Arc AI Screen Assistant Privacy Review for Solo Freelancers

Short answer: Arc sends whatever is on your screen, plus any call recordings you feed it, to Google’s Gemini API, and its policy never says whether that traffic runs on Google’s paid tier or the free tier Google may train on. Our verdict is AVOID FOR PAID CLIENT WORK until Arc discloses that. Policy reviewed September 2026. Arc is a floating AI assistant for Android and, since this month’s Product Hunt launch, the Mac. You press a hotkey over any app and it summarizes, rewrites, extracts, or chats about the page in front of you. That convenience is the problem for a freelancer: the page in front of you is usually a client contract, a client inbox, or a client spreadsheet. Here is how we vet privacy claims before any tool gets a verdict.

What Arc does with your data

Privacy at a glance

Privacy dimension	Arc’s answer (sourced)
Trains on your data?	Arc says no; Gemini tier used is undisclosed
Training opt-out	None offered; no user control over AI provider
Data retention	Screen text discarded after processing; saved items local
Third-party sharing	Google Gemini, OpenAI fallback, Google Analytics, AWS
Storage region	Account data on AWS us-east-1 (Virginia, USA)
Call recordings	Audio uploaded to Gemini for transcription on request
Analytics	On by default; Mac toggle turns it off
Enterprise-team tier	None; no DPA, SSO, or admin console listed

Arc’s privacy policy covers both the Android and macOS apps, which share one backend and one AI pipeline (per Arc’s privacy policy, last updated September 6, 2026, retrieved 2026-09-28). The design is better than most screen assistants we have looked at. Arc reads the screen only when you tap an action or press the hotkey, it does not watch in the background, and nearly everything you save stays on your device.

The data flow for each action looks like this:

• AI Summary, Smart Extract, Flashcards, Chat: the visible text of the current screen goes through Arc’s backend to the Google Gemini API. Arc says it keeps nothing on its own servers.
• Screenshots: optional, consent-gated, and sent to Gemini for visual analysis when a custom action or chat needs an image.
• AI Writer: grabs the field you are typing in plus the surrounding conversation, and adds any Info Vault entries you have switched on.
• Web search: custom actions with search enabled may pass your screen content to Google Search through Gemini.
• Call Insights (Android): uploads call-recording audio to Gemini for transcripts and action items, either manually or by watching a folder you choose.

On the storage side, chat history, transcripts, flashcards, and vault entries live in the app sandbox on Android or in Arc’s container on the Mac. Google Drive backup is opt-in and limited to a hidden app folder. An account is optional; if you sign in, Arc keeps only your Google ID and email on AWS in Virginia. The policy also states that Arc never sells personal information.

Two details matter more than the rest. First, OpenAI is listed as a fallback provider when Gemini is down, so your screen text can land at a second AI company without warning. Second, the policy promises that Arc discards your content, but it says nothing about how long Google keeps it or whether Google may learn from it. That depends on which Gemini tier Arc pays for, which we cover next.

What this means for solo freelancers

Google’s Gemini API terms split usage into two tiers (per the Gemini API Additional Terms, effective March 23, 2026, retrieved 2026-09-28). On the unpaid quota, Google may use prompts and responses to improve its products, and human reviewers may read them. On a billed Cloud project, Google does not train on the content and keeps logs only for a limited abuse-monitoring window. Google also requires any app serving users in the EU, UK, or Switzerland to use the paid tier for them. Arc runs a free plan with seven requests a week, and its policy does not say which tier sits behind it. We covered the same split in our Google AI Studio privacy review. Here is how that gap plays out:

1. If you summarize a client contract while based outside Europe, the full clause text goes to Google. Should Arc be on unpaid quota, that contract could be read by a Google reviewer and used for product improvement. You cannot check or change this from inside Arc.
2. If you run Call Insights on a recorded client call, your client’s voice, names, and figures go to Google as audio. The policy puts the burden of recording consent on you, and many clients never agreed to a third-party AI hearing the call. Our Fireflies client-call review explains why that consent gap bites.
3. If you store your rates, bank details, or client addresses in Info Vault, those entries ride along in every AI Writer prompt where the vault is active. A reply to one client could carry context meant for another.

There is a Mac-specific wrinkle too. Arc for Mac is distributed outside the App Store and is not sandboxed, because it needs Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions to work. Arc skips known password managers, but any other window you invoke it on is readable. The same trade-off came up in our Macuse screen-access review. Based on the policy as written, the biggest risk for EU client work is not a missing clause but a missing document: Arc offers no data processing agreement you can hand a client.

