0. WHAT THIS POLICY MEANS FOR MACBUSINESSSUITE — APP-SPECIFIC NOTICE
This Privacy Policy is the shared policy of every DigitalFreedom service and describes every processing operation that occurs somewhere in that portfolio. This section states which of them actually occur in MacBusinessSuite, so that the general sections below are read correctly for this app. Where a general section describes something that does not happen in MacBusinessSuite, this section says so; the general text is not thereby weakened for any other service.
What MacBusinessSuite is. A native macOS application for invoicing and business administration (customers, documents, tax, e-invoicing, PDF/A archiving, payments, time tracking). It is sold exclusively through the Mac App Store as an annual subscription. There is no Google Play version.
Local records, no app account. There is no registration or app login. Company profiles, customers, documents, payments, time entries and settings are stored on your Mac, protected by macOS and, for bank data, field-level encryption. DigitalFreedom Global LLC provides no cloud storage or synchronisation of these records. The external services and support submissions below are separate processing operations. Backups are created where you choose. Removing the app does not reliably erase its container, exports or backups; delete those separately when intended.
Your business records. You control local processing and remain responsible for your customer data where applicable law makes you its controller. Records are not automatically sent to DigitalFreedom Global LLC. Information you include in support submissions is received and processed for support.
Network services. The app uses the following services. Synchronisation by configured system accounts is described under device access below.
| Connection | When | What is transmitted | To whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple App Store (StoreKit) | at start, on purchase, on restore, and when Apple reports a transaction | Apple’s own purchase and subscription data; the app receives only the transaction and subscription status | Apple, as independent controller and — depending on your country — as seller of the purchase (§ 6.1.2) |
| OpenAI API | only if you explicitly selected OpenAI mode, have saved your own OpenAI API key, and you have given the AI consent, and you trigger the description improvement in time tracking | the activity description you typed, the model name, a fixed instruction, request options and your API key; no other business fields are attached automatically. Text you include yourself is transmitted, and the recipient receives network data such as your IP address | OpenAI, under your own OpenAI account and OpenAI’s terms, retention and data-residency settings for that account (this app uses the global api.openai.com endpoint and does not guarantee regional processing; transfers to the United States may occur). DigitalFreedom Global LLC does not receive, store or process the text and has no access to your OpenAI account. See the AI Transparency Notice |
| EU VIES VAT-number check | only when you trigger the check of a customer’s VAT identification number | country code and VAT identification number of that customer (a business identifier) | the European Commission’s VIES service; the response is archived on the customer record as evidence |
| Your mail server (SMTP) | when you send documents, a project report or a test message, including the selected mail option in a monthly run | recipient addresses, message text, attachments and authentication data | your configured mail provider; passwords are stored in the macOS keychain |
| Your mail server (IMAP over TLS) | when you explicitly check the configured mailbox; no background polling | authentication data, mailbox selection, search and retrieval commands; messages and attachments are downloaded and attachments imported locally. Successfully handled messages can be marked as read if configured; no message move | your configured mail provider |
| European Central Bank reference rates | when you request daily or historical rates, and automatically to propose a historical rate when opening or editing a foreign-currency receipt without a matching saved rate | rate request and network metadata; no business records | European Central Bank, www.ecb.europa.eu |
| Support portal | only when you open the Support tab | what you enter in the support form; opening the tab loads the portal page | DigitalFreedom Global LLC (helpdesk), § 6.1.1 |
| Apple rating prompt | once, after the third sent invoice | Apple’s own system dialog | Apple |
| External legal and help links | when you open a link in the system browser | page request and browser/network data; the website may process its own cookies and session data, as may the embedded support portal | the operator of the page you open |
Optional Apple on-device suggestions. The system language model processes activity descriptions, recognised receipt text for field suggestions, document mail texts and ticket drafts locally. No text leaves the Mac for these functions, and no API key is needed. They require Apple mode, macOS 26 or later, compatible hardware, enabled Apple Intelligence and an available model. The initial mode is Off; unavailable or failed local processing never falls back to a cloud service. Receipt, mail and ticket suggestions do not use OpenAI. OpenAI is separately available only for activity descriptions with your own key and explicit consent; any information you put into that description is transmitted. See the transparency notice.
