# Hem privacy notes

Applies to Hem 0.1.0 RC 1 for Windows. Updated 15 October 2026.

Hem has no Hamelton account, advertising SDK, analytics service or automatic crash-report uploader. Hem does not send your browsing history or saved passwords to Hamelton Software.

## What stays on your computer

Hem stores preferences, task names, open-tab addresses and up to 500 history entries in `%APPDATA%/Hem/hem.json`. Chromium stores cookies, cache, website storage and related browsing data in the same profile. Downloaded files and screenshots are written to the locations you choose. The portable application folder does not contain your profile; moving the application does not move or remove your data.

Hem Passwords stores its local vault in `passwords.dpapi`, encrypted through Windows account encryption. It is tied to your Windows account and is not a synced backup. Anyone with access to your unlocked Windows account may be able to use Hem's password controls. Password CSV exports are unencrypted: protect or remove them after use. Password prompts and filling are limited to exact HTTPS origins. See PASSWORDS.md for details.

## Connections made while browsing

Websites receive the requests, submitted forms and other information you send them, subject to their own policies. The search provider you select receives submitted searches. Address suggestions use local history; Hem does not upload unfinished search text for remote autocomplete. DNS, network services and Chromium components may make connections required for normal web browsing.

Ad and tracker rules are evaluated locally. Hem checks filter freshness after launch and hourly while running; it downloads updated lists when the installed set is more than a day old, or when you request an update. Filter hosts receive ordinary network connection information such as your IP address. The source URLs are listed in `resources/app/assets/filters/sources.json`. The bounded in-memory block log omits query strings and is not uploaded.

Optional Bitwarden and 1Password integrations invoke their official, separately installed CLI tools. Those tools and their services have their own privacy policies. Hem keeps an external unlock session in memory and locks its adapter after five minutes without use. No CLI credentials are bundled with Hem.

## Permissions and user actions

Supported sensitive site permissions require your choice and apply to the active HTTPS page. Grants expire on reload or navigation. Background tabs, embedded frames and unknown permissions are denied. OS privacy controls may independently prevent camera, microphone or location access. These controls do not promise every website API is supported.

Custom context-menu scripts run when you choose them and can read or alter the current page DOM, including information displayed on it. Install scripts only from sources you trust. They do not receive Node or filesystem access, but can perform website requests allowed by the page and request opening web URLs or copying text.

## Removing data

Settings can clear Hem's browsing-history list and delete individual saved passwords. Clearing history does not clear cookies or website storage. To remove the entire profile, close every Hem window, back up anything you need, and remove `%APPDATA%/Hem` in File Explorer. This signs you out of websites and removes locally stored Hem passwords and preferences. Removing the application folder alone does not delete the profile.

No automatic application updater is included in this candidate. Install subsequent verified releases manually to receive browser security fixes.