Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how photorec.net collects, uses, and protects information when you visit our website. photorec.net is an independent resource built around PhotoRec, the open source file recovery utility maintained by CGSecurity. We publish download information, usage guidance, and software-specific reference material for people who need help recovering deleted files.

This policy covers the website only. It does not govern the PhotoRec application running on your own computer, removable media, or recovery destination drive. Because PhotoRec is commonly used after accidental deletion, reformats, and filesystem damage, we want this page to be direct about what data the website sees and what it does not see.

By using photorec.net, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree with the policy, you should stop using the website.

2. Information We Collect

We keep data collection limited to what is needed to operate a software information website and respond to direct messages. We do not require registration before someone can read about PhotoRec, view instructions, or download files linked from the site.

a) Information You Voluntarily Provide

If you contact us through the Contact page, you may provide your name, email address, and the contents of your message. That message may include technical details you choose to share, such as the version of PhotoRec you used, the type of storage media involved, the operating system on your computer, or a description of what happened before data loss. We use that information only to review and answer your request.

Outside of contact submissions, we do not ask you to create an account, upload personal documents, save payment details, or submit purchase information. There is no user login system and no checkout flow on photorec.net.

b) Information Collected Automatically

Like most websites, photorec.net collects some technical information automatically when pages load. This may include your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URL, the pages you visit, time spent on those pages, basic device category, and approximate location at the country or region level inferred from IP data. Some of this information comes from normal server logs, and some may be processed by Cloudflare and analytics tools when active.

We do not receive the contents of files you recover with PhotoRec through the website. We also do not inspect your damaged drive, memory card, USB device, or other media. PhotoRec runs locally on your machine, and this website does not gain access to your recovered files simply because you read our guides.

c) Cookies and Tracking Technologies

photorec.net may use several types of cookies and similar technologies.

• Essential cookies: WordPress and related site functions may use basic cookies required to render pages and maintain normal site behavior.
• Analytics cookies: Google Analytics 4 may be active to measure page views, session duration, traffic sources, and other aggregated usage trends. GA4 is not intended to collect directly identifying profile data through our site content.
• Advertising cookies: Google AdSense may be active to display ads. If enabled, Google and other vendors may use cookies to show ads based on prior visits to this and other websites.
• Cloudflare cookies: Cloudflare may set functional cookies such as `__cf_bm` or `__cflb` for bot management, traffic handling, and performance.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information described above to operate and maintain photorec.net, understand which PhotoRec guides are useful, respond to contact requests, serve advertising when enabled, and protect the site from abuse or malicious traffic. For example, analytics can show whether visitors spend more time on a Windows setup guide or a recovery workflow article, while Cloudflare can help filter bots hitting download pages.

We do not use your information to build a hidden customer profile, and we do not use contact form data for unrelated marketing campaigns. The site exists to publish software information, not to run a subscriber database.

4. Third-Party Services

To keep photorec.net available and useful, we may rely on a small set of third-party services. Each service has its own privacy policy and operational rules.

We do not control the internal practices of those providers. When you interact with their systems through our website, their own policies also apply.

5. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal data. We do not rent mailing lists, trade inquiry details, or share visitor information with unrelated brokers.

We may share limited information with service providers already described in this policy, such as Cloudflare for security and Google services for analytics or advertising when active. We may also disclose information if required by law, subpoena, court order, or another valid legal process. In addition, we may use aggregated or anonymized information internally to improve how we present PhotoRec downloads, warnings, and documentation.

6. Data Retention

We keep data only as long as there is an operational reason to keep it.

• Server logs: generally retained for up to 30 days or according to active server configuration.
• Analytics data: retained according to Google Analytics settings, commonly up to 14 months.
• Contact form messages: retained until the request is handled and no longer needs follow-up, then deleted when practical.
• Cookies: expiration varies. Some end when you close your browser, while others remain until their set expiration date or manual removal.

If a legal obligation requires longer retention, we may keep relevant records for that purpose and no broader one.

7. Your Rights and Choices

You can control a significant amount of data handling yourself. Most browsers let you block, limit, or delete cookies. You can also use the Google Analytics opt-out add-on and adjust ad personalization through Google settings if AdSense is active on the site.

If you previously sent us personal information through the Contact page and want it deleted, corrected, or reviewed, you can request that through our Contact page. We will evaluate the request in light of any legal obligations that require temporary retention.

• EU and EEA visitors: you may have rights to access, rectify, erase, restrict, port, or object to certain processing under GDPR.
• California visitors: you may have rights to know, delete, and request information about data handling under CCPA or related state rules, along with the right not to be discriminated against for exercising those rights.

Because photorec.net does not sell personal data, there is no separate sale opt-out workflow to invoke on this site.

8. Children's Privacy

photorec.net is not directed to children under 13, and the site content is written for people looking for PhotoRec downloads, troubleshooting steps, and recovery instructions. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that such information was submitted to us, we will remove it as soon as reasonably possible.

9. Security

We use HTTPS to encrypt traffic between your browser and the website. Cloudflare adds additional network protection, including DDoS mitigation and web request filtering, and our WordPress installation is maintained with the goal of reducing routine security risk.

No internet transmission or storage system can be guaranteed perfectly secure. Even so, we take reasonable steps to limit exposure, use trusted infrastructure, and keep data collection narrow in scope.

10. International Data Transfers

Our hosting stack and the third-party services named above may process data outside your country of residence. By using photorec.net, you understand that technical request data may cross borders as part of normal website delivery, analytics processing, ad serving, or security review.

Where applicable, those providers may rely on contractual commitments and other legal safeguards for cross-border transfers. Our use of these services is limited to operating the website and related support functions.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect operational changes, legal requirements, or changes in the services used to run photorec.net. When we do, we will post the revised text here and update the effective date shown at the top of the page.

Your continued use of the site after an update means you accept the revised policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to request deletion of contact form information, or need clarification about how photorec.net handles data connected to its PhotoRec guides and download pages, please contact us through our Contact page.