Legal

Privacy Policy

Effective: 25 September 2026 · Last updated: 25 September 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Hongguo Downloader handles personal information when you visit our website, use our Windows app, buy a plan, or contact us. It says what we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and what rights you have.

1. 1. Who we are
2. 2. Key terms
3. 3. Information we collect
4. 4. What we do not collect
5. 5. How we use information
6. 6. Legal bases (EEA, UK, Switzerland)
7. 7. Automatic decisions
8. 8. Who we share information with
9. 9. No selling, no ad sharing
10. 10. International transfers
11. 11. How long we keep information
12. 12. Security
13. 13. Your rights and choices
14. 14. California privacy notice
15. 15. Children
16. 16. Cookies, local storage & analytics
17. 17. Third-party platforms & links
18. 18. Changes to this policy
19. 19. Contact us

1Who we are

Hongguo Downloader ("Hongguo Downloader", "we", "us" or "our") is operated by a company in the State of Florida, United States.

We are responsible for the personal information described in this policy. Under the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") we are the "controller". Under the California Consumer Privacy Act we are a "business", to the extent that law applies to us.

This policy covers:

• our website at hongguodownloader.com, including its Browse page and our catalog server at explorer.hongguodownloader.com;
• the Hongguo Downloader app for Windows;
• our license, payment and email services; and
• our Telegram bot @HongguoDownloaderBot and our support channels.

Together, these are the "Services".

Hongguo Downloader is an independent product. It is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by 红果 / Hongguo, hongguoduanju, ByteDance, or any video platform. Those companies, and other websites the Services link to, have their own privacy policies (see section 17).

This policy is a notice. It is not a contract, and you are not asked to "agree" to it. Our Terms of Service and Refund Policy apply separately. Nothing in this policy, or in our Terms, limits any right you have under data protection law that cannot be limited by contract.

2Key terms

In this policy, these words have the following meanings:

• App: the Hongguo Downloader desktop application for Windows.
• Website: hongguodownloader.com and its pages.
• Personal information: information that identifies you, or that can reasonably be linked to you or to your device, directly or indirectly. It includes "personal data" under the GDPR.
• Device ID: a code the App uses to recognize your PC (see section 3.2).
• Device label: your computer's name and your Windows user name, sent when you activate a key.
• License key (or "key"): the code you receive when you buy a paid plan. It looks like HG-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX.
• Platform: a third-party short-drama service or website whose videos the App helps you save. We do not own or control any Platform.
• Service provider: a company that handles personal information for us, on our instructions. Under the GDPR this is a "processor".
• Process: anything done with personal information, such as collecting, storing, using, sharing or deleting it.

Words defined in our Terms of Service mean the same things here. In this policy, "Services" means the Service, "Free plan" means the Free Plan, "license key" means a License Key, "Platform" means a Third-Party Platform, and "service provider" means a Service Provider, each as defined in the Terms.

3Information we collect

We collect only what we need to run the Services. What we collect depends on how you use them.

3.1 When you visit our Website

• Technical data. Our Website is hosted and protected by Cloudflare. When you visit, Cloudflare receives your IP address and the technical information your browser sends, such as the browser type and the page you asked for. This is needed to deliver pages to you and to protect the Website from attacks.
• Visitor statistics. We use Cloudflare Web Analytics to understand how many people visit. It gives us totals for page views, visits, the pages viewed, the websites that sent visitors to us, and visitors' countries. We use these totals only to understand traffic. See section 16.
• Theme choice. If you choose the light or dark theme, your browser remembers it on your own device. It is not sent to us.
• Browse page. See section 3.7.

The Website has no sign-up or contact forms. It does not ask for your name or email address.

