Security and privacy
FoxQuill keeps your writing on your computer. There is no account, no cloud, and no telemetry. FoxQuill never reports what you write, how long you write, or that you opened it.
What ever leaves your computer#
Only these, and only when you use the matching feature.
| When | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| Activating a license | Polar, the shop | Your key, the app version, the name of your computer |
| Starting a trial | FoxQuill’s trial service | A hash of your machine. Nothing readable |
| Checking for updates | GitHub | Nothing. It asks which version is newest |
| Looking a word up | Wiktionary and Datamuse | The one word |
| Sharing a link | FoxQuill’s share service | Your text, encrypted before it leaves |
| AI features, if you turn them on | The server you chose | Only fields marked Send to AI |
FoxQuill has a fixed list of addresses it is allowed to contact. Anything else is refused.
Encrypt my data#
Settings > Security. Off unless you turn it on.
Your database becomes an encrypted file. The key sits in your computer’s keychain, tied to your account, so you never type a password.
Please read this part carefully.
- The key belongs to this account on this computer.
- A new computer, a reinstalled system, or another user account cannot open the file. There is no recovery code. There cannot be one.
- Only a backup gets your work back in that case.
- FoxQuill copies your database before it changes it, and keeps the copy.
- Encryption is not a backup. Keep making backups.
Password on a backup#
Settings > Backup. Check the box and type a password. The file is saved as
.folioenc instead of .zip, and Import asks for the password.
Lose the password and nobody can open the file. Not you, not anyone.
Can someone copy FoxQuill?#
Yes, with enough effort. Any app on your own computer can be taken apart.
FoxQuill does what is practical to make that harder and does not pretend to do
more. SECURITY.md in the source explains exactly what is done and what is
not.