Privacy Policy
How PCDOTS Software handles your personal information. We aim to be specific, honest, and transparent rather than burying our practices in legalese.
We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for marketing. The PCDOTS software you install processes your email and data files locally on your machine only. We never receive a copy. We do collect basic information when you visit pcdots.com or buy a license (name, email, payment details), and we use it only to provide the service you asked for and meet legal obligations.
Data via the website
When you visit pcdots.com, buy a license, or contact support, we collect basic information described in this policy.
Data via the software
The PCDOTS app processes everything locally on your machine. We never receive your email files, mailboxes, or any data you process.
01 Our Commitment
PCDOTS Software ("PCDOTS", "we", "us") respects the privacy of everyone who visits our website or uses our software. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and what rights you have over your information.
We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for their marketing purposes. We use the information you provide only for the purposes described in this policy, and we follow applicable privacy laws including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
If you have any questions about this policy, contact us at [email protected].
02 Data Processed by the Software
Our software products are desktop applications installed on your Windows computer. They process your email files, mailboxes, and any other data you load into them entirely on your local machine.
This is a deliberate architectural choice. It has the following implications for your privacy:
- We do not upload your source files or email content to PCDOTS servers.
- We do not have access to the data you process with our software.
- We do not store any copies of your data on our infrastructure.
- We cannot access, read, or recover your data even if you ask us to.
The only information our software transmits to PCDOTS is the data needed to validate your license activation and check for software updates. This is technical data only and does not include any of your email content.
03 What We Collect via the Website
When you interact with pcdots.com, we collect the following categories of information:
Information you give us directly
- Order information. When you purchase a license, we collect your name, email address, billing address, and payment details (processed by our payment processors, see Section 5).
- Support requests. When you contact support via email, live chat, the contact form, or phone, we collect your name, email address, phone number (if provided), and the content of your message.
- Newsletter sign-ups. When you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address to send the messages you opted into.
Information collected automatically
- Usage data. Standard server logs that record IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URL, and pages viewed. This is used for security, analytics, and troubleshooting.
- Cookies. See Section 6 for details on what cookies we set and why.
04 How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following specific purposes:
- To process your purchase and deliver your activation key (lawful basis: contract performance).
- To provide customer support when you contact us with a question or issue (lawful basis: contract performance).
- To send transactional emails like order confirmations, refund notifications, and license expiration warnings (lawful basis: contract performance).
- To send marketing emails only if you have opted in to our newsletter, and you can unsubscribe at any time (lawful basis: consent).
- To prevent fraud, abuse, and security issues on our website and infrastructure (lawful basis: legitimate interest).
- To comply with legal obligations including tax records, accounting, and lawful requests from authorities (lawful basis: legal obligation).
- To improve our products and website through aggregated analytics that does not identify individual users (lawful basis: legitimate interest).
We do not use your personal information for automated decision-making or profiling that would have legal or similarly significant effects on you.
07 Data Retention
We retain your personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law.
- Order records: retained for 7 years to comply with tax and accounting requirements.
- Support communications: retained for up to 3 years for reference, then deleted.
- Newsletter subscriptions: retained until you unsubscribe.
- Sample files shared during support: deleted after the support case is resolved, typically within 30 days.
- Server logs: retained for up to 90 days for security and troubleshooting.
You can request deletion of your information at any time by contacting [email protected], subject to legal retention requirements.
08 Security
We use industry-standard security measures to protect the information we hold:
- All connections to pcdots.com use HTTPS encryption with valid TLS certificates.
- Payment processing happens through PCI-compliant third-party processors; we do not store full credit card numbers on our servers.
- Access to customer data is restricted to employees who need it to perform their job, with appropriate authentication and audit controls.
- Software installers are digitally signed and scanned by 70+ antivirus engines before release.
- Our infrastructure is hosted with reputable providers that maintain SOC 2 or equivalent certifications.
While we implement strong protections, no method of transmission or storage is 100 percent secure. If we ever experience a data breach affecting your information, we will notify you in accordance with applicable law.
09 Your Rights (GDPR)
If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have the following rights regarding your personal information under the GDPR:
Right of access
Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Right to rectification
Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure
Request deletion of your information, subject to legal retention requirements.
Right to restrict processing
Request that we limit how we process your data in specific circumstances.
Right to data portability
Receive your data in a structured, commonly used format you can transfer elsewhere.
Right to object
Object to processing based on legitimate interest, including direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent
Withdraw consent for processing that is based on consent, such as marketing emails.
Right to lodge a complaint
Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe we are not handling your data appropriately.
To exercise any of these rights, contact [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.
10 California Rights (CCPA)
If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (as amended by the CPRA):
- Right to know what personal information we have collected about you and how we use it.
- Right to delete personal information we have collected, subject to legal retention requirements.
- Right to correct inaccurate personal information.
- Right to opt out of sale or sharing of personal information. As stated above, we do not sell or share your personal information in the ways defined by the CCPA, so there is nothing to opt out of.
- Right to limit use of sensitive personal information. We do not use sensitive personal information beyond what is necessary to provide our services.
- Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights.
To exercise any of these rights, contact [email protected]. We will respond within 45 days.
11 International Data Transfers
PCDOTS is headquartered in the United States with engineering operations in India. Information you provide may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in either of these locations.
If you are located in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, your data may be transferred to countries that may not have data protection laws equivalent to your home jurisdiction. When such transfers occur, we use Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission and other appropriate safeguards to protect your information.
12 Children's Privacy
PCDOTS Software is not intended for use by children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided personal information to us, contact [email protected] and we will delete the information promptly.
13 Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. The most current version is always available at pcdots.com/privacy.html with the effective date shown at the top of the page.
For material changes that affect how we use your existing personal information, we will notify you by email (if we have your email address on file) at least 30 days before the change takes effect.
14 Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your rights, or believe we have not handled your information appropriately, contact us:
PCDOTS Software
Privacy Office
964 E. Badillo Street
Covina, CA 91724, USA
Email: [email protected]
General support: [email protected]
Phone: +1 616 232 6010
We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 days. For more information about our other policies, see our End User License Agreement and Refund Policy.