PAL Privacy Policy
Effective date: November 11, 2026
PAL is made by PAL Strategies Inc., a Delaware corporation ("PAL Strategies", "we", "us"). This policy explains what happens to your information when you use the PAL app on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
The short version
- What you write and add in PAL is stored encrypted on your own device.
- PAL Strategies does not run a server for PAL and does not receive your Logs, Profiles, Records, locations or anything else you put in PAL.
- There is no PAL account, no advertising, no analytics and no tracking.
- If you turn on Encrypted Sync, your encrypted information is kept in your own private iCloud storage. Apple stores it but cannot read it.
- When you seal a Log, PAL sends only a short fingerprint of it to a timestamp service, never the Log itself.
What PAL stores on your device
Everything you add to PAL stays in an encrypted vault on your device. That includes Logs, Profiles, Cases, Records (photos, videos, audio, documents and other files you add), Check-Ins and saved places, custom fields, notes and drafts. PAL does not write a plain, unencrypted copy of this information to your device. The keys that unlock the vault are kept in your device's Keychain.
PAL keeps a few small settings outside the vault, such as how long to wait before locking and display preferences. These settings do not contain anything you have written.
What PAL Strategies receives
Nothing you put in PAL. PAL Strategies does not run a server that PAL connects to, and we do not collect, see, store, sell or share your information. We cannot read your vault and we cannot recover it for you.
If you contact us yourself, for example by email, we receive what you choose to send, such as your email address and message. We use it only to reply to you. Please do not send details of your situation unless you want to.
When PAL connects to the internet
PAL works without an internet connection. It connects only for the features below, and only when you use them.
Sealing a Log (timestamps). When you seal a Log, PAL asks an independent timestamp service to confirm the time. PAL first asks Sectigo (timestamp.sectigo.com). If Sectigo cannot answer, it asks FreeTSA (freetsa.org). PAL sends only:
- a SHA-256 fingerprint of the sealed Log (a 32-byte code calculated from its contents; the contents cannot be read back from it), and
- a random number used once, so the reply can be matched to the request.
The service never receives the Log's words, files, names or anything else from your vault. Like any website, the service can see your internet (IP) address and the time of the request. Each service has its own privacy policy. If neither service can be reached, the Log is still sealed on your device, without an outside timestamp.
Encrypted Sync (optional, iCloud). If you turn on Encrypted Sync, PAL uses Apple's iCloud (CloudKit and iCloud Keychain) to keep your devices up to date. See the next section.
Maps and place search. When you open a map in PAL, Apple Maps supplies the map images. When you search for a place, the words you type in that search are sent to Apple Maps to find matches. Apple's privacy policy applies to these requests. Saved places are stored in your encrypted vault, not with Apple.
Links you choose to open. If you tap a phone number, a text link or a website (for example on the Safety & Emergency Resources screen, or a web link saved on a Profile), your device opens the Phone, Messages or browser app. PAL does not send anything itself.
PAL does not connect to the internet for anything else. Dictation and voicemail transcription run on your device only. On-device summaries use Apple Intelligence on your device only; if that is not available, PAL does not use an online service instead.
Encrypted Sync and iCloud
Encrypted Sync is off unless you turn it on. When it is on:
- Your information is encrypted on your device before it is sent, and stored in your own private iCloud database. Apple stores only encrypted data and the technical details iCloud needs to deliver it (such as record identifiers, sizes and times). Apple cannot read what you wrote.
- To turn it on, you choose a sync passphrase of at least 12 characters. The key that unlocks your synced information travels through iCloud Keychain, locked with your sync passphrase. A new device needs that passphrase before it can read anything.
- You can change the sync passphrase on a device that is already syncing.
- You can remove a device. PAL then changes the keys, so the removed device cannot read anything added after it was removed. It cannot take back what the removed device already had.
- PAL Strategies never receives your sync passphrase, your keys or your synced information, and cannot reset the passphrase or recover your data if it is lost.
Apple's handling of iCloud is covered by Apple's privacy policy and iCloud terms.
Information you control
Locking. PAL opens only after Face ID, Touch ID or your device passcode or password. It locks after a period without use that you choose (1, 2, 5 or 15 minutes). On iPhone and iPad it locks when you leave the app. On the Mac it locks when the Mac sleeps or the screen locks, and after 5 minutes in the background (or sooner, if you chose a shorter time). You can lock it yourself at any time.
PAL passphrase (optional). You can add a PAL passphrase on each device. With it on, PAL cannot be opened on that device without the passphrase, even by someone who knows your device passcode. It is never stored and cannot be recovered.
Exports and sharing. Reports (PDF and CSV) and packages that you export or share are ordinary, unencrypted files. Once you save or send a copy, it is outside PAL's protection. Think about who might see it before you make one.
Backups. A .palbackup file is an encrypted backup of your vault, locked with a passphrase you choose (at least 12 characters). You decide where to keep it. This version of PAL cannot restore a backup yet.
Deleting. You can delete items in PAL. Deleting the app on iPhone or iPad removes PAL's encrypted vault from that device; some of PAL's keys may stay in the device's Keychain, but without the vault they unlock nothing. On the Mac, PAL's vault folder stays until you remove it. If you use Encrypted Sync, encrypted copies stay in your iCloud storage until you remove them through iCloud settings or PAL.
Permissions. PAL asks for the camera, microphone, contacts, calendars, location or speech recognition only when you use a feature that needs it. What you capture or import is stored in your encrypted vault. PAL does not track your location in the background.
Advertising, analytics and tracking
PAL contains no advertising, no analytics, no crash-reporting service and no tracking. PAL does not use your information to track you across other companies' apps or websites, and does not share it with data brokers.
Children
PAL is not directed to children under 13, and PAL Strategies does not knowingly collect information from anyone, including children, because PAL does not send your information to us. Parents and caregivers may record information about their children in PAL; that information stays in their own encrypted vault.
Where your information is
Your information is on your devices and, if you turn on Encrypted Sync, in your own iCloud storage, which Apple may keep in data centers in different countries. PAL Strategies does not transfer your information anywhere, because we never receive it.
Your rights
Privacy laws in some places (for example in California and the European Union) give you rights to see, correct or delete information a company holds about you. PAL Strategies does not hold information from PAL about you, so in most cases there is nothing for us to provide. You can see, change and delete your information directly in PAL. If you have emailed us, you can ask us to delete that correspondence.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will update the effective date above and, for important changes, explain them in the app or in the release notes. If a future version of PAL works differently (for example, a new feature that connects to the internet), this policy will be updated before that version is released.
Contact
PAL Strategies Inc.
contact@abuselogapp.com
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