Local and cloud PDF tools have different privacy risks. Local tools reduce server exposure because the document can stay in browser memory. Cloud tools can handle heavier work but need retention, deletion, access, and provider controls.

A useful privacy report should compare what leaves the device, how long data is retained, who can access it, whether extracted text is created, and whether subprocessors or AI providers receive content.

ClearPDF should keep this report mode-specific. A local merge workflow, an OCR job, and an AI summarization flow should not share the same privacy promise.

Key details

Local tools

Best for common edits, page operations, signing, image conversion, metadata cleanup, and privacy-sensitive files that fit browser memory.

Cloud tools

Needed for OCR, Office conversion, advanced compression, repair, large batches, and workflows that exceed browser limits.

AI tools

Require explicit extracted-content copy, provider controls, citations where possible, and deletion controls for indexes or embeddings.

Practical checklist

Identify whether the workflow is local, cloud, AI, OCR, account, or API.
Record whether PDF bytes, images, text, metadata, or embeddings leave the device.
Document deletion target, delete-now support, and account retention.
List provider training defaults for AI workflows.
Keep analytics free of file names and document contents.