AdGuard for Windows Privacy Notice
May 17, 2024
Keynote: This Privacy Notice lists all the information that we may collect and explains why we do it and how we use this information. The information we collect includes no more than is crucial to provide the full functionality of AdGuard products. We do not share or sell your personal information. We are strongly committed to protecting user privacy and being as transparent as possible.
What data AdGuard for Windows can collect and when
Here we describe all cases when and what data is sent to our server, so you can be sure that we only collect the minimum necessary for the application to work properly. The information we collect about you depends on how you interact with our application.
User authorization
Users have the option to activate the license by logging into their personal account in the app. The following information is sent to our servers:
- Login (email address)
- Password
Upon authorization, the app receives an active license for that account from the server.
License status check
To validate the license status AdGuard connects to its servers. When it happens, the following information is sent:
- PC name
- MAC address MD5 hash
- Computer hardware ID hash
- OS language
- App identifier
- App version
- License key
- App language
- Build identifier
- Flag indicating if you take part in the Browsing Security module development
Why we need this information: To check the license status and display the user’s license keys in the AdGuard account. MAC and hardware ID hashes are also used to tie the license to the computer.
License reset
The license is reset upon user request. When it happens, the app identifier is sent.
Why we need this information: In order to know which app to do the license reset for.
Checking for program updates
To check for app updates, AdGuard connects to its servers. When it happens, the following information is sent:
- App identifier
- Update channel
- App name
- App version
- App language
- Automatic update flag
- OS version
Why we need this information: This data is sent to our servers in order to return a correct response about what updates are available for the current version of the application.
Update checks are performed periodically or when prompted by the user. We do not store and use this data in future.
Checking for filter updates
To check for updates of blocking filters, AdGuard connects to its servers. When it happens, no information is being sent. The program periodically downloads a file with all filter versions and their available updates.
App crash report
If AdGuard crashes, it creates an automatic crash report. Upon the next launch AdGuard will ask you to send it to us. In this report, the following information is sent:
- Stack trace
- Memory minidump (only in case of a crash in the native code)
- Computer’s name
- AdGuard version
- AdGuard settings
- App identifier
- Active Windows user name
- .NET Framework version
- List of active processes
Why we need this information: To troubleshoot critical issues. It keeps us aware of new problems not reported by users.
Crash report data is stored only on our servers. We do not use any third party services to collect and store crash reports. All crash reports are stored for 30 days.
Installer crash
If AdGuard crashes during the installation process, it creates an automatic crash report and asks the user to send it to us. If the user agrees, the following information will be sent:
- Stack trace
- Computer’s name
- AdGuard version
- List of active processes
- .NET version
- App identifier
- Active Windows user name
- Installer logs
*Why we need this information:- The installer is a separate program from AdGuard and it can also have bugs and errors. The information received in crash reports allows us to understand the causes of problems and fix them in time.
App uninstall
After AdGuard for Windows is uninstalled, the app identifier is sent.
Why we need this information: We need to know that the app has been uninstalled. We use the received app identifier when checking the license: we do not count deleted programs when counting the number of programs activated with the license key.
Sending a web page complaint
The user can submit a report of a website problem directly from the app. The app will automatically open reports.adguard.com and forward some information about its configuration. The user can then alter or delete it.
Unless the user agrees to submit this information by clicking Next, none of this information is stored or sent anywhere. If the user agrees, the report will become public (but anonymous) on GitHub.
Sending a message to support
Users can send messages to support right from the app. If they do, a special file containing some information about app settings and OS configuration will be sent. This data is required for troubleshooting purposes. Users also have an option to include a diagnostic report that contains additional information. Nothing will be sent unless the user manually confirms the submission.
The following information is included in this message:
- App identifier
- App version
- App language
- OS version
- Version of Microsoft .NET Framework installed on the computer
- The list of enabled filters
- License key
Why we need this information: This information is used by the support team to understand whether they are dealing with a paid version user or not, and to perform minimal diagnostics.
If Include the diagnostic report in the message is enabled, the app will also send additional data:
- List of running processes
- Detailed information about AdGuard settings, including enabled filters and installed userscripts
- Contents of AdGuard log file that includes the list of errors that occurred since the last launch of the program
This detailed information is used by the support team to help solve more complicated problems.
Browsing Security website check
If Phishing and malware protection is enabled, AdGuard will check each website before the user visits it. We use the Safe Browsing API for this purpose, and the information about the visited website is sent in the form of hash prefixes. This doesn’t allow us to determine which website is being visited.
Parental Control website check
When Parental Control is enabled, AdGuard uses its own web service to check websites against the database. We use the Lookup API for this purpose, and the information about the visited website is sent in the form of hash prefixes. This doesn’t allow us to determine which website is being visited.
