Privacy-compliant search
Lookeen indexes and searches your email and files where they already are: inside your own environment. Your content is never transferred to Lookeen – and we have no access to it.
Your data stays with you
The index lives in your environment
The search index is built on your server or your computer and stays there. You can protect it with BitLocker or hardware encryption like any other drive.
No access for Lookeen
You remain the controller for all content Lookeen Server indexes. It never leaves your network, and Lookeen GmbH can neither see nor retrieve it.
Results only for those entitled
Lookeen applies the permissions from Active Directory, the file system and Exchange. Everyone finds only what they are already allowed to open.
Extra services only if you want them
Cloud AI and cloud OCR are optional and only active if your administrator explicitly sets them up. Text recognition and AI also run locally.
Do I need a data processing agreement?
You need a data processing agreement (DPA) under Art. 28 GDPR when a service provider processes personal data on your behalf – for example a cloud service that stores and searches your documents.
With Lookeen Server and Lookeen Desktop (On-Prem), indexing and search run entirely inside your environment. The content you search is not transferred to us, so we do not process data on your behalf for the search itself. This only changes if you enable optional cloud services such as an external AI or cloud OCR: then include that provider in your data protection review.
Professional secrecy
Law firms, tax advisors, medical practices and hospitals must not disclose client or patient secrets without authorization – in Germany this is set out in § 203 of the Criminal Code (StGB). Any external provider who gains insight into this data must be chosen carefully and bound to confidentiality.
Because Lookeen Server indexes content on your own network, searching it does not expose it to any external provider. For support sessions with screen sharing, the same applies as with any IT provider: agree on confidentiality beforehand – just ask us.
What Lookeen transfers – and what it doesn't
Lookeen Server
Indexed content: never. The optional version check reports only the version number and can be switched off. AI and OCR only use an external provider if your administrator sets one up with your own credentials.
Lookeen Desktop
The index stays on the computer. License activation processes your name, email address and license key. AI actions only send the document you select to the AI provider – and can be switched off entirely.
Lookeen Desktop (On-Prem)
This variant, available on request, sends no data externally at all: no cloud AI, no cloud-based support, no online license activation.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lookeen GDPR-compliant?
Lookeen is built so you can use it in a GDPR-compliant way: the index and content stay in your environment, results follow existing permissions, and optional cloud services are only active if you set them up. As with any software, assessing your specific deployment remains with you and your data protection officer.
Do I need a DPA for Lookeen?
Usually not for the search itself: Lookeen Server and Lookeen Desktop (On-Prem) process your content exclusively inside your environment, and it is not transferred to Lookeen GmbH. If you enable optional cloud services, include that provider in your review.
Can law firms and tax advisors use Lookeen?
Yes. Because Lookeen Server indexes client data on your own network, searching it does not disclose it to any external provider. Read more on our pages for law firms and tax advisors.
Where is the search index stored?
On your own drives: for Lookeen Server on the server in your network, for Lookeen Desktop on each computer. You decide how it is encrypted and backed up.
Can I use the AI features without the cloud?
Yes. Lookeen AI works with language models in your own infrastructure, and text recognition runs locally with Tesseract. Your content is never used to train AI models. Read more under AI with local models.
Does Lookeen help with GDPR access requests?
Yes. A single search across email, archives and file servers quickly shows where data about a person is stored – the basis for an access request under Art. 15 or an erasure under Art. 17 GDPR. Read more under eDiscovery and research.
This page gives an overview of Lookeen's data flows and is not legal advice.
Learn more: Digital sovereignty · On-premises search · Offline & air-gapped operation