1. Who we are and what this covers
Clips is a clipboard manager for Windows (10 and 11, x64), currently in public beta. It is owned and operated by 5KM Tech, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, 131 Continental Dr Ste 305, Newark, DE 19713, USA (“we”, “us”). We are the controller of the personal data described here.
This policy covers the Clips app, the website at https://clips.5km.tech, and the services behind them (updates, anonymous usage statistics, feedback and the beta email list). It does not cover other 5KM Tech products or other websites that Clips or our site link to.
We have tried to say exactly what happens, including the parts that involve our servers. If something here is unclear, write to us at support@5km.tech.
2. The short version
| Topic | What happens |
|---|---|
| Clipboard history | Stays on your PC. Never uploaded. No cloud sync. |
| Anonymous usage statistics | On by default in beta builds, after you have been shown a notice. One small message a day. No clipboard content, no app names, no window titles. You can switch it off in Settings → Privacy. |
| Feedback | Sent only when you press send. Diagnostics only if you tick the box, and you can preview them first. |
| Beta email list | Only if you sign up and confirm. Unsubscribe link in every email. |
| Updates | Clips fetches update files from us. No identifier is sent. |
| Link previews | Off by default. When on, your PC contacts the linked site directly. |
| Website | Cookieless visit statistics with Cloudflare Web Analytics; no advertising and no tracking cookies. |
| Sale of data, ads, profiling | None. |
3. Clipboard history
Clipboard history is the core of the product and the most sensitive thing Clips handles, so it is simple: it is yours and it stays on your PC.
| What | Items you copy (text, links, images, files and similar), with their time and type, and your pinned items and settings. |
| Why | To let you search, paste and reuse what you copied earlier. |
| Where it goes | Nowhere. It is stored only in Clips’ data folder on your PC (by default under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Clips). We do not receive it, and Clips has no cloud sync. |
| How long | Until you delete it, clear the history, or uninstall Clips and remove its data folder. |
| How to stop or delete | Clear the history or delete single items in Clips. Add apps to the ignore list so nothing copied from them is saved. Quit Clips at any time. Uninstall Clips and delete its data folder to remove everything. |
Things you should know:
- Items that the copying app marks as confidential (password managers usually do this) are not saved. This relies on the other app setting that mark. If a program does not, Clips cannot tell, so use the per-app ignore rules for programs you do not want recorded.
- Anyone who can open your Windows account or your disk can read your history. Clips does not make promises about encryption of its data folder beyond what Windows and your disk protection (for example BitLocker) provide.
- Windows has its own clipboard history and cloud clipboard features. They are separate from Clips and are not controlled by it.
4. Anonymous usage statistics
| What | A small “heartbeat” message with these fields and nothing else: a random statistics ID; the Clips version; the release channel (for example beta); the Windows build number; the CPU architecture; the interface language; the beta status of your build (for example active or expired); whether the previous run ended in a crash; and whether Clips started in safe mode. Our server adds the country, which Cloudflare derives from your connection. We do not store your IP address. |
| What it never contains | Clipboard content, names of apps, window titles, how many items you have, or which features you use. |
| The statistics ID | A random UUID generated on your device. It is not derived from your hardware, Windows account, name or email. It does not name you, but because it identifies one installation over time we treat it as personal data. |
| Why | To know how many installations are active, which versions and Windows builds are in use, whether crashes are increasing after a release, and which languages to support. |
| When | On by default in beta builds. Clips shows you what is sent before the first message: in the welcome tour for new users, or in a one-time notice in the panel for existing users. Nothing is sent before that. After that, at most once a day. |
| Where it goes | To our servers on https://clips.5km.tech, hosted on Cloudflare (Workers and the D1 database). |
| How long | A summary record per ID (first and last day seen, latest version, build, language, country, counts of active days, crashes and safe-mode starts) is kept until you switch statistics off, reset the ID, or ask us to delete it, and is deleted automatically once the ID has not been seen for 400 days. Per-day activity rows are kept for up to 400 days. |
| How to stop or delete | Settings → Privacy → turn off “Send anonymous usage statistics”. Turning it off, or choosing “Reset statistics ID”, makes Clips send a deletion request for that ID, and our server deletes all records for it. Clips then forgets the ID locally. (If you are offline at that moment the request can fail; email us and we will delete it.) |
Other points:
- The statistics ID is not linked to your email address or to any feedback you send. Feedback and signup requests do not carry it, and statistics requests carry no email address.
