PlebMachine Privacy Architecture and Data Handling.
2026-10-01
🔐 PlebMachine Privacy Manifesto: The Machine Belongs to the User.
PlebMachine was created around a simple principle: the computer belongs to the person using it.
PlebMachine is designed to help organise and control the user’s desktop environment without turning that computer into a source of personal surveillance.
Privacy by Design.
PlebMachine is designed as a local desktop system.
Its normal operation does not require a PlebWare cloud account, a remote database, or the transmission of personal information to PlebWare.
The information PlebMachine needs is information about its own operation.
This includes things such as the user’s PlebMachine level and progression, desktop state, environment configuration, window and workspace state, and PlebBreaks configuration.
What PlebMachine Does Not Collect.
PlebMachine does not collect the user’s name, email address, telephone number, identity number, or other personal contact information.
It does not collect IP addresses, MAC addresses, GPS information, or other geolocation information as part of its normal operation.
PlebMachine does not monitor the user’s keyboard input or record keystrokes.
It does not capture screenshots of the user’s desktop.
It does not collect clipboard contents.
It does not maintain a history of the user’s browser activity, applications used, breaks taken, or decisions made with PlebDecide.
PlebMachine does not collect or upload the user’s personal documents, photographs, projects, or other personal files.
No Hidden Telemetry.
PlebMachine does not use hidden telemetry to report the user’s activities to PlebWare.
There is no routine analytics system silently tracking how the user works.
PlebMachine does not require cloud synchronisation for its normal desktop functions.
It does not routinely transmit PlebMachine usage information over the network.
There is no hidden PlebMachine network service whose purpose is to collect information about the person using the computer.
What PlebMachine Does Remember.
Privacy does not mean that PlebMachine must forget everything every time it closes.
For the system to function correctly, it needs to remember certain configuration and state information.
That information exists to operate PlebMachine itself.
It can include the user’s current PlebMachine level, progression through the system, desktop and environment configuration, workspace state, window state, and PlebBreaks settings.
This is fundamentally different from collecting a personal profile.
PlebMachine needs to know how PlebMachine is configured, not who the user is.
The Computer Remains the User’s Computer.
PlebMachine is an orchestration layer for the Linux desktop.
It can change the environment, launch applications, manage workspaces, control modes, and provide tools that help the user organise their computing experience.
Those functions do not give PlebWare ownership of the computer.
The system remains installed on the user’s machine, and its operational configuration remains part of that local system.
PlebDecide Is a Thinking Tool.
PlebDecide is designed to help the user think about a decision.
It does not secretly decide for the user, and PlebMachine does not need to record the user’s decisions in order to provide the decision-making tool.
The purpose is assistance rather than surveillance.
The user provides the purpose. PlebMachine provides the environment and tools.
Transparency Over Mystery.
A privacy promise is meaningful only when it can be examined.
PlebMachine is therefore intended to remain transparent about what its components do, where they operate, and what information they require.
The objective is not to create a mysterious black box between the user and the computer.
The objective is to create a system whose behaviour can be understood.
The PlebWare Principle.
PlebMachine follows a simple privacy principle:
If information is not required for PlebMachine to perform its function, PlebMachine should not collect it.
The machine belongs to the user.
The configuration belongs to the user’s machine.
And the user remains the human being in control.
A Promise of Honest Computing.
PlebMachine is not intended to become another mechanism for quietly harvesting information from the people who use computers.
It is intended to be useful software running on a person’s own Linux computer.
PlebMachine provides the tools.
The user provides the purpose.
The computer remains the user’s computer.
PlebWare — Developer / PlebMachine.