Privacy And Data Retention
Ambient is zero-data-retention by default. As a provider, we keep no user data at all beyond what is needed to serve and bill your requests — and the guarantee is backed by both technical inspection and legally binding contracts.
Zero data retention by default
Ambient is zero-data-retention (ZDR) by default. As a provider, we do not keep your data — not your prompts, your files and context, your tool inputs, or the model's outputs. Requests are processed in memory to serve a response and then discarded.
The only thing we retain is the minimum required to serve and bill a request: usage metering such as request counts and billing metadata. Your content is never part of that record.
What "serve and bill" actually covers
Two narrow purposes, and nothing beyond them:
Fulfilling the request
Your prompt and context are processed transiently to produce a response, then released. There is no content store, no training corpus, and no retained conversation log on our side.
Metering usage
We keep the metadata needed to count and bill requests — usage totals, not the content of what you sent or received.
How the guarantee is enforced today (Testnet)
On Testnet, the infrastructure that serves requests is whitelisted, and it fully meets the zero-data-retention guarantee. That is verified two independent ways, so it is not just a promise in a document:
Technical inspection
The serving infrastructure is whitelisted and can be inspected to confirm that no user content is retained.
Legally binding contracts
The same guarantee is backed by binding contractual commitments, so the obligation is enforceable, not aspirational.
On the roadmap for Mainnet
Two further privacy capabilities are tied to Mainnet rather than Testnet, and we label them honestly as roadmap so you know what is and is not available today.
Onion-routed requests
RoadmapTestnet is too small on a per-server basis to credibly onion-route requests, so it is not offered there. Onion routing will be available on Mainnet.
End-to-end encryption
RoadmapEnd-to-end encryption is available upon request for Mainnet customers.
Local-first, on top of ZDR
Provider-side ZDR pairs with how the desktop already works: Ambient is local-first, so your files, workspace, and secrets stay on your machine, risky capabilities are sandboxed, and provider keys move through managed secret flows rather than into chat. Zero data retention covers what reaches the provider; the security model covers what stays on your device. Even the experimental memory system is workspace-local and off by default.
Read the full policy
This page is a plain-language summary. Ambient's complete privacy and data policies — including the precise definitions, scope, and terms — are published at ambient.xyz. If your deployment has specific compliance requirements, start there.
FAQ
Do you store my prompts or the model's responses?
No. Prompts, context, tool data, and outputs are processed in memory to serve the request and then discarded. We retain only usage and billing metadata.
How is zero data retention verified?
On Testnet, the serving infrastructure is whitelisted and meets the guarantee, confirmed by both technical inspection and legally binding contracts.
Is onion routing or end-to-end encryption available now?
Not on Testnet. Onion routing is coming on Mainnet (Testnet is too small per server to do it credibly), and end-to-end encryption is available on request for Mainnet customers.
Where can I read the binding policy?
The full privacy and data policies are published at ambient.xyz.