Guard Privacy Policy

Srpska verzija

This Privacy Policy explains what personal data is involved when you use Guard, what Albedo One does and does not collect, and the rights you may have. It should be read alongside the Guard End User License Agreement, published at https://guard.getalbedoone.com/eula.html.

1. Our approach: local-first and data-minimizing

Guard is local-first desktop software. It is designed so that protected source files, Snapshots, Archives, Job settings, and related metadata remain on storage locations you select and are not transmitted to Albedo One during normal use.

In this Policy, “Albedo One” refers to Dejan Stanojević acting as the Data Controller under that name. The Controller collects as little personal data as reasonably possible for selling licenses, providing support, maintaining security, and complying with law. Guard does not require an account, contain advertising, or include in-app analytics or behavioral tracking controlled by the Controller.

2. Data stored on your device

The following are stored locally and are not transmitted to Albedo One during normal use:

• the folders and files you choose to protect;
• Guard Archives, including stored file content, Snapshot manifests, objects, indexes, catalogs, and metadata;
• Job definitions, protected-folder lists, exclusions, retention settings, and application settings;
• restored files and selected restore destinations;
• Guard’s local application database and rebuildable Archive catalogs;
• the Guard license file; and
• local diagnostic logs.

Albedo One does not have remote access to this information. It may receive particular information only if you deliberately send it in a support message or diagnostic report, as described in Section 4. Information may also leave your device through network storage, third-party storage, synchronization, backup, email, security, or operating-system services that you choose or configure; those services are not controlled by Guard.

3. No in-app tracking

Guard does not include Albedo One analytics, usage tracking, advertising identifiers, behavioral profiling, or third-party tracking technologies inside the application.

Guard does not automatically connect to Albedo One to send usage information. A user-requested update check and information you deliberately send for support are described in Section 4. The operating system, installer, certificate-validation services, security software, file-sync tools, or other third-party components may make their own network requests under their own settings and policies.

4. Information received and when

Albedo One and the limited providers described in Section 6 may receive personal data in these situations:

a. Purchases and licenses

Guard licenses are sold through Lemon Squeezy, the Merchant of Record identified at checkout. Lemon Squeezy collects and processes payment and billing details under its own privacy notice. Albedo One does not receive or store full payment-card details.

Albedo One may receive order and license information needed to deliver and support a license, such as the buyer’s name, email address, product, order reference, license reference, transaction status, and relevant refund or chargeback status. The exact fields depend on the Merchant of Record and fulfillment method in use.

b. Support correspondence

If you contact Albedo One, it receives your contact details and whatever you choose to include. Do not send protected files, Archive contents, passwords, license secrets, or other sensitive information unless specifically requested and you are comfortable sharing it.

If you deliberately attach a document or diagnostic material, Albedo One receives that attachment and processes it to address the request.

c. Diagnostic and error reports

Guard may allow you to create a diagnostic or error report that you can review, save, and choose to send using your own communication method.

Such a report is designed to include limited environment facts needed for diagnosis, such as the time, Guard version, operating-system version, .NET runtime version, processor architecture, and diagnostic logs. Guard’s logging process is designed to redact common identifiers such as user-profile paths, usernames, and drive-rooted or UNC paths where detected.

Redaction is a risk-reduction measure, not a guarantee: arbitrary error messages or logs may still contain identifying or confidential information. A report is not designed to include protected file contents or Archives, but review the ZIP and its text logs before sending it and remove anything you do not want to share.

d. Software updates

Guard does not automatically check for Guard updates. If you manually select “Check for updates,” Guard downloads a static update manifest from an Albedo One endpoint and compares the published version locally. The request is not designed to include protected files, folder or Snapshot data, Archive contents, license secrets, or a unique installation identifier. Its ordinary HTTP user-agent identifies Guard and its current version.

As with a website request, the host may process standard technical data such as IP address, user agent, request time, and requested resource in server logs.

e. Websites and downloads

Albedo One’s Guard website does not intentionally use third-party advertising, behavioral analytics, tracking pixels, or tracking cookies. The hosting and download providers may process standard request data, including IP address, user agent, request time, and requested resource, to deliver, secure, and troubleshoot the service.

Where the hosting configuration provides aggregate statistics derived from request logs, Albedo One may use them to understand general traffic and download activity. Albedo One does not use those statistics to build individual visitor profiles.

5. How information is used

Albedo One uses the limited personal data it receives to:

• deliver licenses and confirm entitlement;
• provide support and respond to requests;
• diagnose, correct, and prevent product or licensing problems;
• protect Guard, customers, and the licensing system against fraud, abuse, tampering, and security threats;
• operate and secure websites and downloads; and
• comply with legal, tax, accounting, complaint-handling, and dispute obligations.

Albedo One does not sell personal data or use it for targeted advertising.

6. Providers and recipients

Data may be processed by:

• Lemon Squeezy, as Merchant of Record, for the sale, payment, tax, order, refund, and fraud functions described in its own terms;
• email and communication providers used to receive and answer messages;
• update, download, and website hosting providers used to distribute Guard and operate its websites; and
• professional advisers, public authorities, courts, or other recipients where reasonably necessary to establish or defend legal rights or comply with law.

