HandleLens — Privacy Policy
Last updated 9 November 2026. This policy describes the macOS app HandleLens (version 1.x) published by Chongqing Swordfish Technology Co., Ltd. (“SwordFishSoft”, “we”).
The short version. HandleLens checks public profiles directly from your Mac. The usernames you enter are sent only to the public websites being checked — never to us. There is no account, no analytics and no telemetry. The only request the app makes on its own is an update check, which you can turn off.
What happens when you scan
For each username and each selected site, HandleLens requests that site's public profile URL — for example https://github.com/<name> — and reads the HTTP status or page text to decide whether the profile exists. The requests come from your computer, over your own connection, and are indistinguishable from opening the same profile in a browser.
The sites you choose will therefore see your IP address and the username you asked about, just as they would for any visitor. Their own privacy policies apply to those requests. HandleLens does not route them through us or through any proxy we operate, and it does not fetch anything from a data broker.
Only the username is sent. The app does not upload your notes, your batch list, the results, or anything about your computer to us.
What is stored on your Mac
Preferences and a licence key, if you activate one, are kept locally under ~/Library/Application Support/SwordFishSoft/HandleLens and in macOS preferences:
- language and update-check setting;
- the usernames already checked under the free plan, so that re-checking them stays free;
- a local history of up to 50 recently checked usernames, with the check time, how many profiles were found and the outcome, so they can be added to a new batch;
- your licence key (in preferences and in
license.key, so it can be inspected or removed without the app); - whether you accepted the first-run responsible-use note.
Scan results live in memory while the app is open. Exports (CSV, JSON, HTML) are written only to the location you choose.
Network requests
HandleLens makes these requests, and no others:
- Profile checks. One HTTP or HTTPS request per username and selected site, as described above. Sites in the catalogue are public profile pages; the list is bundled with the app and visible in the interface.
- Update check. When “Check for updates automatically” is on (the default), the app asks our download server for
https://downloads.swordfishsoft.org/handlelens/appcast.xmlabout once a day. This is a plain HTTPS request for a public file; it carries no username, no results and no licence key. Like any web request it shows the server your IP address, which our CDN processes to deliver the file. You can turn the check off in Settings → General; the app then never contacts that server. - Licence verification. Licence keys are verified mathematically on your Mac with a public key built into the app. Activation is offline: no request is made, and no email address or order number is transmitted.
- Buying. The purchase page and checkout are in your browser, handled by our reseller Paddle. That page has its own privacy policy; the app itself is not involved.
- Support email. The support address opens your own email program. Nothing is sent until you send it.
What we do not collect
- No account, name, email address or other identifier. A licence key contains the email address the purchase was made with, but it stays on your Mac and is only shown in Settings.
- No usernames, results, notes or exported files sent to us.
- No usage statistics, crash reports, device identifiers or advertising identifiers.
- No cookies: the app has no browser and sets none.
Your choices
You can turn off automatic update checks at any time in Settings → General. You can remove the stored licence in Settings → Licence, which also deletes license.key. Check history can be removed one entry at a time, or cleared entirely, from the History tab in the sidebar. Deleting the folder ~/Library/Application Support/SwordFishSoft/HandleLens and the app's preferences removes all data the app keeps.
Because profile checks go directly from your Mac to the sites you select, blocking one of those sites at the network level, or not selecting it, also prevents that site from seeing your requests.
Children
HandleLens is a research tool intended for adults and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone, including children.
Changes
If a future version changes what is requested or stored, this page will be updated before that version is released, and the date at the top will change.
Contact
Questions about this policy or a purchase: [email protected]. Chongqing Swordfish Technology Co., Ltd., Chongqing, China. This policy is governed by the laws of the People's Republic of China, without regard to conflict-of-law rules.
