch our servers. We keep a record of each transaction, including the last four digits of your card and your billing address, for invoicing, tax, and fraud prevention.
Usage and technical data. We log the timestamp of sign-ups and logins, for security and to stop spam accounts. We also keep basic server logs and error reports so we can fix bugs.
Correspondence. If you email us, we keep the thread so we have context next time you reach out.
When we access or share your information
To run the service. We rely on a small number of third-party providers: DigitalOcean for hosting, Stripe for payments, OpenRouter for AI processing (see below), Modal for extracting text from images and scanned PDFs, Resend for transactional email, and Cloudflare to check that sign-ups come from people rather than scripts. Each handles only what it needs to do its job.
No human reads your library, with three exceptions: you ask us for help and give us permission to look; an automated process fails and we need to see the minimum necessary to fix it; or we're investigating a credible abuse report. In every case we look at as little as possible.
When the law requires it. We're a U.S. company with data hosted in the U.S. We don't hand over user data to governments unless compelled by a valid warrant, subpoena, or court order, and we'll tell you first unless we're legally barred from doing so. Requests from non-U.S. authorities go through U.S. legal process.
Aggregated data. We may use anonymized, aggregated statistics (for example, how many items the average library holds) to understand and improve the product. Nothing in those statistics identifies you.
If the company changes hands. We have no plans to sell Everett or the company, but if that ever happens, we'll notify you before your information is transferred or becomes subject to a different policy.
Artificial intelligence
Everett's core features use AI models to find connections between your items, propose relationships, draft answers grounded in your library, and raise counter-questions. Here's exactly what that involves:
- What we send. For each request, we send only the passages needed to answer it — never your whole library — to our AI provider, OpenRouter, which routes it to a model host.
- Who can see it. We route only to providers with zero-data-retention policies. They process the request and discard it; they don't store your content or use it to train models.
- What we don't do. We don't train AI models on your content, and we don't use your library to improve models for anyone else.
- What runs locally. Embeddings — the numeric fingerprints we use to find similar items — are computed on our own servers and never leave them. Text extraction from images and scanned PDFs (OCR) runs on software we host on Modal; the image is processed and not retained there.
We also use AI coding assistants internally to build Everett. Those tools work on our code, not on your library.
Our browser extension
We offer an optional browser extension that lets you highlight and save web pages, follow blogs and import your Substack subscriptions. You don't need it to use Everett, and it does nothing on its own. Here's what it does with your information:
- It sends nothing until you act. The highlighter is present on the pages you visit so it's ready when you select text, but it doesn't report what you read. The extension sends something to Everett only when you ask it to: the page you're on when you save or highlight, the site's address when you follow a blog, and your list of subscriptions when you import from Substack. When you come back to a page you've already saved, it asks Everett for your highlights on that page so it can show them again.
- It strips a page before sending it. We keep the page's text and layout. Before the page leaves your browser, the extension removes its scripts, anything you've typed into forms or search boxes, and the hidden data sites keep about you in the background. What's left is what you'd see on screen. That's what goes into your library, where it's treated like everything else you save.
- It never touches your passwords or logins. The extension doesn't read your cookies, passwords or sign-in details for any site. When you save a page behind a login, such as a newspaper or a paid newsletter, it saves the page as your browser already shows it to you. We never sign in as you. On Substack it reads only the names and addresses of your subscriptions and whether each one is paid, and nothing from your Substack account.
- What it keeps in your browser. When you connect the extension, it stores a key that lets it reach your Everett account. That key works only for the extension's features: it can't sign in to Everett or change your account. The extension also keeps a list of the pages you've saved, so it can show your highlights again when you come back to them. You can cut it off at any time from Settings → Browser extension. Uninstalling the extension deletes everything it stored in your browser.
Your rights and choices
We give everyone the same rights regardless of where they live:
- See and export your data. Settings → Account → “Export everything” gives you a zip of your original content, including notes and highlights, plus a JSON index. You can do this any time.
- Correct it. Update your name and email in Settings.
- Delete it. Cancel from Settings → Account and your account and library are deleted immediately from our active systems. Encrypted backups are overwritten within 90 days. Once deleted, we can't recover it.
- Object or restrict. If you'd like us to limit how we process something, email us and we'll work it out. Some requests may mean we can't keep running your account, in which case we'll tell you before acting.
- Complain. If you're in the EU or UK, you can complain to your data protection authority. We'd rather hear from you first.
We may need to verify it's really you before acting on a request — usually by confirming the email on the account. Email hello@everett.tools for anything on this list that Settings doesn't cover.
How we secure and retain your data
All traffic between your browser and our servers is encrypted with TLS. Database backups are encrypted. Access to production systems is limited to the one person who runs Everett. If you find a security problem, email hello@everett.tools and we'll respond quickly.
We keep your information only as long as we need it for the purpose we collected it. Your library lives as long as your account does. Login and sign-up logs are kept for the life of the account. Billing records are kept for 7 years because tax law requires it. Support email is kept so we have history if you write again.
Where your data lives
Everett is hosted in the United States. If you use it from the EU, UK, or anywhere else, your information is transferred to and stored in the U.S., and by using Everett you consent to that.
Cookies
We use a small number of first-party cookies to keep you signed in and remember your preferences. Everett won't work without them. We don't run ads, we don't use third-party advertising cookies, and we don't track you across other sites.
Children
Everett is for adults. You must be 18 or older to have an account, and we don't knowingly collect information from anyone younger. If you believe a minor has an account, email us and we'll delete it.
Questions
Email hello@everett.tools, or write to Seattle Thinking Tools LLC c/o Entity Protect Registered Agent Services LLC, 401 Broadway Ste 100, Tacoma, WA 98402-3900, USA.