Nuvola Drive Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 29, 2026

Nuvola Drive is an end-to-end encrypted cloud storage service provided by Nuvola Labs FZ-LLC, a subsidiary of Nuvola Digital, registered in Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.

In this Privacy Policy, "Nuvola", "we", "us", and "our" mean Nuvola Labs FZ-LLC. Nuvola Labs FZ-LLC is the entity responsible for personal data processed through Nuvola Drive (the "controller" under data protection laws that use that term).

This Privacy Policy explains what information Nuvola Drive processes, what we can and cannot access, how information is used and stored, how deletion works, and the choices available to you.

1. The short version

• Your file contents are encrypted on your device before they are uploaded.
• File names are encrypted. Folder names are not yet encrypted in the current Beta release and are stored in readable form.
• We do not hold the usable keys needed to read your private file contents.
• We do not receive or store your plaintext password.
• Thumbnails and previews are created locally and remain encrypted when stored on our servers.
• Nuvola cannot access readable previews or file contents through the backend.
• Private sharing does not give Nuvola a usable file decryption key.
• A complete public share link can be opened by anyone who has that link, including Nuvola if the full link is reported to us.
• Encrypted file shards may be stored through the Vola Network and, during Beta and pre-production testing, encrypted copies may also be kept on Nuvola-operated or Nuvola-controlled infrastructure.
• We do not sell your personal data or use your file contents for advertising.
• Nuvola Drive is intended for users aged 16 or older.

2. Account information

When you create or use a Nuvola Drive account, we process information needed to operate the service. This may include:

• your email address;
• your display name;
• your account status;
• your storage plan or allowance; and
• optional profile information you choose to provide.

We use this information to create and manage your account, authenticate you, provide the service, send account-related messages, provide support, and protect the service from abuse or unauthorized access.

3. Authentication and encryption keys

Nuvola Drive does not receive or store your plaintext password.

The client creates cryptographic authentication data from your password on your device. Nuvola stores the authentication information required to verify that you know your password without receiving the password itself.

Nuvola also stores encrypted key material needed for your account. The encryption keys used to access your files are protected before they are stored. Nuvola does not have a usable copy of the keys needed to decrypt your private file contents.

If you lose access to all available account recovery methods, Nuvola may be unable to restore access to your encrypted files.

If you set up recovery questions, your readable answers are not stored by Nuvola. The client creates a cryptographic representation that can be used to verify your answer later.

4. Files, folders, and metadata

Your file contents are encrypted on your device before upload.

File names are encrypted on your device when a file is uploaded or renamed using current versions of Nuvola Drive.

Folder names are not yet encrypted in the current Beta release. When you create or rename a folder, or when a folder is created for you by a sync or import feature, the folder name is sent to and stored by Nuvola in readable form. We plan to encrypt folder names in a future release and will update this Privacy Policy when that change ships.

Nuvola receives and stores encrypted file data needed to provide the storage service. We do not receive or store your file contents in readable form.

The backend can process limited technical metadata in readable form, including:

• folder names, as described above;
• file size; and
• file MIME type or file type.

This technical information is used to operate the storage service.

Thumbnails and previews

Thumbnails and previews are created locally on your device.

Thumbnails and previews stored on our servers remain encrypted. Readable thumbnails, previews, and file contents are not available to the Nuvola backend by design.

5. Sharing

Private sharing

Private sharing does not give Nuvola a usable file decryption key.

The service processes the technical information needed to deliver and manage the share, but Nuvola does not gain access to the readable contents of the privately shared file simply because it has been shared.

Public share links

When you create a public share link, the decryption information needed to open the shared item is included in the URL fragment, which is the part of the link after the #.

The URL fragment is not included in ordinary HTTP requests sent by the browser to Nuvola's servers.

Anyone who obtains the complete public share link may be able to open the shared item while the link remains valid. You should treat a public share link with the same care as the file itself.

Reported public links

If someone provides Nuvola with a complete public share link, for example when reporting suspected abuse, Nuvola can access the shared item in the same way as any other recipient of that complete link.

We may process a reported public link, the content accessible through that link, and related account or technical information where reasonably necessary to investigate the report, protect the service, or comply with applicable law.

This does not give Nuvola access to your otherwise private, end-to-end encrypted files.

Public share links or suspected abuse can be reported to [email protected].

6. Vola Network storage and on-chain records

Nuvola Drive may use the Vola Network to store encrypted file shards and verify that storage work has taken place.

