Pixata Privacy Policy

Last updated: December 28, 2025

Overview

Pixata ("we", "our", or "us"), developed by Halldor Gislason, is a photo metadata editing application for macOS. This privacy policy explains how Pixata handles your information - which is to say, it doesn't collect any.

Our Privacy Commitment

Pixata was built for photographers and archivists who care about their photo libraries. We believe your photos are personal, and that belief is reflected in every technical decision:

What Pixata Does NOT Do

To be absolutely clear, Pixata does not:

• Upload your photos - Photos stay in your Apple Photos library
• Send any data to servers - No network calls for any feature
• Collect usage analytics - No tracking, no telemetry
• Require an account - No registration needed
• Store data outside your Mac - No cloud storage
• Access your photos without permission - macOS enforces access controls

How Pixata Works

Apple Photos Integration

Pixata accesses your photo library through Apple's PhotoKit framework:

• You must explicitly grant Photos library access when first launching the app
• Pixata reads photo metadata (dates, locations, etc.) from your library
• When you make edits, changes are written back to your Photos library
• All operations happen locally via Apple's secure PhotoKit APIs
• Changes sync to iCloud Photos if you have it enabled (via Apple, not us)

On-Device Processing

All Pixata features work entirely on your Mac:

• Date Editing: Processed locally
• Location Editing: Map data from Apple Maps (if you use the map picker), coordinates stored locally
• Batch Operations: All processing on your Mac
• Filename Parsing: Regex processing done locally
• Undo/Redo: Transaction history stored in memory

Licensing & In-App Purchases

Pixata uses Apple's StoreKit 2 for Pro upgrades:

• Purchase transactions are handled entirely by Apple
• We receive anonymized transaction receipts to verify purchases
• We never see your Apple ID, payment method, or personal information
• Purchase status is stored locally on your device

Data We Collect

None. Pixata collects no data. We have no servers receiving data, no analytics endpoints, no crash reporting services. The app is entirely self-contained.

Data We Access

With your explicit permission, Pixata accesses:

• Your Photos Library: To read and edit photo metadata

This access is controlled by macOS permissions. You can revoke access at any time in System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Photos.

Third-Party Services

Pixata uses minimal third-party components:

• Apple PhotoKit: For Photos library access (Apple's framework)
• Apple StoreKit: For in-app purchases (Apple's framework)
• Apple MapKit: For location picker display (if you use this feature)

All of these are Apple system frameworks, not external services. No third-party analytics, crash reporting, or tracking services are used.

Data Security

Your data security is ensured by:

• macOS sandboxing - Pixata can only access what you permit
• PhotoKit security - Apple's secure framework for photo access
• No network transmission - Nothing to intercept or breach
• Local processing - No server-side vulnerabilities

Children's Privacy

Pixata does not collect any personal information from anyone, including children. The app does not require age verification because there is no data collection.

Your Rights

Because Pixata collects no data, privacy rights like access, deletion, and portability don't apply to us. Your photos remain entirely under your control in your Apple Photos library.

To stop using Pixata:

• Simply delete the app from your Mac
• No data remains because none was collected
• Your Photos library is unaffected (except for edits you chose to make)

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy if we add features that affect privacy. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated date. Given our commitment to local-only processing, significant privacy changes are unlikely.

Open Source & Transparency

We believe in transparency. If you have any questions about how Pixata works or want to verify our privacy claims, please contact us. We're happy to explain any technical details.