- We can switch statistics off for everyone, remotely, through a digitally signed policy file that Clips downloads. We cannot switch them on against your choice: if you turned them off, they stay off.
- Builds that are not beta builds have statistics off by default.
5. Feedback and diagnostics
Nothing here is sent unless you open the feedback form (the Send feedback button on the panel, or Settings → About → Send feedback) and press send.
| What | The type (bug, idea, other); your message; your email address if you choose to enter one (optional); and the app version, release channel, Windows build, CPU architecture and interface language. |
| Optional diagnostics | Only if you tick “attach diagnostics”: a text file with structured facts about the app (version, channel, Windows build, language, beta status, safe mode, storage health) and the most recent lines of Clips’ log (up to 200 KB). A separate tick adds the crash log. Before sending, Clips replaces your Windows user name and user-folder paths with placeholders and removes the message text from client-error lines. The “preview” button shows exactly the text that will be sent. Redaction is automatic and cannot be perfect, so read the preview and untick the option if you are not comfortable. |
| Why | To read your report, reproduce a problem, and reply to you. |
| Where it goes | To our self-hosted helpdesk (Chatwoot), which runs on servers we operate. Diagnostics are attached as an internal note. The request reaches it through our website’s servers on Cloudflare. |
| How long | As long as needed to handle your report and follow-up, then until you ask us to delete it. |
| How to stop or delete | Do not press send. After sending, email support@5km.tech and we will delete the conversation. |
If you gave an email address, we may reply to it. If you did not, we cannot reply. Feedback is not affected by the statistics setting.
6. Beta email signup
| What | Your email address; the language of the page you signed up on; whether you ticked the separate marketing box; and the time you confirmed. |
| How it works | Double opt-in. You enter your address and pass a bot check; we send a confirmation email; only when you click the link is your address added to our list. The link expires after 48 hours. If you never confirm, your address is not added. We keep a one-way hash of each confirmation link for 7 days so that a repeated click does not send you a second welcome email. |
| Why | To send you the download link, notices about the beta and the launch of Clips (including the discount code for beta testers) and, only if you ticked the separate marketing box, news about Clips and other 5KM Tech products. |
| Where it goes | Into our self-hosted mailing system (listmonk) on servers we operate. Emails are delivered through Amazon SES (Amazon Web Services). |
| How long | Until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete your data. If you unsubscribe, your address may stay in the system marked as unsubscribed so that we respect your choice, until you ask us to delete it. |
| How to stop or delete | Every email from the list has an unsubscribe link. To have your address deleted, email support@5km.tech. |
7. Update checks and downloads
| What | Clips periodically downloads a small version file, a digitally signed policy file, and (when you update) the update package, from releases.5km.tech. Clips sends no identifier and no account data with these requests. As with any download, the connection itself (such as your IP address and request details) is visible to the server. |
| Why | To tell you about new builds, to deliver updates, and to apply beta expiry and the remote switch for statistics. |
| Where it goes | releases.5km.tech is stored on Cloudflare R2. Cloudflare processes standard connection metadata as our infrastructure provider. |
| How long | Cloudflare’s own log retention applies. We do not build user profiles from these requests. |
| How to stop | You can block Clips’ network access in your firewall; Clips keeps working but will not update, and builds still expire (see the Terms of Use). |
8. Link previews
| What | If you turn on link previews, Clips fetches the page of a link you copied, to show its title, description and image. |
| Why | A nicer view of copied links. |
| Where it goes | Directly from your PC to the website of the link. We do not see the request. That website sees it like any browser visit (your IP address, and the fact that the page was requested). Be aware that the URL you copied is requested, even if it contains private tokens. |
| How long | Whatever Clips keeps for a preview (title, description, image) stays on your PC. We receive nothing. |
| How to stop | Link previews are off by default. Switch them off again in the settings. |
9. This website
- The site uses Cloudflare Web Analytics to count visits. Pages load a script from Cloudflare that reports the page address, the referring page, page load performance, and the browser, operating system and device type; the country is derived by Cloudflare from the connection. According to Cloudflare, it uses no cookies, stores no identifier in your browser and is not used to track you across sites. We see aggregated figures only, such as visits per page and where they came from.
