Paper User guide
Privacy and security
Where notes are kept, what the server sees and how to lock a page.
Where each thing is kept
| What | Where | Does the Paper server read it? |
|---|---|---|
| Personal notes | On the device and in your Google Drive | No |
| Password-protected pages | Encrypted, on the device and in Drive | No, not even with the wrong password |
| Groups | Encrypted on the server | No, it only relays them |
| Published links | On the server, in plain text | Yes, to show them to whoever opens the link |
| Copies for AI (secure token) | On the server, in plain text | Yes, while the copy exists |
| Account, language, friendships, sessions | On the server | Yes |
Protected pages
The lock at the top of a page locks the content with a password of yours. The page is encrypted on the device with a key derived from the password and a random salt, so:
- Not even Paper can open it without the password. Keep it safe: there's no recovery.
- No access token opens protected pages. The API answers
423. - Protected pages can't be published by link.
Access tokens
A token only does what you checked when creating it: which vaults, read or edit, calendar and attachments. You revoke it in Settings → Developer, and it stops right away. Details in Tokens.
Sessions
In Settings → Account and security you see the connected devices and end the ones you don't recognize.
Automatic translation
If you use your browser's automatic translation (for languages Paper doesn't speak natively), Paper marks your notes and page titles so the translator leaves them out. Only the app's buttons and menus get translated.