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Privacy Policy

Spantop · Last updated: May 21, 2026

Overview

Spantop turns another Mac into a real second display for your Mac. It is designed with privacy in mind — all screen data is transmitted directly between your paired Macs over a local connection (Thunderbolt, USB 3.x, or WiFi on the same local network) and is never routed through any external server.

Data Collection

We do not collect personal data. Spantop does not collect, store, or transmit any personal information to external servers. Specifically:

  • No personal information is collected
  • No usage analytics are collected
  • No advertising identifiers are used
  • No cookies or tracking technologies are used
  • No crash reports are sent automatically

Screen Recording Data

Spantop captures screen contents using Apple's ScreenCaptureKit framework solely to stream them to a receiver Mac on the user's local network that the user has selected. Captured screen contents are never collected, stored, transmitted to any Spantop or third-party server, or retained in any form. All transmission is direct, peer-to-peer, over the user's local network.

In concrete terms:

  • Frames are encoded in memory (H.265 over WiFi, LZ4 + delta over wired Thunderbolt/USB 3.x for lossless quality) and sent over local TCP to the paired receiver Mac — never to any Spantop or third-party server
  • Frames are not written to disk, retained in memory beyond encoding, or logged
  • No screen recordings are saved as files; Spantop does not record media
  • The only data that crosses your local network is the live video stream between the two paired Macs

Permissions

Spantop is view-only: the receiver Mac displays the extended desktop but cannot send mouse, keyboard, or touch input back to the sender Mac. You control windows using the sender Mac's own keyboard and trackpad. Spantop does not request Accessibility permission and does not contain any input-forwarding code.

Spantop requires two system permissions to function, used solely for the app's core functionality:

  • Screen Recording— Required to capture the virtual display content for streaming to the paired receiver Mac via Apple's ScreenCaptureKit framework. Only the virtual display created by Spantop is captured.
  • Local Network — Required to discover receiver Macs on your local network using Bonjour (DNS-SD). No data leaves your local network.

Network Communication

All communication between the sender Mac and the receiver Mac happens over:

  • Thunderbolt / USB 3.x — Direct wired connection between two Macs. Data never leaves the cable.
  • Local WiFi — Direct connection between two Macs on the same network. Data does not pass through any external server.

The only network request Spantop makes to an external server is a version check on launch (to adewaskar.com/spantop/version.json) to notify you of available updates. This request contains no personal data — only the app version number.

Data Storage

Spantop stores minimal preferences locally on your device using UserDefaults (display resolution, trial start date, onboarding state, and a cached flag indicating whether the Pro in-app purchase has been verified). This data:

  • Is stored only on your device, inside Spantop's sandbox container
  • Is not synced to any cloud service or external server
  • Is removed when you uninstall the app
  • Contains no personal or identifiable information

Data Deletion

Since Spantop does not collect or store any personal data on external servers, there is no user data to delete. All locally stored preferences are automatically removed when you uninstall the app. You can also reset preferences at any time by removing the app and reinstalling it.

In-App Purchases

Spantop offers a 7-day free trial, then a one-time, non-consumable in-app purchase (“Spantop Pro”, product ID com.adewaskar.spantop.pro) that unlocks the app permanently for your Apple ID (restorable on any Mac you sign in to with the same Apple ID, including via Family Sharing if enabled). The trial timer is stored locally in UserDefaults — there is no Spantop server tracking trial status. Entitlement verification is performed entirely via Apple's StoreKit 2 framework (Transaction.currentEntitlements) — Spantop never sees payment details, card numbers, or account information.

Purchases are processed entirely through Apple's App Store. We do not collect or have access to any payment information. Please refer to Apple's Privacy Policy for information about how Apple handles purchase data.

Third-Party Services

Spantop does not include any third-party analytics, advertising, or tracking SDKs. The only third-party integration is the platform app store for processing purchases.

Children's Privacy

Spantop does not collect any personal information from anyone, including children under the age of 13. Since no personal data is collected, the app is safe for users of all ages.

Your Rights (GDPR / CCPA)

Since Spantop does not collect, store, or process any personal data, the rights typically granted under GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) — such as the right to access, rectify, delete, or port your data — are not applicable. There is simply no personal data to act upon. If you have any concerns, please contact us using the information below.

Changes to This Policy

If we update this privacy policy, we will post the new version on this page with an updated date. Please check this page periodically for any changes.

Contact

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please contact us at [email protected].