Privacy Policy

Effective date: 1 October 2026 · Last updated: 1 October 2026

1. Who we are

AutoAnnex is a Microsoft Word add-in that automates the labelling, ordering, and cross-referencing of annexures in legal documents. It is published by AutoAnnex Proprietary Limited (“we”, “us”), based in South Africa. Our website is autoannex.co.za. You can contact us at support@autoannex.co.za.

2. Information we collect

We collect no personal information. Specifically:

• AutoAnnex requires no account, sign-up, or login.
• The add-in contains no analytics, telemetry, crash reporting, or advertising code.
• No document content, annexure content, file names, or usage data is ever transmitted to us or to any third party by the add-in.

3. How your documents and annexures are handled

Everything AutoAnnex does happens locally, inside Microsoft Word on your device:

• Document content. AutoAnnex reads and edits the open Word document (to insert and renumber annexure references) using Microsoft’s Office JavaScript API, under the ReadWriteDocument permission declared in its manifest. This processing takes place entirely within Word.
• PDF annexures. When you attach a PDF, it is embedded directly into the Word document file itself. It is not uploaded anywhere. Because annexures become part of the document, anyone you share the document with also receives the embedded annexures — the document and its annexures should be handled with the same care as any other matter file.
• Add-in settings. Labelling and formatting settings are stored inside the document itself (so that collaborators see consistent labelling) and, for your personal preferences, in local storage on your own machine.
• Temporary viewer storage. To display an annexure in the built-in PDF viewer, the file’s bytes are briefly placed in temporary local storage (IndexedDB) on your device. Each entry is deleted the moment the viewer reads it, and any entry left behind — for example, if the viewer window is closed early — is automatically deleted within ten minutes. This storage never leaves your machine.

4. Network requests the add-in makes

Like every Office add-in, AutoAnnex is delivered as a small web application. When it loads, your copy of Word requests the add-in’s static files (its interface and code) from our hosting provider, and Microsoft’s Office JavaScript library and interface styles from Microsoft’s content delivery networks. These are ordinary web requests and carry standard technical metadata, such as your IP address and browser version. We do not use this metadata to identify you. Our hosting provider (Vercel Inc.) and Microsoft may retain short-term operational logs of such requests under their own privacy policies:

• Vercel Privacy Policy
• Microsoft Privacy Statement

No document content, annexure content, or personal information is included in these requests.

5. The Microsoft 365 platform

AutoAnnex runs inside Microsoft Word and the Microsoft 365 environment, which Microsoft operates. Microsoft’s handling of your documents, identity, and Microsoft 365 account is governed by the Microsoft Privacy Statement, not by this policy.

6. Sharing of information

We do not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise share any information about you — because we do not have any.

7. Your rights

We are committed to the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) and, where applicable, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Because AutoAnnex does not collect or hold personal information about you, there is ordinarily nothing for us to access, correct, or delete on request. If you believe we hold personal information about you, or have any privacy question, contact us at support@autoannex.co.za and we will respond.

8. Data retention and deletion

We retain nothing, so there is nothing for us to delete. To remove data held locally:

• Delete an annexure through the add-in, or delete the document, to remove embedded annexure files.
• Clear the Office web cache on your machine to remove local preferences and any temporary viewer storage.
• Remove the add-in from Word at any time via Add-ins → My Add-ins.

9. Children

AutoAnnex is a professional tool and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone, including children.

10. Changes to this policy

If AutoAnnex’s data practices ever change — for example, if a future version introduces optional online features — we will update this policy before the change takes effect, revise the “Last updated” date above, and describe the change in the add-in’s store listing.

11. Contact

AutoAnnex Proprietary Limited
support@autoannex.co.za
autoannex.co.za