Privacy
Is it safe to let AI read your handwritten notes?
Updated
It's the first question Boox owners ask us, and a fair one: handwritten notes are often the most private thing on the tablet. Here is exactly what Margen does with your pages, and when it is not the right tool.
The short answer
- Your pages are sent to our service to be transcribed and backed up. Without that, there is nothing for Claude to read.
- They are transcribed only by model providers that don't store or train on them, and we never use your notes to train models.
- Claude or ChatGPT can only read your notes, only after you connect them, and only your own account's notes.
- You can delete a page, or your whole account and everything stored with it, from the app.
- No ads, and we don't sell your data. Your account is an email address; we don't ask for your name.
What leaves the tablet
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| Images of your handwritten pages | A vision model reads them and returns the text, a short title and a one-line summary. The images are kept so Claude can look at a page when the text isn't enough. |
| The text, title and summary | Search, and reading your notes from Claude or ChatGPT. |
| Your ink, compressed | Backup, so your notes come back after a reinstall. |
| Your email address | Your account: a 6-digit sign-in code, no password. |
Writing works offline. A page is sent when the tablet has a connection, and sent again only when its ink changes.
Who handles it
- Cloudflare runs the service and stores your account, the text, page images and ink backups. Model calls go through Cloudflare's AI Gateway with request logging turned off.
- OpenRouter passes each page to the vision model that transcribes it. We only allow providers that don't store or train on what they receive.
- Resend sends the sign-in emails.
What Claude or ChatGPT can do
The connector is read-only. Once you connect it, the assistant can list, search and read your notes, and look at a page image. It can't change or delete anything, on the tablet or in the cloud, and it can't reach any other account. What the assistant keeps of your conversations follows your settings with Anthropic or OpenAI. You can disconnect it at any time, from the assistant or from the app.
Deleting
- One page: delete it in the app; it's removed from our service at the next sync.
- Everything: Settings → Delete account. Your account, the text, page images, ink backups and the Claude connection are deleted straight away.
When Margen is not for you
If no page should ever leave your tablet, don't use a cloud transcription service, Margen included. Margen's whole point is that your notes are readable from an AI assistant, and that requires a copy in the cloud. We would rather say so plainly than have you find out later.
The legal version, with retention periods and your rights under the GDPR, is the app privacy policy.
Questions
Are my handwritten notes used to train AI models?
No. Margen does not use your notes to train models, and pages are transcribed only by model providers that don't store or train on them.
Can Claude change or delete my notes?
No. The Margen connector is read-only: Claude can list, search and read your own notes, and nothing else.
Does Margen work without sending my notes to the cloud?
No. Writing works offline, but transcription and reading from Claude need a copy of each page on Margen's service. If nothing may leave your tablet, Margen is not the right tool.
How do I delete my data?
In the app, Settings → Delete account deletes your account and everything stored with it straight away. You can also email hello@getmargen.app from your account's address.