On-device recognition. Reading text out of scanned or photographed documents in the inbox uses Apple’s text-recognition framework on your Mac (Vision). It is machine learning that runs entirely on your device; no image and no text leaves your Mac for it, and no external provider is involved. The camera is used only when you scan a barcode, and the frames are not stored or transmitted.
Device access and system integrations (§§ 3.4, 3.5 and 8b).
- Local notifications: optional reminders and actions to complete or postpone tickets, record or reschedule a follow-up, or open an invoice. There is no remote push token. The system Focus filter can mute reminders or restrict them to one company; its state is local.
- Calendar and Reminders: optional full EventKit access to mirror and update due dates in dedicated calendars and lists, and read appointments, titles and attendees for time suggestions. Calendar and reminder entries may synchronise through the providers of your configured system accounts.
- Contacts: import selected contacts or explicitly save a customer as a contact. The configured Contacts account may synchronise those changes.
- App lock and keychain: optional Touch ID or system-password authentication returns only a result, never biometric templates. Mail passwords, the optional OpenAI key and encryption keys are stored in the macOS keychain.
- Widgets: the app group
group.za.co.digitalfreedom.MacBusinessSuiteshareswidget-snapshot.jsoncontaining the active company’s overview, due items and running timer, not the database, documents or credentials. App lock suppresses figures and details unless numbers-only mode is selected; that mode permits figures and timer state without names, titles or item rows, including when app lock is enabled. - Spotlight: business records are automatically indexed locally with links back into the app; there is no upload to a developer server.
- Automation: incoming script commands use the same validation and persistence commands as the interface. The app does not send automation commands to other apps.
Data categories and scope. There is no tracking, advertising, analytics SDK, crash-reporting SDK or install attribution. The privacy manifest declares OtherUserContent and CustomerSupport, linked to the user for app functionality: activity text sent through your identifiable OpenAI account, and information you submit for support. These can include personal or business information you supply. Optional processing is not a blanket exemption from disclosure. Local records, system integrations and your own mail provider are not developer collection. The app has no developer cloud synchronisation; configured system accounts can synchronise as described above. § 12 concerns website cookies and tracking, not a native-app tracking function.
For this app, § 3 does not mean that app account, usage, analytics or diagnostic logs are collected. Communication and support data you submit, external text processing and Apple’s purchase processing remain applicable. Providers in § 6.1.1 for mail, helpdesk hosting and server backups, including Storj, can process submitted support data; the transfer disclosures and any outstanding safeguards in § 7 still apply. They do not receive the local database automatically. OpenAI requests use your own account rather than the provider’s account described in the general policy; RevenueCat is not used. § 8 support retention applies; no app-account retention or deletion arises under § 13.5. Email breach notices (§ 9.1) require that we have your address, for example through a support request. § 13.2 covers the local suggestions and separately consented external activity-text processing described above; your OpenAI account’s retention terms apply.
Adult audience and choices. MacBusinessSuite is intended for adults aged 18 and over under its Terms. The app does not ask for an age band or date of birth and does not verify age. Necessary local processing is explained during onboarding, separately from express acceptance of the Terms. Apple on-device assistance is an optional local feature choice. Only external OpenAI processing asks for the separate, versioned OpenAI consent, which can be withdrawn at any time under Settings → Legal & Privacy. Refusing or withdrawing it leaves local functions, including separately selected Apple assistance, available.
California residents: the notice at collection (§ 17.4) is also available as its own page under Settings → Legal & Privacy.
Version. The version of this Policy and the app-specific notice you are reading is shown under Settings → Legal & Privacy, together with the versions of every other legal text in the app. Wise Business / Mercury. Optional bank access is sent directly to Wise or Mercury under your bank account: the access token, business and account identifiers, requested dates and network metadata. The app receives account details and the selected accounts’ transactions, including amounts, dates, counterparties and references. No bank connection goes through a DigitalFreedom server. Your token stays in the macOS Keychain. The app contacts your bank directly and stores imported transactions locally. Updates run only while this app is open and unlocked. You can turn them off at any time. Only business profiles are shown. Private balances and statements are not retrieved. Disconnecting removes the local token and stops updates. Imported transactions remain. Revoke the token separately in your bank’s settings if needed.
