Privacy & retention
Heretic checks whether a machine's measurements conflict with its browser claims. This page lists the data Heretic records, where it stores that data, and when it deletes the records.
A session is one visit that runs the collector. Each session record contains three types of data.
The edge reads TCP options, the TLS ClientHello, and HTTP/2 framing from the connection. A web page cannot forge these values. The edge also sees the connecting IP address. From it, the edge derives the autonomous system, country, and a broad network type such as datacentre or residential.
The collector records the results of hardware tests: compute · gpu · parallel · frames · microarch · canvas · audio. Rules use these measurements because the client does not declare their results.
The browser reports: navigator · screen · intl · userAgentData · webgl · declared surface. Rules treat each reported value as a claim to check. Heretic sends high-entropy values as counts, families, and broad ranges unless a site enables raw values.
The collector sets no advertising identifiers and reads no cookies. It stores
the responding edge in the browser for about 15 minutes. It stores nothing
else there. When rendering identity is enabled, the collector computes a
device fingerprint to group sessions from the same machine across visits.
A site can disable this with render: false.
Disabling it removes this grouping signal.
The edge keeps the full session record in memory for 15 minutes. The record includes every measurement, the connecting IP address, and the supporting evidence. The edge then writes the record to its append-only log. This log is the source of truth. An operator sets the retention period, and the edge deletes records when that period ends.
The edge copies a limited part of each verdict to the control-plane database under the site's account. The copy contains the verdict, its supporting signals, the network classification, and timestamps. It does not contain the raw IP address. The dashboard and verdict API use this copy. Heretic deletes these copies after seven days. The zero-retention endpoint returns the ruling and device identifier in its response. The edge does not write a record or send data to the dashboard store for requests to that endpoint.
A site's keys page can delete its verdicts from the dashboard store at any time. The audit log records the site, number of rows, time, and requester. The deletion request remains in the audit log after the verdicts are deleted. The edge log follows its own retention period. To delete a specific session from the edge log sooner, an operator must reconcile it with the deletion log.
Manage sites & deletionFor questions about data held about you, or to request deletion, email hello@heretic.tech.