Privacy Policy
Who We Are
Vortex FPS operates vortexfps.com. We publish a free Windows guide and sell an optimizer tool and custom BIOS settings for supported systems. This policy explains what happens to information when you visit the site, buy or activate a product, send us your system details, or contact us. We do not provide customer accounts. Order and support information is held through the services described below; a separate Cloudflare D1 database holds software licensing records.
Vortex FPS decides how it uses the order, contact, and licensing information described here. Where the EU or UK GDPR applies, Vortex FPS is the controller of that information. You can reach us at vortexoc@vortexfps.com or by sending a Discord message to vortex_oc.
Information We Handle
Payment and order records
Checkout takes place on Stripe. Stripe processes your payment details; Vortex FPS does not receive your full card number or security code. Stripe may show us your order email, the name or alias you provide, payment status, amount, and limited billing and payment method details in its dashboard. We use these records to identify orders, deliver purchases, handle payment issues, and keep records required by law.
The Endgame Affinity product page loads Stripe.js. Stripe describes using that script to help detect suspicious activity. Stripe's handling of information on its pages and through Stripe.js is explained in its privacy policy.
System details you send us
After checkout, the site's order form asks for your email address and Discord username, plus your CPU, GPU, RAM, motherboard, and CPU cooler. Depending on the service, it also asks for your platform and power supply. You can add a PCPartPicker link and notes. For BIOS orders, you can upload a SceWin .txt export of your current BIOS settings. Please do not put passwords, payment details, or unrelated personal information in a note or export.
The form sends those details through our website to a private Discord order channel. We use them to prepare the service you bought and answer questions about it. If you email us or send a Discord message, we also receive what you choose to include in that conversation. We do not use order details to send marketing messages.
Software licensing and activation
We generate and send Endgame Affinity license keys by email or Discord after verifying payment. Your key may be retained in private administrative files and delivery or support messages so we can fulfill and support your purchase. Do not post your key publicly.
For activation and periodic validation, the app sends your license key and a SHA-256 hardware fingerprint to our Cloudflare-hosted licensing service over HTTPS. Validation also sends an activation identifier. The fingerprint is generated on your PC from available firmware identifiers, such as the system UUID and motherboard serial number; the app does not send those raw firmware values to the licensing service.
Our Cloudflare D1 licensing database stores a hash of the license key, the hashed hardware fingerprint, an activation identifier, license status, and the record’s creation time. It does not store the plaintext license key, your name, email address, or payment-card details. The service receives the key to check it and hashes it before its database lookup. These device-linked records are not necessarily anonymous; we may associate a key with a purchase through order or support records.
We use licensing information to activate the purchased software, enforce the one-PC limit, prevent unauthorized key sharing, and resolve activation problems. The app also keeps a Windows-protected local license file on your PC containing the key, activation identifier, hardware fingerprint, and last successful validation time. Cloudflare processes technical request information when handling licensing traffic, as it does for other hosted requests.
Visits to the site
Cloudflare delivers and protects the site. In doing so, it processes network information such as your IP address, browser information, and requests for pages and files. If Cloudflare Web Analytics is enabled, it also measures site traffic and performance. Cloudflare says its Web Analytics beacon does not use cookies or browser storage to measure visits. Hosting and security still involve network data.
The Windows guide, optimizer tool page, and this policy load Google Fonts from Google. Your browser contacts Google to request those fonts, which gives Google technical connection information such as your IP address and browser details. The homepage uses locally embedded fonts.
Why We Use This Information
Where the EU or UK GDPR applies, the legal basis depends on what we are doing:
- Contract: We use payment status, contact information, system details, and licensing information to deliver and activate the product or service you bought and provide support connected with that order (Article 6(1)(b)).
- Legitimate interests: We respond to general questions, retain information needed to resolve order disputes, prevent fraudulent license use and unauthorized key sharing, and operate, secure, and measure the website and licensing service (Article 6(1)(f)). These interests do not automatically outweigh your rights.
- Legal obligations: We keep transaction information when applicable accounting, tax, or other laws require it (Article 6(1)(c)).
Stripe, Discord, Google, Cloudflare, and Dropbox may have their own reasons for processing information under their policies.
