Privacy policy

Rather than claim we collect nothing, this page sets out exactly what does reach us and why. All of it is in our source code, so you can check this against the software instead of taking our word for it.

When you open your StartOS dashboard, your server asks our registry whether a newer version of StartOS exists. That request tells us:

• a random identifier created on your server when you first set it up
• the StartOS version, platform, and CPU architecture
• your interface language, if you have set one

We keep the identifier, the architecture, the version, and the time. We use it to count how many servers are running and which versions they are on, so we know what still needs supporting. The identifier is randomly generated, is not derived from your hardware, and is not linked to your order, your email address, or anything else we hold. We cannot tell whose server it is.

We do not log IP addresses — not in the application, not at our proxy, and not at a CDN.

When you browse or install services from the Marketplace, we record which package was asked for and when. Those records contain no identifier of any kind. They are counts, not history, and they cannot be traced back to a server or a person.

StartOS never installs updates on its own. The check tells you an update exists; whether to install it is your decision.

StartWRT checks for a newer version when you open its admin interface, and sends the OS version and platform. It sends no device identifier, and there is no equivalent of the count described above.

To set up networking — port forwarding and remote access — your server needs to know its own public IP address, which it cannot determine by itself. It asks an outside service, by default ipconfig.io and ifconfig.co. Those services are not run by Start9 and will see your IP address, exactly as any website you visit does. You can change or remove them in your server's settings.

You can read this site without telling us who you are. It loads its code, fonts, and images from our own servers, so visiting it does not announce you to a third party.

• To show you the right version of the RISC-V Router, we look up which country your IP address is in, using a database on our own server. We do not store the address or the result.
• A cookie holds your cart number, so your cart is still there if you come back within 30 days. It is not used for anything else.

To sell and ship you a device we need your name, email address, shipping address, and payment details. We use them to complete your order, get the hardware to you, answer questions about it, and keep the tax and accounting records the law requires.

Checkout runs on pages hosted by Shopify, which we use to take orders.

• Card payments are processed by Shopify. We do not see or store your full card details.
• Bitcoin payments are processed through BTCPay Server, which we run ourselves. Paying in bitcoin requires the least information, because no card processor is involved.
• Shipping requires giving your name and address to a carrier — UPS, or UPS or DHL for international orders.

Shopify and the carriers handle your information under their own policies, which we do not control.

Our community chat runs on Matrix. Messages in our public and support rooms are stored on our server and are visible to our team; they are not end-to-end encrypted. Some rooms are assisted by Dux, our AI helper, which is built on Anthropic's Claude — so messages in those rooms are also sent to Anthropic to generate a reply. Do not post private keys, recovery phrases, passwords, or anything else you would not want kept.

Messages you send through the contact form on this site reach our support system, and we keep them so we can answer you and refer back to the conversation.

There are no analytics, tag managers, session recorders, crash reporters, or advertising technologies on our websites or in our products. We have never sold or rented personal information, and we will not.

You can ask us what personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it. Email support@start9.com and we will do it. Orders, and the tax and accounting records attached to them, we keep for as long as the law requires.

If you are in the European Union or the United Kingdom, you have these rights under the GDPR and UK GDPR, including the right to complain to your national data protection authority.

If we ever change what our products send us, we will change this page in the same release, not afterwards.

Start9 Labs, Inc.
757 E 20th Ave, STE 370-321
Denver, CO 80205, United States
support@start9.com

Last updated: 30 October 2026