Distill is a feed reader. When you add a feed, the app fetches that feed's URL directly — from the publisher's server, not through anything I run. Your feed list, your reading positions, and your saved articles sit on your device and in your private iCloud database.
I cannot see what you read. The list of feeds you subscribe to, the articles you starred, how long you spent on which post — none of that is visible to me. There is no Distill backend.
The Hot Links score — the ranking that surfaces articles within a feed — is computed locally on the device from how often a link is referenced across the feeds you already follow. It doesn't talk to a server, and it doesn't reveal anything to me about your feed list.
Article content gets cached on the device for offline reading. The cache is yours and stays on your device until you clear it (Settings → Storage → Clear Cache) or uninstall the app.
No accounts. No sign-in. No analytics. No third-party trackers. Distill works whether or not you ever talk to me.
If something feels off about how the app handles data, email chen.he@icloud.com.