# Privacy

pdf-next reads the documents you open and their review sidecars. When you
navigate an image folder, it lists neighboring files and opens the one you select.
For a PDF review, it checks for a matching `.tex` entry point and optional
`.synctex` or `.synctex.gz` mapping beside the PDF. If SyncTeX is installed, it
queries that local mapping for a source-file and line hint. It does not open an
editor or change the LaTeX source.

**Network.** A few seconds after launch the app sends one request to
`api.github.com` to learn the latest release version, and it sends the same
request again when you press the update button. The request carries no
identifier, no file name and no content; the reply is the release number and
download links. Like any web request, it shows GitHub your IP address and the
viewer's user agent, under GitHub's own privacy statement. Nothing else is
fetched while the app runs, and nothing is sent anywhere. The application's
Content Security Policy names `api.github.com` as the only host it may reach, so
this is enforced by the browser engine, not just promised.

**Installation.** On Windows, if the Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime is missing,
the installer downloads Microsoft's WebView2 setup program from
`go.microsoft.com` and runs it. That download is between your computer and
Microsoft. Installing from the apt repository or Homebrew downloads the package
from GitHub, as any package install does.

**Storage.** The app saves your page appearance, poll interval, raw Markdown
preference, and review text size in local browser storage. Tab paths, zoom,
and scroll positions stay in memory for the current session. Reviews are saved
beside the document as `{stem}_review.json`, with a transaction `.json.lock`
file and a last-valid `.json.bak` backup. A legacy migration also keeps a
`.json.pre-v3.bak` copy. Source hints and agent build results stay in the sidecar.
The Reduce button can write
`{stem}_reduced.pdf` beside the original. There is no account, telemetry,
crash reporting, or analytics.

**Documents.** PDFs, images and markdown are rendered on your machine. A
markdown file's images are removed; `#` links
scroll, web links open in your own browser, and links to other files open
them in the viewer only when you click.

Questions: https://github.com/ricardofrantz/pdf-next/issues