softwarea is a one-person company: I, Ingmar Bode, develop and run everything myself. Wherever this policy says “I,” it means softwarea GmbH. I take the protection of your data seriously and collect only what’s necessary for each purpose. This website doesn’t use analytics or advertising services, tracking, or third-party content—with one exception when you pay (see “Purchases through Paddle”).

1. Controller

softwarea GmbH
Herzog-Albrecht-Str. 1
93059 Regensburg
Managing director: Ingmar Bode
Email: info@softwarea.de
Phone: +49 179 5044534

2. Visiting the website and server logs

When you visit a page, the server processes the information required for technical reasons: your IP address, the date and time, the address you visit, the amount of data transferred, your browser and your operating system. This is necessary to deliver the website, keep it secure and troubleshoot issues (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). The website runs on a rented server provided by Hetzner Online GmbH, Industriestr. 25, 91710 Gunzenhausen (server location: [enter data centre]). Hetzner processes the data on my behalf under a data processing agreement (Art. 28 GDPR). Logs are deleted after [enter retention period].

Fonts, icons and all other website components are hosted on my own server. Visiting the website does not transfer any data to Google Fonts or other third parties.

3. Cookies

I use only technically necessary cookies (§ 25(2)(2) TDDDG, Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR):

• softwarea.lang – remembers your chosen language so the homepage greets you in that language. Stored for one year.
• softwarea.admin – keeps you signed in to your customer account. Set only after you sign in; stored for 14 days and deleted when you sign out.
• Form protection (.AspNetCore.Antiforgery…) – protects forms against misuse by other websites. Lasts until you close your browser.

I don’t use cookies for analytics, marketing or advertising.

4. Purchases through Paddle

My products are sold by Paddle.com Market Ltd., Judd House, 18–29 Mora Street, London EC1V 8BT, United Kingdom, which acts as the Merchant of Record. Paddle is your contractual partner when you make a purchase. It processes your payment, issues your invoice and pays the applicable VAT. The checkout page loads a script from Paddle for this purpose. You enter your payment details directly with Paddle; I don’t receive them. Paddle’s privacy policy applies: paddle.com/legal/privacy.

For each purchase, Paddle sends me your email address, product, amount, order number and Paddle customer ID. I need this information to provide your product and licence key (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) and to meet legal record-keeping requirements (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR).

5. Customer account

A customer account is created under your email address when you make your first purchase. You can view your licences and invoices there. You can also choose to add your name, company, address, country, VAT ID and preferred language for emails. To sign in, I email you a six-digit code. It’s valid for ten minutes and stored only as a hash. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Your account remains active for as long as you use your licences. I’ll delete it on request, unless legal retention requirements prevent me from doing so.

6. Licences and app activation

Each purchase includes a licence key. When you activate it in one of my apps, the app sends a SHA-256 hash of a device ID, the device name, operating system and app version. I don’t store the device ID itself. I use this information to limit the number of devices per licence and show your activated devices in your customer account (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). The API limits requests by IP address to prevent people from trying keys at random; the IP address is held in memory only briefly for this purpose.

For licences I give away for free, I store the recipient’s name and, where applicable, email address so I can send them the key (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

7. App feedback

In some apps, you can send me feedback—for example, in ScanKing you can tell me which scanner you’d like to see supported. The information sent includes your email address, the details you enter in the form (such as manufacturer, model, connection type and message), the app version and—only if you leave the box checked—any devices found and your operating system version. I store your feedback and receive it by email so I can reply and, where possible, support the device (Art. 6(1)(b) or (f) GDPR). The API limits requests by IP address; the IP address is held in memory only briefly for this purpose. I delete your feedback once your request has been resolved, or immediately if you ask me to.

8. Notification list for products in development

For products still in development, you can sign up with your email address to receive updates about that product. I store your email address, the product, the language of the page, and the dates and times you signed up and confirmed your subscription.

Sign-up uses a double opt-in process: first, you’ll receive an email with a confirmation link. I’ll send you updates only after you confirm. Unconfirmed sign-ups are automatically deleted after seven days. The legal basis is your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). You can withdraw your consent at any time using the unsubscribe link in any update or by emailing info@softwarea.de. Your address will then be deleted immediately.

I write updates in German. For other languages, I translate the text using an AI service that runs on my own server; your email address isn’t processed.

9. Email and contact

I send emails (sign-in codes, licence keys, confirmations and updates) through the mail server of STRATO GmbH, Otto-Ostrowski-Straße 7, 10249 Berlin, which acts as a data processor for this purpose (Art. 28 GDPR). If you contact me by email or phone, I process the information you provide to handle your request (Art. 6(1)(b) or (f) GDPR) and delete it when it’s no longer needed for that purpose, unless legal retention requirements apply.

10. How long I keep your data

I store personal data only for as long as needed for the relevant purpose. I keep purchase and invoice records for the periods required by law (usually six or ten years under § 147 AO and § 257 HGB).

11. Your rights

You have the right to access your data (Art. 15 GDPR), have it corrected (Art. 16), have it deleted (Art. 17), restrict its processing (Art. 18), receive it in a portable format (Art. 20) and object to processing based on legitimate interests (Art. 21). You can withdraw your consent at any time, with effect for the future (Art. 7(3)). Just email me at info@softwarea.de.

You can also lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority. The relevant authority is the Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervision, Promenade 18, 91522 Ansbach.

As of: October 2026