Privacy Policy

Aquarius Dawning  ·  Last updated: 1 June 2026  ·  Applies to: Sherlock — File & Gmail Helpers and all other Aquarius Dawning applications.

1. Who We Are

Aquarius Dawning is an independent software developer that creates desktop productivity applications for Windows. This Privacy Policy describes how our applications handle information on your device.

For the purposes of applicable data protection law, Aquarius Dawning is the data controller in respect of any personal data processed through our applications.

2. Data We Process Locally — and Why

The following data is processed solely on your device. It is never transmitted to Aquarius Dawning or any third party except where explicitly stated below.

File system metadata

• File names, folder paths, file sizes, and last-modified dates are scanned from the directories you choose and stored in a local SQLite database (file_index.db) on your computer.
• This data is used solely to power the File Finder and Duplicate Files features.
• No file contents are read or stored — only metadata.

Gmail credentials

• If you use the Gmail Find & Delete feature, your Gmail email address and App Password are encrypted using the Windows Data Protection API (DPAPI) and stored in a local file on your computer.
• DPAPI encryption is tied to your Windows user account — the credentials cannot be read by any other user or application on your device without your credentials.
• Your Gmail credentials are used only to connect to Google's IMAP server (imap.gmail.com) to retrieve, search, delete, or unsubscribe from emails at your explicit request.
• Aquarius Dawning does not have access to your Gmail password or your email contents at any time.

Email metadata

• When you use the Gmail feature, email headers (sender, subject, date, List-Unsubscribe header) are fetched from Google's servers and displayed in the application.
• This data is held in memory only for the duration of your session and is not written to disk by the application.

3. Third-Party Network Connections

Our applications make the following outbound network connections. No personally identifiable information is sent to Aquarius Dawning.

Google IMAP (Gmail feature)

• Server: imap.gmail.com on port 993 (TLS).
• Connection is made only when you click Connect in the Gmail tab.
• Governed by Google's Privacy Policy.

Google Translate (automatic UI translation)

• On first launch, if your Windows system language is not English, the application's user interface labels (button text, column headers, etc.) are translated using the Google Translate service via the deep-translator library.
• Only the application's own fixed UI strings are transmitted — no file names, paths, or personal data are sent.
• Translated strings are cached locally in %APPDATA%\OfficeFileHelpers so subsequent launches work offline.
• Governed by Google's Privacy Policy.

Unsubscribe URLs (Gmail feature)

• When you click Unsubscribe Selected, the application sends an HTTP request to the unsubscribe URL contained in each selected email's List-Unsubscribe header.
• These URLs are controlled by the original email senders, not by Aquarius Dawning. You should only unsubscribe from senders you recognise.

4. Data We Do Not Collect

• We do not collect analytics, usage statistics, or crash telemetry.
• We do not use advertising identifiers or tracking technologies.
• We do not share any data with advertisers or data brokers.
• We do not require account registration or collect names, email addresses, or payment information directly through our applications.
• We do not access, read, or transmit the contents of your files.

5. Microsoft Store

Sherlock is distributed through the Microsoft Store. Microsoft may collect diagnostic and usage data about your device and Store interactions in accordance with their own privacy policy. Please review Microsoft's Privacy Statement for details on data collected by the Store platform itself.

6. Local Data Storage

The application stores the following files on your computer:

• file_index.db — SQLite database of indexed file metadata, located in the application folder.
• .email_creds — DPAPI-encrypted Gmail credentials, located in the application folder.
• %APPDATA%\OfficeFileHelpers\ — Cached translated UI strings. Contains no personal data.
• error.log — Application error log containing technical diagnostic messages. May include file paths if an error occurs during a scan. Located in the application folder.

You can delete any of these files at any time. Deleting file_index.db clears your file index; deleting .email_creds removes your stored Gmail credentials.

7. Children's Privacy

Our applications are not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided personal data through our applications, please contact us using the details below.

8. Your Rights

Because all personal data processed by our applications is stored locally on your own device, you have full control over it at all times. You can:

• Access your data by opening the files listed in Section 6 directly.
• Delete your data by removing those files from your computer.
• Correct your stored email credentials by using the Forget button in the application and re-entering your details.

If you are located in the UK or European Economic Area and believe you have additional rights under applicable data protection law, please contact us.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, the "Last updated" date at the top of this page will be revised. Continued use of our applications after a policy update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

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10. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or the way our applications handle your data, please get in touch: