Privacy, in plain English

Last updated 5 July 2026 · covers the Uplink app suite · the canonical copy

Uplink is a software studio run by one person (Noah Abrams). This policy covers every Uplink app, netmap today and more as they ship, plus the shared account, licensing, and support behind them. It says exactly what data Uplink touches, why, and how to turn things off. There is no long legalese version hiding behind it, this is the policy. Sections that name a specific app describe that app; new apps add their own sections here as they arrive.

01 Account and licensing

What is stored: your email address, an optional name and handle, your license keys, device IDs (an identifier for each computer you activate) and activation records (which machine activated, when). Why: it is how licensing works, issuing keys, counting seats, and letting you deactivate an old laptop yourself from the account portal. One account holds your licenses across every Uplink app. It lives on the Uplink license server and is not shared beyond the services that run the apps (hosting and email delivery).

02 What the apps report (telemetry)

When an app checks in with the license server (periodically, when online), it includes the app version and platform so we know which builds are in the field. Apps may keep feature-usage counters, plain counts like "exports run: 14", carrying no content. If an app crashes, it sends a crash report: the stack trace, app version and platform, never your content. Telemetry is on by default and the switch to turn it off is in each app under Settings, Privacy. License check-ins are part of how paid licenses function and stay on while a license is active.

03 netmap: your device library and the community library

Device definitions you create in netmap's library (make, model, rack units, ports, power, optional faceplate image) sync to us, the raw material the community equipment library grows from. Synced items are visible to the operator only; no other user sees them. Nothing is published unless you click Submit to netmap library, every submission is reviewed by a person first, handle credit is optional, and you can turn syncing off entirely in Settings.

04 netmap: published shows

Publishing only happens when you hit Publish. It puts a read-only copy of the paperwork you selected at a public link, optionally gated behind a PIN you set. Links expire after 14 days by default and you can extend them from the app. We count views and last-opened time and show those numbers back to you. You can take a published show down at any time.

05 The websites

uplink.show is a static site that sets no cookies and loads no third-party scripts or trackers. netmap.show runs a beta signup form (name, email, and whatever you type in the optional fields, used to contact you about the beta) and counts visits with Cloudflare's cookieless analytics. Beyond that the sites load no third-party scripts and no trackers.

06 Payments

When paid plans go live, checkout runs through our payment partner, a merchant of record that acts as the seller for the transaction and handles cards, tax and invoices. Uplink receives your email and what you bought. Uplink never sees your card number.

07 Your data, your exports

Your files are local on your machine, export them, back them up, or walk away with them at any time. Want your account data deleted? Email [email protected] and it is gone (your licenses go with it).

08 Who actually touches the data

Uplink runs on a small, boring stack, and these vendors process data only to run the service: Railway (application hosting, US), Cloudflare (DNS, edge network, site hosting, cookieless visit counting), and Resend (transactional email). When paid plans go live, a merchant-of-record payment partner is added for checkout. That is the whole list. Uplink does not sell or rent data to anyone, ever.

09 How long things are kept

Account and license records: while your account exists, plus a short wind-down after deletion requests.
Crash reports: a rolling window; old reports are automatically overwritten by new ones.
Published shows: until their link expires or you delete them, whichever comes first.
Library sync reports: kept while they are useful for growing the catalog; never published.
Beta signups: until you are invited, ask off the list, or the beta ends.

10 Security

Everything moves over TLS. Admin surfaces sit behind two-factor access controls plus passwords. License checks are signed cryptographically. One person (the operator) has access to production data. If a breach ever affects your data, you will hear about it directly and promptly.

11 Cookies and local storage

The sites run no third-party trackers and set no analytics cookies. Visits are counted with Cloudflare's cookieless Web Analytics, no cookies, no fingerprinting, no cross-site tracking. The account portal keeps your sign-in token in your browser's local storage; PIN-protected publish links set one cookie so you do not retype the PIN per page. That is the complete list.

12 Where data lives and who Uplink is for

Uplink's servers are hosted in the United States; using Uplink means your account data is processed there. Uplink apps are professional tools for working crew and designers; they are not directed at children, and you should not use them if you are under 16.

13 If the law comes knocking

Data gets disclosed only if legally required, and if that ever happens you will be told unless the law forbids it.

14 Changes and contact

This policy will evolve with the beta. Changes get posted here with a fresh date at the top; material changes get flagged. Questions, complaints, deletion requests: [email protected].