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Privacy Mode and Offline-First File Management on Windows

Local SQLite indexes, localhost media serving, optional Ollama, and Privacy Mode for screenshots: no cloud required for core workflows.

  • privacy
  • workflow
  • windows

"Local app" is not always private. Telemetry, cloud AI defaults, and screenshots that leak client paths have burned teams that assumed desktop meant offline.

Dupe Zappa is offline-first: core scans, indexes, and deletes work without network; AI is opt-in; Privacy Mode redacts sensitive UI for demos.

What stays local by default

Data Where it lives
Search index search_index.db in app config
Face embeddings Local face store
Smart Tags Path references in app config
Scan results Session + operation journal
Thumbnails / previews Localhost file server

Scans, indexes, and optional AI Tidy with Ollama do not send file contents to MerginIT servers on the built-in path. Custom API is your endpoint; your policy.

AI is optional

Duplicate scanning, junk finding, disk usage, Universal Search, tagging, and face recognition work without any AI provider. See Local AI Tidy with Ollama when you want rename drafts, still review-before-apply.

Privacy Mode

Enable in Settings when:

  • Recording tutorials or support videos.
  • Screensharing cleanup sessions with clients.
  • Posting bug reports that would otherwise show full \\client\confidential\ paths.

Privacy Mode redacts paths and names in the UI. It is not a substitute for legal redaction review, but a speed bump against casual leaks.

Air-gapped and regulated workflows

Suitable patterns:

  • Legal hold archives: search and tag without cloud index.
  • Medical imaging folders: local face clustering without upload (confirm your own compliance requirements).
  • Client VPN laptops: NAS scans without shipping files to a SaaS deduper.

Not suitable as sole DAM for enterprise rights management; compare to dedicated DAM if ACLs and audit trails are mandatory.

Browser tools vs desktop

Free browser tools process files locally in-session: no install, no server upload. They help you evaluate privacy before buying desktop cleanup for sensitive trees.

Summary

Dupe Zappa keeps file paths and contents on your machine: local index, local models, explicit AI opt-in, preview before every apply, and Privacy Mode when the screen is watched.

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