Files are encrypted and sharded before they reach storage nodes. Storage nodes receive encrypted shard data, not the readable file.

Information recorded on-chain

The Vola Network stores technical records needed to coordinate and verify storage. Depending on the storage operation, these records can include:

• a file or storage record identifier;
• encrypted shard size;
• storage duration and expiry information;
• a content identifier or hash calculated from encrypted shard data;
• storage node identifiers;
• cryptographic commitments and proof-of-storage information;
• chunk counts and cryptographic Merkle roots;
• storage-related transaction or fee information; and
• the Vola account used by Nuvola Drive as the storage client.

The content hash recorded for storage is calculated from encrypted shard data, not from the readable version of your file.

The Vola account visible to the network belongs to Nuvola Drive as the storage client. It is not the end user's personal Nuvola Drive account. The mapping between a Nuvola Drive user and the encrypted shards used for that user's storage is maintained within Nuvola Drive's own systems rather than being published as an end-user identity on the Vola Network.

The storage protocol may also include an opaque technical metadata field that the blockchain itself does not interpret.

Blockchain records are designed to be persistent. Storage proofs and other on-chain technical records may therefore remain after a file or account is deleted.

7. What storage nodes can see

A Vola storage node receives the encrypted shard it is responsible for storing.

A node operator may also have access to technical information needed to perform and verify storage work, such as:

• the on-chain file or storage identifier;
• shard and chunk sizes;
• chunk hashes;
• cryptographic commitments and Merkle roots;
• storage duration and expiry information;
• proof history;
• timestamps;
• the Vola account used to submit the storage request; and
• request paths and status information used by the node service.

A storage node can see the connecting IP address while the connection is active. The current Vola storage-node implementation uses this for in-memory rate limiting and does not persist the client IP address in the node database or access log.

Where provider-managed TLS or a proxy is used, a node may instead see the provider's proxy address, with the originating address available only through forwarded connection information.

8. Beta and pre-production storage

During Beta and pre-production testing, encrypted copies of file shards may also be stored on infrastructure operated or controlled by Nuvola Labs.

These copies remain encrypted. Nuvola does not gain the keys needed to decrypt the readable file simply because an encrypted shard is stored on Nuvola-controlled infrastructure.

Nuvola currently operates service infrastructure across multiple regions, including Europe, Asia, and the United States. We use a combination of Nuvola-managed systems and infrastructure supplied by hosting providers.

Because the service operates across multiple regions, account information, technical information, and encrypted storage data may be processed outside the country where you live.

9. Crash reports, diagnostics, and performance monitoring

Crash reports

Nuvola Drive uses a self-hosted Sentry installation on Nuvola-controlled infrastructure for crash reporting.

Crash reports may contain technical information needed to diagnose a problem, such as:

• device or browser information;
• operating system information;
• app version;
• stack traces;
• error information; and
• limited technical breadcrumbs showing events around a failure.

Before crash reports are stored, sensitive fields are scrubbed, including authorization headers, access tokens, refresh tokens, encryption keys, request bodies, URL query parameters, and URL fragments.

Crash reports are retained for 90 days.

Nuvola does not use this crash-reporting system as a third-party behavioral advertising or profiling service.

Mobile app performance monitoring

The Nuvola Drive mobile app sends technical performance measurements to EAS Observe, a performance monitoring service operated by Expo (650 Industries, Inc., United States). This data helps us find slow screens and startup problems. It may include:

• app launch and screen load timings;
• the screen or feature involved;
• app version and build information;
• device model and operating system version; and
• network connection information that is inherently visible to any server receiving a request, such as an IP address.

This performance data never includes your files, file names, folder names, encryption keys, or account credentials.

10. Service logs

Nuvola maintains technical server logs for security, reliability, troubleshooting, and service operations.

Server logs may include the IP address from which a request was made, the request path and method, response status, timestamps, and browser or app identification. IP addresses are also used to apply rate limits that protect the service from abuse.

Server logs are retained for a limited period needed for security and troubleshooting.

Storage-node access logs do not store client IP addresses under the current Vola storage-node implementation.

11. Device access

Nuvola Drive only accesses device files, photos, or media where needed for a feature you choose to use.

When you choose a file or photo through the operating system's picker, the app receives the item you selected.

If you enable a backup or sync feature, the app needs access to the locations covered by that feature so it can detect and upload the files you asked it to back up. On Android, backing up folders you choose may require the "All files access" permission, which the app requests only when you set up such a feature.

