Privacy Policy

At FileBuddy, we are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard personal information when you use our web platform, mobile applications, desktop client, and cloud storage services.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly to us: your name, email address, password hashes, and two-factor authentication factors when creating or managing your account. When you use our cloud storage, we collect file metadata (file names, sizes, cryptographic hashes, MIME types, and folder structures) necessary to store, organize, and sync your content. If you purchase a subscription, payment card details are collected and tokenized directly by our payment gateway (Stripe); never stores complete card numbers.

2. Technical & Device Telemetry

When you access , our servers automatically record technical connection data, including your Internet Protocol (IP) address, operating system, browser type and version, referring URLs, request timestamps, and device identifiers. This information is collected solely to maintain network security, diagnose connection faults, detect fraudulent activity, and enforce quota and rate limits.

3. What We Do NOT Do With Your Data

Your privacy is central to our mission. We adhere to strict data minimization principles: (a) we do NOT sell, rent, or trade your personal information or uploaded files to data brokers or advertisers; (b) we do NOT inspect or scan your private files for advertising purposes; and (c) we do NOT use your private files, documents, or media to train artificial intelligence or machine learning models.

4. How We Use Information

We use the information we collect strictly to: (a) provide, operate, optimize, and maintain the FileBuddy cloud storage service; (b) process upload and download requests, render media previews, and generate document thumbnails; (c) process subscription billing and invoice generation; (d) communicate critical account notices, security alerts, and system updates; (e) provide customer support and troubleshoot technical issues; and (f) detect, investigate, and prevent abusive, illegal, or malicious activities.

5. Data Storage, Security & Encryption

We implement industry-standard administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect your personal information and stored files. Data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using modern Transport Layer Security (TLS 1.3/HTTPS). Stored files are protected with robust encryption at rest (AES-256) on secure cloud storage infrastructure. While we employ rigorous security practices, no Internet transmission or digital storage method can guarantee absolute security.

6. Third-Party Service Providers

We partner with trusted third-party service providers who assist in operating our infrastructure. These include: (a) payment gateways (Stripe) for processing subscription charges; (b) cloud infrastructure and storage providers (such as Amazon Web Services or dedicated storage nodes) for encrypted object storage; and (c) monitoring and error diagnostic providers (such as Sentry and Nightwatch) for stability tracking. These third parties are bound by strict confidentiality and data protection agreements and are prohibited from using your data for any other purpose.

7. Cookies & Local Storage

We use essential session cookies and browser local storage strictly for platform functionality—such as authenticating your session, remembering your theme and language preferences, and protecting against Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF). We do not deploy third-party advertising tracking cookies.

8. Data Retention & Permanent Erasure

We retain your personal data and files for as long as your account remains active. When you delete a file or request full account deletion, the data is permanently erased from active storage systems. Limited transaction and billing records are retained for up to 7 years to fulfill statutory accounting and tax obligations. Security connection logs are retained for a rolling window of up to 90 days for anti-abuse protection before being purged.

9. Privacy Rights (GDPR & CCPA/CPRA)

Depending on your jurisdiction (such as under the EU General Data Protection Regulation or California Consumer Privacy Act), you possess fundamental privacy rights: (a) the right to access and receive a copy of your personal data; (b) the right to rectify inaccurate data; (c) the right to request deletion of your personal data ('right to be forgotten'); (d) the right to restrict or object to data processing; and (e) the right to data portability. You can exercise self-service data management and deletion directly in your Account Settings or by contacting our privacy team.

10. Children's Privacy

FileBuddy is not directed to children under 13 years of age (or under 16 in the European Economic Area). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we discover that a minor has provided us with personal data without verifiable parental consent, we will take immediate steps to delete the account and associated files.

11. Privacy Inquiries & Contact

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data handling practices, please contact our Data Protection and Privacy team at privacy@filebuddy.io.

Summary in Brief