CrimeOwl Security Q&A: How We Handle Sensitive Case Files
Is CrimeOwl a simple OpenAI wrapper?
No. CrimeOwl is not a wrapper.
Our import and retrieval pipeline uses AI to analyze, structure, and determine meaning from case data. This includes:
Computer vision for images and scanned documents
Audio and video transcription when applicable
Deduplication and extraction of relevant entities such as people, locations, dates, and relationships
High-dimensional embeddings to maximize relevance and accuracy in retrieval
All processing is optimized to surface the most meaningful case information.
CrimeOwl runs on Microsoft Azure. Each task uses the most appropriate AI model for the job. Our Azure-hosted instances are unfiltered and operate entirely within our own Azure subscription, with all data stored in the United States.
We also use Vercel AI services, which support zero data retention. No data is stored through these services.
This provides a secure environment where cases can remain private or be selectively shared with invited collaborators.
Why is CrimeOwl different from tools like Google NotebookLM, ChatGPT, or other consumer-facing AI products?
CrimeOwl is purpose-built for investigations.
Key differences include:
A structured, case-first workflow designed specifically for investigative use
Multiple expert personas to assist with analysis and reasoning
Asset-level filtering with the ability to include or exclude specific files
Every answer links back to the exact source assets used
Our Insights interface automatically:
Summarizes the case
Suggests follow-up questions
Extracts people, locations, and dates
Generates timelines, social graphs, and location maps
The goal is not note-taking, but accelerating insight and decision-making.
Is my data secure?
Yes.
You control who has access to your data. All data in transit and at rest is encrypted, including files and databases.
You can revoke access at any time, even after inviting collaborators. If required, we can discuss provisioning dedicated storage and databases so that even CrimeOwl personnel cannot access your data.
No sensitive data is stored outside of our controlled services.
We use secure, US-based providers including Microsoft Azure and Vercel.
How do you protect your cloud infrastructure?
All communications are encrypted
Data at rest in Azure data centers is encrypted, including Blob Storage and PostgreSQL databases
Database access is restricted to approved IP addresses only
Access keys use strong credentials, and Azure access requires two-factor authentication
TLS 1.3 is enforced for all web applications
Weak SSL ciphers are disabled
Industry-standard authentication frameworks such as NextAuth are used
External security scans are run against our public IP addresses
We follow cloud security best practices throughout the stack.
What are the system limits?
CrimeOwl is designed to scale.
The platform can handle thousands of cases and tens of thousands of files and assets. As usage grows, we scale resources and apply optimizations as needed.
While we are a small team, we are cloud-native and can scale up or out quickly.
For organizations with hundreds or thousands of files, we offer custom cloud integrations to support bulk importing.
Everything in CrimeOwl is built with scalability in mind.
What file types are supported?
CrimeOwl supports common document, image, audio, and video formats used in investigations.
Additional file types can be added on request.
What happens in the background?
Once a case is created and assets are uploaded:
Each file is analyzed based on its type
Documents and images are processed using text extraction and computer vision
Audio and video are transcribed using video indexing services
Extracted content is analyzed by AI to determine meaning and relevance
Key entities such as people, locations, dates, and relationships are identified
Insights are generated and securely stored in Microsoft Azure data centers in the United States
After processing, investigators can:
Ask free-form questions about the case
Generate reports
Run automated checks
Explore timelines, relationships, and patterns across all case data
The system is designed to surface insight, not just store information.
If you are an investigator and have any questions about security, or want to collaborate, please reach out to ash@crimeowl.ai