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Beside by Thisma Labs
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Privacy Policy

Effective Date: October 23, 2026 • Thisma Labs
Factual Claims Verified by Code Audit:
  1. Beside never transmits file contents, folder structures, or clipboard text over the internet or through Thisma Labs servers.
  2. Beside contains zero third-party analytics SDKs, advertising frameworks, crash reporting beacons, or user tracking cookies.
  3. All file and text transfers occur strictly peer-to-peer over your local area network (LAN) encrypted via Mutual TLS 1.3.
  4. The only internet connections Beside makes are: (a) optional Pro license activation via /api/v1/activate, and (b) checking for software updates via the GitHub Releases API (api.github.com/repos/thisma-labs/beside/releases/latest, which sends no personal data, uses a 10s timeout, and can be disabled completely in Settings).
  5. During Pro license activation, the app transmits only the user-provided license_key and a 64-character SHA-256 Subject Public Key Info (SPKI) hardware fingerprint to enforce the 3-device activation limit in Cloudflare D1.
  6. Device keys are encrypted at rest locally using Windows DPAPI and Android Keystore AES-256-GCM.

1. Overview & Core Philosophy

Thisma Labs ("we", "our", "us") builds local-first software. Our core belief is simple: data that belongs to you should stay on your devices. Beside was engineered so that you can share files, folders, and text between your Windows PC and Android devices without creating an account, without connecting to a cloud server, and without giving up your privacy.

2. What We Collect and What We Do Not Collect

We do NOT collect:

  • Your file names, file sizes, or transferred contents.
  • Your device IP addresses or network configurations.
  • Your location data, device identifiers (IMEI, MAC address), or browsing history.
  • Usage statistics, session durations, or behavioral telemetry.

What is processed during Pro License Activation:

If you purchase Beside Pro on Gumroad and activate your key in the app:

  • License Key: The alphanumeric code provided upon purchase.
  • Device Hardware Fingerprint: A cryptographic SHA-256 hash of your device's self-generated public key (SPKI). This fingerprint cannot be reversed to discover your personal identity or device serial number.
  • Device Label: An optional label recorded at the moment of activation (e.g., "Windows PC") to help you manage your 3 authorized devices. Because Beside is local-first, later renames on your device stay local and are never tracked or uploaded to our servers.

3. Network Communications & Data Flow

Beside uses multicast DNS (mDNS) over UDP port 5353 strictly on your local Wi-Fi subnet to discover nearby devices. When you initiate a transfer, a direct Mutual TLS 1.3 TCP connection is established between your two devices. Data travels directly through your local router switch and does not exit your local area network.

4. Data Storage at Rest

All received files are saved directly to your local file system (e.g., your designated Downloads folder). Cryptographic pairing certificates and private keys are encrypted locally using operating-system-level key protection (Windows Data Protection API and Android Keystore).

5. Support & Inquiries

Because we do not operate user accounts or a centralized customer database, support requests and privacy inquiries are handled publicly via our official GitHub repository:

https://github.com/thisma-labs/beside/issues