Privacy Policy
How Bucketeer for macOS handles your data.
Application — Bucketeer for macOS, including its Finder extension (“Bucketeer File Provider”) Effective date — 2 November 2026
Controller — DigitalFreedom Global LLC (trading as DigitalFreedom), 30 N Gould St, Ste N, Sheridan, WY 82801, United States Data protection contact — data-protection@digitalfreedom.co.za · request form https://data-protection.digitalfreedom.co.za General contact — hello@digitalfreedom.co.za Website — https://digitalfreedom.co.za
1. Summary
- There is no Bucketeer server and no Bucketeer account. The provider does not receive your credentials, your bucket listings or the content of your files.
- Everything Bucketeer stores stays on your Mac: credentials and encryption keys in the macOS Keychain, everything else in the App’s local storage.
- Bucketeer contains no analytics, no tracking, no advertising, no crash-reporting and no attribution SDKs.
- The App connects only to the storage endpoints you configure (S3-compatible providers and Azure Blob Storage) and to Apple for the App Store purchase.
- The provider only receives personal data from you if you write to us, for example a support request.
2. Global scope and GDPR as the baseline
Bucketeer is distributed through the Mac App Store in every storefront Apple serves. This Policy applies to all users wherever they live. The provider applies the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as a global floor: every user gets at least the protection described here. Where the law of your country of residence is more protective, that law applies.
3. What the App stores on your Mac
None of the following is sent to the provider.
| Data | Where it is stored | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Account metadata (name, provider type, region, endpoint URL, account ID, default bucket, path-style setting, last use) and sync job definitions (source, destination, mode, filters, schedule, local folder access, last run) | Local database in the App Group container group.za.co.digitalfreedom.bucketeer, shared with the Bucketeer Finder extension | Connect to your storage accounts and run your sync jobs |
| Access credentials (S3 access key, secret key, optional session token; Azure account name and key) | macOS Keychain, shared access group of the App and its Finder extension, available only while the Mac is unlocked, not synchronised via iCloud | Sign requests to the endpoint you configured |
| Activity log (time, operation, status, account name, bucket, object key, size, duration, error message, sync job) | Local database in the App’s own container | Show you what the App did; optional CSV export. Entries are deleted automatically after 180 days; you can clear the log at any time |
| Trash (metadata of objects you deleted in Bucketeer and, up to a size limit you set, a local copy of their content) | Local database and cache folder in the App’s own container | Let you restore objects you deleted. Entries are removed after the retention period you set (default 30 days) |
| Auto-tag rules, resumable-upload checkpoints | Local databases in the App’s own container | Apply your tagging rules; resume interrupted uploads |
| Encryption keys (only if you enable client-side encryption for a bucket) | Key material in the macOS Keychain, key labels in a local database | Encrypt and decrypt objects on your Mac (see section 6) |
| Settings (bandwidth limit, trash and Spotlight settings, menubar mode, hardware-key preview) | The App’s local preferences | Remember your choices |
| Preview cache | Temporary folder of the App, limited to 2 GiB | Show previews without downloading again |
| Files you open with another app (Open / Open With) | Temporary folder of the App | Let the other app edit the file and upload your saves; deleted once the storage provider has your last save |
| Edits that could not be uploaded (Open / Open With) | Application Support folder of the App | Keep your unsaved work after a failed upload or a crash; kept until you upload, export or discard it in the App |
| Downloaded files | The location you choose | Your files, under your control |
| Finder mount staging files (only for mounted buckets) | System-managed File Provider storage | Required by macOS to show a bucket in Finder |
| Last listing of the folders you opened in Finder (object names and ETags, only for mounted buckets) | The Finder extension’s own container | Show changes made on the server in Finder |
Uninstalling the App does not necessarily remove all of this data from your Mac. Delete accounts in the App first if you want the credentials removed from the Keychain; you can also inspect and delete them in Keychain Access.
