Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 19, 2026

RuffMichael Ltd. Co. ("RuffMichael," "we," "us") provides AI infrastructure services including team chat, AI model access, and optional on-site appliance hardware. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have.

This policy applies to:

Marketing site, signup, and customer dashboards
Mattermost team chat with AI bots
API gateway for direct AI model access
Contact and lead capture forms
The optional mini PC deployed at customer sites

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Account Information

When you create an account, we collect:

Your Name or Company name
Your name and work email address
Password (stored as a one-way SHA-256 hash — we cannot see your plain password)
Shipping address (if you request an Appliance)
Plan selection and number of seats

1.2 Usage Data

When you use the Service, we automatically collect:

AI model queries (the text you send to the AI agent)
Model responses (generated by the AI)
Mattermost messages (stored in your workspace's database)
API request logs (timestamp, endpoint, token usage, response time)
Appliance health data (container status, disk usage, uptime, device connection status)
Tailscale VPN connection status and IP address

1.3 Appliance Device Data

If you use the optional Appliance, we collect:

Printer status and print queue information
Scanner activity (document scanned, OCR text extracted)
POS sales summaries (aggregated totals only — we do not access individual transaction details unless you post them in chat)
IoT device states (on/off, temperature readings, lock status)
Camera motion event counts and timestamps (we do not store or transmit camera images unless you explicitly share them in Mattermost)

1.4 Contact Form Data

When someone submits a form, we collect:

Name, email, phone number
Subject and message content
Lead form details (property type, budget, timeline, etc.)
Submission timestamp and referring source

This data is sent to our Mattermost workspace and to our email. It is not shared with third parties.

1.5 Technical Data

IP address (used for security, rate limiting, and Tailscale routing)
Browser type and version
Device type (for Mattermost client compatibility)
Cookies and session tokens (for authentication)

2. How We Use Your Data

We use your data to:

Provide and maintain the Service (team chat, AI access, appliance control)
Authenticate your account and manage sessions
Process AI queries and return model responses
Route device commands from the AI agent to your local hardware
Monitor Appliance health and push remote updates
Process payments and calculate billing
Send service notifications (maintenance, updates, billing)
Respond to support requests
Process contact form and lead form submissions

We do NOT:

Sell your data to third parties
Use your data to train AI models
Share your AI queries with other customers
Access your camera images unless you post them in chat
Access individual POS transactions unless you explicitly share them
Read your Mattermost direct messages (RuffMichael admin access is limited to system administration)
Track you across third-party websites

3. Data Storage

3.1 Where Data Lives

Data Type	Stored Where	Retention
Account info	RuffMichael datacenter (PostgreSQL)	Until account deletion + 30 days
Mattermost messages	RuffMichael datacenter (PostgreSQL)	Until account deletion + 30 days
AI query logs	vLLM inference logs (temporary)	7 days, then auto-deleted
API request logs	One API database	90 days for billing/usage tracking
Appliance device data	On the Appliance mini PC (local)	Until overwritten by new data
Scanned documents	On the Appliance (/scans/)	Until you delete them
Contact form submissions	Mattermost + email	Until manually deleted
Session cookies	Browser	7 days (then auto-expire)

3.2 Data Encryption

In transit: All traffic uses TLS 1.2+ via Nginx. Appliance-to-datacenter traffic uses Tailscale's WireGuard encryption.
At rest: Database volumes use disk-level encryption. Appliance local data is not encrypted by default — customers may enable disk encryption on their Appliance if desired.
VPN: Tailscale uses WireGuard protocol with per-device encryption keys. No shared VPN credentials.

4. AI Model Data Processing

4.1 How AI Queries Work

You send a message in Mattermost (e.g., "@ai-agent summarize today's sales")
The Appliance routes the message to our GPU datacenter via Tailscale VPN
The AI model processes the query and generates a response
The response is sent back to your Mattermost channel
The query text is temporarily held in vLLM inference memory and auto-purged after 7 days

4.2 No Training on Your Data

We do not use your AI queries, Mattermost messages, or device data to train, fine-tune, or improve AI models. The models are pre-trained by RuffData and run as-is on our infrastructure.

4.3 Local Fallback

If the cloud connection is unavailable, the Appliance runs a small local model (TinyLlama 1B). This model runs entirely on the Appliance CPU — no data leaves your premises during local fallback mode.

5. Appliance Privacy

5.1 What Stays Local

Scanned documents and OCR text — stored on the Appliance, not transmitted to the cloud
Printed file contents — processed locally via CUPS, not uploaded
IoT device states — queried locally via Home Assistant
Camera footage — processed locally by OpenCV motion detection. Only motion event timestamps are logged. Images are not transmitted unless you share them in Mattermost.
POS data — the Appliance queries your POS API locally and sends only the summary to the AI model for processing

5.2 What Is Transmitted

AI query text (your message to the AI agent) — sent to cloud for model inference
AI response (generated text) — sent back to your Mattermost channel
Appliance health data (container status, disk usage) — sent to RuffMichael for fleet monitoring
Tailscale connection status — used for remote management

5.3 Remote Access

RuffMichael can SSH into the Appliance via Tailscale for support, updates, and troubleshooting. We will only access the Appliance:

When you request support
To push software updates
To diagnose health issues flagged by the monitoring system
With your consent for any other access

All remote access is logged. Access logs are available to you on request.

6. Cookies

We use the following cookies on ai.ruffmichael.com:

Cookie	Purpose	Duration
rm_token	Authentication session	7 days

Mattermost (xpi.ruffmichael.com) sets its own session cookies as part of normal operation. We do not use third-party analytics cookies, advertising cookies, or tracking pixels.

7. Third-Party Services

The following third-party services process data as part of operating the Service:

Service	What They Process	Privacy Policy
Mattermost	Team chat messages, user accounts	Self-hosted — data stays on our servers
Cloudflare	Tunnel routing, DNS, DDoS protection	cloudflare.com/privacypolicy
Tailscale	VPN coordination (device IP addresses only)	tailscale.com/privacy
RuffData	Pre-trained model weights (no customer data sent to Meta)	Pre-trained models run locally on our GPUs
Square / Stripe / Clover	POS data (only if you connect a POS integration)	Direct API connection from Appliance to POS provider

We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any advertising trackers.

8. Your Rights

8.1 Access and Export

You can request a copy of all data we hold about you by emailing [email protected]. We will provide your data in JSON format within 30 days.

8.2 Deletion

You can delete your account from the dashboard. Upon deletion:

Your Mattermost workspace and all messages are deleted
Your account record is deleted (within 30 days)
API keys are revoked immediately
AI query logs are purged within 7 days
Appliance data on the mini PC is wiped when you return the hardware

8.3 Correction

You can update your company name, contact email, password, and shipping address from your dashboard at any time.

8.4 Opt-Out of Communications

You can opt out of non-essential emails (newsletters, product updates) by clicking unsubscribe in any email. Service-critical emails (billing, security, maintenance) cannot be opted out.

9. Data Breach Response

In the event of a data breach affecting customer data, we will:

Notify affected customers within 72 hours of discovery
Provide a description of what data was affected
Describe remediation steps taken
Notify appropriate authorities as required by Georgia state law

10. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 16. If you believe we have collected such data, Contact us: Privacy and we will delete it immediately.

11. International Users

The Service is hosted in Brunswick, Georgia, USA. If you access the Service from outside the United States, your data is transferred to and processed in the United States. By using the Service, you consent to this transfer.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify customers by email at least 30 days before material changes take effect. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.

13. Contact

Privacy questions or requests:
Email: privacy

General support:
Email: support