Privacy by design
Privacy
An initial privacy overview of local Windows scanning, temporary reports, and manual driver searches.
This initial privacy overview will be expanded before production launch. The current development flow connects the Windows scanner to a local website; it is not a publicly deployed scan service.
Personal content is outside the scan
DrvBeacon is designed NOT to collect the following through its hardware scanner:
- Personal documents
- Passwords
- Browser history
- Clipboard
- Camera content
- Microphone content
Technical information a scan processes
To explain hardware and find compatible drivers, the scanner processes:
- Device manufacturer and model
- Hardware specifications
- Windows version
- Device identifiers needed for driver matching
- Driver versions
The scanner does not request Windows usernames, computer hostnames, serial numbers, system UUIDs, MAC addresses, or Wi-Fi SSIDs. Windows device-instance identifiers are replaced with per-scan tokens before upload; approved product hardware IDs are retained for driver matching.
What is available today
The website creates a temporary session; the Windows scanner performs the scan only when you run its command. The technical report is then uploaded over HTTPS to the DrvBeacon deployment where you started the session (or to your local website during development). Windows Update searches use the PC’s configured update source. No analytics or advertising network integration has been added.
Session credentials and report access expire after 15 minutes by default (deployment retention is configurable from 5 minutes to 24 hours). Development reports are private local files, deleted on access or cleanup; they can remain on disk while the server is stopped. Production uses PostgreSQL and requires scheduled cleanup every minute to remove expired reports, followed by deletion of owner-only expiration records after one hour. Backup retention is configured separately by the operator. Explicit scanner output files remain until you remove them. The browser uses a temporary HttpOnly cookie to authorize its own report.
Manual Driver Finder history
The manual finder works independently of scanner data. It stores up to five recent searches in this browser: manufacturer, model, Windows version, architecture, category, and timestamp. You can clear them on the finder page. Family and keywords are not saved. Do not enter serial numbers, service tags, or personal identifiers.
Searches are routed locally to curated official support links. Opening one takes you to the manufacturer’s website, where its own privacy terms apply. Search details are not automatically sent to that website.
Before scanning launches
The expanded privacy information will explain what stays on your PC, what is transmitted, why it is needed, how long it is retained, and how deletion is handled. Scan initiation and data handling will need to be clear before users run the scanner.