BeatSlide Image Privacy: Local Files, URLs and External Requests

Quick answer

Selected local image files are read into browser memory. Webpage URL imports send the target URL to extraction services, and remote images load from their hosts. These are different privacy situations.

Local file selection

When you choose a file, BeatSlide reads it with the browser’s file reader and keeps a data URL in its in-memory image list. The file-selection path does not upload those image bytes to the page-extraction service. The active slideshow uses that browser-held image data.

That is a narrower statement than “nothing ever leaves your device.” The website itself is hosted online, and the fact that local image selection is browser-based does not establish every detail of hosting telemetry, browser extensions or device backups.

Webpage extraction

For a page URL, BeatSlide tries a server-side extraction request using Firecrawl. If unavailable, it attempts public CORS proxy services. Those services receive the URL you submit. A private document link, signed URL or query string with an access token can contain sensitive information even without an account name.

Remote image URLs are kept in the session list and requested by the browser. Their hosts can receive ordinary request metadata, such as your network address. The app does not turn all remote images into uploaded local files or make remote requests anonymous.

What closing a tab means

The app does not save a persistent image library or session playlist. Closing or reloading loses the in-memory list. It does not guarantee deletion of browser history, HTTP cache, downloads, operating-system previews or third-party logs. The current project does not provide a verified retention policy for every external service.

Private browsing may reduce some local history storage but does not hide requests from image hosts, extraction providers or your network. Do not rely on a “zero traces” promise.

Account-free is not tracking-free

The current app can be used without signing up. That avoids providing a registration email, but it does not prove the entire site is free of analytics, cookies or operational telemetry. This article deliberately avoids an unverified zero-collection claim.

Practical precautions

Prefer local files for sensitive material. Never submit private access-token URLs or links you are not authorized to share. On a shared device, close the session and review browser history and downloaded files as needed. Only use images you own, have permission for or can use under the relevant license.

For rights guidance, see the Library of Congress explanation of online image reuse. This page describes the application’s observed image data flow, not a comprehensive legal privacy policy.

Related guides

• Load and manage your images
• URL extraction and its limits
• Browser and native-app trade-offs