4. Network connections
| Connection | When | What is sent | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your storage endpoints (AWS S3, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, Wasabi, DigitalOcean Spaces, Civo, Storj, MinIO, a custom S3 endpoint, Azure Blob Storage) | When you browse, transfer, sync, mount or change settings of a bucket | Standard S3 or Azure requests signed on your Mac, including object names, metadata and file content you upload; the endpoint also sees your IP address | The storage provider you chose, under your own contract with that provider |
| Apple App Store (StoreKit) | When you open the paywall, start the trial, buy or restore Bucketeer Pro, and when Apple reports a transaction | Apple’s own purchase data; the App only reads whether Bucketeer Pro or the trial is active and when the trial started | Apple, as an independent controller |
| Links you open (website, support form, GitHub, Apple refund page) | Only when you click them | Request from your browser | The operator of that page |
The App sends no data to the provider. Requests to your storage endpoints go directly from your Mac to the endpoint; the provider is not on that path. The built-in provider addresses are reached over TLS (https). If you enter an endpoint address yourself (custom S3, MinIO or an endpoint override) and it starts with http://, for example a server in your own network, the App connects without TLS, as you asked: object names, metadata, file content and the signed requests then travel unencrypted and can be read on the network path. The App shows a warning when you enter such an address.
5. Features with particular privacy relevance
Finder mount (File Provider extension). When you mount a bucket as a drive, the Bucketeer extension reads the account metadata from the App Group container and the credentials from the shared Keychain group. It accesses only buckets you have mounted. Buckets with client-side encryption cannot be mounted in this version.
Presigned links. Shareable links are created on your Mac by signing a URL with your credentials. No server of the provider is involved. Anyone who has the link can download the object until the link expires, so share links with care.
Spotlight. Off by default. If you turn it on, file names, bucket and account names of the folders you browse are added to the local macOS Spotlight index on your Mac. File content is not indexed. Turning it off or deleting an account removes the entries.
Shortcuts and bucketeer:// links. App Intents and deep links run locally on your Mac and act only on accounts you have set up.
Watch folders and local sync folders. The App only accesses local folders you have selected yourself; access is kept as a security-scoped bookmark in the local database.
Touch ID and hardware keys. Revealing a stored secret requires device-owner authentication (Touch ID or your Mac password). The App receives only a yes/no result from macOS, never biometric data. The optional hardware-key preview in Settings only lists the smart card readers connected to your Mac and whether a card or token is inserted; it reads no data stored on the card.
6. Client-side encryption (optional)
If you enable encryption for a bucket, the App creates a random 256-bit key on your Mac and stores it in the macOS Keychain. Objects are encrypted with AES-256-GCM on your Mac before upload and decrypted on your Mac after download. Your storage provider receives only the encrypted data.
The key is not synchronised to other devices and the provider has no copy. If you delete the key or lose access to this Mac’s Keychain, the encrypted objects cannot be decrypted, and the provider cannot recover them. Object names and metadata are not encrypted.
7. Your contact with us
If you write to us (email, support form, data protection form), we process your name, email address, the content of your message and any attachments to answer you. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR where your request concerns your purchase or use of the App, otherwise Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (our interest in answering enquiries). The processing of support requests, the helpdesk providers involved and their retention periods are described in the helpdesk privacy notice shown in the support portal at https://support.apps.digitalfreedom.co.za.
8. Legal basis for local processing
The App processes your data on your Mac to provide the functions you use (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). Storing information on your Mac and reading it back is strictly necessary for these functions (§ 25(2) No. 2 TDDDG, Art. 5(3) Directive 2002/58/EC). The provider has no access to this data.
9. Third parties
Storage providers. Each storage provider you connect is a separate controller for the data you store there. Their privacy policies apply. The provider has no contract with them in connection with your use of the App.
Apple. Apple distributes the App and processes the purchase of Bucketeer Pro as an independent controller under its own privacy policy (https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/). In the EU/EEA, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Türkiye Apple sells in its own name, elsewhere as the provider’s agent. The provider receives sales and payout reports from App Store Connect, not your payment details.
The provider does not sell or share personal data.
10. International transfers
The App transfers no data to the provider. Requests to your storage endpoints may cross borders depending on the provider and region you choose; that transfer is between you and your provider. If you write to us, your message is processed by DigitalFreedom Global LLC in the United States and by the helpdesk providers named in the helpdesk privacy notice.
