Privacy policy for ForgeScribe

Brutal Foundry LLC publishes ForgeScribe by BrutalFoundry, a Windows application for local transcription, captions and recording. Last updated: 4 November 2026. This policy covers the Microsoft Store build. The policy is provided in English.

What ForgeScribe does with your information

ForgeScribe processes the audio, video, recordings and transcript text you choose on your PC. These files can contain personal information, including voices, names and anything people say. The app does not upload your audio, video, recordings, transcripts or imported model files to BrutalFoundry or a transcription service. BrutalFoundry does not collect these files through the app. There is no account operated by ForgeScribe; a Microsoft account may be needed for Store purchases or licensing.

There are no advertising or analytics SDKs in the app, and it does not automatically send diagnostic logs or crash reports to BrutalFoundry. Model-download providers and Microsoft can receive connection or licensing information as described below. If you contact support, you choose what information to send.

Local processing and recording

When you add a supported media file, ForgeScribe reads it and creates temporary decoded audio for recognition. Speech recognition, translation to English, subtitle export and optional speaker labeling run locally. Speaker labeling uses local voice features to group speech within a recording; ForgeScribe does not upload those features or identify a person by name from their voice.

Microphone or system-audio capture starts when you choose that recording action and uses the selected recording device. Stop ends capture and saves the WAV recording. Live captions process temporary audio windows locally while the full recording is saved separately. Recent captions may change as more audio arrives. Importing a compatible model copies it into the model folder and validates it in a separate local process.

Record only material you have permission to record and process. System-audio capture can include sound from other applications playing through the selected output device. Windows microphone and audio-device settings can affect recording access.

Information stored on this PC

The normal application-data location is %LOCALAPPDATA%\BrutalFoundry\ForgeScribe. Windows may redirect application data for packaged installations. Models can be stored in a folder you select; exported transcripts go to your chosen location. The app stores:

• Settings, such as theme, spoken/menu languages, model selection, recording devices, folders and an optional watched folder.
• Downloaded or imported models and their license notices, including partial files while a download is incomplete.
• Recent-job history, source file paths, transcript text, timestamps and edits so work can be reopened.
• Saved transcription checkpoints, which can include partial transcript text, timings and warnings.
• Temporary decoded audio and caption windows; recordings are saved under the app-data work\recordings folder unless you copy them elsewhere.
• Local diagnostics such as filenames, paths, model/device information and error details. The app does not deliberately log transcript contents, but filenames and error details can reveal private information. Inspect logs before sharing them.

Local files are protected by the permissions and security of your Windows account and device. ForgeScribe does not apply its own encryption to recordings, transcript history, checkpoints, models, exports or logs. Other people or software with sufficient access to your Windows account, backups or selected folders may be able to read them. Use Windows security and disk encryption when appropriate for your material. Selecting a cloud-synchronized folder can cause your sync provider to copy files under its own settings; that is separate from ForgeScribe's network behavior.

Downloads, connection information and Microsoft services

Missing speech models are downloaded over HTTPS from Hugging Face. Optional speaker models download from Hugging Face and GitHub. Downloads may be served or redirected through those providers' content-delivery hosts. Each missing model needs its own initial download; installed models are reused locally. Download requests include ordinary connection information such as your IP address, requested file, time and the app's HTTP user-agent. No recording or transcript content is included in these requests. The providers may log and process connection information under their own policies.

Once the selected models are installed, the transcription engine does not need a network connection to process your files. Microsoft Store licensing is separate: ForgeScribe asks Windows for purchase or trial status at startup and periodically while running. Windows or Microsoft may communicate with Store services; this can affect whether the Store app can run without a connection. Audio, video and transcript contents are not part of the app's license request. Microsoft also manages Store delivery and updates. ForgeScribe does not run its own licensing server or receive your card or payment details.

An active Store license is required to open ForgeScribe. After a Store trial expires, a purchase is needed to reopen the app and its saved transcript history. Your original recordings and exported files remain usable outside ForgeScribe, and local data can still be managed through Windows File Explorer.

The Store package includes FFmpeg for local decoding and does not download it. Separate non-Store builds can offer a confirmed decoder download; they are outside this Store policy's scope.

Relevant provider policies: Microsoft at https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement ; Hugging Face at https://huggingface.co/privacy ; GitHub at https://docs.github.com/en/site-policy/privacy-policies/github-general-privacy-statement . Those providers control their own practices.

Your controls, retention and deletion

You choose which files to add, which device to record, whether to enable speaker labels/live captions, and where to save exports or models. You can stop recording, cancel queued work and turn off watched-folder processing in Settings. A watched folder queues supported new recordings while that feature is enabled.

Job history, saved recordings, model downloads, checkpoints and logs can remain until you remove them; there is no automatic fixed retention period for all app data. On startup, the app attempts to remove decoded WAV files older than three days directly inside its work folder. That cleanup does not remove saved recordings in the recordings subfolder, history or checkpoints. Temporary live-caption windows are removed on normal cleanup, but interrupted processes can leave files behind.

Removing a job from the queue removes that job from saved history and can delete its derived decoded WAV. It preserves the source recording and does not promise to remove every checkpoint, export, log entry or backup. For complete local removal, close ForgeScribe, save any work you want to keep, and delete its application-data folder plus any models, recordings or exports you stored elsewhere. Deleting these files is permanent; removing app data also removes saved settings and unfinished work. Uninstalling removes the program, but retained app data or user-created files may remain. Files in backups or synced folders are managed by those services.

Because BrutalFoundry does not hold the files processed locally, we cannot recover or remotely delete them for you. You can access recordings, exports and other local data through your selected folders and Windows File Explorer.

Support and privacy requests

If you email support@brutalfoundry.com, BrutalFoundry receives your email address, message and any attachments you choose to send through email providers. That information is used to respond to your request and address the reported issue. Do not send recordings, transcripts, credentials or logs containing sensitive information unless you intend to share them. Support correspondence may be retained as needed to handle the request and applicable recordkeeping obligations. You can use the same address to request access, correction or deletion of information you sent to support; any applicable retention duties may limit deletion.

Children and policy changes

ForgeScribe is a general productivity tool, not a service directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly request children's personal information through the app. If a support message includes a child's information, contact us about its removal. Your chosen files and recordings are processed locally under your control.

We will update this policy when the app's relevant data practices change. The date above identifies this version. Privacy questions and requests: support@brutalfoundry.com.