Does the PDF checker read my document content?
No. HTPBE? analyses the structure of the file, not what the document says. It does not read or extract the text or images of your PDF.
What it examines
The analysis looks at technical properties of the file: metadata, internal structure, digital signatures and embedded content such as JavaScript and attachments. The technical details kept with each check are the filename, file size, page count, PDF version, creation and modification dates, creator, producer and the findings.
What that means in practice
- The service does not perform OCR or content analysis.
- It cannot tell you whether a balance, a name, a date or a clause inside the document is correct.
- A change to the visible content that leaves no structural trace in the file is not detected.
This boundary is deliberate. It is why the check is safe to run on confidential documents such as contracts, financial statements, personal records and proprietary files.
What happens to your file
- Web upload – the file is stored in encrypted cloud storage in the European Union. It may be retained and used, in anonymised and aggregated form, to test and improve the detection algorithm, as described in the privacy policy.
- API submission – the file is fetched, analysed once and discarded. API files are not stored.
- Results – the analysis results and metadata are kept with the check.
For documents that must not leave your network
The Enterprise plan includes on-premise deployment with Docker or Kubernetes, so documents stay inside your infrastructure.
For storage details, see What happens to my uploaded PDF file after analysis?
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Related questions
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3 answers
How Detection Works
An incremental update is how a PDF records a change by appending it to the end of the file instead of rewriting it, so one file can hold several versions. Signing, form filling and annotating also use it, so presence alone is not an accusation.
Yes. No detection method is complete: content that was false from the start, changes that leave no structural trace, and unreadable or locked files fall outside what HTPBE? can flag. It returns Inconclusive instead of Intact where it cannot tell.
Reading Your Results
Intact: no evidence of post-creation modification. Modified: the file was changed after it was created. Inconclusive: the file’s origin can’t vouch for it, so the check can’t clear it. Intact does not mean authentic.