Privacy Policy
Last updated 2 October 2026
In short: we collect as little as we can. We do not use analytics or advertising cookies, we do not sell your data, and card payments are handled entirely by Stripe – we never see your card details.
1. Who we are
TechDirect Studio is a trading name of Scott Mollett, a sole trader based in the United Kingdom. In this policy, “we”, “us” and “our” mean TechDirect Studio.
We are the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. This one policy covers all of our websites:
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techdirectstudio.com
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backupencoder.techdirectstudio.com
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downloadmetric.techdirectstudio.com
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mintencoder.com
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pixencoder.techdirectstudio.com
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statsaudit.techdirectstudio.com
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supportfunnel.techdirectstudio.com
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trustarmory.techdirectstudio.com
and all of our services:
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Software Updates
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Downloads and free trials.
It also covers any new product website we add on techdirectstudio.com. Each product website links back to this page. If you have any questions about this policy or your data, email us at support@techdirectstudio.com.
2. What we collect and why
When you visit our websites
Like every website, our server receives technical information when your browser loads a page: your IP address, browser type, the page requested and the time. Our hosting provider keeps this in standard server logs.
We also run a security plugin (Wordfence) that checks requests for attacks. It records IP addresses, browser details and details of any blocked requests or login attempts, so we can protect the site.
Our pages load their typeface from Google Fonts, which means your browser contacts Google’s servers and Google receives your IP address. You can read how Google handles this in Google’s privacy policy.
Cookies and your consent choices
We show a cookie banner (powered by our own product, Trust Armory) the first time you visit. Your choice is saved in a cookie and in your browser’s local storage, so we do not ask again on every page.
So that we can show we respect your choice, we keep a consent record: a random ID, the choices you made, the version of the banner and the date. It does not include your name, email or IP address.
We do not currently use analytics, advertising or social media tracking cookies. If that ever changes, they will only run if you agree to them in the banner. You can change your choice at any time using the cookie icon at the bottom of the page.
When you buy a product
Purchases are made through Stripe’s secure checkout. Stripe collects your payment details directly – we never see or store your card number.
From the checkout we receive and keep:
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Your name and email address.
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The website domain you are buying the licence for.
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An existing licence key, if you entered one to renew.
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The product you bought and the Stripe payment reference.
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When your download link expires and how many times it has been used.
We use this to deliver your download, issue and renew your licence (which may be tied to your domain), email you your purchase details and licence key, provide support, and keep the business and tax records the law requires.
When you download a file
We count downloads of our files to see which products and versions are being used. Each download records the file, version, time, your IP address and the approximate country worked out from it.
When your website checks for updates or activates a licence
Our plugins, once installed on your website, contact techdirectstudio.com to check for new versions and to download updates, just as plugins from WordPress.org do. Each check sends your website’s address and the version you have installed. If your website has started a free trial, our reply includes that trial’s start and end dates.
If you use a paid version, such as Trust Armory Pro, each update check also sends your licence key, and your website sends it again when you activate a key. A licence key contains the name it was issued to, the website domain it is for, your plan and its expiry date. We use it only to deliver updates and to confirm that your licence is valid and has not been revoked. Our server’s reply relates only to your own licence. We never share information about other customers’ licences.
If we revoke a licence (see our Terms of Service), we keep a record of its licence ID so that websites using it can be told. When a revoked licence is detected, the plugin removes the key from your website and returns to its free version. Your settings and records are not affected.
We do not store update or licence checks in our database, although each request, including the licence key, will appear in our standard server logs. The Test connection button in the plugin sends no licence key.
When you start a free trial
Some of our plugins offer a free trial of their paid features, such as the 7-day trial of PixEncoder Pro. When you press the button to start a trial, your website sends us its domain name and the version of the plugin it is running. We store these in our database with the date and time the trial started and the date it ends.
We use this to give each website one trial, to tell your website when its trial ends, and to potentially extend or restart a trial. Nothing is sent until you press the button, and no name, email address or payment details are involved.
To stop large numbers of trials being started from one place, we also keep a count against the IP address that started a trial for up to one hour. The address is stored in scrambled form and is not kept with the trial record.
When you email us
If you email us, we keep your message, your email address and anything you choose to include, so we can reply and help you.
3. Our legal reasons for using your data
When you visit our websites
UK data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis for each use of your data:
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What
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Lawful basis
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Processing your order, delivering downloads, licences and support
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Contract – we need it to provide what you bought
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Keeping purchase and payment records
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Legal obligation – tax and accounting law
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Server logs, security checks, update checks, licence checks and download counts
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Legitimate interests – keeping our sites secure and working, delivering updates and understanding how our products are used
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Checking a paid licence when it is activated and during update checks
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Contract – we need it to provide the licence you bought and to make sure licences are used as agreed
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Recording a free trial when you start one
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Legitimate interests – offering each website one trial and preventing misuse
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Non-essential cookies (if we ever use them)
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Consent – only if you agree in the cookie banner
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Replying to your emails
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Legitimate interests, or contract if you are a customer
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4. Who we share it with
We do not sell your personal data or share it for marketing. We only share it with the services we need to run the business:
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Stripe
processes payments. See Stripe's privacy policy.
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Our web hosting provider
Stores our websites, databases, server logs and email.
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Google
serves the fonts our pages use, as described above.
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Professional advisers and authorities
Such as an accountant or HMRC, when we are legally required to.
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When your download link expires and how many times it has been used.
Some of these providers may process data outside the UK. Where they do, they use legal safeguards approved under UK law, such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or adequacy regulations.
5. How long we keep it
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Orders and payment records
6 years from the end of the tax year of the purchase, as UK tax law requires.
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Download links
Expire after 7 days by default. The order record they belong to is kept as above.
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Licence details
For as long as your licence is active, and then as part of your order record.
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Revoked licence records
The licence ID only, kept until the date the licence would otherwise have expired.
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Free trial records
The domain, plugin version and trial dates, kept for as long as we offer the product, so that the same website cannot start a second trial. The count against an IP address is deleted after one hour.
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Download counts, security logs and server logs
Only as long as they are useful for statistics and security, then deleted.
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Consent records
For as long as we need to show the choice you made. Your choice in your own browser lasts until you change it or clear your cookies.
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Emails
As long as needed to deal with your question, and for customers, as long as you are a customer.
6. Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
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Ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
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Ask us to correct data that is wrong or incomplete.
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Ask us to delete your data (we may need to keep some records the law requires).
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Object to, or ask us to restrict, how we use your data.
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Ask for the data you gave us in a format you can take elsewhere.
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Withdraw your consent at any time, where we rely on consent.
To use any of these rights, use this form and we shall reply within one month and will not charge you.
If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your data, please tell us first so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
7. Keeping your data safe
Our sites use HTTPS encryption, are protected by a security firewall, and access to our systems is limited to us. Download links are unique to your order, expire, and can only be used a limited number of times.
8. Links to other websites
Our sites link to other websites, such as our YouTube and Facebook pages. These are simple links – nothing from those sites loads until you click. Once you visit them, their own privacy policies apply.
9. Children
Our products and websites are for businesses and website owners, and are not aimed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18.
10. Changes to this policy
We shall update this policy when our products or the way we handle data change. The date at the top of the page shows when it was last updated.