New PrivLab study — how online file tools leak hidden metadata

The privacy company

Privacy tools,
built to forget.

topriv builds a family of digital tools that treat your data as none of our business — from file conversion to encrypted sharing to an open, encrypted file format.

Makers of PrivConvert · PrivDrop · .priv
Privacy by default Nothing stored

One company.
A family of privacy tools.

Every topriv product ships on the same foundation — processed in memory, nothing stored, nothing tracked. Pick the right tool for the job.

View all products →
PrivConvert

Convert any file, privately

200+ conversion tools — PDF, images, video and more — running entirely in memory. Your files are never written to disk, and they vanish the moment you download.

Visit PrivConvert →
privconvert.com
Tools
PDF → Word
HEIC → JPEG
Merge PDF
Compress image
Video → MP4
Converting
contract.pdf contract.docx Done
Processed in memory · 0 bytes written to disk · deleted after download
ProcessingIn memory
Disk writes0 bytes
After downloadAuto-purged
TransportTLS 1.3
PrivDrop

Share a file, not your data

Drop a file and get an end-to-end encrypted link. Files are encrypted in your browser — the key never touches our servers, and every link expires on its own.

Visit PrivDrop →
drop.topriv.com
Share link ready
CipherAES-256-GCM
Key locationURL fragment
Server reads0 bytes
After downloadAuto-deleted
.priv format

An open format you can trust

The encrypted file format behind every topriv tool — open, audited and scriptable. Encrypt, share and open files straight from your terminal, with the key never leaving your machine.

Explore the .priv format →
priv — zsh
$ priv encrypt report.pdf
report.pdf.priv · AES-256-GCM, key derived locally
$ priv share report.pdf.priv
https://drop.topriv.com/f/a9Z2kQ#<key>
link expires in 7 days · 0 bytes readable by server
$ priv open report.pdf.priv
decrypted in memory — report.pdf

The principles behind
every product

These aren’t features — they’re requirements. Every tool topriv ships must meet all six, without exception.

In-memory only

Files live in RAM — never written to disk. When the process ends, the data is physically gone. This is the rule everything else is built on.

No first-party tracking

No analytics, no fingerprinting, no user profiles. Your usage stays private.

Instant deletion

Purged the moment your download completes. No retention period, ever.

No accounts needed

Open a tool, use it, close the tab. No registration, email or login.

Free at the core

Core tools are free for everyone. Privacy is a right, not a paywall.

Enterprise-grade security

TLS 1.3, Cloudflare protection, strict rate limiting and threat scanning. Every request is validated before a single byte is processed.

Privacy insights
and guides

Practical, no-fluff advice on protecting your data online — from the people who build the tools.

Read the blog →
Privacy

The hidden privacy risks of online file converters

Most file converters store your uploads on their servers. Here’s what actually happens to your files.

Security

AI and file uploads: what you need to know

AI tools are hungry for data. When you upload files to AI-powered converters, where does your data go?

Guide

File conversion privacy checklist

A practical checklist to evaluate whether an online tool is safe for your sensitive files.

Privacy should be the default.

topriv exists to prove you don’t have to choose between convenience and privacy. Explore the tools we’ve built.

Explore our products →