3.2 When you use the App

The App runs on your PC, and most of what it does never reaches us. To make licenses and the Free plan work, the App sends the following to our license server:

• Device ID. The App creates a code that identifies your Windows installation. It does this by applying a one-way mathematical function (a "hash") to an identifier that Windows gives your installation, so the original identifier is not sent to us. If that identifier is not available, the App creates a random code instead. The device ID does not contain your name, but it is linked to your PC, so we treat it as personal information. The App sends it with every license request described in this section.
• License checks and activity. When the App starts, while its window is open (currently about every 10 minutes while the window is visible), and when you switch back to its window, the App tells our server your device ID so that it can show your correct plan. We record when your device was first seen and last seen, and whether it has a license. While you are online, the App also checks your license with our server about every 5 minutes. A licensed PC can keep working offline for up to 72 hours after its last successful check. The Free plan needs an internet connection.
• Free plan download records. On the Free plan, each time you start downloading a title (a series), the App sends our server your device ID and the ID of that title. We record the title ID and the time, and we keep a running total for your device. We use this to apply the limit of 2 titles per device per day (the day resets at 00:00 UTC), and so that downloading a title you already counted again does not count twice. Because this is a list of titles, it can show what kind of dramas you like. We do not collect these records for devices with an active license.
• Activation. When you activate a license key, the App sends the key, your device ID and a device label. The device label is your computer's name and your Windows user name, for example "LIVING-ROOM-PC / Alex". Your Windows user name may be your real name. We use the device label so that our support team can see which PC holds a key, for example if you ask us to reset a key for a lost or broken PC. We may also use it to prevent fraud and to respond to a payment dispute about that key (see section 5). We delete the device label when you deactivate that PC ("Deactivate this PC" in the App) or when we reset the key.
• Device security code. From App version 1.0.0.71, when a PC is activated, our server gives it a random security code that ties the key to that PC. We keep only a one-way hash of this code, never the code itself. On your PC, the code is protected with Windows' built-in data protection for your Windows user account. We delete our copy when you deactivate the PC or when we reset the key.
• Moves and activation limits. A key can be moved to another PC only once every 7 days, and a key can be activated only a limited number of times per PC in 24 hours (currently 6). To apply these rules, we record when a key was activated and when it was last moved.
• Managing your subscription. When you choose "Manage subscription & billing" in the App, the App sends your device ID to our payment server. We use it to find the email address used for your purchase and then email a secure link to Stripe's billing portal to that address (at most once every 10 minutes). The link is never shown on screen.

What the App keeps on your PC, and what it does not send us, is explained in section 4 and section 16.

3.3 When you buy a plan

You pay on a checkout page hosted by Stripe, which opens in your own web browser. Stripe collects your payment details (for example card number, expiry date and security code, or the details of another payment method), your billing address and the cardholder's name. We never receive your full card number or security code.

After you pay, we receive from Stripe and store:

• your email address;
• Stripe reference numbers for you as a customer and for your checkout session, payment and subscription;
• your plan, the amount and the currency;
• the payment status (for example active, cancelled or refunded); and
• where our checkout asks for it, a record that you agreed to our Terms of Service and Refund Policy.

We store these together with your license key. We also save your email address as a label on your key's record, so that we can find your key if you contact us. After checkout, your key is shown on the success page (for up to 3 hours) and sent to you by email. If you buy from inside the App, the key is activated on that PC automatically.

Stripe also emails you, for us, a receipt for each payment (including each renewal) and, for the Yearly plan, a reminder 30 days before each renewal. Stripe's privacy policy also applies to these emails.

In some regions, our Telegram bot may offer another way to pay. If you pay that way, we collect the details needed to confirm your payment and deliver your key. We also keep records of past purchases made with Telegram Stars (Telegram's payment ID, the buyer's Telegram details, the plan, the amount and the key issued). We no longer sell through Telegram Stars.

3.4 Emails

• Emails we send. We send service emails through Resend, our email delivery provider, such as the email with your license key after you buy and the email with your billing-portal link when you ask for it. Resend receives your email address and the content of the email, which includes your key or your link. We do not currently send marketing emails.
• Emails you send us. Emails to [email protected] are delivered through Cloudflare's email routing service to our support mailbox, which is hosted by Google. We receive your email address, any name shown with it, your message and any attachments.

