Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

SysopHQ is a managed BBS hosting service. When we say "SysopHQ", "we", "us", or "our" in this policy, we mean the SysopHQ service and its operators.

For privacy questions or requests contact us at Sysophq@gmail.com.

2. What We Collect

Account information — when you subscribe to SysopHQ we collect your name or handle, email address, and payment information (processed by our payment provider — we do not store card numbers).

Service usage data — we collect logs of service activity for operational purposes, including connection events, errors, and system performance data. These logs are used to maintain and troubleshoot the service and are not shared publicly.

Communications — if you contact us by email we retain that correspondence to assist with your request and for record-keeping.

Website usage — our website does not use tracking cookies or third-party analytics. We do not build a profile of your browsing behavior.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect only to:

• Provision, operate, and maintain your BBS instance
• Process payments and manage your subscription
• Send you service-related communications (billing receipts, maintenance notices, security alerts)
• Respond to your support requests
• Comply with legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your data for advertising. We do not share your data with third parties for their own commercial purposes.

4. BBS User Data

Your BBS instance stores data about your community members — handles, passwords, messages, posts, and other content they create. This data belongs to you and your users, not to SysopHQ.

As a Sysop you are the data controller for your community members. You are responsible for:

• Informing your users about what data is collected when they register on your BBS
• Responding to your users' data requests
• Operating your BBS in compliance with applicable privacy laws in your jurisdiction

SysopHQ acts as a data processor on your behalf — we store and protect this data as part of the hosting service but do not access or use it beyond what is necessary to operate your BBS.

All passwords stored in your BBS are protected using an industry-standard security algorithm. They cannot be read by us or by you.

5. Data Storage and Security

Your BBS data is stored on secured infrastructure. We apply industry-standard security practices including access controls, encryption in transit, and regular security reviews.

No system is perfectly secure. While we take reasonable measures to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach that affects your account we will notify you promptly.

Higher-tier plans include automated daily backups. All plans retain recent backups as part of operational procedures.

6. Third Parties

We use a small number of trusted third-party services to operate SysopHQ:

• Payment processing — all payments are handled by Stripe, SysopHQ never receives, transmits, or stores your credit or debit card number, CVV, or billing details. That information goes directly to Stripe and stays there.
• Email delivery — we use an email provider to send transactional emails (billing receipts, notifications). Your email address is shared with this provider solely to deliver messages to you.
• Infrastructure providers — our hosting infrastructure is provided by cloud hosting partners. Your BBS data resides on their servers under our control and under appropriate data processing agreements.

We do not use advertising networks, social media tracking pixels, or analytics services that track individual users across the web.

7. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction — ask us to correct inaccurate information
• Export — request a full export of your BBS data at any time
• Deletion — request deletion of your personal information. Upon account termination your data is deleted within 30 days.
• Objection — object to certain uses of your data

To exercise any of these rights email Sysophq@gmail.com with your request. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Data Retention

We retain your account information and BBS data for as long as your subscription is active. After cancellation:

• We will provide a final data export on request
• Your BBS data is deleted from our systems within 30 days of account closure
• Billing records are retained for up to 7 years as required by financial regulations
• Support correspondence may be retained for up to 2 years

9. Children's Privacy

SysopHQ is intended for users aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has created an account, contact us at Sysophq@gmail.com and we will promptly remove the account.

As a Sysop, you are responsible for enforcing age restrictions on your own BBS if applicable to your jurisdiction or community.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For material changes we will notify active subscribers by email at least 14 days before the change takes effect.

Continued use of the service after a policy change constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact

For privacy questions, data requests, or concerns about how we handle your information:

Sysophq@gmail.com

We take privacy seriously and will respond to all inquiries within 5 business days.