Data Portability and Switching Schedule

Version 1.0 — Effective 1 November 2026

1. Scope

This Schedule applies to the Project Owner’s use of Alpha, Beta, Omega and Plotbox/Plotmail insofar as each operates as a hosted Online Service falling within Chapter VI of Regulation (EU) 2023/2854. It does not apply to purely local Desktop Software or ordinary Authorised Recipients.

2. Available exit options

A Project Owner may request:

• export of exportable data to the Desktop Software or another local environment;
• direct retrieval of an export package;
• transfer to another provider where technically feasible;
• termination of the affected Online Service; or
• deletion without switching.

A request may be authenticated using the relevant private link, token, owner credential, recovery material or other credential associated with the Project. Interrobang will not ordinarily require an account to make the request.

To make a formal switching or exit request, email [email protected] and identify the relevant Project or share. Interrobang will explain the owner-authorisation information needed to verify the request. Do not send an encryption key unless a secure, documented method is provided.

3. Exportable data

Exportable data includes, where held for the relevant Online Service, manuscripts, chapters, notes, highlights, comments, suggested or accepted edits, Plotbox and Plotmail content, project metadata, user-created labels, recipient and permission settings, expiry and status information, and other customer input or output data reasonably necessary for effective portability.

4. Excluded data

Exportable data does not include Interrobang source code, proprietary application functionality, internal infrastructure configurations, confidential security or abuse-detection rules, vulnerability information, or data that has been irreversibly anonymised. An exclusion will not be applied merely because export would be inconvenient or where it would prevent effective switching.

5. Formats and interfaces

Desktop manuscript exports support Word (.docx), PDF (.pdf), HTML (.html), Markdown (.md) and plain text (.txt). These formats export the selected manuscript chapters; they do not by themselves export every category listed in Section 3.

The Desktop Software also supports a complete local-project bundle (.intb). This is a ZIP archive containing intb_manifest.json and a project/ directory with the project’s locally stored files in their existing formats. It includes locally held chapters, notes, sheets, boards, images, metadata and downloaded reader feedback. Data held only online or in another browser is not included until it has been retrieved into the project.

For manuscript export, open the project’s Export dialog, choose the required format and chapters, and save the result. For a complete local-project bundle, use “Pack entire project as .intb” in the project controls or project context menu. Where owner-authorised Omega recovery is available, individual recovered chapters can also be downloaded as plain-text (.txt) files.

For online records, open “Online data…” in a project’s Alpha, Beta or Omega dialog, or “Online data export and switching…” in Desktop Plotbox. Select the relevant owned link, check its status and choose “Start formal switching request”. This closes recipient access to that link and preserves its existing records. A request must be made while the records still exist; data already deleted cannot be restored. For assistance, email [email protected] with the request reference. Do not email private keys or owner credentials.

Choose “Download preserved data” to save a ZIP archive containing UTF-8 JSON Lines (.jsonl) files, a manifest and reading instructions. Separate files contain the selected link’s package and metadata, pending writing updates, server-held drafts, comments and Plotbox/Plotmail records, where held, including retained deletion/resolution markers. The encrypted/ folder preserves original encrypted records; the readable/ folder contains content decrypted locally with the owner’s key. Neither the owner credential nor the decryption key is included in the archive. Protect the archive because the readable files are not encrypted.

Each archive covers the selected online link. Repeat for other owned links as needed; local projects and data held only in another browser must be exported separately. The desktop controls also list locally retained credentials for previous Plotbox links. Downloading does not by itself complete the transition or request deletion. Use “Confirm transition completed” when finished, or explicitly request earlier deletion with “Delete preserved data early”. An agreed extension can be applied before the transition ends, subject to Section 6. Direct automated migration to every other provider is not promised.

Where content is protected using a user-controlled key, decryption and export may take place locally in the Desktop Software or authorised browser. Interrobang is not required to obtain or retain the user’s key solely to produce an export.

6. Time periods

Self-service exports will be made available without undue delay. For a requested switching process, any notice period will not exceed two months and the transitional period will ordinarily not exceed 30 calendar days. If completion within 30 calendar days is technically unfeasible, Interrobang will notify the customer within 14 working days, explain the reason and identify an alternative transitional period not exceeding seven months.

Exportable data will remain available for retrieval for at least 30 calendar days after the transitional period ends, unless the customer requests earlier deletion where legally and technically possible.

The retrieval period for a formal switching or exit request is separate from routine link expiry or revocation. Ordinary expired or revoked links follow the 24-hour active-service deletion schedule described in the Terms and Privacy Policy. Where Chapter VI applies, a switching request made by the Project Owner before ordinary deletion is completed suspends that routine deletion for the relevant exportable data. Those data must remain retrievable throughout the applicable transition and for at least 30 calendar days after it ends. This does not automatically extend every expired link to 30 days or restore data already deleted.

7. Assistance, continuity and deletion

During switching, Interrobang will provide reasonable assistance, maintain appropriate security and service continuity, identify known material continuity risks and avoid deliberately obstructing export or deletion.

After the applicable retrieval period, active-service data will be deleted in accordance with this Schedule, the Privacy Policy and the applicable feature notice. Provider recovery copies, security logs, legal holds and independently retained recipient copies may follow separate disclosed rules.

8. Limitations

Loss of a user-controlled key may make decryption impossible. Interrobang cannot delete recipient-held screenshots, exports or device copies. Third-party services may not reproduce every Interrobang feature, format or permission. Switching transfers exportable data and digital assets, not Interrobang’s proprietary software or functionality.

9. Charges

Interrobang does not charge for export, switching, retrieval, termination or deletion under this Schedule.