This policy explains what data PDF Summarizer (pdfsummarizer.net, "we", "us") handles when you use the website and its summarizers, why, and what you can do about it. The short version: you don't need an account, we only use your files to produce your summary and answers, and we delete uploaded files and their summaries within 30 days.
What we collect
Files you upload and what we generate from them. The document, slide deck, spreadsheet, e-book or image you upload, the summary, key points and suggested questions we produce, and any follow-up questions you ask along with our answers.
An anonymous browser ID. When you first upload a file, the page stores a random identifier in your browser's local storage (under the key ph_uid). It lets the server match your follow-up questions to the right document. It isn't linked to your name or email, and clearing your browser's site data removes it.
Standard request data. Like any website, our hosting and delivery providers receive technical information with each request: IP address, browser type, the page or file requested, and the time. We use it to deliver the site, keep it secure, and troubleshoot errors.
We don't ask for your name, email or payment details to use the tools. We don't use advertising cookies or third-party analytics trackers.
How we use it
- To read your file and produce the summary, key points and answers you ask for.
- To keep the service running and secure: preventing abuse, enforcing file limits, and fixing bugs.
- To reply when you email us.
We don't sell your data, don't use it for advertising, and don't use your documents to train AI models.
Who processes it for us
We rely on a small number of service providers, each bound by its own data-protection terms:
- Amazon Web Services hosts the website and stores uploaded files in private, encrypted storage.
- OpenAI provides the AI model that reads your file and writes the summary. We send content through OpenAI's API, which, under OpenAI's API data policy, is not used to train OpenAI's models by default and may be retained by OpenAI for up to 30 days for abuse monitoring.
Our home page also shows a badge image hosted by There's An AI For That; loading it sends your IP address and browser details to their server.
These providers may process data in the United States and other countries. Where the law requires it, transfers rely on safeguards such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses.
How long we keep it
- Uploaded files, summaries and follow-up conversations are deleted within 30 days of upload.
- Request logs are kept only as long as needed for security and troubleshooting.
- Emails you send us are kept for as long as needed to handle your request.
Security
Everything travels over HTTPS. Files are uploaded through short-lived upload links straight into private storage that is encrypted at rest, and access to it is restricted to the systems that produce your summary. No system is perfectly secure, so we recommend not uploading documents with highly sensitive personal data, such as ID scans, medical records or bank statements, to any online tool, including ours.
Your rights
Depending on where you live (for example under the EU or UK GDPR, or California's CCPA), you may have the right to access, correct or delete your personal data, to object to or restrict its processing, and to receive a copy of it. We process uploaded files to provide the service you requested, and request data on the basis of our legitimate interest in running a secure website.
To use any of these rights, including deleting a file before the 30 days are up, email support@pdfsummarizer.net with the file name and roughly when you uploaded it. Because we don't have accounts, that's how we find it. You also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority.
Children
PDF Summarizer is not intended for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child under 13 has uploaded personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle data, we will update this page and the date at the top.
Contact
Questions about privacy or this policy: support@pdfsummarizer.net. See also our Terms of Use.