Privacy policy

Effective 12 October 2026. Publisher: GAMA DYNAMICS. Contact: support@gamadynamics.com.au.

The short version

TimeScope records which applications are in the foreground and how long they are active. Browser details are optional. Activity stays on your Mac; GAMA does not receive it automatically. You can see the app in the menu bar, inspect its records, pause or quit. Talk openly with everyone who uses a shared account.

Local application records

After you choose Start recording, TimeScope stores application names and bundle identifiers, the macOS account UID, session start/end times, active duration and termination reason. It also stores idle, observed sleep/account-inactivity and unrecorded intervals, monitoring checkpoints, startup/quit/interruption events, permission-change events and your preferences. The account UID identifies a macOS account, not the individual using it.

Optional browser details

Each supported browser is disabled by default and requires an explicit Enable action and normal macOS Automation approval. Chrome and Safari metadata access was verified in a sandboxed development test. TimeScope reads the active tab URL transiently, then stores only a canonical website origin such as https://example.com/. Arbitrary paths, query parameters, fragments and credentials are discarded. Page titles and allowlisted YouTube video identifiers are separate choices, off by default. Titles may contain personal information. Titles are requested only for allowlisted content hosts: YouTube, Wikipedia, Apple developer documentation and example domains. Other sites remain domain-only, including unknown mail/chat services. No page contents, DOM, typed messages, browser history database or JavaScript are read.

Private browsing and measurement limits

Chrome observations check its native private-window mode before and after reading. Safari has no verified native private-window indicator; pause Safari website details before private browsing. Website intervals are sampled foreground exposure and may miss quick tab changes. Open pages do not prove viewing or reading. Playback state, channel names and Discord sections are not collected. Application tracking continues when browser details are unavailable. Idle periods can include passive viewing; dedicated lock/unlock detection remains unverified.

Permissions and your controls

Foreground application tracking needs no additional macOS permission. Optional browser details use Automation, requested separately for each browser. macOS may call this permission control of the browser; TimeScope uses read-only tab information. The app does not request Accessibility, Screen Recording or Input Monitoring for its current features. Permissions & Coverage lets you disable browser recording and optional metadata; macOS Automation access can also be revoked in System Settings. Disabling stops future collection and does not delete existing history. Pause stops foreground-name and browser observations. Public lifecycle and checkpoint journal entries can still be recorded while paused.

Storage, retention and deletion

Records are stored in a local SQLite database in TimeScope’s application container. Default retention is 90 days; settings offer 30, 90, 365 days or no automatic expiry. Expiry runs while the app is running and keeps the current session. Delete activity history removes recorded sessions, related browser/content records, gaps and journal history, then creates a new deletion journal entry; preferences remain. The database is not separately encrypted by TimeScope and depends on macOS account/file protection. Your own system backups may retain copies. TimeScope does not provide cloud sync or upload records.

Guardian Mode and shared family Macs

Guardian Mode is optional and visible. A salted, iterated passcode verifier and retry state are stored in macOS Keychain; the plain passcode is not stored. Protected settings, deletion, tracking configuration and optionally normal quitting require that passcode. Disabling Guardian Mode removes its stored credential. Deleting activity alone does not remove Guardian settings or credentials. Force Quit, shutdown, uninstalling and normal OS controls remain available. Guardian Mode is not tamper-proof monitoring. Anyone using the same macOS account may see activity history; use separate accounts when appropriate. Explain recording to children and young people in language they understand. Ownership of the laptop does not identify who used it or replace applicable consent and privacy responsibilities.

Information we do not collect

TimeScope does not collect passwords, keystrokes, screenshots, private-message contents, browser cookies or authentication tokens. It has no accounts, GAMA Identity dependency, subscriptions, advertising SDKs, external analytics or app backend. It does not silently install browser extensions, change security settings or bypass macOS permissions.

This website and support email

The public TimeScope website has no forms, advertising trackers, analytics scripts or application-record upload feature. Our site code does not set analytics cookies or store visitor activity. Hosting providers may process IP addresses, requested URLs and technical/security logs to serve and protect the website under their own terms; this is separate from the offline Mac app. Opening the website sends an ordinary web request. If you email support@gamadynamics.com.au, GAMA and its email provider receive your email address and whatever you include to answer your enquiry. Do not send children’s activity history, passcodes or private page titles. Support information is used for handling the enquiry and necessary records, not advertising. Contact us to request access, correction or deletion of support information; necessary legal records may be retained.

Questions and changes

Contact support@gamadynamics.com.au for privacy questions, complaints or support. Local activity can be inspected and managed in the app; GAMA cannot retrieve or reset it remotely. Material collection changes will update this policy and the in-app disclosure. Current development availability and browser coverage are described on the support page.