Answers
Plain answers about private notes
Short, direct answers to the questions people ask before trusting a notes app with their notes — each one answered in its first two sentences.
- Does Notion AI read my notes?Yes — to answer a request, Notion AI sends the content it works on to large language models run by third-party providers. What Notion says about retention and training, by plan.
- Is Google Keep private?Google Keep notes are private from other users but not from Google: Keep is not end-to-end encrypted, and Gemini features send note content to Google’s servers. What Google does and does not say.
- Are Apple Notes end-to-end encrypted?Only if you turn on Advanced Data Protection, or lock individual notes. By default, Apple holds the keys to notes in iCloud. How to check, and how to turn it on.
- Does Evernote sell my data?Evernote’s privacy policy says it is not in the business of selling or renting personal data — but it may share personal data with third parties for its own personalised advertising. What the policy says.
- Is Obsidian private?Yes, by design: Obsidian keeps notes as local files, collects no telemetry, and its Sync service is end-to-end encrypted by default. What that covers, and what it does not.
- Is there a notes app that doesn’t train on my data?Several major notes apps say they do not train AI on your notes, including Notion, Evernote and Apple. The stronger guarantee is an app that cannot read your notes at all. What each says.
- What is zero-knowledge encryption?Zero-knowledge encryption means the service storing your data never has the key to read it. What the term promises, what it does not, and how to check a claim.
- What is end-to-end encryption?End-to-end encryption means data is encrypted on your device and only decrypted on a device you control, so servers in between cannot read it. A plain-language explanation.
- Can a notes app read my notes?Most cloud notes apps can technically read your notes, because they hold the encryption keys. How to tell whether yours can, in three questions.
- Is there an offline notes app with on-device AI?Yes, though few are built for it. What “offline” and “on-device AI” should mean for a notes app, the options that exist, and where Prevon fits.
- What happens to my notes if the company shuts down?If your notes live only on a company’s servers, you have until the shutdown date to export them. If they live on your device, the app keeps working. What to check, and how Prevon handles it.
- Do I need a cloud notes app?Only if you need your notes on several devices or shared with other people. What cloud sync gives you, what it costs in privacy, and the alternatives.
- Is on-device AI as good as cloud AI?Not for everything. On-device models are smaller than cloud models, so they write and reason less well — but for finding and organising your own notes, the gap is much smaller. An honest comparison.
- How does encrypted sync work?Encrypted sync encrypts each note on your device before it is uploaded, so the server stores data it cannot read and only your other devices can decrypt it. How it works, and what it still reveals.
- Why is there no “forgot password” button?Because a password reset only works if someone other than you can get to your data. Prevon has no reset, by design — here is the trade-off, and how to avoid losing your notes.
Prevon is in private beta.
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