3.5 Telegram bot and support chat

• Using the bot. When you send a message to @HongguoDownloaderBot or press one of its buttons, we receive from Telegram and store: your Telegram chat ID, your username, your first and last name (as you set them in Telegram), and when you first and last used the bot.
• Product news. We use these details to reply to you and to send app updates and product news to people who have used the bot. You can stop these messages at any time (see section 13.1).
• Support messages. If you send a support message through the bot, we pass its text, your name, your username and your chat ID to our support team on Telegram. We do not store support messages in our own database, but they stay in our Telegram chat history.
• Team notifications. When a purchase, a refund or a payment dispute happens, our payment system sends an automatic notification to our team's private Telegram chat. It includes the buyer's email address, the license key, the amount and the Stripe reference numbers.

3.6 Bug reports

The App can create a bug report as a zip file on your PC. It contains the recent part of the App's log, with license keys, IDs and your Windows user name removed. You can also choose to add a screenshot of your whole screen; this option is off by default. The App does not upload the report. It opens a Telegram chat with our support team, and you decide whether to send the file. If you send it, we receive whatever it contains, so please check it first, especially any screenshot.

3.7 Catalog, charts and previews

• Catalog and Browse. The Catalog tab in the App and the Browse page on our Website get their lists from our catalog server. When you search or filter, the server receives your search words, the genre and the page number, plus your IP address as part of the connection. Our code does not log these searches.
• Catalog data is about titles, not about you. Our catalog stores public information about shows, such as titles, episode counts, descriptions and cover pictures. It does not contain information about our users.
• Cover pictures load either from the Platform's image servers or from our catalog server.
• Charts. Popularity charts are based on the public chart pages of the Platform's website (hongguoduanju.com). Our catalog server copies these pages regularly and provides them to the Browse page on our Website and to the App. Some charts in the App may also load directly from hongguoduanju.com. When a chart loads from our catalog server, the server receives your IP address as part of the connection. Our code does not log these requests.
• Previews. Free preview episodes play inside the App directly from hongguoduanju.com. Previews do not pass through our servers, and we do not record what you preview.
• Searching and saving videos. When you search the Platform, open a title or save videos, your PC connects directly to the Platform. We do not receive that traffic. See section 17.

3.8 App updates

The App checks our official release page on GitHub (a Microsoft company) for a newer version when it starts, every 3 hours, and when you return to its window. GitHub receives your IP address and a general app name in the request. These checks do not send GitHub your device ID, your key or your App version. A new version is downloaded from GitHub and installed only when you click to do so.

3.9 Security and abuse prevention

Our servers use your IP address for a short time to apply rate limits, which stop abuse. For App, license, payment and catalog requests, our own code does not store your IP address, and request logging is switched off on our license and catalog servers. Our hosting provider, Cloudflare, may keep limited technical logs under its own policy. If someone fails to sign in to our administration tools, we store the IP address for 15 minutes to block repeated attempts.

3.10 Information from other sources

• Stripe tells us about your payments, renewals, cancellations, refunds and disputes (see section 3.3).
• Telegram gives us your Telegram profile details when you use our bot (see section 3.5).
• Banks and card issuers, through Stripe, tell us when a payment is disputed.

4What we do not collect

• We do not ask you to create an account or a password.
• The App never asks for your login to any Platform.
• We never receive your full card number or card security code. Stripe handles them.
• We do not receive your videos, your library, your file names, your save folder, what you watch in the App, or where you stopped watching. These stay on your PC.
• The App does not upload its logs. They stay on your PC unless you choose to send us a bug report.
• We do not collect your contacts, your other files or programs, or anything from your camera or microphone.
• We do not collect your precise location. (Website statistics show visitors' countries only.)
• The App contains no advertising and no third-party analytics or tracking tools.

5How we use information

We use personal information only for the purposes below. For people in the European Economic Area (EEA), the UK and Switzerland, the legal basis is shown in brackets. Section 6 explains each basis.

