XCent — Privacy Policy
What we collect
XCent sends anonymous usage data to help us improve the plugin. It asks you on first launch, and you can turn it off at any time. XCent asks before it sends anything, and if you say no there is nothing to send and no identifier to send it with. When it is switched on, XCent sends:
- Plugin version, format (VST3, CLAP, AU, LV2, Standalone), and platform (Windows, macOS, Linux)
- Your DAW name and version
- Session information (sample rate, block size, session duration)
- A randomly generated install identifier — a UUID created when you opt in and stored locally on your device
A record is sent when a session starts and when it ends, when you open the issue reporter, and once more when you switch usage data off (see below).
We do not collect your name, email address, IP address, or any information that personally identifies you. The install identifier is random and is not linked to any personal data. If usage data is off, or you have not yet made a choice, XCent keeps no identifier: from version 0.15.72, any it stored before is deleted when XCent starts.
We collect nothing about the music you make: no audio, no MIDI, no patches, no presets, no file names, no file contents.
Checking for updates. Separately from the usage data above, XCent asks our server whether a newer version of XCent exists. This is its own request and does not depend on the choice you made about usage data: it happens whether that is switched on or off.
The request sends the product's short name — xcent — and nothing else of ours. There is no install identifier, no plugin version, no licence or serial, and nothing you have typed, played or loaded. It carries no cookies; our server sets none. Its headers are fixed: a User-Agent of KosNet/ and the version of our networking component (not of XCent, and the same for everyone running that version), a language header of *, so your language is not sent, and a request not to compress the reply. Your operating system adds the standard headers every web request carries, such as the server's name; they say nothing about you.
You choose how often under Check for updates in Settings → Privacy: daily, weekly, monthly, or never. Weekly is the default. On never, XCent makes no automatic check at all, and a Check now button asks once, only when you press it. Once a newer version has been found, XCent stops asking until you install it.
XCent never downloads or installs anything by itself. It shows an “Update available” notice linking to the product page, and that is all.
Issue reports
If you submit a bug report or feature request using the in-plugin issue reporter, we collect the information you provide: a title, description of the issue, and, if you choose to include it, your email address. This information is used solely to create a support issue and follow up with you. Your email appears only in the report itself — it is not stored in any database.
The report also carries the context that makes it actionable: the product, its version, your platform, the plugin format, and your DAW's name and version. Nothing else is attached.
Opening the issue reporter first checks that our server can be reached, so that on a bad connection you get a link to copy instead of a blank page. That check sends a timestamp and a signature that keeps spam out, and nothing else. If usage data is switched on, opening the reporter also sends one usage record; if it is off, it does not.
You can also report an issue without the plugin, at github.com/Knives-On-Strings/xcent.
How to opt out
Open Settings → Privacy and switch off Send anonymous usage data. Switching it off sends one last record saying so — it is how we know how many people opt out — and after that nothing more is sent. You can turn it back on from the same place. (Before XCent 0.15.71, which added the Privacy tab, these settings are under Settings → Appearance → Privacy.)
The update check is a separate choice in the same place: set Check for updates to never and XCent stops asking about new versions. Switching off usage data does not switch off the update check, and switching off the update check does not switch off usage data.
Data storage
Anonymous usage data is processed and stored by Cloudflare, Inc. (United States). See Cloudflare's privacy policy.
We store no IP addresses for any of these requests. Cloudflare, as the host, necessarily sees the address your computer connects from in order to answer the request.
Contact
Questions: [email protected]