Publisher: Paul Lee, trading as Beartalk | Policy version: 1.0 | Contact: admin@Beartalk.co.uk | Last updated: July 2026
During normal use of the application, RedAction PDF Tool processes your files on your Windows device. Paul Lee, trading as Beartalk, does not intentionally collect or receive the content of your PDFs, redaction lists, or routine usage data through the application itself.
This Privacy Policy explains how the application handles information, including Full Access purchases managed by Microsoft Store. It should be read together with the GNU AGPL licence and user notice, source information and Third-Party Notices. This policy is provided for transparency and is not legal advice.
RedAction PDF Tool is published by Paul Lee, trading as Beartalk. Beartalk is a trading name/project name and is not a registered limited company. For privacy questions, contact admin@Beartalk.co.uk.
For the personal data described in this policy, Paul Lee, trading as Beartalk, is the data controller where Beartalk determines how and why that personal data is processed. This mainly applies to website visits, email correspondence, support enquiries, and related publishing activities.
Beartalk hosts its website, including this privacy policy, and business email through IONOS — IONOS SE and/or its UK affiliates — as hosting and email service provider.
This policy describes Beartalk's practices in relation to the application and related publishing activities. It does not describe the internal policies of your employer, school, council, NHS body, business, or other organisation that may deploy or use the Software.
RedAction PDF Tool helps you redact (black out) personal information in documents before review or disclosure — for example in Freedom of Information (FOI), Environmental Information Regulations (EIR), Data Subject Access Request (DSAR), HR, school, safeguarding, or legal workflows.
The application supports the following file types, all processed locally on your device:
The application is an automated aid only. You must manually review all output before disclosure. The application does not guarantee that a document is fully, safely, or lawfully redacted.
When you use the core features of the application, processing is designed to happen locally on your Windows device:
Windows.Media.Ocr) on your device.
Beartalk does not operate the application as a cloud redaction service. Beartalk does not ask you to upload documents to Beartalk for redaction as part of the standard workflow.
During normal use of the application itself, Beartalk does not intentionally:
If you contact Beartalk by email, Beartalk will process the information you choose to send. See section 8.
Normal use: The application is designed to work without internet access for core redaction. Beartalk does not intend the application to connect to Beartalk servers during that mode.
Microsoft Store purchase: Full Access is managed through the customer's Microsoft Store account. Microsoft handles payment processing and transaction information. RedAction does not process payment card details and does not send document content to Beartalk as part of that purchase.
Your device, firewall, antivirus software, Microsoft Store settings, corporate proxy, or organisation-managed network may still allow, inspect, or block network traffic independently of this policy.
The following involve processing by parties other than the desktop application itself:
These channels are separate from redaction in the desktop application. Visiting the website or emailing Beartalk does not upload your PDFs, CSV redaction lists, or redacted output from the app.
Redacted PDFs may include a REDACTED watermark on each page, applied locally. The watermark is intended to show that automated processing occurred and that human review is required. It does not contain personal data by design.
When you contact Beartalk by email, Beartalk may process your email address, message content, and any attachments you send for support, licensing enquiries, security, and routine business record purposes. Email is provided through IONOS; messages are stored on IONOS infrastructure as part of providing that service.
Beartalk relies on legitimate interests, including responding to enquiries, maintaining records, protecting the security of the software and website, and running the publishing activity. Where applicable, Beartalk may also rely on pre-contractual steps, contract, or legal obligation.
Beartalk keeps correspondence only for as long as needed for support, licensing enquiries, security, audit, and routine business records. The exact period may vary depending on the nature of the enquiry, whether the matter is ongoing, and whether records need to be kept for legal, tax, accounting, dispute-resolution, or security reasons.
The application includes detection patterns for US personal identifiers, including SSN, EIN, Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBI), ABA routing numbers, and US postal addresses. US users are responsible for their own compliance with HIPAA, CCPA, FERPA, and any other applicable US law. Beartalk does not act as a covered entity, business associate, or data processor under US law.
When saving a redacted PDF, the application removes document metadata (author, creator, XMP data, embedded files, and hyperlinks) from the output file to reduce accidental disclosure through document properties. The original input file is not modified.
If you process personal data about living individuals using this application, for example in PDFs or CSV redaction lists, you or your organisation will usually be the data controller for that processing. You must comply with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, FOI/EIR/DSAR requirements where relevant, and any sector-specific rules that apply to you.
Beartalk supplies software only. During normal application use, Beartalk does not act as your data processor because Beartalk does not receive or process your document content on your behalf. If that changes in a future product version, this policy will be updated.
You are responsible for securing your PC, user account, backups, input files, output folders, exported PDFs, and redaction lists. Consider using appropriate access controls, encryption such as BitLocker, secure backups, antivirus protection, and your organisation's information-security policies.
Because the application is intended to run locally, the security of your local device and storage location is important. Beartalk cannot control how you store, share, email, upload, or disclose files after they have been processed by the application.
The application is a general-purpose business and document-processing tool. It is not directed at children. Beartalk does not knowingly collect children's personal data through the application during normal use.
The application includes open-source and third-party components. Further details are in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.txt, bundled with the application. RedAction 1.0.21.0 selects the GNU AGPL v3 route for its PyMuPDF/MuPDF core and publishes complete Corresponding Source, exact build information and retained third-party source through the source and licensing page. Other components retain their own licences.
Beartalk does not intentionally transfer your PDF files, CSV redaction lists, or redacted output outside your device during normal application use.
Where you interact with separate services such as Microsoft Store, Beartalk's website, or Beartalk email, those service providers may process data in the UK, EEA, or other countries in accordance with their own privacy terms and applicable transfer safeguards.
This policy describes Beartalk's intended privacy practices. It does not guarantee that redaction is complete, secure, lawful, or suitable for your particular disclosure. The GNU AGPL licence and installed user notice contain applicable warranty information. You must review all redacted output before disclosure.
Beartalk may update this policy from time to time. The current version will be published at this URL with an updated date. Material changes will be reflected in the date above and, where appropriate, in updated installer materials.
Where Beartalk processes personal data about you, you may have rights under UK data protection law. These may include the right to request access to your personal data, correction of inaccurate data, deletion, restriction of processing, objection to processing, and data portability where applicable.
These rights are not absolute and may depend on the reason Beartalk processes the data. To exercise your rights, contact admin@Beartalk.co.uk.
You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how your personal data has been handled. The ICO website is: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/ .