---
title: "Privacy Policy"
description: "What data DesignAround collects, where it is processed, who receives it, how long it is kept and how to exercise your rights."
url: "https://designaround.elidot.com/privacy/"
language: "en"
updated: "2026-10-29"
---

# Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 30, 2026

This policy explains how Shanghai Qidianyan Technology Co., Ltd. (上海奇点砚科技有限公司), Room 218, Building 3, No. 336 Tianjiao Road, Lingang New Area, China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 201306, China ("we", "us") handles personal information when you use DesignAround and this website. We are the controller (personal information handler) for the data described here. Contact: [support@elidot.com](mailto:support@elidot.com).

## 1. The short version

- DesignAround is built to keep your designs on your computer. Cases, models, renders, drawings, filing packages, the evidence log and chat history are stored locally in `~/.designaround` and are not uploaded to us, except files you choose to send through a share link.
- Our server receives only what a server step needs, and keeps only what billing, security and the features you use require.
- We do not sell personal information, we do not use your content to train AI models, and this website has no analytics and no tracking cookies.

## 2. What we collect and why

| Data | Why | Kept |
|---|---|---|
| **Account:** account id, plan, email address (optional for free accounts, required for purchases), API key hashes (we never store the keys themselves), key labels and caps | To provide the account, authenticate requests and contact you about billing and security | While the account is open, then deleted within 30 days |
| **Billing:** order ids, product, amount, Creem customer and subscription ids, subscription status, payment events from Creem. We do not receive card numbers. | To grant plans and credits, handle renewals, cancellations and refunds, and keep accounting records | As long as tax and accounting law requires |
| **Credit ledger:** time, action, credits held and charged, model name and token counts. For screens, the search text used; for hosted observer scores, the score and the short reasons returned. | To charge correctly, show you your spending and handle disputes | While the account is open, then deleted within 30 days, except entries needed as billing records |
| **Screening input:** search text and, if sent, a product image | To run the search you asked for | The image is not stored by our server; the search text is kept in the ledger as above |
| **Hosted model input** (platform mode and hosted observer scores): the prompts, images and replies of model calls | To run the model call through our model provider | Not stored by our server, except token counts and the observer results above |
| **Evidence anchors:** case id, sequence number, a hash value and the time | To give you a timestamp receipt for your local evidence log. The hash does not reveal the content. | While the account is open |
| **Review gates:** the case summary you choose to share, the reviewer's email, name, registration number, decision and notes | To let a practitioner review and sign off a step | While the account is open |
| **Share links:** the files you choose to share (watermarked copies when you keep watermarks on), their names, sizes and hashes, the recipient name and note you enter, and the expiry. For each time the link is opened or a file downloaded: the time, the address shortened to its network (IPv4 /24, IPv6 /48), the country Cloudflare reports and the browser name | To deliver the files to the person you chose and show you who opened them | Files: until the link expires (1 to 30 days, as you set) or you revoke it, then deleted. Access records: while the account is open |
| **Agent run records:** run id, task, depth, credit cap and credits spent; for the result guarantee, the end of the run, the number of candidates and the short reasons it got stuck | To enforce run budgets and pay result-guarantee refunds | While the account is open |
| **Sign-up IP address** with the date | To limit free sign-ups per network and prevent abuse | 30 days |
| **Support emails** | To answer you | Up to 3 years after the conversation ends |

Our web server logs record the time, host, requested path, status code and response time. They do not record IP addresses.

Legal bases (where the GDPR or similar laws apply): performance of our contract with you (account, service, billing), legitimate interests (security, abuse prevention, improving reliability), legal obligations (tax and accounting records) and, where needed, your consent. Under China's Personal Information Protection Law we process personal information as necessary to conclude and perform the contract with you and to comply with legal obligations.

## 3. What stays on your computer

The client software stores your cases and their files, renders, drawings, filing packages, the evidence log, chat sessions and settings in `~/.designaround`. Your API key and any bring-your-own model key are stored in your system keychain or, in the desktop app on macOS and Linux, in a file in your user folder that only your user account can read. The client downloads USPTO drawing sheets directly from the USPTO public search website. In bring-your-own-key mode the client sends model prompts directly to the provider you configured; in host mode your agent host (for example Claude Code or Codex) processes your data under its own terms.

## 4. Who receives data

| Recipient | What | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Creem (merchant of record) | Your email, purchase details and payment information you enter at checkout | Payment, receipts, tax collection, subscription management, refunds. Creem processes payment data under its own privacy policy. |
| Cloudflare | Network traffic to this website and our API, including IP addresses | Content delivery, DNS and protection against attacks |
| AI model providers (currently DeepSeek models and OpenAI GPT models, each through an API gateway service) | Prompts and images of hosted model calls; the text of concept image requests | Running the Assistant, Designer, CAD Agent and reviewers in platform mode, hosted observer scores, and generating design concept images |
| Priorhound, our registry search service | Search text and, for deep screens, the product image | Searching the USPTO, Google Patents and Espacenet. Priorhound may use an AI model to describe an image before searching. |
| A practitioner you invite | The review gate summary | Review and sign-off |
| Anyone who has a share link you created | The files in that share, the recipient name and the note you entered | Viewing and downloading the files you chose to share, until the link expires or you revoke it |
| Authorities | Data we are legally required to disclose | Compliance with law |

We do not sell or rent personal information and do not share it for advertising.

## 5. Where data is processed

Our servers are located in Shanghai, in mainland China, and are reached through Cloudflare's network. Creem and Cloudflare process data in several countries, and our AI model provider processes data in mainland China. If you are outside China, your data is therefore transferred to China and other countries. Where the law requires it, we use appropriate safeguards for these transfers, such as contractual commitments, and we only transfer what is needed for the purposes above.

## 6. Security

Traffic is encrypted with TLS. API keys are stored as hashes on the server; on your computer they are kept in your system keychain or in an owner-only file in your user folder. Server access is restricted to the people who operate the Service. Paid steps run with credit caps so a leaked key has limited reach; Team accounts can issue restricted keys with daily and per-call caps.

## 7. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you can ask to access, correct, delete or export your personal information, restrict or object to processing, and withdraw consent. To do so, email [support@elidot.com](mailto:support@elidot.com) from the address on your account or include your account id. We reply within 3 business days and complete requests within 30 days. You may also complain to your data protection authority. You can delete local data at any time by deleting `~/.designaround`.

## 8. Cookies

This website sets no cookies and uses no analytics or tracking scripts. The Creem checkout pages are run by Creem and may use cookies needed for payment and fraud prevention.

## 9. Children

DesignAround is a business tool and is not directed at children. You must be at least 18 years old to buy a plan.

## 10. Changes

We will post changes on this page with a new date. For material changes we will tell paying customers by email or in the software before they apply.

## 11. Contact

Shanghai Qidianyan Technology Co., Ltd., Room 218, Building 3, No. 336 Tianjiao Road, Lingang New Area, China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 201306, China. Email: [support@elidot.com](mailto:support@elidot.com).