This project is designed to inventory private local archives. The public repository contains the scanner and contracts, not the archives.

• Keep config/sources.json private and out of Git.
• Review every configured absolute source path before running an inventory.
• Keep data/, generated databases, extracts, thumbnails, transcripts, and research records private.
• Do not expose a locally populated dashboard to an untrusted network without appropriate authentication and authorization.
• Do not send personal text or local paths to external research services.
• Treat duplicate hashes as evidence for review, never as automatic permission to delete an original.
• Use synthetic fixtures when reporting defects.

The inventory engine does not follow symlinks or junctions and refuses output outside the Dashboard project. Those controls are tested, but they do not replace normal filesystem permissions and backups.