Camera access is used only when you choose a feature that needs it, such as taking a photo to upload or using a photo as your profile picture.

You can revoke device permissions through your operating system settings. Features that depend on those permissions may then stop working or pause.

12. Notifications

If you enable notifications, Nuvola Drive may process information needed to deliver those notifications.

Notifications generated on your device by the mobile app, such as upload and download progress, may display the name of the file being transferred. This information stays on your device and is not sent to Nuvola in order to show the notification.

Notifications sent by Nuvola, such as emails about sharing, do not include the contents of your files or file names. Depending on the notification, they may include the sender's name or email address and a file size where available.

You can disable notifications through your device settings.

13. Information stored on your device and in your browser

Mobile app

The Nuvola Drive mobile app stores information on your device so it can work offline and keep you signed in, including:

• access and refresh tokens and encrypted key material, kept in the operating system's secure storage;
• encrypted local databases holding cached file listings, sync settings and sync history, and other app state;
• temporary decrypted copies of thumbnails, previews, and files you open, kept in the app's private cache and removed when you sign out or when the cache is cleared; and
• app preferences such as theme and view mode.

Web app

The Nuvola Drive web app uses a single cookie, named locale, which stores your language preference for up to one year. It is not used for tracking.

To keep you signed in and provide encryption and application functions, the web app also uses browser storage.

Current browser storage includes:

Local storage

• access token;
• refresh token;
• the selected or preferred upload relay;
• encrypted master key material;
• encrypted private key material;
• your email address and account information needed by the web app;
• a "remember me" preference and registration progress state;
• a diagnostic trace identifier used to correlate crash reports; and
• theme, color, and other application preferences.

IndexedDB

The web app stores a browser-generated device key in IndexedDB. This key is generated using browser cryptography and is stored in binary form.

14. Analytics, advertising, and sale of data

Nuvola Drive does not currently use Google Analytics, Firebase Analytics, Mixpanel, PostHog, Amplitude, Meta Pixel, Hotjar, or similar advertising or behavioral analytics systems.

The only measurement tools in use are the crash reporting and mobile performance monitoring described in Section 9.

We do not sell your personal data.

We do not use the contents of your files to build advertising profiles or target advertising.

Nuvola Drive does not currently show advertising.

15. Service providers

Nuvola uses infrastructure and technology providers where needed to operate Nuvola Drive. These may include providers that support:

• server and network infrastructure;
• app distribution and mobile development services;
• email delivery;
• storage infrastructure; and
• other technical operations needed to provide the service.

These providers may process limited information on Nuvola's behalf where necessary to provide their services.

Nuvola currently uses Expo (650 Industries, Inc.) as part of the mobile application build and delivery stack and for the EAS Observe performance monitoring described in Section 9.

The Google Drive import feature described in Section 17 uses Google's sign-in and Drive services on your device.

Infrastructure providers and locations may change as the service develops.

16. How long we keep information

We keep information for as long as reasonably needed to provide Nuvola Drive, maintain security, meet legal obligations, resolve disputes, and operate the service.

Specific retention periods described in this policy include:

• crash reports are retained for 90 days;
• technical server logs are retained for a limited period needed for security and troubleshooting;
• verification codes expire after 10 minutes and are invalidated earlier after five failed attempts or when a replacement code is requested; and
• files placed in Trash are permanently deleted after 30 days.

Account deletion

When you request account deletion, your account enters a 30-day recovery period.

Logging in by itself does not cancel the deletion request. During the recovery period, the service starts an account recovery process and sends a verification code. The account is restored only after the required recovery verification is successfully completed.

After the 30-day recovery period, permanent deletion is processed by a scheduled cleanup process. This normally occurs during the first scheduled cleanup after the recovery period ends, so it may not happen at the exact 30-day timestamp.

When permanent account deletion is processed, the encrypted master key and private key material associated with the account are removed. Without that key material, the user's encrypted file data is not readable through the account.

Deletion requests are also propagated to the storage layer for encrypted shards. Because distributed storage nodes can operate independently, removal from every storage location may not be immediate or guaranteed in every case. Any residual shard data remains encrypted.

On-chain storage proofs and related blockchain records remain because blockchain records are persistent.

17. Google Drive import

The mobile application includes an optional Google Drive import feature that lets you copy files from your Google Drive into your encrypted Nuvola Drive account. It is available during the current Open Testing period and only runs when you choose to use it.