- No advertising, and no advertising or tracking cookies.
- A theme and language preference is saved in your browser’s local storage, only on your device.
- The signup form uses Cloudflare Turnstile as a bot check. Turnstile processes connection and device signals under Cloudflare’s own terms and privacy policy.
- The site runs on Cloudflare (Workers, D1, CDN). Cloudflare processes request data, such as IP addresses, to deliver and protect it.
- To limit abuse, we keep short-lived request counters keyed by IP address. We cannot read them back.
- Our server logs contain no email addresses, message texts or statistics IDs.
10. Who processes data for us
| Provider | What for |
|---|---|
| Cloudflare, Inc. | Hosting and delivery of the website and its API, the D1 database, R2 storage for updates, the CDN, Turnstile, and website visit statistics (Web Analytics) |
| Amazon Web Services (Amazon SES) | Delivering the emails we send through our mailing system |
Our mailing system (listmonk) and helpdesk (Chatwoot) are software that we run ourselves, on servers we operate. These providers act on our instructions and under their own terms. We do not share your data with anyone else, except where the law requires it or you ask us to.
11. No sale, no ads, no profiling
We do not sell or rent personal data, and we do not “share” it for advertising. We do not use advertising or data-broker services. We do not profile you or make decisions about you by automated means. Statistics are used in aggregate to run and improve Clips.
12. Security
- Clips talks to our servers over HTTPS.
- The passwords and API tokens for our back-end services are kept only on our servers, never inside the app.
- The policy file that Clips downloads is digitally signed, so a forged file is ignored.
- The best protection is collecting little: the app never sends clipboard content.
No system is perfectly secure. Your clipboard history is protected only as well as your PC and Windows account are, so do not leave it open to others.
13. International transfers
We are based in the United States. Data you send us (statistics, feedback, signup) may be processed in the United States and in other countries where Cloudflare, Amazon and our other providers operate. If you are in the EEA, the UK, China or another region with transfer rules, please know that this data leaves your region. Where the law requires safeguards, such as standard contractual clauses, we rely on them or on those our providers offer.
14. Your choices and rights
Do it yourself, first
- Clipboard history: clear or delete in Clips, or uninstall.
- Statistics: Settings → Privacy, turn off, or “Reset statistics ID”. Either one deletes the server records for that ID.
- Feedback: do not send it. Diagnostics are only attached if you tick the box.
- Emails: use the unsubscribe link in any email.
Rights you may have
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to ask us for access to your personal data and a copy of it; to correct it; to delete it; to object to or restrict its use; to move it; to withdraw consent at any time (this does not affect what we did before); and to complain to a data protection authority in your country. California residents have the corresponding rights under California law, and we do not discriminate against anyone for using them.
To use any of them, write to support@5km.tech, from the email address the request concerns where it is about the email list or feedback. We may need to confirm that you are who you say you are. We reply within the time the law requires. Because the statistics ID is not linked to your name or email, we cannot find your statistics records by name; resetting the ID in Settings → Privacy is the reliable way to have them deleted.
Legal bases (EEA and UK)
- Clipboard history: this is on your PC only and we do not process it.
- Update checks: our legitimate interest in delivering updates and enforcing beta expiry.
- Anonymous usage statistics: our legitimate interest in maintaining and improving the product, with a notice before the first message and an easy opt-out.
- Feedback: your request, and our legitimate interest in answering it.
- Email list: your consent (confirmed by double opt-in); marketing needs the separate box.
15. Children
Clips is not directed at children under 13 (or under 16 where local law sets a higher age). We do not knowingly collect their personal data. If you think a child has given us data, email us and we will delete it.
16. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when Clips or the way we handle data changes. The date at the top shows the latest version. If a change matters to your privacy, such as a new kind of data being collected, we will say so in the app or by email to the list before it takes effect where we can.
17. Contact
5KM Tech, LLC 131 Continental Dr Ste 305, Newark, DE 19713, USA Email: support@5km.tech