The deal, in plain words.

01An early build

PromptCam is made by belike ("we", "us"). By downloading, installing or using the PromptCam station software, the PromptCam phone app, or this website (together, "PromptCam"), you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, do not use PromptCam.

PromptCam is at an alpha stage. Features may be incomplete, may behave unexpectedly, and may be removed or changed between versions without notice. It is offered so that a small number of homes can try it and tell us what works. It is not a finished product and should not be treated as one.

02Your licence

We give you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to install and run PromptCam in your own home, on computers and phones you control, for your own non-commercial use. You may not sell, rent, or redistribute PromptCam, offer it as a service to others, or remove notices from it. Parts of PromptCam are built on open-source software, each under its own licence, and those licences continue to apply to those parts.

03What happens to your video

The station software runs on a computer in your home and connects to a camera you already own. Frames from that camera are analysed on that computer. A short memory of what was seen (a few descriptive lines and small thumbnails) is kept in a local database on that same computer so that PromptCam can answer questions about earlier today or last week.

We do not receive, view, store, or have any access to your video, thumbnails, or the memory PromptCam keeps. There is no account with us and no cloud recording. If you delete the station's data folder, that memory is gone. You are responsible for the security of the computer PromptCam runs on.

04Services that touch your data

PromptCam is designed to keep everything at home, but a few narrow paths leave your network so that the phone app can work. They are:

• Push notifications. When PromptCam alerts your phone, the headline and detail line of that alert pass through Apple's notification service to reach your device. Thumbnails do not.
• Away from home. When you enable remote access, your phone reaches your station through an encrypted tunnel. We run a small coordination server for that tunnel. It sees which devices are paired and helps them find each other; it cannot read the traffic between them, which is encrypted end to end.
• Updates. The station checks our update server for new versions. That request carries the version it is running and nothing about your home.
• Model downloads. Local vision and speech models, and small helper programs such as the one used to play sound through a camera speaker, are downloaded from their publishers on first use.

We do not use analytics or tracking in the software or on this website, and we do not sell or share information about you.

05Cloud models and their cost

By default PromptCam uses models that run on your own computer. You may choose to add a key for a cloud model provider (such as OpenAI) for harder questions. If you do:

• The frames PromptCam chooses to analyse, and your questions, are sent to that provider under their terms and privacy policy, not ours.
• That provider bills you directly for what is used. PromptCam shows an estimate of the cost of each look, but the estimate can be wrong and the provider's invoice is what counts.
• Your key is stored only on your station. If a key stops working, PromptCam tells you and falls back to a local model.

06People in front of the camera

You are responsible for using cameras lawfully. Laws about recording people, sound, and private spaces vary from place to place and can require consent or a visible notice. Only point PromptCam at spaces where you are allowed to, tell the people who live with you and visit you, and never use it to watch someone who has not agreed to it. Do not use PromptCam to identify people, and do not use it in a workplace, a shared building, or any public space.

07Not a safety device

PromptCam can be asked to watch for things like a fall, a door left open, or someone arriving. These watches are best effort. The models it relies on make mistakes: they miss things, they see things that are not there, and they can be late. Network, camera, and computer problems can stop them entirely, sometimes without warning.

PromptCam is not a medical device, an emergency service, a security or alarm system, or a substitute for care, supervision, or professional monitoring. Do not rely on it for the safety, health, or wellbeing of any person, animal, or property. If someone needs help, call the appropriate emergency service.

08Updates

The station updates itself to the newest version, and restarts to do so, unless you switch this off in its settings. Updates may change how PromptCam works, add or remove features, and occasionally need you to pair your phone again. The phone app is updated separately through the usual channels for your phone.

09No warranty

PromptCam is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including any warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, or non-infringement. We do not promise that it will be available, uninterrupted, error-free, or that it will notice any particular event. Nothing in these terms limits rights that consumer law gives you and that cannot be excluded.

10Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of data, injury, loss of property, or missed event, arising out of or connected with your use of PromptCam or your inability to use it. PromptCam is free of charge, and our total liability for any claim relating to it is limited to the amount you paid us for it, which is nothing, or where the law does not allow that, to the smallest amount it allows.

11Changes and ending

We may change these terms as PromptCam grows. The date at the top says when they last changed, and the version number tracks the software they describe. Continuing to use PromptCam after a change means you accept the new terms. You can stop using PromptCam at any time by uninstalling it and deleting its data folder. We may stop offering the early build, or access to it, at any time.

12Contact

Questions, worries, or a bug you found: write to yogev77@gmail.com. We read everything, and the early build gets better because of it.