Security

This page is the short version of how Contexel protects what you save, and what we haven't done yet. Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service have the full detail.

Encrypted, with a key we manage

Your data travels to our servers over an encrypted connection (HTTPS).

Every organization's memories, notes and search index are encrypted at rest with a key dedicated to that organization, from the moment it is created. There is nothing to turn on, and no key for you to keep. One organization's key can never read another's. Everything else we store, including copies of GitHub repositories you connect, is protected by our database's encryption.

We keep the keys, protected by Amazon Web Services' key management service, so search can run for you. That means we can technically access your data, and we'd rather tell you than hide it. The encryption section of the Privacy Policy has the detail.

Stored in the United States

Amazon Web Services runs our servers and stores all Contexel data, in the United States, in its Oregon region. Our encrypted backups are kept in a separate Amazon Web Services account, also in the United States.

Kept apart, and you choose who gets in

Each organization's data is kept apart from every other customer's, both in our database and by its own encryption key.

Inside an organization, every workspace has its own list of people and AI apps that can use it. A workspace's owner chooses who gets in and whether they can only view it or can edit it. Everyone you give access to a workspace can read what's in it.

A record of who saved what

Each memory records which account or access token saved it, and when, and keeps a version history.

We also keep an activity log that shows if anyone has altered it. It records who did what and when: saves, approvals, exports, access changes and settings changes, by account and token IDs, workspace names, counts and times. It never records the text of your memories, your searches or your notes. We keep it for 6 years, because it is our security record.

You decide who can change your memory

People who can only view a workspace can read it but not change it. People who can edit save and change memories directly, with no approval step, so give that only to people you fully trust. The AI apps you connect act on your behalf.

Admins, and our own staff

In a team or family account, the account's admins can open any of its workspaces, including a member's private workspace. Each time an admin opens someone's private workspace, it is recorded in the activity log, and the member sees a notice in the console saying who opened it and when.

Our own staff's admin tools show facts about an account, such as its plan, how much it stores and when it was last used. They are built so they never open what you saved or read a key. Because we manage the keys, we could technically reach your data, as the encryption section above says.

AI training and AI companies

Contexel never trains AI models on your memory, never sells it, and never uses it for advertising.

When your AI app looks something up in Contexel, what comes back shows in that app's chat, like anything else you type there. Search itself runs on our own servers, so your searches are not sent to an AI company.

AI distillation is the one Contexel feature that sends notes to an AI company: it sends quick notes to Anthropic, the maker of Claude, to turn them into tidy memories. It is off unless we turn it on for your organization. Where we have, a workspace owner can turn it off in the console, Anthropic doesn't use the notes to train its models, and every time notes are sent is logged. The AI distillation section of the Privacy Policy has the detail.

Download or delete everything

In the console, Settings, then Download my data gives you every workspace you can read as plain text files.

A workspace owner can delete a workspace, you can delete your own account, and an organization admin can delete the whole organization, all in the console. Deleting a workspace archives it. Archived workspaces are kept until someone chooses Delete forever, which removes it for good. The Privacy Policy says exactly what each one removes and when.

Backups

We keep encrypted backups in a separate Amazon Web Services account in the United States, and we check every day that the newest one can be restored. Each backup is locked for 30 days after it is made, and nobody, including us, can remove it in that time. Deleted data is gone from backups within 35 days.

While a copy still holds deleted data, we can bring it back, but only when you ask us to, and every restore is recorded in our activity log.

Our website

No ads, no tracking cookies. We count visits with Plausible, which uses no cookies and does not keep your IP address. The console, where you sign in, does not load Plausible.

What not to save

When your AI app saves a note, Contexel first looks for common secrets, such as access keys, tokens and passwords inside connection strings, and replaces them with a marker. This is a safety net, not a guarantee, so please don't save passwords or other credentials.

Contexel is not designed for protected health information, such as patient records, or payment card data. We don't sign business associate agreements, and Contexel is not HIPAA compliant.

Not done yet

• SOC 2 and ISO 27001: we are not certified against either, and there is no date yet.
• An outside penetration test: no outside firm has tested Contexel yet.

Report a security problem

Email security@contexel.ai. If you think someone has misused your account, a token or a key, revoke it in the console and email us right away.