HandleLens — 隐私政策
最后更新：2026 年 11 月 9 日。本政策适用于重庆剑鱼科技有限公司（下称“SwordFishSoft”或“我们”）发布的 macOS 应用 HandleLens（1.x 版）。
一句话版本。HandleLens 直接在你的 Mac 上检查公开主页。你输入的用户名只会发送给被检查的公开网站，绝不会发送给我们。应用没有账号、没有分析统计、没有遥测。应用唯一主动发起的网络请求是更新检查，可以关闭。
扫描时发生了什么
对每个用户名和每个勾选的站点，HandleLens 请求该站点的公开主页地址（例如 https://github.com/<用户名>），根据 HTTP 状态码或页面文字判断主页是否存在。请求从你的电脑、通过你自己的网络发出，与在浏览器里打开同一个主页没有区别。
因此，你选择的站点会看到你的 IP 地址和你查询的用户名，就像它们看到任何访客一样；这些请求适用各站点自己的隐私政策。HandleLens 不经过我们或我们运营的任何代理转发请求，也不会从数据经纪商处获取信息。
发送的内容只有用户名。应用不会把备注、批次列表、结果或任何关于你电脑的信息上传给我们。
你的 Mac 上保存了什么
偏好设置和（在你激活后）授权码保存在本机：~/Library/Application Support/SwordFishSoft/HandleLens 以及 macOS 偏好设置中，包括：
- 语言和自动更新设置；
- 免费版已检查过的用户名，用于保证再次检查它们仍然免费；
- 最近检查过的用户名历史（最多 50 条），包含检查时间、找到的主页数量和结果，方便再次加入批次；
- 授权码（保存在偏好设置和
license.key中，后者便于在不打开应用的情况下查看或删除）； - 是否已接受首次启动时的合规使用说明。
扫描结果只保存在应用运行期间的内存中。导出文件（CSV、JSON、HTML）只会写入你选择的位置。
网络请求
HandleLens 只会发起以下请求：
- 主页检查。每个用户名、每个勾选站点一次 HTTP 或 HTTPS 请求，如上文所述。目录中的站点都是公开主页，列表随应用分发，并在界面中可见。
- 更新检查。当“自动检查更新”开启时（默认开启），应用约每天一次向我们的下载服务器请求
https://downloads.swordfishsoft.org/handlelens/appcast.xml。这是获取公开文件的普通 HTTPS 请求，不包含用户名、结果或授权码。与任何网络请求一样，服务器会看到你的 IP 地址，我们的 CDN 使用它来返回文件。你可以在“设置 → 通用”中关闭检查；关闭后应用不会再联系该服务器。 - 授权验证。授权码使用内置在应用中的公钥在你的 Mac 上做数学验证。激活完全离线：不发起请求，不传输邮箱地址或订单号。
- 购买。购买页面与结账在你的浏览器中由经销商 Paddle 处理，适用 Paddle 自己的隐私政策；应用本身不参与。
- 支持邮件。支持邮箱链接会打开你自己的邮件程序；在你点击发送之前，不会发送任何内容。
我们不收集什么
- 不收集账号、姓名、邮箱或其他身份标识。授权码中包含购买时使用的邮箱地址，但它只保存在你的 Mac 上，仅在“设置”中显示。
- 不收集发送给我们的用户名、结果、备注或导出文件。
- 不收集使用统计、崩溃报告、设备标识或广告标识。
- 不使用 Cookie：应用没有浏览器，也不设置 Cookie。
你的选择
你可以随时在“设置 → 通用”中关闭自动检查更新。可以在“设置 → 授权”中移除已保存的授权码，这会同时删除 license.key。检查历史可以在侧边栏的“历史”标签中逐条删除或全部清空。删除 ~/Library/Application Support/SwordFishSoft/HandleLens 文件夹和应用偏好设置，即可清除应用保存的全部数据。
由于主页检查直接从你的 Mac 发往你选择的站点，在网络层面屏蔽某个站点，或不再勾选它，也能阻止该站点看到你的请求。
儿童
HandleLens 是面向成年人的调查工具，不面向儿童。我们不会有意收集任何人（包括儿童）的信息。
变更
如果未来版本改变了请求或保存的内容，我们会在该版本发布前更新本页面，并修改顶部的日期。
联系我们
关于本政策或购买的问题：[email protected]。重庆剑鱼科技有限公司，中国重庆。本政策适用中华人民共和国法律，不考虑冲突法规则。