PRACTICAL GUIDE
Browser-Based Tools and Privacy: What Local Processing Means
Understand the difference between local browser processing and server uploads when using online image, PDF and developer tools.
An online page can still process locally
A website can download application code to your browser and perform the actual conversion or calculation on your device. In that model, the file or text does not need to be uploaded to the site's server.
Why this matters
Local processing can reduce exposure of private documents, photographs, tokens and other sensitive content. It also removes the upload and download round trip for many tasks.
Analytics should not contain your content
Usage analytics can measure events such as opening or completing a tool without including the actual text, password, filename or document being processed.
Use judgement with highly sensitive data
For particularly sensitive information, verify the behaviour of any tool you use and consider dedicated offline software when organisational or legal requirements demand it.