Privacy Policy

Last Updated: April 2, 2026

1. Overview

Collateral Dev LLC ("we," "us," or "our") operates the Collateral application ("the App").

We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how data is handled.

Collateral is designed as a local-first application. Your financial data is stored on your device and is not transmitted to our servers.

2. Information We Collect

a. Information You Provide

We may collect:

  • Name
  • Email address

This information is used for licensing, trial access, and purchases.

b. Financial Data (Stored Locally Only)

The App allows you to enter financial information, including:

  • Transactions
  • Account balances
  • Categories and notes

This data is stored locally on your device in a SQLite database file within the App's data directory. It is never transmitted to our servers.

c. License & Validation Data

To enable and validate your license, we may store:

  • Name
  • Email
  • License status or identifier

This information is stored on our servers and used only for license validation.

d. Automatic Update Data

The App periodically checks for updates using Electron's built-in update mechanism. This process sends at minimum your current app version, and may also include technical details such as your operating system version, to our update servers. No financial data is ever included in these requests.

Note: The App is built on Electron, which uses the Chromium engine. By default, Electron does not automatically send crash reports to any central server. However, this behavior is subject to change by the Electron or Chromium projects, and we will update this policy if that occurs.

3. How We Use Information

We use collected information to:

  • Issue and validate licenses and trial access
  • Process purchases
  • Provide access to the App
  • Maintain and improve the App
  • Respond to support requests

We do not use your data for advertising.

4. Payment Processing

We use Stripe to process payments.

  • Payment details are handled directly by Stripe
  • We do not store credit card information
  • We may retain your name and email associated with transactions

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell or rent your personal data.

We only share limited information:

  • With service providers (such as Stripe) as necessary to process payments and validate licenses
  • When required by law

6. Data Storage & Security

Your financial data is stored locally on your device in a SQLite database file. It is never transmitted over a network by the App. The security of that data is protected by your device's own access controls and file system permissions.

License-related data stored on our servers is protected using encryption in transit and access controls appropriate to the sensitivity of the data.

No method of data storage or transmission is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Data Retention

We retain license-related data (name, email, license information) only as long as necessary to:

  • Provide access to the App
  • Comply with legal obligations

If you request deletion, we will remove your data within 30 days, unless retention is required by law.

8. Cookies & Website Usage

  • The Collateral App does not use cookies
  • Our website (https://collateral.app) may use limited cookies for basic functionality or analytics

9. Backups & User Responsibility

Because your financial data is stored locally on your device:

  • You are responsible for maintaining backups of your data
  • We are not responsible for loss of locally stored data

10. Your Rights

You may request to:

  • Access your personal data
  • Correct inaccurate data
  • Delete your personal data

To make a request, please use the contact form at collateral.app/#contact. We will respond to deletion requests within 30 days.

11. Children's Privacy

The App is not intended for individuals under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

12. Future Features & Third-Party Integrations

We may introduce optional features that integrate with third-party financial service providers (e.g., account aggregation services).

  • You will be clearly notified before enabling them
  • Additional data sharing will only occur with your consent
  • This Privacy Policy will be updated accordingly

13. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the State of Minnesota, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising under this policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Minnesota.

Note: If you are located in the European Union or California, additional privacy rights may apply to you under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.

  • The "Last Updated" date will reflect changes
  • Significant changes will be communicated more prominently

15. Contact

For questions or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please use the contact form at:

collateral.app/#contact

16. Plain-English Summary

Collateral is built to respect your privacy:

  • Your financial data stays on your device, in a local database that never leaves your machine
  • We only store minimal information needed for licensing (your name and email)
  • We do not sell your data
  • We do not track your financial activity
  • You can request deletion of your data and we will fulfill it within 30 days