• To run licenses. We issue, deliver and activate keys, keep one key on one PC, allow moves, check that a key is valid, apply the 72-hour offline period, and keep a key working when a subscription renews. We use the key, device ID, device label, device security code (hash), activation records and purchase status. (Contract.)
• To run the Free plan. We apply the daily limit of 2 titles per device and let you download a counted title again. We use the device ID and the title IDs and times. (Contract; legitimate interests in keeping the Free plan fair.)
• To show the right plan in the App. We use the device ID and license checks. (Contract.)
• To take payments and manage subscriptions. We handle purchases, renewals, failed payments, cancellations and refunds, and send you a billing-portal link when you ask. We use the purchase record and your email address. (Contract; legal obligation for tax and accounting records.)
• To send service emails. We send your key, your billing-portal link and other service emails about your purchase or Subscription. (Contract; legal obligation where the law requires a notice.)
• To give support. We answer emails and Telegram messages, look into bug reports, and reset keys for lost or broken PCs. (Contract; legitimate interests in helping users.)
• To send product news on Telegram. We may send app updates and product news to people who have used our bot. (Legitimate interests in keeping users informed. You can object at any time, and we will stop.)
• To keep the Services secure and to prevent fraud and abuse. For example, we apply rate limits, detect keys that are shared or misused, act on reports of payments made with stolen cards, and protect our administration tools. (Legitimate interests in security and fraud prevention.)
• To respond to payment disputes and chargebacks. If you dispute a payment with your bank or card issuer, we may share purchase, delivery, activation and usage records, and relevant support messages, with Stripe and, through Stripe, with card issuers and card networks. For example: the purchase record and the email address used; that your key email was sent; when and on which device the key was activated, including the device label; when that device last used the App and whether it was licensed; and relevant support emails or chats. (Legitimate interests in preventing fraud and in establishing, exercising or defending legal claims.)
• To understand how the Services are used. We count installs and active devices (for example, how many devices were active in the last 24 hours or 7 days), and we look at Website traffic as totals. (Legitimate interests in running and improving the Services.)
• To keep the App up to date. The App checks GitHub for new versions. (Legitimate interests in keeping the App working and secure. An update is installed only when you click.)
• To comply with the law and enforce our Terms. (Legal obligation; legitimate interests in protecting our rights and those of others.)

We do not use your personal information for advertising, and we do not build profiles about you. If we want to use personal information for a new purpose that does not fit the purposes above, we will tell you first and, where the law requires it, ask for your consent.

6Legal bases (EEA, UK, Switzerland)

If you are in the EEA, the UK or Switzerland, we must have a legal basis to process your personal information. We rely on these:

• Contract. The processing is needed to provide the Services you use under our Terms, including the Free plan.
• Legitimate interests. The processing is needed for our legitimate interests, and those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests. Our interests are running a secure, fair and working service, preventing fraud and abuse, defending legal claims, understanding how the Services are used, and telling users about updates. You can object to this processing (see section 13).
• Legal obligation. The processing is needed to meet a legal duty, such as keeping tax and accounting records or answering a lawful request from an authority.
• Consent. For example, when you choose to send us a bug report or a screenshot. You can withdraw consent at any time. This does not affect processing that happened before you withdrew it.

The App reads or creates the device ID on your PC because this is strictly necessary to provide the license and Free plan features you use.

Some information is needed for the Services to work. For example, you cannot activate a key without a device ID, and we cannot send you your key without your email address. If this information is not provided, the feature that needs it will not work.

7Automatic decisions

The Services apply some rules automatically, without a person reviewing each case. For example:

• the Free plan limit of 2 titles per device per day;
• one key on one PC at a time, the limit on activations, and the 7-day wait between moves;
• a key stops working when it expires, or if the PC cannot reach our server for more than 72 hours; and
• when a refund is made or a payment dispute is opened, our system automatically turns off the key and cancels any subscription.

These rules are needed to provide the Services under our Terms. They do not use profiling. If you think a rule was applied to you by mistake, contact us. A person will review the decision, and you can explain your point of view.

8Who we share information with

We share personal information only as described in this section.

8.1 Service providers

These companies help us run the Services. They may use personal information only to provide their services to us, except where they act for their own purposes under their own privacy policies, as noted.

8.2 Payment disputes and fraud prevention

To prevent fraud and to respond to a payment dispute or chargeback, we may share purchase, delivery, activation and usage records, and relevant support messages, with Stripe and, through Stripe, with card issuers, banks and card networks (see section 5).

8.3 Legal reasons

We may share personal information if we believe in good faith that it is needed to: follow the law, a court order or a lawful request from a public authority; enforce our Terms; or protect the rights, property or safety of our users, the public or us.