When you connect a Google account, the app requests read-only access to your Google Drive through Google's standard sign-in and consent screens. Nuvola does not receive your Google password.

With that access, the app, on your device:

• lists your Drive folders and files (names, sizes, and types) so you can choose what to import and review what will be copied;
• reads the email address of the connected Google account in order to label the import folder and show progress; and
• downloads the content of the files you select to temporary storage on your device, encrypts it there, and uploads it into your Nuvola Drive account. The temporary unencrypted copy is deleted as soon as each upload completes.

Readable Google Drive file contents do not reach Nuvola's servers. The Google sign-in token stays on your device and is never sent to, stored on, or logged by Nuvola servers. The app never modifies, moves, or deletes anything in your Google Drive.

Google Drive data is used only to provide this import feature. It is not used for advertising, analytics, profiling, or training machine learning or artificial intelligence models, and it is never sold or shared with third parties.

You can disconnect your Google account at any time from the Import screen, which revokes the app's access. You can also review or remove Nuvola Drive's access at any time at https://myaccount.google.com/permissions.

Nuvola Drive's use and transfer of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

This section may be removed or updated if the Google Drive import feature is removed or changed in a later release.

18. Legal bases for processing and international transfers

Where the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK GDPR, or a similar law applies to you, we rely on the following legal bases:

• Performance of a contract. Creating and operating your account, storing and transferring your encrypted files, sharing, sync, notifications you request, and support. Without this processing we cannot provide Nuvola Drive to you.
• Legitimate interests. Keeping the service secure and reliable, preventing abuse and fraud, rate limiting, crash reporting, performance monitoring, investigating reported public links, and improving the service. We balance these interests against your rights and use the minimum information needed.
• Consent. Optional features that you choose to turn on, such as the Google Drive import, device permissions for camera or media access, and optional notifications. You can withdraw consent at any time by disconnecting the feature or changing your device settings, without affecting processing that already took place.
• Legal obligation. Retaining or disclosing information where the law requires it.

We do not use your personal data for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you.

Nuvola is based in the United Arab Emirates and operates infrastructure in Europe, Asia, and the United States, so your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own, including countries whose data protection laws differ from those where you live. Where such laws apply, we take the steps they require to protect information transferred internationally, including using appropriate contractual safeguards with providers that process personal data on our behalf.

19. Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live and which privacy laws apply, you may have rights concerning your personal data. These can include rights to:

• request access to personal data we hold about you;
• correct inaccurate personal data;
• request deletion;
• request restriction of certain processing;
• object to certain processing;
• receive certain information in a portable form; and
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

Some account actions can be completed directly through Nuvola Drive.

For privacy questions or requests, contact [email protected].

We may need to verify your identity before acting on certain requests.

If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction that provides for it, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

Nothing in this Privacy Policy limits privacy rights that apply to you under mandatory law.

20. Children

Nuvola Drive is intended for users aged 16 or older.

You must be at least 16 years old to create or use a Nuvola Drive account.

We do not knowingly allow children under 16 to create Nuvola Drive accounts.

If we learn that an account belongs to a person under 16, we may take steps to close the account and delete associated personal information, subject to applicable legal requirements.

21. Security

We use technical and organizational measures designed to protect the information processed by Nuvola Drive.

A core part of Nuvola Drive's security model is client-side encryption. Your file contents are encrypted before upload, and Nuvola is not designed to possess the usable keys needed to decrypt your private files.

No online service can guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for protecting your password, recovery information, devices, and any public share links you create.

22. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as Nuvola Drive, our infrastructure, or applicable legal requirements change.

When we update the policy, we will change the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

Where appropriate, we may provide additional notice of material changes through Nuvola Drive, our website, or email.

23. Contact

For privacy questions or requests:

Nuvola Labs FZ-LLC
A subsidiary of Nuvola Digital
Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone
Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates
Privacy: [email protected]
Website: nuvoladigital.io

For reports concerning public share links or suspected abuse:

[email protected]

24. Beta testing notice

Nuvola Drive is currently in Beta and Open Testing. This Privacy Policy describes how information is handled during the testing period and reflects the service as it exists today, including features and limitations that are specific to Beta.

An updated Privacy Policy will be published for the production launch of Nuvola Drive. We will notify you of material changes as described in Section 22, and continued use after an update takes effect will be subject to the updated policy, except where applicable law requires a different form of notice or consent.