Privacy policy

Sift is a personal desktop mail client for macOS, written and used by Jacob Gold. This policy describes what Sift does with the Google account data it can access. It is written plainly because the app is simple.

What Sift accesses

When you sign in to a Google account inside Sift, Sift asks Google for permission to read, organize, and send mail in that account's Gmail mailbox (the gmail.modify scope). Sift uses that permission to:

• download message headers and bodies so they can be shown and searched;
• apply the actions you take, such as archiving, labeling, marking as read, deleting, and starring;
• send messages, replies, and drafts that you write;
• read your send-as addresses and signatures so replies come from the right identity.

Sift does not request access to any other Google service.

Where your data lives

Everything Sift downloads is stored only on the Mac where Sift is running, in a local database in your user account. Access tokens are stored in the macOS Keychain. Sift has no server of its own. Your mail is never uploaded to, copied to, or processed by any system operated by Sift's author.

Optional assistant features

Sift includes an optional assistant that can carry out mailbox tasks you type in plain language. When, and only when, you invoke it, the text of your request and the minimum mail content needed to carry it out are sent to a third-party AI model provider to interpret the instruction. That content is not used for advertising, is not sold, and is not retained by Sift. If you never use the assistant, nothing is sent to anyone.

Sharing

Sift does not sell, rent, or share Google user data with anyone. It does not use Google user data for advertising, for training machine-learning models, or for any purpose other than showing and managing your mail at your direction.

Google API Services User Data Policy

Sift's use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

Revoking access and deleting data

You can revoke Sift's access to a Google account at any time at myaccount.google.com/permissions, or by removing the account inside Sift, which also deletes that account's local data. Deleting the Sift app and its data folder removes everything it stored.

Contact

Questions about this policy: goldjacobe@gmail.com.