Last updated: 31 August 2024.

Introduction

Aeronaut is a third-party macOS client app for the Bluesky micro-blogging service. This Privacy Policy explains how Aeronaut handles your data.

The Bluesky service is a federated social network run by the Bluesky company, a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC). Understanding how the Bluesky service operates is vital to understanding the visibility of your data across the network. Accordingly, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with Bluesky’s about page and the privacy policy of the network itself.

Data Collection

Aeronaut does not collect or share any personal data. All interactions and data are processed directly between your device and the Bluesky social network, or the hosting provider associated with your Bluesky account.

Data Usage

Local Data Storage

Any data related to your Bluesky account (e.g., login credentials, feed data) is stored locally on your device. Aeronaut does not access or transmit this data to any servers other than those operated by the Bluesky service or your chosen hosting provider.

Interaction with the Bluesky Service

Aeronaut enables you to interact with the Bluesky social network. This includes actions such as favoriting posts, reposting, creating posts, following users, and more. These interactions require transmitting your data (e.g., posts, likes, follows) to the server where your Bluesky account is hosted.

As Bluesky is a decentralized social network, Aeronaut may support accounts on the Bluesky service that are hosted by parties (commonly referred to as “hosting providers”) other than Bluesky PBC. Aeronaut will communicate with the hosting provider to which your Bluesky account belongs, whether it’s Bluesky PBC or another third-party.

iCloud Integration

Aeronaut may sync certain data across your devices using your private iCloud account. This feature is intended solely to enhance your user experience by providing a seamless cross-device experience. All data synced in this way will be stored in your private iCloud account, managed by Apple, and is not accessible to Aeronaut from outside of the app. Accordingly, Aeronaut will not and cannot collect or share this data.

Please note that, like many similar apps, Aeronaut will typically automatically use iCloud to sync data if your device is signed into iCloud.

Third-Party Services

Bluesky Network and Hosting Providers

Aeronaut connects directly to the Bluesky network to both retrieve and transmit your data. All interactions, including viewing, posting, and engaging with content, are conducted through the servers that host your Bluesky account, whether operated by Bluesky PBC or another third-party. Any data exchanged in this process is handled in accordance with the privacy policy of the hosting provider as well as the privacy policy of the Bluesky network itself.

iCloud Services

Where data is synced with your iCloud account that data will be stored and managed by Apple’s iCloud services, in accordance with Apple’s iCloud Privacy Policy.

Public Nature of Content

Bluesky is a mostly public social network. With the exception of user preferences and direct messages, content created by users (e.g., posts, replies, likes) is generally visible to other participants on the network. Aeronaut does not control the visibility of your content; this is determined by the policies of the Bluesky platform. Please be mindful that your interactions on Bluesky are generally public.

Security

We recommend that you maintain the security of your macOS device and iCloud account to protect your personal information.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect new features.