Privacy Policy

The short version

Busco is a local-first desktop application. Your files, their metadata, the search index Busco builds, the embeddings it computes, and your search queries are processed entirely on your device and are never transmitted to Looking Glass Labs LLC, to any Busco server, or to any third party. There is no cloud inference and no upload of your content.

This policy exists because the parts of Busco that are not on your device — the website, your account, and billing — do process some personal data. It explains what that data is, who processes it, why, and the rights you have over it.

1. Who we are

Busco is operated by Looking Glass Labs LLC, a single-member limited liability company based in New York, United States (“Busco,” “we,” “us”). For the purposes of the EU/UK GDPR we are the data controller for the account and billing data described below. You can reach us at manny@busco.dev.

2. What the Busco app does not collect

The Busco desktop app and the local backend it runs index and search your files on your own machine. The following never leave your device and are never sent to us or anyone else:

• The content of your files (video, images, documents).
• File metadata (names, paths, EXIF, timestamps, and so on).
• The search index, text chunks, transcripts, text recognized in your images, and embeddings Busco generates.
• Your search queries and their results.

All AI models (visual search, transcription, text recognition, and document embeddings) run locally on your device. Nothing about what you search for is sent anywhere.

The models themselves are not bundled in the download: the first time you run Busco, the app fetches its model weights from Hugging Face and stores them on your device. That download is the only outbound connection the search side of Busco makes, it happens once per install, and it carries none of the data listed above. See Sub-processors below.

3. Data we do process

To provide accounts, the Pro subscription, and this website, we and our sub-processors process a limited set of personal data:

• Account data — your email address, a password hash, and, if you sign in with Google, the Google account identifier associated with your sign-in.
• Billing data — your subscription tier and status, your Stripe customer identifier, and payment/billing details you provide at checkout. Payment card details are handled by Stripe; we never receive or store your card number.
• Device binding data— for Pro, a one-way hash (SHA-256) of your device’s public key and a “last seen” timestamp, used to enforce the one-active-device limit. This is a pseudonymous identifier; it is not your file content.
• Waitlist / early-access data — if you join the waitlist, your email and your operating-system string; if you were referred, the referral association.
• Technical and usage data — server request logs and IP addresses generated when your browser or app contacts busco.dev, and aggregate, cookieless website analytics (page views and performance).

When the app checks for software updates it contacts busco.dev with an anonymous request that contains no account identifiers.

4. Sub-processors

We use the following third-party service providers to operate the account, billing, and website layer, plus one host the desktop app itself contacts to download its models. Each receives only the data needed for its role and under its own privacy terms:

• Supabase — authentication and application database (account, tier, and device-binding data). Privacy
• Stripe — payment processing and subscription management (billing data and payment details). Privacy
• Resend — transactional and invitation email delivery (email address). Privacy
• Vercel — website hosting and cookieless analytics (request logs, IP addresses, aggregate usage). Privacy
• Google— optional “Sign in with Google” authentication (only if you choose it). Note: Busco’s local AI models include weights from Google, but those models run on your device, so no search data is sent to Google. Privacy
• Hugging Face — hosting for the AI model weights the desktop app downloads on its first run. The download makes your IP address visible to Hugging Face. No account data, file content, file metadata, or search queries are sent, and Busco does not create or use a Hugging Face account on your behalf. Privacy

We do not sell or share your personal information, and we do not use it for advertising or cross-context behavioral tracking.

5. Why we process it and our legal bases

For users in the EU, UK, and other regions with similar laws, we rely on the following legal bases under the GDPR:

• Performance of a contract — to create and secure your account, provide the Pro subscription, and enforce the device limit.
• Legal obligation — to keep billing and tax records where the law requires it.
• Legitimate interests — to deliver transactional email, keep the Service secure, prevent abuse, and understand aggregate website usage. We balance these against your rights.
• Consent — where we ask for it, for example when you choose to join the waitlist.

6. Cookies and analytics

The website uses essential cookies set by Supabase to keep you signed in. It does not use third-party advertising or tracking cookies. Website analytics are provided by Vercel Analytics, which measures page views and performance in aggregate and without cookies and without identifying you personally.

7. Retention

We keep account and device-binding data for as long as your account is active. We retain billing records for as long as required to meet financial and tax obligations. Aggregate analytics are not tied to your identity. When you delete your account, we delete or anonymize the associated personal data, except where we are required to keep certain records by law.

8. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you have rights over your personal data. Under the GDPR these include the rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, object to, and port your data, and to withdraw consent. Under the California CCPA/CPRA these include the rights to know, to delete, to correct, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information — and we do not sell or share it. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.

To exercise any right, email manny@busco.dev. We will respond within the time required by applicable law. EU/UK users also have the right to lodge a complaint with their local data protection authority.

9. International data transfers

Looking Glass Labs LLC is based in the United States, and our sub-processors are primarily located in the United States. Where we transfer personal data from the EU, UK, or other regions, we rely on appropriate safeguards — such as the Standard Contractual Clauses — through our sub-processors’ data processing agreements.

10. Data security

We use industry-standard measures to protect personal data in transit and at rest. Payment card data is handled entirely by Stripe. On your device, Busco’s Pro model files are encrypted at rest. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your information.

11. Children

Busco is not directed to children. You must be at least 18 years old to create an account or purchase a subscription. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as Busco evolves. When we make a material change, we will update the effective date above and, where appropriate, notify you. Your continued use of Busco after an update means you accept the revised policy.

13. Contact

Questions about this policy or your data? Email manny@busco.dev.