Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 3, 2026

Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how PDFem ("we," "us," or "our"), operating at pdfem.com, collects, uses and protects your information when you use our file conversion services. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data with transparency and care.

By using PDFem, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use our services.

Data Controller

PDFem, accessible at pdfem.com, is the data controller responsible for the processing of your personal data. For any questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, you can contact us at [email protected].

Information We Collect

Files You Upload

When you use our conversion tools, you upload files to our servers for processing. These files are stored temporarily on our secure servers for the sole purpose of performing the requested tool action. We do not use your file content for anything beyond completing the request you chose.

Technical Information

We may automatically collect certain technical information when you visit pdfem.com, including:

  • Your IP address, used for rate limiting, abuse prevention and security
  • Browser type and version
  • Operating system
  • Referring website
  • Pages visited on our site and timestamps
  • Device type, such as desktop, mobile or tablet
  • Basic conversion events, such as the selected tool, success or failure status and file size ranges

This information is collected through server logs and, after you choose Accept all, may also be processed through consent based analytics and advertising tools. Server logs are used to maintain the security, availability and performance of PDFem. Analytics and advertising storage are denied by default and only switch on after you give consent in the cookie banner.

Information You Provide Voluntarily

If you contact us through our contact form or by email, we collect the information you choose to provide, such as your name, email address and the content of your message. This information is used to respond to your inquiry and manage support or business communication.

How We Process Your Files

When you upload a file to PDFem for conversion, the following process takes place:

  1. Your file is uploaded to our secure server over an encrypted HTTPS connection.
  2. The file is stored temporarily in a private directory that is not accessible to the public or to other users.
  3. Our conversion engine processes the file and produces the output in the requested format.
  4. The converted file is made available to you for download.
  5. Both the uploaded file and the converted file are automatically and permanently deleted from our servers shortly after the conversion is completed, generally around 10 minutes after processing.

We do not retain copies of your files beyond this temporary processing window. We do not create backups of uploaded or converted files. Once the files are deleted, they cannot be recovered by us or anyone else.

Optional AI Assisted Tools

Some PDFem tools may offer AI assisted actions, such as summarizing a document or answering questions about a PDF. These features are optional. They run only when you choose an AI assisted tool or action and submit a file or prompt for that purpose.

When an AI assisted tool is used, PDFem may extract text from the file and send the file content, extracted text, your prompt and related technical details needed for the request to an AI service provider. This processing is used to return the output you asked for. Standard conversion tools, such as Merge PDF, Compress PDF, Rotate PDF and JPG to PDF, do not need an AI service provider to complete their normal jobs.

We do not use uploaded files to train PDFem models. We do not send file contents to analytics or advertising providers. AI output can be incomplete or wrong, so review it before relying on it for contracts, finance, health, identity records, official filings or other important work.

Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR Article 6)

For users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom, we process your data based on the following legal grounds:

  • Legitimate Interest: We process technical data, such as IP addresses and browser information, based on our legitimate interest in maintaining the security, availability and performance of our service and in preventing abuse.
  • Consent: We rely on your consent before using optional analytics, advertising or similar tracking technologies. You can withhold consent by choosing Essential only in the cookie banner.
  • Contractual Necessity: The temporary processing of your files, prompts and extracted text is necessary to provide the tool output you have requested.

Data Retention

We retain different types of data for different periods:

  • Uploaded and converted files: Automatically deleted shortly after conversion, generally around 10 minutes after processing.
  • Server logs: Retained for up to 30 days for security monitoring and then deleted or anonymized.
  • Contact form submissions: Retained for as long as necessary to resolve your inquiry and then deleted when no longer needed.
  • Analytics and advertising data: When you choose Accept all, retention depends on the settings and policies of the relevant analytics or advertising provider.
  • AI request data: When you use an AI assisted tool, the content needed for the request is processed during that request. Provider retention, if any, depends on the provider settings and policy that apply to the service used.

We do not maintain any permanent database of user files, user accounts, or user activity profiles.

Your Rights Under GDPR

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Right of Access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to Rectification: You may request that we correct any inaccurate data we hold about you.
  • Right to Erasure: You may request that we delete your personal data. Since we automatically delete uploaded and converted files and do not maintain user accounts, much of this deletion happens automatically by design.
  • Right to Restriction of Processing: You may request that we restrict the processing of your data in certain circumstances.
  • Right to Data Portability: You may request that we provide your data in a structured, machine readable format where applicable.
  • Right to Object: You may object to the processing of your personal data based on legitimate interest.
  • Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

Your Rights Under CCPA

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and related California privacy laws may provide you with specific rights:

  • Right to Know: You have the right to know what personal information we collect, use and share.
  • Right to Delete: You have the right to request deletion of your personal information.
  • Right to Opt Out: We do not sell your personal information. You can refuse optional analytics and advertising tracking by choosing Essential only in the cookie banner.
  • Right to Non Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

PDFem uses essential cookies and local storage to keep the service secure, process uploads and remember your cookie preference. Analytics and advertising cookies are denied by default and are used only after you choose Accept all.

  • Session Cookie: A temporary cookie that maintains site security and admin authentication. This cookie expires when the browser session ends or after a short period.
  • Cookie Preference Storage: Local storage that remembers whether you selected Essential only or Accept all in the cookie banner.
  • Optional Analytics Cookies: Used after consent to understand visits, performance and tool usage.
  • Optional Advertising Cookies: Used after consent for ad measurement, personalization or conversion tracking.

PDFem uses consent controls for analytics and advertising tags. Analytics and advertising storage remain denied unless you choose Accept all. For more information, please see our Cookie Policy.

Third Party Services

PDFem uses the following third party services:

  • Cloudflare: We use Cloudflare as our content delivery network (CDN), DNS, email routing and DDoS protection provider. Cloudflare may process certain technical data, such as IP addresses, as part of its service. Cloudflare's privacy policy is available at cloudflare.com/privacypolicy.
  • Google Fonts: We load the Inter font from Google Fonts. Google may collect certain technical information as part of this service. Google's privacy policy is available at policies.google.com/privacy.
  • Analytics and advertising providers: Analytics, advertising or measurement providers may process limited technical and usage data for performance analysis, ad measurement or related purposes after consent is granted.
  • AI service providers: When you use an AI assisted tool, an AI service provider may process the file content, extracted text and prompt needed to create the output you requested.

We do not send uploaded file content to analytics or advertising providers, and we do not sell your files or personal data. Analytics and advertising providers are used for site measurement or advertising related purposes as described in this Privacy Policy and our Cookie Policy.

International Data Transfers

Our servers are located in secure data centers. If you are accessing PDFem from outside the country where our servers are located, please be aware that your data may be transferred to, stored and processed in a different jurisdiction. By using our service, you consent to such transfer. We take appropriate measures to ensure that your data receives an adequate level of protection in the jurisdictions in which we process it.

Children's Privacy

PDFem is not directed at children under the age of 13, or 16 in the EEA. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe that a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at [email protected] and we will take steps to delete such information.

Security Measures

We take the security of your data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect it:

  • All data transfers between your browser and our servers are encrypted using TLS/SSL (HTTPS).
  • Uploaded files are stored in private directories that are not publicly accessible.
  • Files are automatically deleted shortly after processing.
  • Server access is restricted to authorized personnel only.
  • We regularly update our server software and dependencies to address known security vulnerabilities.
  • We use Cloudflare to provide an additional layer of protection against DDoS attacks and other threats.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Email: [email protected]