Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchPC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11It depends on whether you use a local model or an Ollama cloud model. Ollama’s Privacy Policy says prompts, responses, and other content processed by a model on your device are not collected, stored, transmitted, or accessible to Ollama. With cloud inference, your request is sent to Ollama’s hosted service for processing. The company says it handles that content transiently, does not retain it beyond fulfilling the request, and does not use it to train models. Ollama also describes collecting certain account, device, diagnostic, and service metadata.
What data does Ollama send?
Ollama is software for running models locally, and it also offers cloud-hosted models. Those options have different data flows: a local request is processed on your device, while a cloud request sends its content to hosted compute. Ollama’s Privacy Policy, last updated March 2026, says: “We don’t see your prompts or data when you run locally.” That is the company’s published privacy statement, not an independent verification of the software’s network behavior.
Separately from prompt and response content, Ollama’s policy describes collecting account, payment, support, device and browser, IP address and general location, diagnostic, cookie, and model-download information. For diagnostics, the policy gives app version and request counts as examples of limited usage metadata and says diagnostic metadata excludes prompt and response content.
Local models and cloud models: what changes?
| Question | Local model, according to Ollama | Ollama cloud, according to Ollama |
|---|---|---|
| Where does inference happen? | On your device. | On Ollama’s hosted compute. |
| Does prompt content leave your device? | Ollama says locally processed content is not collected, stored, transmitted, or accessible to the company. | The request content is sent to the cloud service for processing. |
| What does Ollama say about retention? | Ollama says it has no access to locally processed model content. | Ollama says it processes prompts and responses transiently and does not retain them beyond the time needed to fulfill the request. |
| Is sign-in required? | The cloud announcement says you can remain signed out when not using cloud models. Product requirements may change. | Ollama’s cloud announcement says cloud models require signing in to ollama.com. |
| Where is processing hosted? | Locally, on your device. | Ollama’s pricing page says models are hosted primarily in the United States, with Europe and Singapore used for additional capacity. |
| What is the practical trade-off? | Performance depends on your computer; larger models may be slow without a strong GPU. | Models run on Ollama servers, so you do not need to download their weights. |
Sources: Ollama’s Privacy Policy, Pricing, Cloud models announcement, and Linux download guidance.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →#1 Best Overall
What metadata may Ollama collect?
The Privacy Policy lists categories that are separate from the content of a locally processed prompt or response:
- Account details: information such as name, email address, user ID, and password.
- Payment information: payment processing handled by Stripe.
- Communications: support requests and other messages sent to Ollama. The policy says not to include prompt or response content in a support request unless you choose to provide it.
- Device and browser information: technical information about the device or browser used to access the service.
- IP address and general location: network and approximate-location information.
- Diagnostics and usage metadata: examples include app version and request counts; Ollama says diagnostic metadata excludes prompt and response content.
- Cookies and model-download information: information associated with cookies and model downloads.
The policy treats account information, billing records, support communications, and metadata under separate retention criteria from cloud prompt and response content. Its transient-processing statement for cloud requests should not be read as saying that every category of information is deleted on the same schedule.
Does Ollama use cloud prompts to train models?
Ollama says it does not use cloud inputs or outputs to train AI models. It also says cloud prompts and responses are processed transiently to provide the service and are not retained beyond the time needed to fulfill a request. These are Ollama’s policy claims; the available evidence here is official company documentation, not an independent audit or packet-capture test.
Where are Ollama cloud requests processed?
Ollama’s Pricing page says its models are hosted primarily in the United States, with Europe and Singapore used for additional capacity. It also says partner providers are required to follow no-logging, no-training, and zero-data-retention policies. “Primarily” does not mean every request is processed in the United States, so users with strict location requirements should check the current service terms and available product details.
How to choose between local and cloud use
- Choose local inference if keeping prompt content on your own device is the priority and your hardware can run the model at an acceptable speed.
- Choose cloud inference if you want to use hosted compute without downloading model weights and accept sending request content to Ollama’s service under its stated handling practices.
- For sensitive information, consider whether the content needs to be included at all. A local workflow avoids sending the prompt to Ollama according to its policy, but that statement does not establish how other software or services on your device handle data.
Ollama says local performance depends on hardware and that larger models may be slow without a strong GPU; there is no single hardware threshold in the cited guidance that guarantees a particular speed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this privacy information does—and does not—establish
The linked materials are Ollama’s own policy and product pages. They establish what the company says it collects and how it says local and cloud content are handled. They do not independently demonstrate actual network traffic, verify retention systems, or audit the practices of every service involved. Because policies and product details can change, consult the current Privacy Policy and Pricing page when making a decision based on a specific compliance or data-location requirement.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