Services We Use
We use these companies to take payments, receive orders, and run the site. Some act on our instructions; others process information for their own purposes under their privacy policies. We do not sell your order information.
| Service | What it does | Information involved |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe | Checkout, transaction records, and Stripe.js on the optimizer page | Payment and billing information, order email, and technical data handled by Stripe |
| Discord | Receives submitted order forms and files in a private channel; carries messages if you contact us there | Order email, Discord username, system details, notes, any uploaded BIOS export, and license keys or activation-support details sent in messages |
| Cloudflare | Hosts and protects the site and licensing service, stores D1 licensing records, relays order forms, and may provide site analytics | IP address and request data; form contents during transit; license keys during verification; hashed license keys and hardware fingerprints, activation identifiers, status and creation times in D1; analytics data if enabled |
| Dropbox | Hosts software and other download files reached through redirects or links | Technical connection and download activity information, such as IP address and browser details, handled under Dropbox’s privacy policy |
| Google Fonts | Supplies fonts on the guide, optimizer, and privacy pages | Technical connection information sent by your browser, including IP address |
You can read the providers' policies: Stripe, Discord, Cloudflare, Google, and Dropbox.
Where Information Goes
Vortex FPS operates from the United States. If you order or contact us from another country, the information you send reaches us here. The providers named above may process information in the United States and other countries under their own policies.
Stripe, Discord, and Cloudflare publish information about their participation in the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and its UK extension for eligible transfers. Their policies describe other transfer arrangements that may apply. If you need information about how a transfer connected with your order is handled, email us.
How Long We Keep Information
We retain licensing records while needed to operate and support a license, enforce its status, or address fraud and disputes, subject to applicable law. Revoked-key records may be retained where reasonably necessary to prevent unauthorized reuse. We have not set a fixed deletion period for all licensing records. You can request deletion; we will explain any effect on activation and any records we must or may lawfully retain.
We keep order emails, system details, BIOS exports, and related messages for as long as we need them to fulfill an order, provide follow-up support, or deal with an unresolved issue. We may keep records longer when required for accounting, tax, or legal reasons. We have not set a single deletion period for every type of order record. You can request deletion, and we will review what can be removed.
Stripe, Discord, Cloudflare, Google, and Dropbox set their own retention periods for information they handle under their policies. Cloudflare's retention also depends on the site services and settings in use.
Rights in the EEA and UK
Where the EU or UK GDPR applies, you may ask to see or correct personal information we hold. In some cases you may ask us to erase it, restrict how we use it, or provide it in a portable format. These rights depend on the information and the legal basis for using it; legal record-keeping duties can limit deletion.
Objection: You may object to processing based on our legitimate interests. We will review that objection under the law that applies.
Email vortexoc@vortexfps.com to make a request. We may need to verify that the request concerns your information. We will respond within the time required by applicable law, generally one month under the GDPR, with any permitted extension explained to you. You may also complain to a data protection authority, including the UK Information Commissioner's Office if you are in the UK.
California Privacy Rights
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) applies only to businesses that meet its legal criteria. If it applies to Vortex FPS, eligible California residents may have rights to know about, access, delete, or correct their personal information, subject to the law's exceptions. They may also have rights concerning sale or sharing for targeted advertising. Vortex FPS does not sell customer information or use it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
To ask about your data, email vortexoc@vortexfps.com with "California Privacy Request" in the subject line. If the CCPA applies, we will verify and respond to the request within the time it requires. We do not penalize people for making a privacy request.
The categories relevant to this site include identifiers (email addresses and Discord usernames), purchase records, system details and uploaded files, license and device-linked activation records, messages sent to us, and internet activity data processed by our website providers.
Children's Privacy
Paid purchases require an adult or another person legally capable of contracting, as described in our Terms of Service; a parent or guardian must make a permitted purchase for a minor. Free content is available from age 13 under those Terms. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has sent us information, email vortexoc@vortexfps.com. We will review it and delete it when appropriate, subject to any record-keeping duties that apply.
Changes to This Policy
If our services or data practices change, we may update this policy. The date at the top will show when we last revised it. If a change materially affects how we handle information, we will explain it on the site.
Contact Us
Questions about this policy or your information can be sent to vortexoc@vortexfps.com. You can also message vortex_oc on Discord. Email is the best way to make a privacy request so we can keep track of it and respond.