Vāk processes speech locally, but diagnostic logs can contain the text you dictate—even when transcription history is disabled. Do not dictate information into Vāk if you are not comfortable with this current behavior.
1. Overview
Vāk is a Windows desktop voice-dictation application created by Krishna Paliwal (“we,” “us,” or “the developer”). It transcribes speech on your computer and inserts the resulting text into the application where your cursor is active.
Vāk V1 does not require an account. The application code audited for this policy does not include analytics, telemetry, cloud speech-recognition calls, or automatic crash-report uploads. This policy describes the current V1 implementation and may change as the application evolves.
2. Microphone, audio, and transcription
Recording begins when you press and hold Vāk's configured hotkey. Recording stops when you release the hotkey or when the session reaches its maximum duration (60 seconds). Vāk captures mono audio at 16 kHz and uses voice-activity detection to filter non-speech portions.
Speech recognition is performed locally using a downloaded Whisper model. Vāk's transcription pipeline does not intentionally send recorded audio or resulting transcripts to a cloud speech-recognition service.
During inference, Vāk writes audio to a temporary WAV file in the operating system's temporary directory. The application attempts to delete that file after inference. This is not a guarantee of secure erasure, and the file may exist temporarily during processing.
3. Transcripts, history, and diagnostic logs
If transcription history is enabled, Vāk stores recent transcript text on your device in a local JSON history file, together with a timestamp, duration, word count, and entry identifier. History is limited to the 500 most recent entries. You can delete individual entries or clear all history, and you can disable history in settings.
Disabling history does not disable diagnostic logging. In Vāk V1, diagnostic logs may include the full transcript text at several stages, including after transcription and before text insertion. These logs are stored locally in an unencrypted, rotating log file with a current file and up to three backups, each approximately capped at 4 MB. Logs may retain transcript text until content rotates out or you delete the files yourself.
History and logs are stored on your device and are not automatically uploaded by Vāk. Anyone with access to your Windows account or files may be able to access them. Avoid dictating highly sensitive information if this storage behavior is unsuitable for you.
4. Clipboard and text insertion
To insert a transcript into the active application, Vāk places the transcript on the Windows clipboard and sends a paste keystroke. If clipboard restoration is enabled, Vāk reads the clipboard's existing contents into memory, temporarily replaces them with the transcript, and then attempts to restore the previous contents shortly afterward.
This means the insertion process can access clipboard contents present before dictation. Clipboard restoration timing and behavior can depend on the target application and Windows environment.
5. Model downloads and third-party services
When you download a speech model, Vāk connects over HTTPS to the Hugging Face hosting infrastructure to retrieve model files. The download host or its infrastructure may receive ordinary connection metadata, such as your IP address, request time, and HTTP user-agent information, and may process that information under its own privacy practices.
Model files are downloaded to Vāk's local models directory. Vāk verifies downloaded files using checksums before accepting them. The third-party hosting provider's handling of connection metadata is governed by that provider's policies; Vāk does not control it.
6. Local storage and retention
Depending on how Vāk is installed, configuration, history, logs, and model files are stored in the Vāk application-data directory under your Windows user profile or in the package-local application data location used by the Microsoft Store installation. Temporary audio is written to the operating system's temporary directory during transcription.
Vāk does not encrypt local history or diagnostic logs. The application does not provide automatic cloud backups or transcript export. History has a 500-entry limit; diagnostic logs rotate according to the application's size limits. Data may remain until removed by you, rotated by the application, or removed as part of an applicable uninstall process.
The standalone installer and Microsoft Store package can have different uninstall data-retention behavior. Do not rely on uninstall as a secure-erasure method. If you want to remove local data, close Vāk and inspect the applicable Vāk application-data folder and temporary directory.
7. Data sharing, analytics, and security
Vāk V1 does not include analytics or telemetry collection identified in the code audit, and it does not intentionally transmit audio or transcripts to the developer. Model downloads connect to a third-party host and expose standard connection metadata as described above.
Local files can be exposed if another person or software has access to your Windows account, device, clipboard, or files. No method of storage is completely risk-free. Keep your device secured and use the application in a way that fits the sensitivity of the content you dictate.
8. Children
Vāk is a general-purpose desktop utility and is not specifically directed at children. Vāk V1 does not provide online accounts or analytics features.
9. Changes to this policy
This policy may be updated when Vāk's features, data practices, or distribution method changes. Review this page periodically, especially after application updates.
10. Contact
For privacy questions or requests, contact:
This policy is written to describe the current Vāk V1 implementation based on a code audit. It is not legal advice. Review it against the final shipped build and applicable Microsoft Store requirements before publication.