This Acceptable Use Policy explains activities that are permitted and prohibited when using PDFNova. The tools are intended for lawful document conversion, organization, editing, optimization, extraction, and protection. Users must own the files they process or have clear authorization from the owner, employer, client, institution, or other responsible party. The ability to perform a technical operation does not create legal permission. Activities involving unauthorized access, infringement, fraud, malware, harassment, exploitation, or evasion of security controls are prohibited.
Authorized Document Processing
Users may process personal files, public-domain material, properly licensed content, and documents they are authorized to handle for work, education, administration, or another lawful purpose. Authorization should cover both the content and the selected operation. For example, permission to read a document does not always include permission to remove restrictions, redistribute it, or extract confidential information. Organizations should establish approved tools and handling rules for employee use. PDFNova does not verify each user’s authority and relies on the user’s representation that processing is lawful.
Respect for Copyright
Users must not reproduce, convert, extract, remove notices from, or distribute copyrighted material in a way that infringes the owner’s rights. A file being publicly accessible does not necessarily make it free to reuse. Licenses can limit commercial use, modification, attribution, or redistribution. Legal exceptions such as quotation or fair use are fact-specific and vary by jurisdiction. Users should obtain permission or qualified advice when uncertain. Copyright owners can report public material controlled by PDFNova through the DMCA Policy.
Privacy and Confidentiality
Do not process another person’s private records, communications, photographs, identity documents, account information, or employment files without appropriate authority. Confidential business, legal, medical, educational, or financial documents may be subject to contractual and regulatory restrictions even when the user can access them. Browser-local processing can reduce server transfer but does not replace organizational approval. Users should select a system specifically authorized for regulated information and should avoid public devices, untrusted networks, and unnecessary copies.
Password and Restriction Tools
Password protection, password changes, unlocking, and restriction controls may be used only for documents the user owns or is authorized to administer. Attempting to guess, bypass, remove, or weaken another person’s security is prohibited. The unlock tool requires the known password and is not intended for cracking encryption. A user must not misrepresent a restriction change as proof of ownership. Strong passwords should be stored safely, and the original file should be preserved before encryption because forgotten credentials may make the result inaccessible.
No Malware or Harmful Content
Users must not upload, process, create, disguise, or distribute malware, ransomware, spyware, phishing documents, exploit files, malicious scripts, or content intended to compromise a device or network. Files should not be crafted to exhaust memory, trigger parser vulnerabilities, or evade security scanning. Security researchers must use controlled environments and obtain permission before testing the public service. Suspected harmful files may be blocked, removed, quarantined, or reported to protect visitors and infrastructure.
No Fraud or Deception
PDFNova must not be used to forge records, alter invoices deceptively, create fraudulent identification, fabricate evidence, impersonate another person, mislead an institution, conceal a material change, or support financial crime. Legitimate editing includes correcting authorized documents, adding clear annotations, or preparing a new draft. The user is responsible for preserving required audit trails and disclosures. A tool that can add a signature image does not create a legally verified signature and must not be used to misrepresent consent or identity.
No Harassment or Exploitation
Users must not use the website to create, modify, or distribute material that facilitates stalking, threats, non-consensual intimate imagery, sexual exploitation, doxxing, discriminatory harassment, or targeted abuse. Documents containing personal information should not be combined or exposed for the purpose of harming another person. Content involving child sexual abuse or exploitation is strictly prohibited and may be reported to appropriate authorities. PDFNova may restrict access and preserve relevant information when reasonably necessary to respond to serious abuse.
No Unauthorized Security Testing
Do not scan private endpoints, attempt to access administrative areas, intercept other users’ traffic, exploit vulnerabilities, defeat access controls, or conduct denial-of-service tests without written authorization. Responsible reports can be sent through the Contact Us page with enough detail to reproduce the issue safely. Testing must not access data that does not belong to the researcher, damage files, or reduce availability. A report does not create permission for continued exploitation or guarantee a reward.
