Beam privacy policy and terms of use

Everything in a session is end-to-end encrypted: video, audio, keyboard, mouse, clipboard, files and chat. Every connection uses fresh keys (X25519 key exchange, AES-256-GCM encryption): neither the relay nor the network can read this data.

A 16-character security code is shown on both Macs: compare it out loud to make sure nobody slipped in between. The connecting Mac remembers the shared Mac's identity and refuses the connection if it changes.

Beam connects to the publisher's relay as soon as it opens, and stays connected while it is open: that is how people can reach you by your 9-digit ID. The relay is hosted by Hetzner, in Germany.

To connect two Macs, it processes their IP address, their Beam ID, the name each Mac declares (by default, the computer's name), the session's public keys, the resolution of the shared screen and the view-only mode. It gives each Mac the other's IP address, to try a direct link.

This information stays in memory and is never written to disk, except for a timestamped technical log: Beam IDs when the app opens and closes, and at each connection request. That log only contains an IP address when someone tries to take over the ID of a Mac that is already online. It is overwritten as it goes, within about two weeks at most.

When the two Macs manage to link directly, the session no longer goes through the relay. On the same local network, it never does.

• STUN: at the start of an Internet session, Beam asks Google's (stun.l.google.com) and Cloudflare's (stun.cloudflare.com) STUN servers for its public IP address. They see that address, the port and the time, nothing else.
• Local network: Beam announces itself on your network through Bonjour, under its ID, so other Macs can find it directly.
• Updates: once a day, Beam reads a version file published on GitHub, which sees your IP address and the Beam version, with no profile of your Mac. A new version is only installed after you click, and its signature is checked. The "Check automatically" box on the home screen turns this check off.

Beam has no account, no usage analytics and no ads, and sends no crash reports.

• In the app's preferences: your ID, your last 6 IDs and names used, the identity of the Macs you connected to, and blocked IDs.
• In the macOS Keychain (item "com.kevboileux.beam", not synced with iCloud): the session password if you set one, and your Mac's identity key. Version 0.2.34 moves them there on first launch, then erases them from the preferences; if the Keychain refuses the write, the copy stays in the preferences so nothing is lost.
• Chat is never saved: it disappears when the session ends.
• A received file waits for your consent in macOS's private temporary folder. Once accepted, it goes to the Downloads folder, flagged as coming from the Internet: macOS checks it the first time it is opened. Refused, left unanswered or when the session ends, it is deleted.
• Session recordings go to the Movies folder of the viewing Mac.
• If the app crashes, a report stays on your Mac; it is never sent.

On the Mac that shares its screen: Screen Recording, to capture the screen and system audio, and Accessibility, to receive clicks and keystrokes.

On both Macs: Local Network, to find each other directly, and Notifications. Beam does not ask for the microphone, the camera, your contacts or your location.

• While Beam is open, anyone who knows your ID can see that it is open and send you a connection request. Nothing happens without your consent, unless you turned on unattended access, which requires a password.
• Once connected, the remote Mac sees your whole screen, notifications included, or only the window you share. In control mode, it uses your keyboard and mouse.
• The shared clipboard is on by default, in control mode only: what you copy during the session is sent to the other Mac, except items marked as concealed, such as those from a password manager. A view-only viewer does not receive it. You can turn it off in the settings.
• The viewing Mac can record the session as a video, without audio. Since version 0.2.34, you are warned by a red banner, a notification and the menu bar icon. A viewer still on 0.2.33 can still record without you knowing: Beam then tells you that it uses an older version. And nothing stops someone from filming their own screen with another tool.
• No file arrives without your consent, and beyond 5 pending files, the next ones are refused. A Mac still on 0.2.33 still saves the files it receives without asking.
• If you allow extra viewers (off by default), you accept or refuse each one; an unanswered request expires after 2 minutes.

Beam is free, for personal and professional use.

Only use Beam to access a Mac with its user's consent, and only record a session with the consent of the person whose screen is shared. Accessing a computer without authorization is prohibited and punishable by law.

Beam is provided as is, within the limits allowed by law. The relay is a free service with no availability guarantee.

Only download Beam from this page or from its official GitHub page (github.com/Titi257/beam): a copy published elsewhere may have been modified.

Beam uses the open-source Sparkle library, under the MIT license, for its updates; its full license is in the app, under About Beam.

Beam is developed by Kévin Boileux and presented on this website, published by KB Digital Services LLC (see the legal notice), which runs the relay.

Relay data is only used to run Beam and protect it from abuse. To access it or have it erased, write to contact@kevin-boileux.com with your Beam ID. You can also contact the CNIL, the French data protection authority.