Legal
Privacy Policy
This policy explains what information Proto handles when you use the service.
Your data is yours
- You own your data. That includes the content you submit and the results Proto produces for you.
- We use it only to do what you ask. Proto processes your content to carry out the actions you request, and for no other purpose.
- We never train models on it, sell it, or use it in our own research.
Who runs Proto
Proto is a research service operated by the Laboratory of Evolutionary Design at Stanford University.
What Proto handles
Depending on the features you use, Proto handles:
- Account and workspace data, including your email address, user ID, and workspace membership.
- Content you submit or create, such as projects, biological sequences, programs, files, prompts, tool inputs, and results.
- Connection details for third-party services you choose to connect.
- Feedback and diagnostics. Feedback includes what you write, the current page, and basic browser details. Bug reports may include recent application errors.
Logged-out drafts, interface settings, and some recent run state can be stored only in your browser.
How Proto uses it
Proto uses this information to:
- Provide accounts, workspaces, and saved projects.
- Run the tools, models, compute jobs, and integrations you request.
- Operate, debug, and improve the service, using account details, feedback, and diagnostics.
- Reply when you ask us to contact you.
Proto sends information to the providers needed for those actions. This includes Supabase for accounts and storage and GitHub for feedback. A compute, model, or scientific service receives the inputs required when you choose to use it. Those services have their own terms and privacy practices.
Data retention
Content you save as a permanent output is retained until you ask us to delete it, subject to available storage and compute resources. This includes projects, biological sequences, programs, files, results, and permanent outputs generated via the Proto user interface. You may request deletion at any time. Once you do, the content may persist in our systems for up to seven (7) days before it is fully removed, after which it is no longer available or recoverable.
All other content you submit or create, including prompts, tool inputs, and results not saved as permanent outputs (for example, when using Proto as an external plugin on third-party applications), is retained for seven (7) days. This retention period allows you to access and download your data and results. After seven days, this content is automatically deleted and may no longer be available or recoverable. You should download anything you wish to keep, or save it as a permanent output, before the retention period expires.
Availability and data loss
Proto is provided on an as-available basis. We do not guarantee that content will be preserved without interruption, error, or loss. Content may become unavailable or be lost as a result of hardware or software failure, service outages, maintenance, migrations, third-party infrastructure issues, or operator error. We are not liable for any loss of, or inability to access, content, including content saved as permanent outputs. You are responsible for keeping your own copies of anything you need, and we recommend downloading important results rather than relying on Proto as your only copy.
Feedback choices
Feedback is filed in the team's GitHub issue tracker. Signed-in reports include account and workspace details. Anonymous reports include an email address only when you select “Okay to email me about this” and provide one.
Contact
Send privacy questions and deletion requests to brianhie@stanford.edu.