Terms of Service

Last updated: March 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing and using Private Direct ("the Service"), operated by Forensic Intelligence ("we", "us", "our"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, you must not use the Service.

2. Service Description

Private Direct is a peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing platform. Files are transferred directly between users' browsers using WebRTC technology with end-to-end encryption (AES-256-GCM). We do not host, store, or have access to any file content shared through the Service.

3. No File Hosting

Private Direct does NOT store any files on our servers. Our servers act exclusively as a signaling relay to establish peer-to-peer connections between users. Once a connection is established, all data flows directly between the sender and receiver's browsers. When the sender closes their browser tab, the file becomes permanently unavailable.

4. Data We Collect

For security and abuse prevention purposes, we collect and store the following metadata for a maximum of 30 days:

• Hashed IP addresses (one-way cryptographic hash — we cannot recover the original IP)
• SHA-256 hash of transferred files (a fingerprint — we cannot reconstruct files from this)
• Timestamps of transfer creation and completion
• File sizes and download counts

All metadata is automatically and permanently deleted after 30 days. No manual intervention is required.

5. Encryption and Security Architecture

All files are encrypted using AES-256-GCM (Advanced Encryption Standard with 256-bit keys in Galois/Counter Mode) via the Web Crypto API in the sender's browser before any data leaves the device. The decryption key is embedded in the URL hash fragment (#), which browsers never transmit to servers per the HTTP specification. We operate on a zero-knowledge architecture — we cannot decrypt, inspect, or access any file content transferred through the Service. Sensitive metadata stored in our database is additionally encrypted at rest using Fernet symmetric encryption.

6. Content Delivery and DDoS Protection

We use Cloudflare as our content delivery network (CDN) and DDoS protection provider. Cloudflare may process your IP address and connection metadata for the purpose of routing traffic, providing SSL/TLS encryption in transit, and protecting the Service from distributed denial-of-service attacks. Cloudflare's processing is governed by their own privacy policy. Cloudflare does not have access to the content of your encrypted file transfers.

7. Server Location and Data Residency

Our servers are located in Europe, within a secure data center environment. All metadata processing and storage occurs within the European Union, ensuring compliance with EU data residency requirements. Your data does not leave the EU for processing or storage purposes.

8. Prohibited Use

You must not use the Service to:

• Share illegal content, including but not limited to child exploitation material
• Distribute malware, viruses, or other harmful software
• Infringe on intellectual property rights of others
• Harass, threaten, or harm other individuals
• Attempt to disrupt or compromise the Service infrastructure

9. Limitation of Liability

The Service is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. We are not liable for any damages arising from the use of the Service, including but not limited to data loss, unauthorized access, or service interruptions. Users are solely responsible for the content they share.

10. Legal Compliance

We comply with applicable laws and regulations. While we cannot access file content due to end-to-end encryption, we may cooperate with law enforcement agencies as required by law, providing any metadata we hold (hashed IPs, file hashes, timestamps) upon valid legal request.

11. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms at any time. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

12. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact us at [email protected]