Picmal: Privacy policy

Last updated: August 16, 2026

The short version

Picmal respects your privacy. Your images never leave your Mac, and I can't see them. The app doesn't collect any data from your device. No analytics, no tracking, no ads.

But since you might want more details, here they are:

What the app collects

Nothing. Picmal doesn't collect any data from your device. No analytics, no tracking, no telemetry.

Picmal never collects:

  • Your name, email, or any personal information
  • Your actual images or their contents
  • File paths, folder names, or EXIF data
  • Usage statistics or analytics
  • Anything that could identify you personally

How it works

  • Everything is local: Image conversion happens on your Mac, not on some server
  • No internet needed: You can use Picmal on a plane, in a cabin, wherever
  • Your images stay put: They never leave your computer
  • EXIF data: If your images have it, Picmal preserves it (unless you tell it not to)

The website

The website (picmal.app) uses Seline to understand how many people visit and which pages are popular. Seline is privacy-friendly, no personal tracking, just basic visitor counts and page views.

Seline stores an anonymous visitor ID in a first-party cookie. It's used to count returning visitors instead of counting the same person twice, and to match a purchase back to the visit that led to it. It holds no personal information.

When someone buys Picmal, that anonymous visitor ID is passed to Stripe with the order so the sale can be matched back to the visit. That's how I know which pages actually lead to sales. The revenue figure and the visitor ID are what I see. Your name, email, and payment details stay with Stripe.

This website analytics data is completely separate from the app's technical telemetry.

Cookies

The website sets a small number of first-party cookies. No advertising cookies, no cross-site tracking, no data brokers.

  • seline_vid: anonymous visitor ID for the analytics described above, and for matching a purchase to a visit
  • ref: the affiliate code from a referral link, kept for 60 days so the affiliate gets credited
  • affonso_referral: the same thing on Affonso's side, the service that runs the affiliate program, kept for 60 days

You can clear or block these in your browser at any time. Nothing on the site stops working if you do, and the app is not affected at all.

Updates

Picmal checks for updates occasionally. When it does:

  • It only sends the version number
  • No personal info is shared
  • It uses HTTPS
  • You can turn off update checks if you want

Third parties

Picmal uses these privacy-focused services:

  • Seline: For privacy-friendly website visitor stats (website only)
  • Stripe: For secure payment processing (as our merchant of record) when you purchase Picmal. They collect payment information (like credit card details) but I never see this data
  • Affonso: For running the affiliate program (website only). It records affiliate clicks and the sales that follow them
  • Loops: For the newsletter, and only if you sign up. It stores the email address you gave me. Every email has an unsubscribe link

All services are privacy-focused and don't track users across sites or collect unnecessary personal information. Your images never touch any third-party service.

Affiliate program

Picmal has an affiliate program where partners can earn commissions for referring customers. It runs on Affonso. When you arrive through an affiliate link:

  • The referral is stored in a first-party cookie for 60 days, so the affiliate still gets credited if you buy later
  • Affonso records the click and, if you buy, the order amount and currency. It receives your IP address and browser user agent to work out the country and to spot fraud
  • Affiliates only ever see counts and commission totals. They don't see who you are, your email, or what you bought
  • The tracking is only used for paying commissions

Affonso's own privacy policy is at affonso.io/privacy. The affiliate pixel is served from picmal.app rather than from Affonso directly, because content blockers block their domain. It's the same script either way.

Security

Since everything stays on your Mac, security is mostly about keeping your Mac secure:

  • Keep macOS updated
  • Use FileVault if you want disk encryption
  • Follow Apple's security recommendations

Picmal itself runs sandboxed (Apple's security feature) and only has permission to access files you give it.

Kids

Picmal is safe for kids because it doesn't collect any data from anyone, regardless of age. No accounts, no data collection, no online features.

International users

Doesn't matter where you are, France, Japan, Brazil, anywhere. Your images stay on your Mac, so there's no international data transfer to worry about.

The website is a different story, and a small one. The services above (Seline, Stripe, Affonso, Loops) run on servers outside the EU, so the little the website does collect, a visitor ID, a referral code, an order amount, is processed there. Cantimplora Studio, LLC is the company behind Picmal and is based in the United States.

Your rights

You have all the rights because you have all the data:

  • Your images are yours
  • Delete Picmal anytime and everything's gone
  • No accounts to delete because there are no accounts
  • No data to request because I don't have any

Trust

I built Picmal to be as private as possible. Your images are yours, your privacy matters, and the app doesn't collect any data from your device. If you have questions about privacy, just email me at support@picmal.app.

Questions?

Email: support@picmal.app

If you really need the mailing address:
Cantimplora Studio, LLC
30 N Gould St Ste R
Sheridan, WY 82801

Updates to this policy

If I update this policy, I'll post the new version here. The core promise won't change: your images stay private, and I only collect minimal technical data to improve the app.