Privacy policy

At How2Validate, we are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle your data when you use our open-source CLI tool.

Data Collection

We do not collect or store any secrets or local file data from your system. However, if you choose to use features such as email reporting or API token generation, we request GitHub authentication and collect the following information:

• GitHub username (read-only)
• GitHub email (read-only)
• GitHub avatar URL (read-only)

This information is optional and collected only with your explicit action (e.g., logging in for using reporting features).

Data Usage

The collected GitHub information is used for: - Creating and managing API tokens - Sending email-based validation reports - Monitoring and improving service reliability

We do not share any personally identifiable information (PII) with third-party services.

Data Storage

All user-related data is stored securely in MongoDB and includes:

• GitHub username, email, avatar
• Email addresses used for reporting
• API token subscription metadata

This data is:

• Encrypted
• Access-restricted
• Automatically deleted after 90 days of inactivity

Data Sharing

We do not share your personal data with any third parties. However, the CLI communicates with third-party API providers (e.g., GitHub, AWS, etc.) solely to validate the secrets you input. These interactions are user-initiated and legally compliant.

User Control

You have full control over whether or not to provide GitHub login or email information. If you choose not to use features like reporting or API token generation, you can use the CLI without sharing any identifiable data.

Children’s Privacy

Our CLI is not intended for individuals under the age of 13 or 16, depending on jurisdiction. If you are a minor, please use the tool under supervision or with parental consent.

Contact

For privacy-related questions or requests, please open a thread in our GitHub Discussions Forum.