Privacy Policy

1. Overview

SealFile is a zero-knowledge encrypted file sharing service. We are designed from the ground up to minimize data collection. This policy explains what little data we do collect and why. Our core principle is simple: if we don't need it, we don't collect it.

2. What We Cannot Access

3. Data We Collect

3a. Share Metadata (Encrypted)

When you create a share, we store: an encrypted metadata blob (containing file names and types — encrypted with your key, unreadable to us), encrypted file blobs, share expiry time, download count, and sharing mode selection. The encrypted metadata and file blobs are indistinguishable from random data without the encryption key.

3b. Hashed IP Addresses

We hash your IP address using SHA-256 with a daily-rotating salt. This means: we cannot reverse the hash to get your IP address; the hash changes every day, preventing long-term tracking; and we use these hashes solely for abuse prevention and rate limiting. After 24 hours, old hashes become meaningless as the salt has rotated.

3c. No Analytics Trackers

We do not use Google Analytics or any third-party analytics. We do not embed third-party scripts on pages where you upload or access files. We use self-hosted, privacy-respecting analytics only on marketing pages, if any.

4. How We Use Your Data

We use the minimal data we collect to:

• Deliver the service (store and serve your encrypted files)
• Enforce share expiry and download limits
• Prevent abuse (rate limiting, report-based moderation)
• Improve the service (aggregate, anonymous usage statistics only)

5. Data Retention

• Encrypted file blobs: deleted automatically when the share expires (configurable from 1 hour to 30 days)
• Hashed IPs: change daily (old hashes become meaningless after 24 hours)

6. Data Sharing

We do not sell data. We do not share data with advertisers. We may disclose data only if required by law — but due to our zero-knowledge architecture, we can only provide encrypted blobs and hashed metadata, which are useless without the encryption keys we don't have.

7. Changes to This Policy

We will notify users of material changes via the website. Continued use of SealFile after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. We will always maintain our commitment to zero-knowledge architecture regardless of policy changes.