8.4 Other cases

• Business changes. If our business, or part of it, is sold, merged or reorganized, personal information may be transferred to the new owner. The new owner must continue to protect it as described in this policy.
• Professional advisers. We may share information with our lawyers, accountants and auditors, who must keep it confidential.
• With your permission. We may share information when you ask us to or agree to it.

We do not share your information with any Platform. The App connects your PC to Platforms directly (see section 17).

9No selling, no ad sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We do not "share" your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. These terms have the meanings given in the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act. We have not sold or shared personal information in the past 12 months. We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of anyone under 16.

We do not use your personal information for targeted advertising, and we do not allow advertising networks to track you through our Website or App.

10International transfers

We are based in the United States, and our service providers operate around the world. Your personal information may be stored and processed in the United States and in other countries where our providers or their partners work. Our databases are hosted by Cloudflare, which may store and process data in several countries.

These countries may have data protection laws that are different from, and sometimes less protective than, the laws where you live.

When we transfer personal information from the EEA, the UK or Switzerland to a country without an "adequacy" decision, we rely on appropriate safeguards. These include the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses (with the UK Addendum where relevant) in our providers' data processing terms, or a provider's certification under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and its UK and Swiss extensions, where available. Some transfers are necessary to provide the Services you ask for, for example when you contact us through Telegram. You can ask us for more information about these safeguards (see section 19).

11How long we keep information

We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes in this policy. We may keep information longer if the law requires it, or if we need it for a legal claim or a dispute that is still open. Our systems do not yet delete most records automatically on a fixed schedule; we delete information when we no longer need it, or when you ask us to and the law allows it (see section 13). The table below explains how we decide how long to keep each kind of information.

Information on your PC. The App keeps its settings, your license file, download progress, logs, bug reports and downloaded updates in the folder %LOCALAPPDATA%\HongguoDownloader. Your videos are in your save folder (by default %USERPROFILE%\Videos\Hongguo). Uninstalling the App does not delete these folders. To remove this information, delete the folders yourself. If you want to use your key on another PC later, choose "Deactivate this PC" in the App first.

12Security

We use technical and organizational measures designed to protect personal information. Some of the App measures below apply from App version 1.0.0.71, so please keep the App up to date. They include:

• Secure connections. The App talks to our servers only over encrypted connections (HTTPS) with certificate checks, and refuses insecure connections.
• Verified answers. The App checks that answers about your license really come from our server.
• No card data. Card details are handled only by Stripe. We check payment notifications from Stripe, and confirm each payment with Stripe, before we issue a key.
• Limited exposure. Your key is shown on the checkout success page for up to 3 hours only. Billing-portal links are sent only to the purchase email address, never shown on screen.
• Device protection. Our server stores only a hash of each PC's security code. Your PC protects the code with Windows' built-in data protection.
• Protected systems. Our databases cannot be reached from the internet; only our own server code can use them. Access to our administration tools is limited to authorized people, protected by an access-control service and strong passwords, and locked after repeated wrong attempts.
• Less logging. Request logging is switched off on our license and catalog servers. Bug-report logs have keys, IDs and your Windows user name removed.
• Rate limits on our servers help stop abuse.
• A private local interface. The App's interface runs only on your own PC and is protected so that websites and other programs cannot use it.
• Safe updates. The App checks its own files for unexpected changes when it starts. Updates come only from our official release page and are checked before they are installed.
• Website protections. Our Website uses modern security settings. For example, it forces secure connections and does not allow its pages to be shown inside other websites.

You also have a part to play: keep your license key private, and keep your PC and Windows account secure.

If a security incident affects your personal information, we will notify you and the relevant authorities where the law requires it.

No method of sending or storing information is completely secure. We cannot guarantee the security of your information. To the extent permitted by law, we are not responsible for unauthorized access to or use of information that happens despite our reasonable security measures.

This does not limit any right you have under data protection law that cannot be limited.

13Your rights and choices

13.1 Your choices

• Use the Free plan without giving your name. You can use the Free plan without giving us your name, email address or payment details. The App still sends us a device ID and the titles you download (see section 3.2).
• Bug reports are optional. You decide whether to send a bug report and whether to include a screenshot.
• Remove your device label. Choose "Deactivate this PC" in the App. This removes your device label and device security code from our records. (A key can be moved once every 7 days.)
• Stop Telegram messages. Block @HongguoDownloaderBot in Telegram, or ask us to delete your bot record. We will stop sending you messages.
• Delete information on your PC. See section 11.

13.2 Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• Access (or "know"): ask whether we hold personal information about you, and get a copy of it and details of how we use it.
• Correction: ask us to correct information that is wrong or incomplete.
• Deletion: ask us to delete your information.
• Restriction: ask us to limit how we use your information.
• Objection: object to processing based on legitimate interests. You can always object to receiving product news, and we will stop.
• Portability: receive the information you gave us in a common, machine-readable format, or ask us to send it to another company where technically possible.
• Withdraw consent where we rely on consent.
• Human review of an automatic decision (see section 7).
• Non-discrimination: we will not treat you differently for using your rights.
• Complain to a data protection authority (see section 13.6).

These rights have limits and exceptions under the law. For example, we may keep purchase records that tax law requires us to keep, and records we need to respond to a payment dispute or a legal claim. Please note: if you ask us to delete the license records for an active key, the key will stop working, because the App cannot check it without them.

Wherever you live, you can send us a privacy request, and we will consider it.

13.3 How to make a request

Email [email protected] with "Privacy request" in the subject line. Tell us what you want us to do. If you bought a plan, please write from the email address you used to buy, or include your license key. You can also message @HongguoDownloaderBot, but we may ask you to continue by email so that we can verify the request. Requests are free of charge.

13.4 Verification

To protect you, we check that a request comes from the right person before we act on it. We do this by matching details we already hold. For example, we may ask you to reply from the email address used for your purchase, or to confirm your license key. We ask only for what we need, and we use it only to verify your request.

If you use only the Free plan, we do not know your name or email address. Our records are linked only to a device ID. We may ask for your help to identify your device. If we cannot link records to you with reasonable certainty, we will tell you. We are not required to collect extra information only to identify you.

Authorized agents. Where the law allows, you can ask someone else to make a request for you. We will need written permission from you, and we may still ask you to verify your identity directly with us.

13.5 Response times

• EEA, UK and Switzerland: within one month. If a request is complex, or if we receive many requests, we may extend this by up to two more months. If so, we will tell you within the first month.
• California: we confirm receipt within 10 business days and respond within 45 calendar days. We may extend this once by up to 45 more days if needed, and we will tell you if we do.
• Other US states: within 45 days, extendable by up to 45 more days where the law allows.
• Everywhere else: within 30 days, or sooner if your local law requires it.

If a request is clearly unfounded or excessive, we may refuse it or charge a reasonable fee where the law allows. We will explain why.

13.6 Appeals and complaints

If we refuse your request, we will explain why. If you live in a US state that gives you a right to appeal, reply to our decision with "Appeal" in the subject line. We will answer within 60 days, or sooner if your state's law requires it. If we deny your appeal, you can contact your state's Attorney General.

If you are in the EEA, you can complain to the data protection authority in the country where you live or work, or where you think a problem happened. In the UK, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). In Switzerland, you can complain to the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC). Elsewhere, you can contact your local data protection authority. We would be grateful for the chance to help first, so please contact us before you complain.

13.7 Other US states

Residents of some US states, such as Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas and Oregon, have privacy rights similar to those above. These include the rights to access, correct, delete and receive a copy of their personal information, and to opt out of targeted advertising, the sale of personal information, and profiling that has legal or similarly significant effects. We do not sell personal information, do not use it for targeted advertising, and do not use it for that kind of profiling. You can use your other rights as described in sections 13.3 to 13.6.

13.8 Other countries

If you live in another country with a data protection law, for example in Asia (such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand or the Philippines), you may have similar rights, including the rights to access and correct your information and to withdraw consent. Where your local law relies on consent, you may withdraw it at any time by contacting us. If you do, we may no longer be able to provide some Services to you, and we will explain the effect before we act.

14California privacy notice

This section adds to the rest of this policy for residents of California. It is given under the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (together, the "CCPA"), to the extent the CCPA applies to us. We honor the rights described here for all California residents.

14.1 Notice at collection

In the past 12 months, we have collected the following categories of personal information. We collect them for the purposes in section 5, and we keep them for the periods in section 11.

We do not create inferences or profiles about you. We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information for any purpose that would give you a right to limit it under the CCPA.

Sources. We collect personal information from you, from your device through the App and Website, from Stripe, and from Telegram (see section 3).

Selling and sharing. We do not sell or share personal information, as explained in section 9.

14.2 Your California rights

You have the right to:

• know what personal information we have collected about you, including the categories, the sources, our purposes, the categories of third parties we disclose it to, and the specific pieces of information;
• delete personal information we collected from you, with some exceptions;
• correct inaccurate personal information;
• opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information (we do neither);
• limit the use of sensitive personal information (we do not use it in a way that gives this right); and
• not be discriminated against for using these rights.

To use these rights, follow the steps in section 13.3. Verification, authorized agents and response times are covered in sections 13.4 and 13.5.

14.3 Other California notices

• Shine the Light (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.83). We do not disclose personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing purposes.
• Do Not Track. Our Website does not track visitors across other websites, so it does not change its behavior when a browser sends a "Do Not Track" signal. If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, we treat it as a request to opt out of sale and sharing. (We do not sell or share personal information.)
• Reviewing and changing your information. You can ask to review and correct your information as described in section 13.
• Changes. We explain how we tell you about changes in section 18.

15Children

The Services are for adults. They are not directed to anyone under 18, and our Terms require users to be at least 18, or the age of legal majority where they live. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18, including children under 13. If you believe a child has given us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

16Cookies, local storage & analytics

16.1 On our Website

• No cookies from our own code. Our Website's own code does not set cookies.
• Local storage for your theme. If you choose light or dark mode, your browser saves that choice on your device (under the name hg-site-theme). It is not sent to us.
• Cloudflare Web Analytics. We use it to count page views and visits and to see, as totals, which pages are viewed, which websites send visitors, and visitors' countries. We do not use it for advertising or to build profiles about individual visitors.
• Stripe. Stripe's checkout page and billing portal run on Stripe's own websites and set Stripe's own cookies, under Stripe's privacy and cookie policies.
• No advertising cookies or tracking pixels. Our Website has no advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or embedded third-party video players. Links to social media sites (such as YouTube and Facebook) are ordinary links; those sites apply their own policies only if you follow the link.

You can clear local storage and cookies at any time in your browser settings.

16.2 In the App

The App's window uses its own browser profile, stored on your PC in %LOCALAPPDATA%\HongguoDownloader. It keeps these items on your PC only:

• Local storage for your preferences: your download queue, theme, where you stopped watching each series, Library and conversion settings, dismissed update notices, and screen zoom.
• One security cookie, created each time the App starts. It works only on your own PC (address 127.0.0.1) and protects the App's interface from other websites and programs. It is not a tracking cookie.

None of these items are sent to us. The App contains no analytics, tracking or advertising tools. The only information it sends to us is described in section 3.2.

17Third-party platforms & links

To find and save videos, the App connects your PC directly to the Platform's servers and content delivery networks, and to the Platform's public website (hongguoduanju.com) for previews and some charts. Cover pictures may also load from the Platform's image servers. These parties receive your IP address and the details of each request, such as your search words and the titles you open. This traffic does not pass through our servers, and we do not receive it.

Platforms, Stripe, Telegram, GitHub, Google and any other website you reach through a link are run by other companies. Their own privacy policies apply to the information they collect. Please read them.

We do not control, and are not responsible for, the privacy practices, content or security of third-party platforms, websites or services. To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for how they collect or use your information.

18Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time, for example when the Services or the law change. When we do, we will change the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. If we make a significant change, we will take reasonable steps to tell you before it takes effect, for example with a notice on our Website, or by email if we have your email address. Where the law requires your consent to a change, we will ask for it.

Earlier versions of this policy are available on request.

19Contact us

If you have questions about this policy or about your personal information, or you want to make a request, contact us:

• Email: [email protected] (please write "Privacy" in the subject line)
• Telegram: @HongguoDownloaderBot

For privacy requests, email is best, because it lets us verify requests about purchases.

This Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal information. Please read it together with our Terms of Service and Refund Policy.