ASM Lab Privacy Policy
Version 1.0 路 Effective 1 October 2026
This policy explains what information ASM Lab collects, why, where it goes and what you can ask us to do with it. It covers the ASM Lab desktop app, the ASM Lab web test version and the ASM Lab Bug Board (asm-lab-bugs.pages.dev).
Who we are. ASM Lab ("we", "us"). Contact: masithulelapfariso6@gmail.com. We are the responsible party for the personal information described here, as defined in South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA).
1. What stays on your computer
Your mine models, projects, drawings, results and settings are stored on your own computer. ASM Lab does not upload them. There is no advertising, no analytics and no usage tracking in ASM Lab.
2. Licence checks
To keep each licence to the number of computers it allows, ASM Lab checks its licence key with our licence server when you activate it and at least once a day after that. Each check sends:
- the licence key;
- a computer ID: a one-way, salted hash of your Windows installation's machine ID (we never receive the machine ID itself, and the hash means nothing outside ASM Lab);
- your computer's name (so a licence holder can tell their computers apart when moving a licence);
- the ASM Lab version.
Our server also sees the internet (IP) address the check comes from. We use it only to limit how many checks one address can make, and do not store it with the licence; our hosting provider's logs may keep it for a short time.
We keep, per licence: the computers using it (computer ID, computer name, ASM Lab version, first and last check). A computer's record is deleted when its seat is freed, and all licence records are deleted when the licence programme ends.
3. Updates
The installed app asks GitHub (github.com) whether a newer version exists, at start-up and every 6 hours, and downloads it from GitHub if you agree. GitHub sees your IP address when this happens, under GitHub's own privacy statement. No information about you or your projects is sent.
4. Bug reports (only when you send one)
When you use Report a bug, the report contains:
- what you write: title, description, steps to reproduce, severity, category;
- the ASM Lab version, whether it is the desktop or web version, the type of operating system (e.g. Windows), whether you were online, and the time;
- error messages ASM Lab recorded in that session (technical messages; one can mention a file name, and you can read, edit or clear them before sending);
- unless you untick it, the size of the open project as numbers only (how many collections, airways, nodes and block models, the active tool and the solve mode), never its names, coordinates or contents;
- a screenshot, only if you choose to attach one. A screenshot can show your project on screen: attach one only if you are happy for us to see it.
A report does not include your name, email address, computer name, computer ID or licence key.
Reports are used only to find and fix problems in ASM Lab. They are:
- stored in the Bug Board's database;
- emailed to the ASM Lab maintainer;
- filed as an issue in ASM Lab's private source-code repository on GitHub, where fixes are made;
- read by an AI coding assistant (Claude, by Anthropic) that helps diagnose and fix them on the maintainer's instruction.
The public Bug Board shows only totals and, for reports we choose to publish, a title, severity, status and dates (for example "Fixed in ASM Lab 2026.1.12"). The description, steps, error messages and screenshots are never public.
5. The Bug Board website
Visitors to the Bug Board are not tracked and need no account. The board uses no advertising or analytics cookies. Team members who sign in to manage reports get a sign-in session stored in their browser. While the licence list is switched on, the board shows licence keys, how many computers use each and their expiry date, but never who uses them.
6. Who processes the information for us
| Service | What it does | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Bug Board database, file storage, licence server | Cloud servers, may be outside South Africa |
| Cloudflare | Hosts the Bug Board website | Global network |
| GitHub | App downloads and updates; private bug issues | United States |
| Resend | Emails new bug reports to the maintainer | United States |
| Anthropic | AI assistant that helps fix reported bugs | United States |
Some of these providers store or process information outside South Africa. We use them only for the purposes above, and they are bound by their own security and data-protection terms.
7. How long we keep it
- Licence records: while the licence exists; deleted when the licence programme ends.
- Bug reports: until the problem is fixed or closed, and at most 24 months.
- Emails and GitHub issues about a report: for the same period.
8. Security
Information is sent over encrypted connections (HTTPS). Licence and report records can be read only by ASM Lab's administrators; licence approvals are signed so they cannot be forged.
9. Your rights
You may ask us what personal information we hold about you, and ask us to correct or delete it, or object to how we use it: write to masithulelapfariso6@gmail.com. Because bug reports carry no name, tell us the reference number shown after sending, or the date and title, so we can find yours. If you are not satisfied with our answer, you may complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa): https://inforegulator.org.za.
10. Children
ASM Lab is a professional engineering tool and is not intended for children.
11. Changes
We may update this policy. The version and date at the top change when we do, and ASM Lab asks you to accept the new version.
12. Contact
ASM Lab 路 masithulelapfariso6@gmail.com