> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://elephas.app/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Elephas Privacy FAQ

> Answers to common Elephas privacy questions: training on your data, what is stored and for how long, which AI providers are used, where data goes, and GDPR.

Short answers to the privacy questions we hear most. For the full picture, start with the [privacy overview](/docs/privacy-and-security/privacy-overview) and [what data is sent to AI](/docs/privacy-and-security/what-data-is-sent-to-ai).

## Your documents

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Are my documents uploaded to Elephas?">
    No. Elephas reads, indexes and stores your documents on your computer. Indexing happens on your computer. Always. If you turn on [Personal Sync](/docs/privacy-and-security/sync-encryption), your documents travel to your other devices end-to-end encrypted, and Elephas cannot read them.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is my data encrypted on my computer?">
    The extracted text, search index and chats are stored in an encrypted database, with keys in Keychain (Mac) or Credential Manager (Windows). The copies of the files you add are stored as ordinary files in the Elephas data folder, protected by your computer's user account. See [Where your data is stored](/docs/privacy-and-security/where-your-data-is-stored).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does Elephas work without the internet?">
    Reading, indexing and searching your documents work offline. Answers with Local AI are generated on your computer, but Elephas confirms your plan online about once an hour. Elephas AI and your own API key need a connection. See [Use Elephas offline](/docs/privacy-and-security/use-elephas-offline).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## AI and training

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Does Elephas train AI on my data?">
    Elephas does not train models on your documents or questions. Cloud AI receives only what a question needs: the question, recent chat messages and matching passages. Whether a cloud provider keeps or trains on requests depends on that provider's terms. With your own API key, your provider's API terms apply. With Elephas AI, the app states that retention and training use by the model provider follow the provider's own policies.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Which AI providers does Elephas use?">
    That depends on your choice. With **Elephas AI**, the gateway forwards requests to a third-party model provider, named on the Elephas AI card in **Settings › AI**. With **your own API key**, you pick the provider: OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), Google Gemini, Groq, Mistral, xAI (Grok), DeepSeek, OpenRouter, Together AI, or a custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint. With **Local AI**, no provider is involved: an open model runs on your computer.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can Elephas see my questions when I use my own API key?">
    No. Requests go straight from your computer to your provider. Elephas checks your plan online before using your key, and that check sends only a device ID.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does the AI see the names in my documents?">
    With **Protect personal information when using cloud AI** on, which is the default, Elephas replaces many common personal details with placeholders before sending. It hides many, not all. See [Personal information protection](/docs/privacy-and-security/personal-information-protection).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does Elephas guarantee accurate answers?">
    No AI can. Elephas answers from your documents and cites your sources, so you can check every claim against the passage it came from. See [Citations and sources](/docs/ask/citations-and-sources).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Storage and retention

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Does Elephas keep my questions and answers on its servers?">
    The Elephas AI gateway does not store prompts or answers. It logs only IDs, counts and decisions, such as token counts used to measure your AI allowance. Your chat history is stored on your computer, and on your other devices if you use Personal Sync.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How long is synced data kept?">
    Synced data is stored encrypted for as long as you use Personal Sync.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What do usage reports contain?">
    Anonymous events and error details, tied to a random Install ID. Never your documents, questions, answers, file names or account details. You can turn them off in **Settings › Privacy**. See [Usage reports](/docs/privacy-and-security/usage-reports).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Where data is processed

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Where are Elephas servers located?">
    Usage and error reports are processed by PostHog in the EU. Your documents and index are on your computer, wherever it is.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is my connection encrypted?">
    Elephas connects to its services and to AI providers over encrypted connections. Updates are signed and verified before they install. Note that cloud AI is not end-to-end encrypted: the provider reads your question and passages to answer.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## GDPR and your rights

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What about GDPR?">
    Compliance depends on how you use any tool, so we don't make blanket compliance claims. What Elephas gives you is control: keep processing on your computer with Local AI, hide personal details before cloud AI, and see what was hidden. If you need a data processing agreement or information for your own assessment, contact [support@elephas.app](mailto:support@elephas.app).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I access or delete my data?">
    Your documents, index and chats are on your computer, where you can delete them. For your Elephas account, email support. See [Delete your data and account](/docs/privacy-and-security/delete-your-data-and-account).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can my employer see my documents in a Team workspace?">
    Team Brains are shared with the members who have access. The Team audit log records who did what, such as sign-ins, role changes and device approvals, but never what a document says. See [Team roles and permissions](/docs/teams/team-roles-and-permissions).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related articles

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Privacy overview" href="/docs/privacy-and-security/privacy-overview" />

  <Card title="What data is sent to AI" href="/docs/privacy-and-security/what-data-is-sent-to-ai" />

  <Card title="Personal information protection" href="/docs/privacy-and-security/personal-information-protection" />

  <Card title="Sync encryption" href="/docs/privacy-and-security/sync-encryption" />
</CardGroup>


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