Reasonable Use of Resources
Automated or repeated requests must not place an unreasonable load on the website, hosting server, network, or third-party library provider. Users may not bypass file-size limits, rate limits, or security challenges; run bulk processing that disrupts ordinary visitors; or use scripts to scrape substantial site content. Large organizational workloads should use an approved local or enterprise solution. The owner may limit requests, block abusive traffic, or change processing limits to maintain security and availability.
No Spam or Unsolicited Promotion
Contact forms, comments, and public submissions must not be used for bulk advertising, deceptive outreach, link schemes, malware distribution, or repetitive automated messages. A relevant business proposal may be sent once through the appropriate contact channel, but the recipient’s lack of response is not permission for repeated follow-up. Promotional content can be removed without notice. Email addresses displayed for support or legal notices may not be harvested or added to marketing lists without valid permission.
Compliance With Institutional Rules
Schools, employers, courts, government agencies, banks, healthcare organizations, and clients may impose rules about approved software, document security, retention, accessibility, signatures, or file formats. Users must follow those rules even when PDFNova can technically process the document. A converted file should not be assumed acceptable merely because it opens correctly. Confirm submission requirements, naming conventions, page limits, encryption rules, and deadlines with the receiving institution before relying on the output.
Public Submissions and Comments
When public comments or contributions are enabled, submissions must be relevant, respectful, accurate to the best of the user’s knowledge, and free from confidential information. Users may not impersonate others, manipulate engagement, post unlawful links, or publish material they lack permission to share. The owner may moderate, edit for formatting, close comments, or remove content that violates policy. Removal does not create a duty to monitor every submission or guarantee that all objectionable content will be identified immediately.
Enforcement Actions
PDFNova may block a request, remove a public submission, restrict access, preserve security logs, contact a service provider, or report conduct when reasonably necessary to enforce this policy, protect users, comply with law, or maintain availability. The response can consider severity, intent, repetition, technical impact, and available evidence. The owner is not required to provide advance notice when doing so would increase risk or interfere with an investigation. Enforcement does not limit any legal rights or remedies available to affected parties.
Reporting Misuse
Suspected misuse can be reported through the Contact Us page. Identify the public URL, describe the conduct, and provide non-sensitive evidence. Do not investigate by accessing private systems, downloading unlawful material, or confronting an alleged offender. Copyright claims should follow the DMCA Policy, while immediate threats or criminal emergencies should be reported to appropriate local authorities. PDFNova cannot guarantee a response to every report and may request clarification before taking action.
Policy Changes and User Responsibility
This policy may be updated as tools, risks, laws, and service capabilities change. Users should review the current version before conducting an unusual, high-volume, or sensitive workflow. Continued access does not excuse conduct that is independently unlawful. When uncertain whether a task is authorized, stop processing and obtain permission or professional guidance. The safest use of PDFNova is transparent, limited to a legitimate purpose, and supported by an untouched backup and careful review of the final output.
Examples of Responsible Use
Responsible use includes merging authorized reports, compressing a personal portfolio, converting class notes, rotating scanned receipts, adding a clearly identified watermark, protecting a file before lawful sharing, and removing metadata from a document the user owns. In each example, the purpose is transparent, the user has authority, the original is preserved, and the result is reviewed. The same technical action can become unacceptable when used to deceive, expose private information, defeat security, or distribute material without permission.
Organizational and Commercial Use
Businesses and institutions using PDFNova should assess vendor, privacy, security, accessibility, retention, and continuity requirements before approving the website for staff. Public tools may be convenient for low-risk files but unsuitable for regulated records, confidential client data, or high-volume automation. Organizations should document permitted file categories, train users, maintain backups, and provide an alternative when a browser tool fails. Commercial use does not remove the user's duty to respect licenses, contracts, professional obligations, and the rights of every person represented in a document.
Questions About Permitted Use
When a user is unsure whether an operation is permitted, the correct response is to pause rather than assume. Ask the file owner, employer, client, school, receiving agency, or qualified professional for guidance. Support can explain how a PDFNova feature works but cannot grant rights over a document or determine whether a proposed use is lawful. Written authorization is especially valuable when removing restrictions, handling another person's records, processing client material, or preparing files for public distribution.