Privacy Policy
1. Who we are
S7 PLC Buddy LLC (“we”, “us”, or “our”) develops and operates the S7 PLC Buddy desktop application. You can reach us at s7plcbuddy+contact@gmail.com.
For users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and United Kingdom, S7 PLC Buddy LLC acts as the data controller for the personal data described in this policy.
2. What data we collect and why
S7 PLC Buddy is a desktop application. The vast majority of data — PLC tag values, diagnostic events, alarm records, TIA Portal project content — never leaves your local machine or network. We collect only the minimum necessary to operate the service.
| Data | Purpose | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Machine identifier & license status | Verify trial eligibility and Pro subscription validity | Our licensing server (Cloudflare Workers) |
| License key (if purchased) | Activate and validate your Pro license | Our licensing server; Lemon Squeezy |
| AI Agent message text | Generate AI responses via Claude | Anthropic API — not stored by us |
| App settings (PLC IP, model preference, workspace path) | Persist your configuration between sessions | Encrypted SQLite database on your local machine only |
| Anthropic API key | Authenticate with the Anthropic API on your behalf | Encrypted on your local machine (Windows DPAPI); never transmitted to us |
| Support correspondence | Respond to your enquiries | Our email inbox only |
PLC data stays local. Tag values, diagnostic buffer contents, alarm records, and TIA Portal project data are processed entirely on your machine and your plant network. We have no access to this data.
3. Legal basis for processing (EEA & UK users)
Where the GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we rely on the following legal bases:
- Contract (Art. 6(1)(b)): Processing your license key and machine identifier to provide the service you subscribed to.
- Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): Fraud prevention and license abuse detection. Our interest in protecting the integrity of the service is not overridden by your privacy interests given the limited nature of the data.
- Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): Where you voluntarily contact us for support, you consent to us using the information you provide to assist you.
4. Third-party services
- Anthropic: When you use the AI Agent, your message text is sent to the Anthropic Claude API under your own API key. Anthropic's data handling is governed by their Privacy Policy. We do not store conversation content on our servers.
- Lemon Squeezy: Handles payment processing and subscription management. When you purchase a Pro license, Lemon Squeezy collects your payment details. Their handling is governed by the Lemon Squeezy Privacy Policy.
- Cloudflare: Our licensing server runs on Cloudflare Workers and our installer is hosted on Cloudflare R2. Cloudflare may process request metadata (IP address, timestamps) in the course of delivering these services. See the Cloudflare Privacy Policy.
5. Data retention
License validation records (machine identifier and license status) are retained for the duration of your subscription and for up to seven years thereafter as required for accounting and tax purposes. We do not retain AI Agent conversation content. Support correspondence is retained for as long as necessary to resolve your enquiry and for a reasonable period thereafter.
6. Your rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you.
- Rectify inaccurate data.
- Erase your data (“right to be forgotten”), subject to legal retention obligations.
- Restrict or object to certain processing.
- Data portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at s7plcbuddy+contact@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days. EEA and UK users also have the right to lodge a complaint with their local supervisory authority.
7. Security
Your Anthropic API key and license key are stored encrypted on your local machine using the Windows Data Protection API (DPAPI), which ties encryption to your Windows user account. We never log or transmit these keys. Our licensing server communicates exclusively over HTTPS. No payment details are ever processed or stored by S7 PLC Buddy LLC — all payment handling is delegated to Lemon Squeezy.
8. International transfers
S7 PLC Buddy LLC is based in the United States. If you are located in the EEA or UK, your license validation data is transferred to and processed in the United States. Cloudflare and Lemon Squeezy maintain Standard Contractual Clauses and other appropriate safeguards for international data transfers. Anthropic processes data under your own API agreement with them.
9. Children’s privacy
S7 PLC Buddy is an industrial software tool intended for professional use. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under the age of 16. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. For material changes, we will notify you through the application or by email. Continued use of the Software after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
11. Contact
Questions or requests regarding this Privacy Policy? Contact us at s7plcbuddy+contact@gmail.com.