How Dro1d Labs Handles Your Data
(Spoiler: We Don't)
A deep dive into our privacy philosophy, why we built everything offline-first, and why "privacy-focused" isn't enough—you need privacy by design.
The Problem with "Privacy-Focused"
Every app claims to be "privacy-focused" these days. It's a marketing term that's been watered down to meaninglessness. An app can claim to be privacy-focused while still:
- Using third-party analytics SDKs to track user behavior
- Uploading "anonymized" data to the cloud (spoiler: it's never truly anonymous)
- Implementing "privacy-preserving" advertising networks (an oxymoron)
- Collecting crash reports that contain sensitive user context
- Storing encrypted data on their servers (they still have the keys)
At Dro1d Labs, we don't play that game. We don't handle your data because we never see it in the first place.
Our Core Principle:
If we don't have access to your data, we can't misuse it, leak it, sell it, or be compelled to hand it over. It's privacy by design, not privacy by promise.
100% On-Device Processing
Every Dro1d Labs app runs entirely on your device. Your iPhone, your iPad, your Mac. That's it. No cloud sync. No server calls. No "uploading for processing." Everything happens locally.
What This Means in Practice:
- Defndr filters SMS spam using local pattern matching—no message content ever leaves your device
- iQuake fetches earthquake data from public APIs but processes and filters it entirely offline
- NuDefndr uses on-device AI to detect sensitive photos—no images are ever uploaded
- Maphrodite calculates astrocartography lines using the Swiss Ephemeris library, all locally
- MapPic organizes your photos by location using only your device's photo library
There are no servers. No databases. No "anonymized telemetry." Just your device, doing its job, offline.
No Analytics. Period.
We don't use Google Analytics. We don't use Firebase. We don't use Mixpanel, Amplitude, or any other analytics platform. We have no idea how you use our apps, and we like it that way.
Does this make product decisions harder? Absolutely. We can't A/B test features. We can't track conversion funnels. We can't measure engagement metrics. But that's a tradeoff we're willing to make.
The Industry Standard:
Most "privacy-focused" apps still use analytics. They'll tell you it's "necessary for improving the product" or "aggregated and anonymized." Don't believe it. If an SDK is tracking events, it's collecting data about you.
No Advertising SDKs
This should be obvious, but it's worth stating explicitly: we don't run ads. No Google AdMob. No Unity Ads. No "privacy-friendly" ad networks. There's no such thing as a privacy-friendly ad network.
Advertising networks fundamentally rely on tracking user behavior across apps and websites to build profiles for targeting. Even if they claim to be "privacy-preserving," they're still in the business of monetizing your attention.
Our apps are either:
- Free and open source (like Defndr's core filtering engine)
- Paid upfront (like NuDefndr, Maphrodite, and others)
- Freemium with one-time purchases (no subscriptions, no dark patterns)
We make money by building software people want to pay for, not by selling your data.
No Cloud Dependencies
Most modern apps rely on cloud services for syncing, backups, or "features." That's a privacy nightmare waiting to happen. Even if data is encrypted in transit and at rest, the moment it leaves your device, you've lost control.
At Dro1d Labs, we don't have cloud infrastructure. We don't run AWS instances. We don't have databases storing user data. We couldn't access your data even if we wanted to—because it never reaches us.
What About Syncing?
Some of our apps use iCloud for syncing—but that's Apple's infrastructure, not ours. We never see your data. Apple handles the encryption, storage, and syncing. We just use their APIs. Your data syncs between your devices, encrypted end-to-end, without ever touching our servers.
And if you don't trust iCloud? Turn it off. Our apps work perfectly fine offline.
Open Source Where It Matters
Many of our apps are open source, meaning anyone can audit the code. Want to verify that Defndr isn't secretly sending your messages to a server? Check the source code.
Open source isn't just about community contributions—it's about trust through transparency. You shouldn't have to take our word for it. You should be able to verify it yourself.
No Fingerprinting, No Tracking, No Bullshit
Let's be clear about what we don't do:
- We don't collect device identifiers (IDFA, IDFV, etc.)
- We don't fingerprint your device based on hardware specs
- We don't track app opens, session lengths, or feature usage
- We don't use crash reporting tools that send stack traces to third parties
- We don't implement "privacy-preserving" differential privacy (it's still tracking)
- We don't sell, rent, or share data with third parties (because we don't have any)
Privacy isn't a spectrum. It's binary. Either your data stays on your device, or it doesn't. We chose the former.
Why This Matters
Privacy isn't just about protecting secrets. It's about autonomy. It's about using software without being surveilled, manipulated, or monetized.
When you use a Dro1d Labs app, you're not the product. You're not a data point in an A/B test. You're not a target in an ad campaign. You're just someone using a tool to get something done.
And that's how it should be.
The Bottom Line:
We built Dro1d Labs on the principle that users deserve software that respects them. Not software that tracks them, tricks them, or treats them as a resource to be extracted. Just software that works—privately, locally, and without compromise.
Want to Learn More?
If you're interested in how specific apps handle privacy, check out our individual app pages:
- Check the source code.
Open source isn't just about community contributions—it's about trust through transparency. You shouldn't have to take our word for it. You should be able to verify it yourself.
No Fingerprinting, No Tracking, No Bullshit
Let's be clear about what we don't do:
- We don't collect device identifiers (IDFA, IDFV, etc.)
- We don't fingerprint your device based on hardware specs
- We don't track app opens, session lengths, or feature usage
- We don't use crash reporting tools that send stack traces to third parties
- We don't implement "privacy-preserving" differential privacy (it's still tracking)
- We don't sell, rent, or share data with third parties (because we don't have any)
Privacy isn't a spectrum. It's binary. Either your data stays on your device, or it doesn't. We chose the former.
Why This Matters
Privacy isn't just about protecting secrets. It's about autonomy. It's about using software without being surveilled, manipulated, or monetized.
When you use a Dro1d Labs app, you're not the product. You're not a data point in an A/B test. You're not a target in an ad campaign. You're just someone using a tool to get something done.
And that's how it should be.
The Bottom Line:
We built Dro1d Labs on the principle that users deserve software that respects them. Not software that tracks them, tricks them, or treats them as a resource to be extracted. Just software that works—privately, locally, and without compromise.
Want to Learn More?
If you're interested in how specific apps handle privacy, check out our individual app pages:
- Defndr – Offline SMS spam filtering
- iQuake – Real-time earthquake monitoring
- NuDefndr – On-device AI photo vault
- Maphrodite – Astrocartography mapping
Or read our Privacy Policy (spoiler: it's short because there's nothing to disclose).
Published December 11, 2025 by Dro1d Labs
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