Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 2026

Introduction

Emu is a desktop application by Marathon Labs. This policy explains what data is collected when you use Emu.

What data is collected

We collect anonymous usage events to help us improve the product:

  • app-first-launch
  • app-session-start
  • checkout-clicked
  • trial-expired
  • license-activated

Each event includes: app version, platform (macOS/Linux/Windows), CPU architecture, license status, and trial day. We also use a randomly generated anonymous identifier (UUID) per installation which is not linked to any personal identity. No personal information is collected (no name, email, IP address, or location).

Never collected

The following data is never sent, under any circumstances:

  • Personal information (name, email, IP address, location)
  • Environment variables or shell configuration
  • File paths, file contents, or source code
  • Connected Android device data, app data, or databases
  • Screenshots, screen recordings, or video buffers
  • Network traffic, intercepted HTTP requests, or HAR exports
  • Keystroke or input recording
  • Crash reports, error logs, or stack traces
  • ADB shell command output

Approximate location (country/city) is derived from your IP address when events are received. The raw IP address is discarded after processing and is not stored.

How data is used

The anonymous data we collect is used to:

  • Understand how many people use Emu (daily/monthly active users)
  • Track conversion from trial to paid to improve the product and pricing
  • Identify which features drive adoption

This data is NOT used for advertising, profiling, or sold to third parties.

Where data is stored

Events are sent to PostHog, a product analytics platform. Data is processed and stored in the United States (US region). You can review PostHog's privacy policy at https://posthog.com/privacy.

How to opt out

You can opt out of telemetry at any time. Both methods take effect immediately:

1. Environment variable

export EMU_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1

2. In-app settings

Go to Settings → Privacy and toggle off "Share anonymous usage data".

When opted out, no analytics code runs and no network requests are made.

Inspecting telemetry

You can see exactly what Emu sends by enabling debug mode:

EMU_TELEMETRY_DEBUG=1 emu

This logs every event payload to stderr as JSON. Events are still sent normally — combine with EMU_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1 to log without sending.

License validation

If you activate a license key, Emu contacts license.emu.marathonlabs.io to validate it. This sends only your license key — no device data or analytics are included. This process is separate from telemetry and is not affected by the opt-out toggle.

Third-party services

Data retention

Analytics events are retained for up to 7 years per PostHog's data retention policy. You can request deletion of your data at any time by contacting [email protected] with your installation UUID (visible in Settings → Privacy).

Legal basis

The legal basis for processing anonymous telemetry data is legitimate interest (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)). Emu has a legitimate interest in understanding product usage to improve the product, and the privacy impact is minimal because the data is fully anonymized (no personal identifiers, IP addresses anonymized on ingestion). You can object at any time by opting out via the methods described above.

First-run notice

On first launch, Emu displays a notice informing you that anonymous usage data is collected. Telemetry is enabled by default. You can opt out at any time — no data is sent after opting out.

Changes to this policy

Changes will be posted on this page with an updated date. Significant changes will be noted in the changelog.

Contact

Questions about privacy: [email protected]
Marathon Labs — https://marathonlabs.io