Some providers act as independent controllers under their own notices; others process data for Albedo One. They receive only the information reasonably needed for their role. Provider identities, locations, and terms may change; current details may be requested using the contact in Section 14.

7. Legal bases

Where the GDPR, Serbian data-protection law, or similar legislation applies, processing is based on one or more of:

• contract or steps requested before contract—to deliver and support the purchased license;
• legitimate interests—to provide support, diagnose problems, secure the product and websites, prevent abuse, maintain necessary business records, and establish or defend claims, balanced against individual rights;
• legal obligation—to meet tax, accounting, consumer, regulatory, and lawful-authority requirements; and
• consent—only where consent is specifically requested and may legally be withdrawn.

Albedo One does not rely on consent merely because someone purchased or used Guard.

8. International processing and transfers

Albedo One is based in Serbia. Providers and customers may be located in Serbia, the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, the United States, or other countries.

Some providers collect data directly as independent controllers under their own privacy notices. Where Albedo One is responsible for transferring personal data across a border and a transfer mechanism is legally required, it will use a mechanism appropriate to the destination and relationship, such as an adequacy decision, approved contractual clauses, or another lawful safeguard.

Information about a particular provider, destination, or applicable safeguard may be requested using the contact in Section 14.

9. Retention

Albedo One keeps personal data only while reasonably needed for the purpose for which it was collected and for applicable legal requirements.

Retention is determined using these criteria:

• order and license records may be kept while needed to support a perpetual license, prove entitlement, administer refunds or disputes, and satisfy tax, accounting, and limitation periods;
• support correspondence and diagnostic reports are kept while an issue is active and for a limited follow-up period based on the issue’s technical, security, and legal relevance;
• security, fraud, and dispute records may be kept for the period reasonably needed to investigate, prevent recurrence, or establish or defend claims; and
• website and download request logs are retained according to the configured host’s operational and security schedule.

When information is no longer needed, it is deleted or anonymized where reasonably practicable. Legal holds, unresolved disputes, and mandatory record-keeping may extend a period.

Data stored locally by Guard remains under your control until you delete it or the storage system removes it.

10. Individual rights

Depending on applicable law and the processing basis, you may have rights to:

• request access to personal data;
• correct inaccurate data;
• request erasure;
• restrict or object to certain processing;
• receive eligible data in a portable form;
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and
• lodge a complaint with a competent data-protection authority.

Send a request to hello@getalbedoone.com. Albedo One may request information reasonably necessary to locate records and confirm identity. Rights can be limited by applicable exceptions, including legal record-keeping and the rights of others.

For data controlled by a Merchant of Record or another independent controller, the request may need to be directed to that organization.

11. Security

Guard’s local-first design means protected files, Archives, Snapshots, and Job information are not normally held by Albedo One. You are responsible for protecting your computer, user account, source locations, Archive locations, backups, encryption keys, network storage, and any third-party storage or synchronization services you use. Guard does not encrypt Archives unless a product version expressly states otherwise.

Albedo One applies reasonable measures to the limited information it receives and selects service providers with relevant security practices. No storage or transmission method is completely secure, and absolute security cannot be guaranteed.

12. Children

Guard is intended for adults and is not directed to children. Albedo One does not knowingly solicit personal data from children through Guard. If you believe a child has provided personal data, contact Albedo One so the situation can be assessed and appropriate action taken.

13. Changes to this policy

Albedo One may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in Guard, providers, operations, or law. The version and effective date will be updated. Material changes will be made available through the application or website and communicated directly where appropriate and reasonably possible.

14. Contact

Questions, rights requests, and privacy complaints may be sent to:

Email: hello@getalbedoone.com Data Controller: Dejan Stanojević, publishing software under the Albedo One name Geographic contact address: Dimitrija Tucovića 34, Apartment 6, 11120 Belgrade, Serbia Telephone: +381 65 221 4695 Telephone hours: Monday-Friday, 10:00-12:00 Belgrade time, excluding Serbian public holidays Website: https://guard.getalbedoone.com

Email is the preferred contact method and may be sent at any time. The address above is the geographic address for privacy and legal communications. Any additional representative or contact information required by applicable law must also be provided through the relevant website, checkout information, or direct communication.

Plain-English summary

This summary is for convenience. The numbered policy controls if the two conflict.

• Guard keeps protected files, Snapshots, Archives, Job settings, and related metadata on storage locations you select during normal use.
• Albedo One receives protected-file or diagnostic material only if you deliberately send it, such as in a support request.
• Guard has no Albedo One account requirement, ads, behavioral analytics, or in-app usage tracking.
• A manual update check may create a standard website request; Guard does not automatically check for Guard updates.
• Diagnostic redaction reduces risk but may not catch every identifier, so review a report before sending it.
• Purchase, support, website, and security providers process the limited data needed for their roles.
• Albedo One does not sell personal data or use it for targeted advertising.
• You may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, object to, or obtain eligible personal data.