11. Retention
Data on your Mac stays until you delete it in the App, in Finder or in Keychain Access, with these automatic limits: activity log 180 days, trash entries after the retention period you set (default 30 days), preview cache limited to 2 GiB. The provider holds no copy of any of it. Support correspondence is kept as stated in the helpdesk privacy notice.
12. Your rights
Wherever you live, you have at least the rights under the GDPR: access (Art. 15), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction (Art. 18), data portability (Art. 20) and objection (Art. 21).
Because the App sends nothing to the provider, these rights concern only data you have sent us yourself, for example a support request. For data stored with your storage provider or with Apple, contact them directly.
To exercise your rights, write to data-protection@digitalfreedom.co.za or use https://data-protection.digitalfreedom.co.za. We answer within one month (Art. 12(3) GDPR), or within the shorter period your local law prescribes.
Complaints. You can complain to a supervisory authority, in particular in the country of your habitual residence, your place of work or the place of the alleged infringement (Art. 77 GDPR). The provider has no establishment in the EU, so there is no lead supervisory authority. In the United Kingdom the authority is the Information Commissioner’s Office, in Switzerland the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner.
California. The provider does not sell or share personal information and does not use it for targeted advertising. California residents have the rights to know, delete and correct and are not discriminated against for using them.
13. Children
Bucketeer is a tool for managing cloud storage and is not directed at children. The App collects no personal data for the provider and therefore does not knowingly process personal data of children.
14. Security
- The App and its Finder extension run in the macOS App Sandbox.
- Credentials and encryption keys are kept in the macOS Keychain, only available while the Mac is unlocked and not synchronised via iCloud. They are not written to log files or shown in error messages.
- Connections to storage endpoints use TLS, except an endpoint address you enter yourself with http:// (see section 4). Requests are signed on your Mac (AWS Signature Version 4 or Azure Shared Key); the secret key itself is never sent.
No software is free of defects. Please report security issues to security@digitalfreedom.co.za.
15. Changes
When this Policy changes, the effective date at the top changes and the App Store release notes of the release concerned mention it.
16. Contact
DigitalFreedom Global LLC (trading as DigitalFreedom)
30 N Gould St, Ste N
Sheridan, WY 82801
United States
Data protection: data-protection@digitalfreedom.co.za
Data protection request form: https://data-protection.digitalfreedom.co.za
General inquiries: hello@digitalfreedom.co.za
Website: https://digitalfreedom.co.za
© 2026 DigitalFreedom Global LLC. All rights reserved.
Website
This section covers the Bucketeer website, meaning what happens when you load its pages in your browser. It is served at getbucketeer.app and, until that domain is connected, at digitalfreedom-co-za.github.io/getbucketeer.app.website. Controller, contact and your rights are the same as set out above for the app.
Hosting
The website is a static site hosted on GitHub Pages (GitHub, Inc., USA). When you load a page, GitHub processes your IP address, the browser user-agent, the requested URL, the time of the request and, where sent, the referrer, to deliver the page and to protect the service against abuse. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, the legitimate interest in operating a secure website. Retention follows GitHub’s privacy statement. Transfers to the United States rely on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (Art. 45 GDPR).
Storage in your browser
The website sets no cookies. It uses the browser’s own storage for these functions:
| Key | Storage | Purpose | When |
|---|---|---|---|
theme | localStorage | Your light or dark mode choice | Only after you use the theme switch |
locale-explicit | localStorage | Remembers that you picked a language or closed the language suggestion, so the site does not suggest another language again | Only after you pick a language or close the suggestion |
None of these values is sent to us or to anyone else. Legal basis: § 25(2) No. 2 TDDDG, storage strictly necessary for a function you requested, and Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR.
What the website does not do
- no analytics, no tracking pixels, no advertising
- no third-party fonts: the typeface is served from this website
- no contact form, no newsletter, no account and no payment on the website
- no content is loaded from third-party servers; links to other sites (for example the support portal, GitHub or Apple) only take effect when you click them, and the linked site then processes your visit under its own privacy policy