CiteVahti privacy
Last updated 4 July 2026.
The short version. CiteVahti collects nothing about you — no accounts, no telemetry, no analytics. It runs on your machine, and your manuscript, claims, and ratings stay in a local folder on your device. Data leaves your machine only for the literature and Zotero lookups you run, and for an optional AI second opinion you switch on yourself.
Who we are
Vahtian (Heidi Andersén), Vaasa, Finland, is the data controller. This notice covers the CiteVahti application; the website privacy notice covers vahtian.com and its in-browser demos. Questions or requests: privacy@vahtian.com.
What CiteVahti collects
Nothing about you, and nothing for us. CiteVahti has no telemetry, no analytics, and no account. It processes only the materials you select — your manuscript, its claims, and your ratings — and keeps them inside your project folder.
Where your data is stored
- On your machine, only. Claims, staged evidence, ratings, decisions, and the audit
log live in a local
.citevahti/directory in your project. There is no cloud storage and no server holding your data. - Keys stay in the OS keychain. A Zotero API key or an AI provider key is stored in your operating system's keychain — never in a config file, and never sent to Vahtian.
When data leaves your machine — and only then
CiteVahti makes outbound requests only for the actions you take:
- Literature lookups. When you search for or verify candidate papers, your query and public identifiers (PMIDs/DOIs) go to PubMed, OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, and Crossref to return results.
- Zotero. Reading and writing citations uses your own Zotero (local or the Web API), under your Zotero account and its terms.
- Update check (optional). A user-initiated check asks PyPI whether a newer release exists. It sends no personal data.
Beyond search terms and public identifiers, CiteVahti sends no manuscript text, no claims, and no ratings — unless you turn on the AI second opinion below.
The AI second opinion (optional, off by default)
The AI rating is off by default. When you enable it, you choose the provider — your own MCP assistant, a local model, or an API key you supply. Only the API mode sends the claim text and the candidate paper to the provider you selected, under that provider's privacy policy; the key stays in your keychain and is never sent to Vahtian. The AI's opinion stays blinded until your own rating is recorded, and it is advisory — you decide. Leave it off and nothing is sent.
Sharing
CiteVahti shares your data with no one. The local validation warehouse is on your machine; contributing anything from it to shared research is a separate, explicit, opt-in action — never automatic.
Legal basis (GDPR)
- Literature lookups, Zotero, update check, AI second opinion: to deliver the function you actively request when you run a search or switch on a feature (GDPR Art. 6(1)(b)); the AI provider, Zotero, and the literature APIs act as your chosen recipients under their own terms.
- Contributing from the validation warehouse: your consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a)), recorded per opt-in.
Your rights
Under the GDPR you may request access, correction, erasure, restriction, or portability of any personal data we hold, object to processing, and withdraw any consent at any time (Art. 7(3)); withdrawal does not affect processing carried out before it. Because CiteVahti is local-first and account-free, Vahtian normally holds no data that identifies you. Contact privacy@vahtian.com. You may also lodge a complaint with the Finnish Data Protection Ombudsman (tietosuoja.fi).
What CiteVahti is not
CiteVahti records whether a cited source supports a claim, and keeps an auditable trail of your decisions. It does not determine whether a claim is true, certify manuscript quality or publication readiness, and it is not a medical device and gives no clinical advice. Final responsibility stays with the author, reviewer, editor, or institution.
Changes
If this notice changes — for example if a new feature processes personal data — we will update this page and the date above.