App 简介

Timing 和Timemator 是两款专注在macOS 上的自动时间追踪工具。两者有着非常相似的设计理念，都在本地运行，用户可选同步数据到服务器，而且提供详尽的使用报告。

Toggl 和 RescueTime 则是两款跨平台的时间追踪工具。Toggl 支持macOS, Windows, Android, iOS 和 Linux，而 RescueTime 支持 macOS, Windows, ChromeOS, Android 和 iOS。两者的功能更为丰富。

下图是一个简要的比较。

隐私条款

尽管 Toggl 和 RescueTime 侧重全平台服务，他们和其他两个 app 一样提供了离线模式。

默认情况下，Timing 和 Timemator 都只在本地存储数据，所以用户对这些数据有完全的掌控。当然，它们也提供数据同步服务，可以使用它们的服务器同步数据， 如果使用这一同步服务的话，Timing 就和 Toggl 或者 RescueTime 一样会上传数据到各自的服务器了；而 Timemator 使用的是 iCloud 同步数据，所以数据会上传到 Apple 的服务器。

我们摘取了四个服务的隐私条款内关于 time tracking 数据采集的部分，一一分析。

Timing

Timing 在自己的 Privacy Policy 页面上：

1. 声明自己不是以卖数据为生的，而是以卖好软件为生的。

   Our business is based on selling quality software. Therefore, we have no interest in selling your data or using it for sleazy purposes.

2. 强调所有数据默认都存储在本地，除非用户选择使用同步服务。

   In particular, Timing will not send any of the activity data it tracks to us or anyone else without your permission.

3. 如果用户还有疑虑，可以选择使用防火墙屏蔽 app 的网络通信，Timing 的 tracking 功能在离线情况下仍旧可以正常工作。

   All activity data is stored locally on your Mac (unless you opt-in to our optional sync service), and you have full control over it.

4. 如果用户想要删除本地的数据，Timing 也提供了详尽的教程。

   If you are concerned about this, feel free to use a firewall like Little Snitch to block these network connections. Note that Timing still needs to connect to its licensing service in order to validate your subscription, however.

对了，Timing 是一家位于德国的独立公司。

Timemator

和 Timing 一样，Timemator 也是一家德国的独立公司。作为一家更为年轻的公司，它的隐私条款比较简单：

1. 所有数据存储在本地，不会与 Timemator 或者任何第三方服务器通信。

   To provide the time-tracking functionality, all the tracked data (tasks, folders, sessions, auto-tracking rules, and activity entries) and the app preferences are stored locally on your Mac. None of this data will ever leave the app or will be transferred to us or any third party. All this data belongs only to you and will be safely stored on your device.

2. 如果开启数据同步的话，Timemator 会使用 iCloud 来同步数据。

   If you activate the iCloud Sync, we will use Apple’s iCloud Service (privacy policy) to keep your data synced across your devices. All this data will be transferred using SSL-encrypted connection and stored in your private container that only you with your Apple-ID credentials have access to. We have no influence on processing this data and we don’t get any personal information from your Apple ID account.

Toggl

Toggl 是一家注册在爱沙尼亚和美国的远程公司。他们的隐私条款种关于追踪数据的部分比较简洁：

1. Timeline 和 Autotracker 会自动采集数据，不过这些采集需要用户同意才会开启。

   Certain features of the Service (specifically, Timeline and Autotracker), if enabled, will automatically record (Timeline) or monitor (Autotracker) what other applications you use or which websites you visit during your Service sessions and, based on these data, either provide you with Information as to your past activities, relating them to your interactions with the Service and the matters you have been working on, or make suggestions regarding your use of the Service. These features are strictly opt-in and can be easily disabled, and the information they record or generate is only available to the User whom it relates to.

RescueTime

RescueTime 是一家注册在美国的公司。他们的隐私条款也比较详尽：

1. 他们首先阐明自己不会贩卖用户数据，也不会向第三方提供个人数据，即使政府要求，也会尽可能知会用户。

   We will never sell, rent, or otherwise share your personal information, with or without personally identifying information. Furthermore, we will never share anonymized selections of your individual data. That includes any government (foreign or domestic) unless we are compelled by law. If we are required by law to disclose any of the information collected about you, we will attempt to provide you with notice (unless we are prohibited) that a request for your information has been made in order to give you an opportunity to object to the disclosure. We will attempt to provide this notice by email. We will independently object to overly broad requests for access to information about users of our site.

2. 其次阐明了他们会采集什么样的数据：

   RescueTime records information about the currently active application or website on your computer. We record for processing the following information: 1) for time analysis: application name, web site URL, window title, start time of use, end time of use and 2) for distinguishing you and your device: device login name (your system user name), device name, device operating system version, and sometimes the manufacturer. For some inputs, the public internet address you are operating from is saved, for your security (and ours), and for troubleshooting. Like all activity information, it is discarded with account deletion.

3. 最后阐明了他们不会采集什么样的数据：

   We do not (and never will) collect keystrokes, form input, screenshots, window or page body content, or anything nefarious. Before storage for your reports, URLs are trimmed to the site name and sometimes top level directory when a site has distinct web apps. Query strings are discarded. Site controls allow you to selectively delete and ignore forever any item you prefer not be stored.