How to use it safely

If you keep Arc for personal reading or study, these settings cut the exposure to client material:

1. Mac: turn off analytics. Open Arc, go to Settings, then Privacy, and switch off “Share usage data & crash reports”. It ships switched on.
2. Android: block client apps. In Arc’s App Management settings, disable Arc inside your mail client, Slack, your invoicing app, and any cloud drive holding client files. Arc already skips roughly 400 sensitive apps, but your work apps are probably not on that list.
3. Leave Call Insights off. Never point Auto Analysis at a folder that holds client call recordings, and avoid the manual upload for client calls entirely.
4. Keep Info Vault empty of client data. Store only your own public details, such as your business name, and keep banking and client contacts in a password manager.
5. Disable web search on custom actions that you might run on a client page, so screen content is not also passed to Google Search.
6. Skip Google Drive backup if saved summaries could contain client names.
7. Use region capture, not full screen, when a custom action needs a screenshot, so only the selected area leaves the device.

Before any real client use, email Arc and ask two questions in writing: does the Gemini traffic run on a billed Cloud project, and does the OpenAI fallback use zero-retention API settings. Keep the reply on file.

Privacy-friendlier alternatives

Arc is a productivity-AI tool, so the right replacements are assistants that either never see your screen or never leave your machine. Each option below trades some convenience for control.

Proton Lumo: encrypted chat you feed on purpose

Proton Lumo is Proton’s AI assistant. Proton says conversations are protected with zero-access encryption and are not used to train models, and the company is based in Switzerland. What it gives you that Arc doesn’t: models run on Proton’s own infrastructure instead of being forwarded to a third-party AI company, plus a copy-paste workflow that forces you to choose what a model sees. Pricing: free tier; Lumo Plus runs roughly $10 to $13 a month depending on billing cycle. Best for freelancers who want a cloud assistant for drafting and summarizing redacted client text.

LM Studio or Ollama: a local model on your own laptop

LM Studio (desktop app) and Ollama (command line) run open-weight models entirely on your Mac or PC. What they give you that Arc doesn’t: no third party at all, since the text never leaves the machine, which makes them the cleanest option for contracts and financial documents. Pricing: free; the cost is hardware, and a laptop with 16 GB or more of memory handles smaller models well. Best for technical freelancers and anyone handling NDA-bound material.

Bitwarden or 1Password: a real vault instead of Info Vault

Arc’s Info Vault is designed to pass your details into AI prompts. A password manager keeps them encrypted and fills them in only where you choose. Bitwarden offers a free tier and a Premium plan around $20 a year; 1Password costs a few dollars a month for individuals. What they give you that Arc doesn’t: autofill of addresses, tax IDs, and bank details without sending anything to a language model. Best for every freelancer, whatever AI assistant you keep. Our guide to password managers for freelancers compares both.

• Heaviest client exposure: local model via LM Studio or Ollama.
• Easiest cloud swap: Proton Lumo with manual paste.
• Replace Info Vault: Bitwarden or 1Password.

The verdict

Frequently asked questions

Does Arc AI Screen Assistant train on my screen content?

Arc says it does not store or train on your screen content; text is processed for your answer and then discarded on its servers. The open question is Google. Arc forwards the content to the Gemini API, and Google may use content from the unpaid Gemini tier to improve its products. Arc’s policy does not say which tier it pays for, so the answer for the provider side is unknown today.

Is Arc GDPR-friendly for EU client work?

Based on the policy as written, it is a weak fit. Arc offers no data processing agreement, account data sits in the US, and client text can go to both Google and OpenAI. One point helps: Google’s terms require apps serving EU, UK, and Swiss users to use the paid Gemini tier, which excludes training. You would still need to list Arc as a processor and confirm the setup with your client.

Can I use Arc for HIPAA-covered data?

No. Arc does not mention HIPAA anywhere in its policy and offers no Business Associate Agreement on any plan. Based on the policy as written, running an action on a screen showing patient records would send protected health information to Google, and possibly OpenAI, with no signed safeguards in place. Keep health data inside the systems your client has already approved and contracted.

Does Arc record my screen in the background?

No. The policy states that Arc reads the screen only when you tap a sidebar action or press the Mac hotkey, and that it never captures video. Screenshots need your consent first. One exception to note: if you enable Call Insights Auto Analysis on Android, Arc checks your chosen folder in the background for new recordings, although it reads only file names and sizes until you process them.

Is Arc the same as the Arc browser?

No. Arc AI Screen Assistant is a separate product from a different developer. The Arc browser from The Browser Company is a web browser, while Arc AI Screen Assistant is an overlay app for Android and Mac that reads whatever app you are using. Check the developer name before installing, because the two share a name but have different privacy policies and data flows.

Sources

• Arc: AI Screen Assistant privacy policy, last updated 2026-09-06 (retrieved 2026-09-28)
• Arc product homepage and plan details (retrieved 2026-09-28)
• Gemini API Additional Terms of Service, effective 2026-03-23 (retrieved 2026-09-28)
• Product Hunt launch listing (2026-09-27)
• Proton Lumo plans (retrieved 2026-09-28)
• Bitwarden pricing (retrieved 2026-09-28)

Reviewed by Jérémy, founder of AidTaskPro and GreenBudgetHub. Based in central France. Privacy posture sourced from public policies and vendor documentation as of September 28, 2026.