Privacy Policy
Last updated: November 2, 2026
This policy explains what personal data pearos.xyz collects, why, and what choices you have. It is operated by Pear Software and Services S.R.L. (CUI 50888207, Nr. Reg. Com. J2024041454000), an independently run open-source project, registered office at 133 Dacia Blvd, Floor D, Sector 2, Bucharest 020056, Romania, reachable at [email protected].
1. What data we collect
Data you provide directly. If you choose to support the project financially, your payment is handled entirely by our payment processor (Stripe) or by PayPal, Ko-fi, or Patreon if you use those instead — we never see or store your card number. If you email us, we receive whatever you include in that email (e.g. your address and message).
Data collected automatically. Like most websites, our servers and the third-party tools below automatically receive your IP address, browser and device type, approximate location derived from your IP, the pages you visit, and referring links. When you download an ISO, our download gateway (running on Cloudflare) also logs the request to enforce the free-tier speed limit and to verify paid unlock links.
If you buy the paid BSD build. To be able to show that a purchase was made and delivered, we also keep, on the payment record at Stripe: your IP address when you start the checkout; the version of our Terms of Use and of the pre-payment acknowledgement page you accepted, and when; and, when your download link is issued, the time, your IP address and your country, and how many times a link was issued for that payment. We also use the email address you gave Stripe at checkout to send you a purchase confirmation, which repeats the terms you accepted before paying. When you buy premium access we likewise use the email address you gave Stripe to send you your download link and a confirmation of the purchase. For paid BSD builds Stripe also issues an invoice in your name; we send it to you with that email and keep a copy, together with the order details, in our own mailbox for bookkeeping.
Cookies. We only set analytics/advertising cookies after you click "Allow" on the cookie banner. See the cookie table below.
2. Cookies in detail
| Name / Provider | Purpose | Set when |
|---|---|---|
| Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics 4 | Aggregated traffic and usage analytics | After consent |
| Microsoft Clarity | Session recordings and heatmaps to understand navigation and fix UX issues | After consent |
| Google AdSense | Displays advertising and may personalize ads | After consent |
nc-consent (localStorage, ours) | Remembers your cookie choice | Always (not a tracking cookie) |
theme (localStorage, ours) | Remembers light/dark mode preference | Always (not a tracking cookie) |
You can withdraw consent at any time by clearing your browser's local storage for this site, which will show the banner again on your next visit.
3. Why we process this data (legal basis)
- Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) — for analytics and advertising cookies (Google Analytics, Clarity, AdSense).
- Performance of a contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) — to process a payment you make (premium access, a paid build or a donation) through Stripe, PayPal, Ko-fi, or Patreon.
- Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) — for basic server logs, abuse prevention, and enforcing download speed tiers, which is necessary to keep the service financially sustainable and secure; and for keeping proof of acceptance of our terms and of delivery of a paid BSD build (including your IP address), to prevent payment fraud and to establish, exercise or defend legal claims such as payment disputes and chargebacks.
4. Who we share data with
We use the following processors, each of which handles data under its own privacy policy:
- Google (Tag Manager, Analytics, AdSense) — privacy policy
- Ezoic (ad management and monetization) — privacy policy
- Microsoft Clarity — privacy statement
- Namecheap (Private Email — the mailbox we send purchase confirmations from) — privacy policy
- Stripe (card payments, embedded checkout) — privacy policy
- PayPal — privacy policy
- Ko-fi and Patreon — you leave our site to use these; see their own privacy policies
- Cloudflare (CDN, download throttling/signing, DDoS protection) — privacy policy
- GitHub (hosts this site and the ISO build repository) — privacy statement
We do not sell your personal data.
5. International transfers
Several of the processors above (Google, Microsoft, Stripe, PayPal, Cloudflare, GitHub) are based in or transfer data to the United States. Where this happens, it relies on the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and/or Standard Contractual Clauses as their safeguard.
6. How long we keep data
Analytics data is retained per each provider's default retention window (typically 14 months for Google Analytics). Payment records are retained by our payment processors as required by financial and tax law; the acceptance and delivery details described above (including the IP address) stay on that payment record and are kept for as long as it is. Emails you send us are kept as long as needed to handle your request, then deleted or archived.
7. Your rights
Under GDPR you have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, or port your data, and to object to or withdraw consent for its processing. See our dedicated GDPR Policy for the full list of rights and how to exercise them.
8. Children
This site is not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them.
9. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the site evolves. Material changes will be reflected by updating the date at the top of this page.
10. Contact
Questions about this policy: [email protected].