Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 25, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Foddo ("we", "our") handles personal data for the Foddo website, free tools, and the Foddo desktop application. We keep data collection to the minimum needed to provide, protect, and improve the software. We do not sell personal data.

Who We Are

Data controller: MerginIT e.U. (Jonas Fröller), Austria. Contact us at jonas@merginit.com. Additional company details are listed in the Imprint.

Website and Free Tools

The Foddo website does not use analytics, advertising, or tracking cookies. The free tools run in your browser. Your files are processed locally and are not uploaded to our servers.

Some free-tool values may be kept temporarily in your browser session so one tool can hand information to another. This browser storage stays on your device and is not used to track you.

If you choose to leave your email in the Metadata Hygiene Checker, we use it to follow up about that report. The form sends your email together with a short scan summary, such as the score, risk level, number of findings, and submission time. It does not upload your image or the metadata values found in the file. When the email form is not shown, no email data is collected.

Like most websites, our hosting provider may process technical connection data, such as your IP address, browser information, requested page, and request time, to deliver and secure the website.

Desktop Application

Foddo is a local-first desktop application. Your images and processing data remain on your device unless you explicitly export them to a destination you configure.

License validation: If you enter a license key, the app may contact our license validation endpoint to verify it. The request includes the license key, product name, app version, machine name, operating system version, and a timestamp. This is used to validate your license and prevent abuse. These requests do not include your images. The license key may be stored locally in your operating system credential store so you do not need to enter it again.

Update checks: The app can check for updates by requesting a public update manifest. The app does not add your images, project files, or license key to this request.

Crash reports: If you enable crash reporting in the app settings, crash reports are stored locally on your device. They may include the error message, stack trace, app version, operating system version, and diagnostic context, but not image files by design. We do not automatically upload these reports.

Model downloads: Some features download machine learning models from public hosting providers. These downloads do not include your images, project files, or license key.

Network exports: If you configure exports (e.g., SFTP, S3, or similar), files are transmitted directly from your device to your configured destination. We do not receive or store those files. Export connection settings are stored locally, and passwords are stored in your operating system credential store where supported.

Payments

Payments and transactions are processed by the store or payment processor where you purchase Foddo. We do not process payment card data on this website.

Automated Decisions

The free tools may generate local risk scores or recommendations, but we do not use them to make automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.

Legal Bases

Where the GDPR applies, we rely on the legal bases that fit the specific processing: performance of a contract to provide the app and license services, legitimate interests to operate and secure the website and prevent abuse, consent for optional submissions or settings you enable, and legal obligations where records must be kept.

Service Providers

We use service providers only where needed, for example for website hosting, software distribution, payment processing, license validation, update hosting, and optional form handling. If personal data is transferred outside the European Economic Area, we use appropriate safeguards where required.

Data Retention

We retain data only as long as needed for the purposes described above. If you submit your email through an optional form, we keep it only as long as needed for follow-up or until you ask us to delete it, unless we need to keep it for legal reasons. License, transaction, and accounting records may be kept for the periods required by applicable law. Data stored only on your device remains there until you delete it, clear browser or app data, or remove Foddo.

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or restrict the processing of your personal data, object to certain processing, receive a copy of your data, request data portability where applicable, or withdraw consent where processing is based on consent. To exercise these rights, contact us using the details in the Imprint. You may also lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. In Austria, this is the Austrian Data Protection Authority.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top shows when changes were made.