Patch posted at https://github.com/wimleers/fileconveyor/issues/62#issuecomment-1511875.

fileconveyor-utf8.patch

diff --git code/arbitrator.py code/arbitrator.py
index a56cd43..071c913 100644
--- code/arbitrator.py
+++ code/arbitrator.py
@@ -247,6 +247,7 @@
 
         # Create connection to synced files DB.
         self.dbcon = sqlite3.connect(SYNCED_FILES_DB)
+        self.dbcon.text_factory = str
         self.dbcur = self.dbcon.cursor()
         self.dbcur.execute("CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS synced_files(input_file text, transported_file_basename text, url text, server text)")
         self.dbcur.execute("CREATE UNIQUE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS file_unique_per_server ON synced_files (input_file, server)")
diff --git code/fsmonitor.py code/fsmonitor.py
index 46a4bab..7e0a3c8 100644
--- code/fsmonitor.py
+++ code/fsmonitor.py
@@ -147,6 +147,7 @@
         # Database.
         if self.dbcur is None:
             self.dbcon = sqlite3.connect(self.dbfile)
+            self.dbcon.text_factory = str
             self.dbcur = self.dbcon.cursor()
         # PathScanner.
         if self.persistent == True and self.dbcur is not None:
diff --git code/pathscanner.py code/pathscanner.py
index 2c86f65..1660f47 100644
--- code/pathscanner.py
+++ code/pathscanner.py
@@ -98,7 +98,6 @@
         
         Returns False if there is already data available for this path.
         """
-        path = path.decode('utf-8')
 
         # Check if there really isn't any data available for this path.
         self.dbcur.execute("SELECT COUNT(filename) FROM %s WHERE path=?" % (self.table), (path,))
@@ -111,7 +110,6 @@
 
     def purge_path(self, path):
         """purge the metadata for a given path and all its subdirectories"""
-        path = path.decode('utf-8')
 
         self.dbcur.execute("DELETE FROM %s WHERE path LIKE ?" % (self.table), (path + "%",))
         self.dbcur.execute("VACUUM %s" % (self.table))
@@ -179,7 +177,6 @@
         - Can detect deleted directory trees.
         """
 
-        path = path.decode('utf-8')
         # Fetch the old metadata from the DB.
         self.dbcur.execute("SELECT filename, mtime FROM %s WHERE path=?" % (self.table), (path, ))
         old_files = {}
@@ -221,7 +218,6 @@
 
     def scan_tree(self, path):
         """scan a directory tree for changes"""
-        path = path.decode('utf-8')
 
         # Scan the current directory for changes.
         result = self.scan(path)
diff --git code/persistent_list.py code/persistent_list.py
index 60a1d88..6840a07 100644
--- code/persistent_list.py
+++ code/persistent_list.py
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
     def __prepare_db(self, dbfile):
         sqlite3.register_converter("pickle", cPickle.loads)
         self.dbcon = sqlite3.connect(dbfile, detect_types=sqlite3.PARSE_DECLTYPES|sqlite3.PARSE_COLNAMES)
+        self.dbcon.text_factory = str
         self.dbcur = self.dbcon.cursor()
         self.dbcur.execute("CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS %s(id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT, item pickle)" % (self.table))
         self.dbcon.commit()
diff --git code/persistent_queue.py code/persistent_queue.py
index 230688c..869072a 100644
--- code/persistent_queue.py
+++ code/persistent_queue.py
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@
     def __prepare_db(self, dbfile):
         sqlite3.register_converter("pickle", cPickle.loads)
         self.dbcon = sqlite3.connect(dbfile, detect_types=sqlite3.PARSE_DECLTYPES|sqlite3.PARSE_COLNAMES)
+        self.dbcon.text_factory = str
         self.dbcur = self.dbcon.cursor()
         self.dbcur.execute("CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS %s(id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT, item pickle)" % (self.table))
         self.dbcon.commit()
@@ -121,6 +122,7 @@
 
     def __prepare_db(self, dbfile):
         self.dbcon = sqlite3.connect(dbfile)
+        self.dbcon.text_factory = str
         self.dbcur = self.dbcon.cursor()
 
 
diff --git code/processors/link_updater.py code/processors/link_updater.py
index fd57581..60b5b60 100644
--- code/processors/link_updater.py
+++ code/processors/link_updater.py
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@
         # Step 3: verify that each of these files has been synced.
         synced_files_db = urljoin(sys.path[0] + os.sep, SYNCED_FILES_DB)
         self.dbcon = sqlite3.connect(synced_files_db)
+        self.dbcon.text_factory = str
         self.dbcur = self.dbcon.cursor()
         all_synced = True
         for urlstring in getUrls(sheet):
diff --git code/verify.py code/verify.py
index 8cbd2c1..8aaece2 100644
--- code/verify.py
+++ code/verify.py
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 num_files_invalid = 0
 
 dbcon = sqlite3.connect(SYNCED_FILES_DB)
+dbcon.text_factory = str
 dbcur = dbcon.cursor()
 num_files = dbcur.execute("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM synced_files").fetchone()[0]
 dbcur.execute("SELECT input_file, url, server FROM synced_files ORDER BY server")