Data Handling & Security Overview
A one-page summary for security, IT and compliance review. It describes exactly how Barecopy processes files and what does and does not leave the user's device.
How processing works
Barecopy is a static web page containing JavaScript. When a user selects a file, the file is read into the browser's memory and processed on the device using in-page code. The cleaned copy is generated locally and offered as a download. At no point is the file, or any part of its contents, sent over the network.
Because processing is entirely client-side, the application continues to function with no network connection after the page has loaded — a property that can be verified by disconnecting from the internet and cleaning a file.
Enforced by the browser, not just promised
The claim above does not rest on trust. Barecopy is served with a strict Content-Security-Policy that instructs the browser to allow outbound connections only to Barecopy's own origin. Under this policy, any attempt by the page to transmit file contents to a third party is blocked by the browser itself — before it leaves the machine. (Subscribing opens the payment provider's checkout in a separate embedded window; it never receives your files.)
The relevant directive is:
You can read the full policy for yourself in Developer Tools → Network → select the document request → Response Headers → Content-Security-Policy. The scripts and fonts the page uses are all served from the same origin (there are no third-party CDNs), which is what makes such a tight policy possible.
What data leaves the device
| Data | Leaves the device? |
|---|---|
| File contents (documents, images) | No. Processed only in-browser; never transmitted. |
| Removed metadata values | No. Displayed locally; never transmitted. |
| Verification report (Pro) | No. Generated in-browser; downloaded directly by the user. |
| Pro sign-in (email) | Only for Pro: your email address is sent to Barecopy's own origin to create or restore your subscription, and to the payment provider (Polar) for checkout and billing. There is no license key, and no file data is ever involved. |
| Page-view analytics | Yes — an anonymous, cookieless page-view count (which page, referrer, country, device type) is recorded by Vercel Web Analytics from the site's own origin. No file data, file names or metadata are included. |
| Contact form message | Only if you use the contact page: the name, email and message you type are sent to Barecopy's own origin and relayed to the support mailbox over SMTP. No file data is involved, and it passes through no third-party form service. |
For a signed-in Pro user, the only personal data that leaves the device is the email address used to create or restore the subscription; alongside that, an anonymous page-view ping counts visits. Neither is file data. File contents, the metadata found in them, and the cleaned copies are all blocked from leaving by the Content-Security-Policy above.
Storage & retention
- Files: not stored anywhere. They exist only in the browser tab's memory during processing and are discarded when the tab is closed.
- Server-side: there is no application server that receives files, so there is nothing to retain, log or breach.
- Local browser storage: nothing about your files is ever stored. For signed-in Pro users, a single signed, http-only session cookie (set by Barecopy's own server) keeps the subscription unlocked on the device; it holds no file data.
Tracking & third parties
Barecopy sets no advertising cookies and runs no cross-site trackers. It uses Vercel Web Analytics to count page views: this is cookieless, stores no personal data and does not fingerprint or follow you across sites — it records only which page was viewed, the referrer, an approximate country and the device type, in aggregate. It never sees your files, file names or the metadata inside them. Payment and subscription management are handled by Polar Software Inc. as merchant of record; card details are provided to Polar, never to Barecopy.
Don't trust us — verify it
Every claim on this page is directly testable by your own technical staff in about a minute, with no special tools:
2. Load barecopy.com and inspect or clean a test file.
3. Observe that no request carrying file data is sent.
4. Check the document's Response Headers for the Content-Security-Policy.
5. Disconnect from the network and confirm the tool still works.
Steps 3 and 4 are the important ones: step 3 shows nothing leaves in practice, and step 4 shows the browser would refuse to let it, even if the code tried. You may see one small, anonymous page-view request to /_vercel/insights — that is the visit counter described above; it carries no file data, and it stops the moment you disconnect (step 5), while file cleaning keeps working.
Scope & limitations
Barecopy removes file metadata. Some identifying data is document content rather than metadata — tracked-change history, comments, PowerPoint speaker notes, hidden Excel sheets. Barecopy detects all of these and shows them to you for free; because removing them alters the visible document, removal is an explicit, opt-in step (part of Pro) and is never applied silently. Hidden sheets are flagged but left in place, since deleting them can break formulas. Password-protected PDFs are refused rather than risk corruption. Users are advised to review cleaned files before distribution.
For questions from a security or compliance team, contact support@barecopy.com.