Anthony Taglianetti
942d23b55c
Update all references from "AI Therapy Starter Kit" to "Inner Dialogue", rename expansion pack to "Inner Dialogue: Deeper", and update GitHub URLs to ataglianetti/inner-dialogue.
205 lines
7.1 KiB
Markdown
205 lines
7.1 KiB
Markdown
# Privacy & Security Guide
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This guide explains your privacy options—from the basics to maximum protection.
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**Quick summary:** Your files already stay on your computer. For most people, that's enough. If you share a computer or want extra protection, read on.
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---
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## Choose Your Level
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| Level | What It Means | Good For |
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|-------|---------------|----------|
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| **Standard** | Files on your computer, no extra steps | Most people on a personal computer |
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| **Password-Protected** | Files locked behind a password | Shared computers, extra peace of mind |
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| **Maximum** | Password + offline AI | When privacy is critical |
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---
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## Standard (Default)
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Your therapy files are stored on your computer as regular text files. This is already more private than keeping notes in a cloud app.
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**What's protected:**
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- Files never leave your computer (unless you sync them somewhere)
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- No tracking or data collection by this toolkit
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- You can delete everything by removing the folder
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**What to be aware of:**
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- Anyone who uses your computer could open the files
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- Cloud backup services (iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox) might sync the folder
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**Simple steps to improve privacy:**
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- Use a login password on your computer
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- Turn on disk encryption (FileVault on Mac, BitLocker on Windows)—this protects everything if your computer is lost or stolen
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- Don't put your therapy folder in a cloud-synced location
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---
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## Password-Protected Storage
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If you share a computer or want extra protection, you can put your therapy files in a password-protected folder.
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### Mac: Built-in Encryption
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Macs have this built in—no extra software needed.
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**How it works:** Your therapy files go inside an encrypted "disk image." When you want to use them, you enter a password and the folder appears. When you're done, it locks back up.
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**To set up manually:**
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1. Open **Disk Utility** (search for it in Spotlight)
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2. Click **File** → **New Image** → **Blank Image**
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3. Name it something like "TherapyVault"
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4. Size: 500 MB (it grows as needed)
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5. Encryption: **256-bit AES**
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6. Click Create and choose a password
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**To use:**
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1. Double-click the disk image file to open it (enter password)
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2. Your files appear in a folder called TherapyVault
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3. When done, right-click the folder in Finder and choose "Eject"
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**Important:** If you forget your password, your files are gone forever. Use a password manager.
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### Windows: VeraCrypt
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Windows doesn't have built-in folder encryption, but VeraCrypt is free and works well.
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**To set up:**
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1. Download VeraCrypt from [veracrypt.fr](https://veracrypt.fr)
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2. Open VeraCrypt and click **Create Volume**
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3. Choose **Create an encrypted file container**
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4. Pick a location and size (500 MB is plenty)
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5. Choose a strong password
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6. Click Format to create it
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**To use:**
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1. Open VeraCrypt
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2. Pick a drive letter (like T:)
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3. Click **Select File** and choose your container
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4. Click **Mount** and enter your password
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5. Your files appear in the new drive letter
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6. When done, click **Dismount**
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---
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## Maximum Privacy: Offline AI
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For when you need your conversations to never leave your computer at all.
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### What This Means
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When you use Claude or ChatGPT, your messages travel to their servers to be processed. Even with good privacy policies, your words pass through their systems.
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With a "local" AI, everything runs on your computer. Nothing is transmitted anywhere.
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### The Trade-off
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| | Claude/ChatGPT | Local AI |
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|---|----------------|----------|
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| **Privacy** | Good (not used for training) | Complete (never leaves your computer) |
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| **Quality** | Excellent | Good, but not as nuanced |
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| **Speed** | Fast | Depends on your computer |
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| **Requirements** | Any computer | Newer computer with 16GB+ RAM |
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### Getting Started with Local AI
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**Easiest option: LM Studio**
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[LM Studio](https://lmstudio.ai) gives you a simple app for running AI locally.
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1. Download from lmstudio.ai
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2. Search for and download a model (try "Llama 3" or "Mistral")
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3. Load the model
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4. Paste your CLAUDE.md contents as the system prompt
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5. Chat locally
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**More technical option: Ollama**
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[Ollama](https://ollama.ai) runs from the command line and offers more control.
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1. Download from ollama.ai
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2. Open Terminal and run: `ollama pull llama3.1:8b`
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3. Start chatting: `ollama run llama3.1:8b`
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4. Paste your CLAUDE.md content when prompted
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### Limitations of Local AI
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- Less capable than Claude or ChatGPT for nuanced therapeutic conversations
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- No automatic file reading (you may need to paste context manually)
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- Requires a reasonably powerful computer
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- Setup is more hands-on
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---
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## Understanding Cloud AI Privacy
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When you use Claude or ChatGPT through their regular websites, your conversations may be used to improve their AI (unless you opt out).
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**Claude Code and API access are different.** When you use Claude Code (what this toolkit uses), your conversations:
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- Are **not** used to train the AI
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- Are kept for about 30 days for safety monitoring, then deleted
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- Are handled under stricter privacy policies
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This is true for both Claude (Anthropic) and ChatGPT (OpenAI) when using their APIs.
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**Bottom line:** Using Claude Code is more private than chatting on claude.ai or chatgpt.com directly.
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---
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## Avoiding Cloud Sync
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If you use iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive, be careful where you put your therapy folder.
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**The issue:** These services automatically upload files to the cloud. Your therapy notes could end up on their servers without you realizing it.
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**Simple fix:** Put your therapy folder somewhere that doesn't sync.
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**Mac:** Avoid putting it in Documents or Desktop if they sync to iCloud. Instead, create a folder directly in your home folder (like `~/Sage`).
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**Windows:** Avoid the OneDrive folder. Create your therapy folder directly in `C:\Users\YourName\` instead.
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**Or:** Use password-protected storage (see above). Even if the encrypted file syncs, no one can read it without your password.
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---
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## Backing Up Safely
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Your therapy notes are valuable. Here's how to back them up without compromising privacy:
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**If using password protection:**
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Your encrypted container can be backed up anywhere (even cloud storage). Without your password, it's unreadable.
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**If not using password protection:**
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- Back up to an encrypted USB drive you keep somewhere safe
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- Don't email session notes to yourself
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- Don't back up to cloud services without encryption
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**Important:** Store your encryption password in a password manager, not in a file next to your therapy folder.
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---
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## Quick Privacy Checklist
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**Basics (everyone should do these):**
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- [ ] Put therapy folder outside cloud-synced locations
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- [ ] Use a login password on your computer
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- [ ] Turn on disk encryption (protects if your computer is lost/stolen)
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- Mac: System Settings → Privacy & Security → FileVault
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- Windows: Search "BitLocker" in Settings
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**For shared computers:**
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- [ ] Use password-protected storage (see above)
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- [ ] Lock the folder when not in use
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- [ ] Store your password in a password manager
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**For maximum privacy:**
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- [ ] All of the above
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- [ ] Use a local AI instead of Claude/ChatGPT
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---
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*Questions? Open an issue on [GitHub](https://github.com/ataglianetti/inner-dialogue/issues).*
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