Privacy Policy
Last updated: 2025-06-29
1. What We Collect
We collect information you provide when registering or using our services: name, email address, billing information (processed by Stripe — we never store raw card details), and SSH public keys. We also collect server logs, IP addresses, and usage data necessary to operate the service.
Referral Program: If you participate in our referral program, we collect: your referral code, clicks on your referral link (including IP address, user agent, timestamp, and HTTP referrer), conversion data (when someone registers through your link), and commission earnings. For users who click referral links, we store a cookie containing the referral code and timestamp to attribute registrations correctly.
2. How We Use It
We use your information to provision and manage your services, process payments, send transactional emails (invoices, service notifications, verification), and provide support. We do not sell your data to third parties or use it for advertising.
3. Third-Party Services
FlowHost uses the following third-party services to operate: Stripe for payment processing, Mailcow/SMTP for email delivery, Sentry for error monitoring, and Cloudflare for CDN and DDoS protection. Each of these services has its own privacy policy governing data they receive.
4. Data Retention
Account data is retained for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, personal data is removed within 30 days, except where retention is required for legal or billing obligations (e.g. invoice records). Service data (VMs, backups) is deleted immediately upon service termination.
Referral Program Data: Referral click data (IP addresses, user agents, timestamps) is retained for 1 year for fraud prevention and analytics. Referral records (who referred whom) are retained for the lifetime of your account plus 5 years. Payout and commission records are retained for 7 years to comply with tax and accounting regulations in the Czech Republic and EU.
5. Cookies
We use session cookies necessary for authentication. We also use a referral tracking cookie (named fh_ref) that stores the referral code and timestamp when you click a partner's referral link. This cookie lasts for 30 days and is used to attribute your registration to the referring partner if you sign up within that period. We do not use tracking cookies, analytics cookies, or advertising cookies beyond what is necessary for service operation and the referral program.
6. Your Rights
You have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal data. To make a request, email [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.
7. Contact
For privacy questions or data requests, contact us at [email protected].
8. Referral Program Privacy
Our referral program allows approved partners to earn commissions by referring new customers. This section explains how we handle data in the context of the referral program.
For Partners: When you join the referral program, we store your approval status, referral code, click statistics, conversion data, and commission earnings. You can view this information in your partner dashboard. We use your email address to send notifications about approval status, payout processing, and program updates. Your referral link contains a unique code that identifies you as the referrer.
For Referred Users: When you click a partner's referral link, we set a cookie (fh_ref) containing the partner's code and a timestamp. If you register within 30 days, we create a referral record linking your account to the partner. This allows us to apply your referral discount and calculate the partner's commission. We use last-click attribution: if you click multiple referral links, the most recent one receives credit.
Data We Collect: For each referral link click, we collect: IP address, user agent string, timestamp, and HTTP referrer (the page you came from). This data helps us prevent fraud, analyze program performance, and ensure accurate attribution. We do not use this data for advertising or sell it to third parties.
Your Rights: As a partner, you can request deletion of your referral data by terminating your participation in the program. However, commission and payout records must be retained for 7 years for tax compliance. As a referred user, you can request information about which partner referred you by contacting us at [email protected].
Legal Basis: We process referral data based on: (1) contract performance (to operate the program and pay commissions), (2) legitimate interest (fraud prevention and program improvement), and (3) consent (for the referral tracking cookie, which you can delete at any time via your browser settings).