Privacy notice

ChromatoHub is operated by Furiga GmbH (Zürich, CHE-390.989.511). You can use the Academy without an account. When you import a file into the workbench, with or without an account, the file is uploaded to our server, read there, and a copy is kept unless you choose to delete it after import; see files you import. Baselines, peaks, regions and fractions are calculated in your browser. We also receive the anonymous product events described under product analytics, which never contain your data and which you can turn off.

Files you import

• What is uploaded: the file you choose, exactly as it is. Instrument exports can contain operator names, sample names, file paths and instrument settings.
• Keep or delete: by default we keep an encrypted copy so you can reopen it from your account and so we can improve our importers. If you choose "Delete my file after import", the original is removed on import, or expires after 30 minutes if you do not finish importing. Expired originals cannot be accessed and are queued for periodic deletion.
• Without an account: kept copies expire after 90 days. You receive a private key in your browser session to reach your own upload; we do not link it to you.
• With an account: kept copies are private to you and listed under Uploads in your account, where you can delete them. They count toward your storage. To share analysis and its original files, share a saved project or contribute it to the library.
• Files we cannot read yet: if you chose to keep the file, it stays stored so we can write an importer for its format; our team may open it for that purpose only.
• Also stored: file name, size, fingerprint (SHA-256), the detected format and channel summary, and the IP address the upload came from (to enforce upload limits; never shown).

What we store when you create an account

• Account details: your email address, a password hash (Argon2id; we never store the password itself), when you accepted this notice, and, if you use it, your Google account identifier.
• