Privacy Policy

Last updated: 28 May 2026

Controller

Hilloworks is a registered auxiliary business name of Protest Design Oy.

Protest Design Oy
Business ID: 2080773-3
Tampere, Finland
support@hilloworks.com

Protest Design Oy is the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy.

Scope

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use and protect personal data when you visit the hilloworks website, download or use hilloworks products, participate in Beta testing, contact support or purchase a license.

Personal data we collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal data, depending on how you use our website and products:

Website and technical data

• IP address
• browser and device information
• pages visited and approximate time of visit
• server log information
• cookie or similar technical identifiers, if used

Order and license data

• name, company name or organization name, if provided
• email address
• billing country and tax/VAT information
• selected product and license type
• order number, license key or activation identifier
• payment status and payment provider transaction reference
• purchase date and order history

Product activation and usage-related data

• license key or activation token
• email address or license holder identifier
• product version
• operating system and platform
• activation, deactivation or license reset events
• device or installation identifier needed for license activation

We do not intentionally collect the contents of your own work, files, presentations or projects through license activation unless this is clearly stated for a specific product or support case.

Support and Beta feedback

• messages you send to us
• bug reports, compatibility notes and feature requests
• screenshots, logs or diagnostic information you choose to provide
• information needed to investigate support requests

Please do not send confidential, sensitive or personal information in feedback or support messages unless it is necessary for troubleshooting.

How we collect personal data

We collect personal data when you:

• visit our website
• download or use a product
• purchase a license
• activate, deactivate or reset a license
• contact support
• send Beta feedback, bug reports or compatibility notes
• provide billing, tax or VAT information during checkout

Some technical information may be collected automatically by the website, server logs, license activation system or payment process.

Purposes of processing

We process personal data for the following purposes:

• to provide the website and downloads
• to process orders and payments
• to calculate VAT and other applicable taxes
• to deliver license keys, activation details and purchase confirmations
• to activate, validate, reset, suspend or terminate licenses according to the Terms of Sale and Use
• to prevent misuse, fraud and unauthorized use
• to provide support and respond to questions
• to improve product compatibility, reliability and functionality
• to manage Beta testing and feedback
• to comply with accounting, tax and legal obligations

Legal bases for processing

We process personal data under the following legal bases:

Contract

We process order, license, delivery, activation and support data when it is necessary to provide the product, license or service you have requested.

Legal obligation

We process and retain certain order, payment, tax and accounting information when required by law.

Legitimate interests

We process technical, activation, security, support and fraud-prevention data for our legitimate interests in operating the website, providing secure license activation, preventing misuse, improving products and supporting customers.

Consent

If we use optional analytics, marketing emails or non-essential cookies, we will ask for consent where required.

Payments

Payments may be processed by external payment providers, such as PayPal.

We do not receive or store your full payment card details. Payment providers process payment information according to their own terms and privacy policies.

We may receive payment status, transaction reference, payer email, billing country or other information needed to confirm payment, deliver the license and maintain accounting records.

VAT and tax information

VAT and other applicable taxes may be calculated based on the billing, country, tax status and VAT information you provide during checkout and, where available, information from the payment provider.

We may retain tax-related order information as required for accounting, VAT and legal compliance.

License activation

Paid licenses may be linked to an email address, license key, activation token, device or installation identifier, product version and operating system information.

We use this information to activate the product, check license validity, prevent multiple simultaneous activations beyond the selected license type, process license resets and prevent misuse.

Cookies and analytics

The hilloworks website may use essential cookies or similar technologies that are necessary for basic website, checkout, security or license-related functionality.

If we use optional analytics, marketing or non-essential cookies, we will provide information about them and request consent where required.

Sharing personal data

We may share personal data with trusted service providers only when necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. These may include:

• website hosting providers
• payment processors
• email and communication providers
• support or helpdesk tools, if used
• accounting and bookkeeping service providers
• technical service providers involved in license activation or product delivery

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, tax authorities, courts, regulators or other public authorities.

We do not sell personal data.

International transfers

Some service providers, such as payment, hosting or email service providers, may process personal data outside Finland or the European Economic Area.

Where personal data is transferred outside the EEA, we use appropriate safeguards where required, such as EU Standard Contractual Clauses or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

Typical retention periods or criteria are:

• order, payment, tax and accounting records: retained as required by accounting and tax laws
• license and activation data: retained for as long as needed to provide the license, support, activation resets and misuse prevention
• support messages: retained for as long as needed to handle the request and maintain a reasonable support history
• Beta feedback and compatibility notes: retained for as long as useful for product development, unless they contain personal data that should be deleted earlier
• server logs and security logs: retained for a limited period needed for security, troubleshooting and abuse prevention

When personal data is no longer needed, we delete or anonymize it where reasonably possible.

Data security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal data against unauthorized access, loss, misuse or disclosure.

No online service or software system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we aim to limit access to personal data to those who need it for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

Your rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to:

• request access to your personal data
• request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• request deletion of your personal data
• request restriction of processing
• object to processing based on legitimate interests
• request data portability where applicable
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
• lodge a complaint with a data protection authority

To exercise your rights, contact support@hilloworks.com.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.

Finnish supervisory authority

If you believe that your personal data has been processed unlawfully, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

In Finland, the supervisory authority is the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will be published on the hilloworks website with the updated date.

Material changes may be communicated through the website or, where appropriate, by email.