California — Notice at Collection (CCPA/CPRA)
Provided to California residents at or before the point of collection, as required by Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1798.100(a) and 1798.130(a)(5)(A). The full Privacy Policy this notice belongs to: the Privacy Policy in this app (Settings → Legal & Privacy → Privacy Policy) and at https://digitalfreedom.co.za/.
Categories collected in the past 12 months:
| Category (CCPA § 1798.140(v)) | Examples we collect | Purpose | Disclosed for business purpose? | Sold or shared? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Identifiers | Email address; pseudonymous account / user ID; IP address; device identifiers | Account, support, security | Yes — to sub-processors per § 6 of the Privacy Policy | No |
| B. Customer records (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e)) | Name (optional); subscription state | Account, billing | Yes | No |
| C. Characteristics of protected classifications | None | — | — | — |
| D. Commercial information | Subscription / IAP purchase history | Service delivery, billing | Yes — to RevenueCat / Apple / Google | No |
| E. Biometric information | None (Face ID / Touch ID is on-device only; we receive yes/no) | — | — | — |
| F. Internet / electronic network activity | Product-interaction events; in-app feature usage | Service delivery, analytics | Yes — to analytics provider | No |
| G. Geolocation | Approximate / precise location (only if you grant the OS permission to a feature that needs it) | Specific feature delivery | Limited | No |
| H. Sensory information | Microphone / camera input only when you actively invoke a feature that uses it | Specific feature delivery | Limited | No |
| I. Professional / employment information | None (unless you enter it in a profile field) | — | — | — |
| J. Education information | None | — | — | — |
| K. Inferences from the above | Engagement patterns for product improvement | Analytics | Limited | No |
| L. Sensitive personal information (CCPA § 1798.140(ae)) | Account credentials (password hash); precise location (only if granted); health data, where an app offers a health or fitness feature — § 1798.140(ae)(2)(B) counts personal information concerning health as sensitive | Authentication; the specific feature | Limited; health data is additionally governed by the Consumer Health Data Policy | No |
We have not sold or shared personal information of California residents in the past 12 months and do not intend to. The opt-out of sale or sharing therefore has no operative effect — but is available on request.
Retention per category: account data — while active + 30 days after deletion; billing records — up to 10 years (statutory tax and accounting retention); support tickets — 3 years from closure; logs — 30 days hot, 90 days cold; marketing subscriber data — until unsubscribe, plus the suppression-list entry.
Sensitive personal information — limit of use (§ 1798.121). We use sensitive personal information only for the purposes permitted under CPRA Regs § 7027(m) — performing the services, security, fraud prevention, service quality. Not for inferring characteristics, not for targeted advertising. The opt-out therefore has no operative effect — but is available on request.
Your CCPA/CPRA rights:
| Right | How to exercise |
|---|---|
| Know | Email data-protection@digitalfreedom.co.za, subject “CCPA Right to Know” |
| Delete | Same address, or the in-app deletion route |
| Correct | Edit in-app or email the same address |
| Opt out of sale/sharing | Not applicable (we do neither) — confirmation on request |
| Limit sensitive-PI use | Not applicable (use is already limited) — confirmation on request |
| Non-discrimination | We do not discriminate for exercising rights |
| Portability | Included in the Right-to-Know response, machine-readable |
| Authorized agent | Accepted with proof of authorisation and your written permission |
We verify requests proportionate to sensitivity and risk (CCPA Regs §§ 7060–7063) and respond within 45 days, extendable once by 45 with notice.
Shine the Light (§ 1798.83): we disclose no personal information to third parties for their direct-marketing purposes; the annual response is “none disclosed”.
Global Privacy Control: honoured as a valid opt-out signal (CPRA Regs § 7025). Because we neither sell nor share, it does not change our processing, but it is acknowledged.
Complaints: California Privacy Protection Agency, 2101 Arena Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95834 — https://cppa.ca.gov/webapplications/complaint — or the California Attorney General.