Privacy Policy

Overview

This Privacy Policy describes how PigeonPost (the Windows server application) and PigeonPostCompanion (the iOS/iPadOS companion application) handle information. The short version: neither application collects, processes, or transmits any personal data to any external server or service.

PigeonPost is an open-source project developed by Holger Imbery and licensed under the MIT License. The source code for the Windows application is publicly available at github.com/holgerimbery/PigeonPost.

Data We Do Not Collect

Neither application collects, stores, transmits, or processes any of the following:

Personal identification information (name, email address, phone number, etc.)
Device identifiers, advertising IDs, or hardware fingerprints
Usage data, session statistics, or behavioral analytics
Crash reports or diagnostic telemetry sent to any external server
Location data of any kind
Contents of transferred files or clipboard data (see section below)
Network topology, IP addresses, or connection metadata
Any other information that could be used to identify you

Clipboard Content and File Transfers

When you use PigeonPost to transfer clipboard content or files, that data is transmitted directly between your iPhone/iPad and your Windows PC over your local network or a Tailscale VPN tunnel.

        ✅
        
          Your files and clipboard data never leave your network.
          No copy is made, stored, or forwarded by either application beyond the
          immediate transfer you initiate.

Files received by the Windows app are saved to the Downloads folder you specify in the Settings dialog. The app does not index, scan, or read the contents of those files after saving.

Clipboard content written to the Windows clipboard is handled by the Windows Clipboard API and subject to Windows' standard clipboard behaviour. Neither application retains a persistent copy of clipboard content.

App Settings and Local Storage

PigeonPost (Windows):

The Windows application stores your preferences — including the Downloads folder path, theme selection, autostart toggle, and bearer token settings — in a local JSON file at %LOCALAPPDATA%\PigeonPost\settings.json. This file remains on your machine and is never transmitted anywhere.

PigeonPostCompanion (iOS):

The iOS companion stores your settings (server address, port, and authentication preferences) locally on your device using standard iOS storage mechanisms. If you have iCloud enabled on your iPhone or iPad, iOS may synchronise these preferences to your personal iCloud account as part of the system-level app settings sync. This synchronisation is controlled entirely by you through your iOS Settings → Apple ID → iCloud preferences.

Any iCloud sync of app settings is between you and Apple, under your iCloud account and subject to Apple's Privacy Policy. We have no access to your iCloud data.

Third-Party Services and SDKs

Neither application integrates any third-party analytics platforms, advertising networks, crash reporting services, or tracking SDKs.

The Windows application uses the following open-source libraries, all of which operate entirely locally on your machine:

Makaretu.Dns.Multicast — local network mDNS/Bonjour advertisement
Velopack — local in-app update mechanism (checks GitHub Releases API)
WinUI 3 / Windows App SDK — Microsoft's native UI framework

The auto-update feature in the Windows app makes HTTPS requests to the GitHub Releases API (api.github.com) to check for new versions. This request includes standard HTTP headers (user agent, version number) but no personal data. GitHub's own privacy policy applies to these requests.

Security

Communication between PigeonPostCompanion and the PigeonPost Windows server happens over your local network (LAN or Wi-Fi) or through a Tailscale WireGuard tunnel. Tailscale tunnels are end-to-end encrypted and do not require an additional TLS layer.

PigeonPost offers an optional bearer token mechanism. When enabled, every API request must include a valid Authorization: Bearer <token> header. This token is generated locally, stored in your settings file, and never transmitted to any external service.

The Windows server does not enforce HTTPS by default for local network connections because the local network is assumed to be trusted. For remote access scenarios, Tailscale's encrypted WireGuard tunnel provides equivalent transport-layer security.

Children's Privacy

PigeonPost and PigeonPostCompanion are productivity tools not directed at children. Because we do not collect any personal data from any user, there is no special handling required for children's data under COPPA, GDPR-K, or equivalent laws.

Changes to This Policy

This privacy policy may be updated to reflect changes in the applications or applicable law. Any material changes will be reflected on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Because we collect no personal data, there is no mechanism for us to notify individual users of policy changes directly.