Client-Side Image Redaction: What Stays in Your Browser?
Understand local image processing, network dependencies and the limits of automated redaction.
Before opening a sensitive screenshot in an online tool, understand where its image processing happens. Some editors send files to a server; others process images locally. Neither a “free” label nor a privacy slogan tells you which workflow a tool uses.
How SnapVeil processes images
SnapVeil uses browser canvas rendering and local OCR. Screenshot pixels and recognized OCR text are not sent to its payment backend. Your image edits happen in the browser.
This does not mean the entire website is offline or makes no network requests. Fonts and OCR components are downloaded from third-party services. Optional checkout and license recovery use online services, and usage analytics records events and counts rather than image contents or filenames.
Local processing is one part of privacy
Your browser, device and extensions still matter. Avoid opening sensitive files on shared or untrusted devices. Pro saved privacy rules remain in browser storage; they do not automatically transfer to a different device.
Before sharing a document image
Check what the recipient actually needs, whether it accepts a redacted copy and how you are expected to submit it. Redaction does not establish that a recipient is trustworthy. Share only the required information through an appropriate channel.
Use solid masks for sensitive content and inspect the exported file. Automatic OCR is not a guarantee: names, handwritten details, faces and low-resolution text may require manual review.
Questions to ask any image editor
- Are image files uploaded for processing?
- What services does the page contact?
- Where are saved settings stored?
- Can I review and manually cover details the scan missed?
Try SnapVeil with a fictional sample to inspect the workflow before using your own images.