Privacy Policy

Your privacy is important to the HandBrake Team. This privacy statement explains what information this website collects and how we use it.

HandBrake Team

HandBrake is a volunteer-run open-source project. It is not managed by a company, corporation, sponsor, or other separate legal entity.

Only the Project Leads of the HandBrake Team have access to personal information collected through the HandBrake website, including website access logs and messages submitted through our contact form.

We do not operate a public office or provide a telephone contact number. All enquiries regarding this policy must be submitted through the Report Problem page, as described in the Contacting Us section below.

Information We Collect

Website Access Logs

When you visit handbrake.fr, our web server maintains access logs. These may include:

• Your IP address.
• The pages and resources you request.
• The date and time of your requests.
• Your browser and operating system information, where provided by your browser.
• Other technical information included in your HTTP request headers.

We use this information to operate and maintain the website, diagnose technical problems, monitor service reliability, and help detect and investigate security incidents.

Access logs are retained for six months. We may retain relevant information for longer where reasonably necessary to investigate a security incident or comply with a legal obligation.

Information You Provide

If you contact us through the Report Problem page, we receive the information you submit. This may include:

• Your name.
• Your email address.
• The contents of your message.

We use this information to respond to your enquiry, investigate reported problems, and carry out any necessary follow-up.

Messages received by email through this process are retained for up to six months, after which they are deleted, subject to any applicable legal obligations or the need to retain information relating to a security incident or legal claim.

Please do not submit passwords, financial information, or other sensitive personal information through the contact form. Email is not a guaranteed secure means of communication.

HandBrake Application

The HandBrake application includes an update checker that can check for information about available releases. This feature is optional and can be disabled in the application preferences.

When the update checker uses handbrake.fr, its request is recorded in our web server access logs in the same way as a request from a web browser.

When the update checker connects directly to GitHub, it makes a standard HTTPS request to obtain update information. GitHub receives the connection and may process technical information associated with the request, including your IP address, in accordance with its own privacy policy.

The application version is included in the relevant HTTP request information where applicable.

The standard update-checking process does not transmit your application logs, error reports, source media files, or encoded content to the HandBrake Team.

How We Use Information

We use the information described in this policy only as reasonably necessary to:

• Operate, maintain, and secure the HandBrake website.
• Diagnose technical issues and investigate potential security incidents.
• Respond to messages submitted through the Report a Problem page.
• Provide and maintain the application's update-checking functionality.
• Comply with applicable legal obligations.

We do not use website access logs to build advertising profiles or track visitors across unrelated websites.

Legal Basis for Processing

Where applicable data protection law requires a lawful basis for processing personal information, we rely on the following bases as appropriate to the circumstances:

• Legitimate interests: Processing website access logs to maintain the website, diagnose technical problems, and protect the security and reliability of our services.
• Responding to enquiries: Processing information submitted through the Report a Problem page to handle and respond to your enquiry, on the appropriate lawful basis for that interaction.
• Legal obligations: Processing or retaining information where necessary to comply with applicable law.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, our interests are to operate and protect the HandBrake project and its website while respecting the privacy rights of visitors.

Storage and Disclosure of your data

Hosting Location

The HandBrake website is currently hosted on servers located in France.

We reserve the right to change the country in which the website is hosted in the future. If the hosting country changes, we will update this Privacy Policy to reflect the change.

Disclosure to Third Parties

We do not sell personal information or disclose it to third parties for advertising purposes.

We may disclose information where reasonably necessary to comply with a legal obligation, respond to a valid legal request, investigate a security incident, or establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

The website's hosting provider may process technical information as necessary to provide and secure the hosting service.

Information may also be received independently by third-party services when you choose to access them or when the HandBrake application connects to them, as explained in the relevant sections of this policy.

Cookies and Third-Party Website Resources

The handbrake.fr website does not use cookies.

The website does not make requests to third-party websites to load page resources. Resources required to display the website are served directly by handbrake.fr.

However, the website contains links to external websites, including GitHub. Following one of these links takes you to the relevant third-party service, which may collect technical information about your connection in accordance with its own privacy policy.

The HandBrake application is separate from the website. Its update checker may connect directly to GitHub, as described in the HandBrake Application section above.

GitHub

The HandBrake team uses GitHub for open-source project hosting.

HandBrake downloads are hosted on GitHub, and our website provides links to those downloads. When you follow a download link, your browser connects directly to GitHub. The HandBrake application may also connect directly to GitHub when checking for updates.

These connections may expose technical information, such as your IP address, to GitHub. GitHub processes this information under its own privacy policy.

A GitHub account is not required to use HandBrake.

GitHub has its own Privacy Statement, which applies when visiting or accessing its site.

Amendments to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to the website, the HandBrake application, our data-handling practices, or applicable legal requirements.

The date of the most recent revision will appear at the bottom of this page. Material changes to our hosting arrangements, including a change of hosting country, will be reflected in an updated version of this policy.

Contacting Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise an applicable privacy right, please visit the Report Problem page and select the Contact Us tab.

Last Updated: October 2026

Disclaimer

The information and services provided on this website are for general informational purposes only. While we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.

Through this website you are able to link to other websites and third-party content which are not under the control of the HandBrake Team. We have no control over the nature, content, and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation of those sites or an endorsement of the views expressed on them.

Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, the HandBrake Team takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being unavailable for any reason, including but not limited to technical issues beyond our control.