Privacy Architecture
How AI Chat Importer Protects Your Privacy
"100% local. Zero cloud upload." isn't a marketing tagline — it's a description of the technical architecture. Here's exactly how it works.
"When you import a conversation into AI Chat Importer, all processing occurs entirely within your browser using JavaScript. No conversation text is transmitted to our servers. We never see your messages."
What Happens When You Import
When you open the AI Chat Importer web app and select your ChatGPT export ZIP file, here is the complete sequence of events:
- File selection. Your browser's native file picker opens. The file is accessed locally — it is not uploaded to any server.
- In-browser parsing. The ZIP file is decompressed entirely using JavaScript running in your browser tab. The JSON conversation data is parsed in memory on your device.
- Local storage. Parsed conversations are written to your browser's IndexedDB — a local, persistent database that lives on your device. This is the same storage mechanism used by apps like Google Docs Offline.
- Search indexing. A full-text search index is built locally in the browser. Every word in every message is indexed without any server round-trips.
- Display. Conversations are read from IndexedDB and rendered in your browser.
At no point in this process does any conversation data leave your device.
What Our Server Receives
When you use the AI Chat Importer web app, our server does two things:
- Serves the static application files (HTML, CSS, JavaScript).
- Logs standard web server access logs (IP address, timestamp, URL requested).
That's it. Our server never receives your conversation content, never receives your import file, and never receives any query you run inside the app. The application is served once — after that, everything runs locally.
Where Your Data Is Stored
Your imported conversations are stored in IndexedDB — a browser-native database that is:
- Stored entirely on your local device.
- Accessible only to the originating website (same-origin policy enforced by the browser).
- Not accessible to other websites or browser extensions.
- Persistent between sessions — your archive is available the next time you open the app.
Clearing your browser data for app.ai-chat-importer.com will remove your local archive. We recommend keeping your original ChatGPT export file as a backup.
No Analytics, No Tracking
There are no third-party analytics scripts on the AI Chat Importer web app. We do not use Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Segment, or any equivalent service inside the app. We do not track which conversations you view, what you search for, or how you use the archive.
This marketing site ( ai-chat-importer.com ) does not contain third-party tracking scripts.
The Desktop App
The desktop app (Windows and macOS) stores your archive in a local SQLite database on your computer's file system. It operates fully offline. No conversation data is transmitted over the network. Syncing between devices is not a feature — by design.
Frequently Asked Privacy Questions
Can AI Chat Importer read my conversations?
No. Your conversations are processed and stored locally in your browser. They are never transmitted to our servers. We have no technical ability to access them.
What if I use the app on a shared computer?
Your archive is stored in your browser's IndexedDB under your browser profile. Other users on the same computer using different browser profiles cannot access it. On a truly shared profile, treat your browser data with the same caution as any sensitive local file.
Does the app need an internet connection?
Only to load the app initially. After the application files are loaded, all importing, searching, and browsing works offline. Your data never requires a network connection.
Ready to back up your conversations privately?
No account required. Free. Your data stays in your browser.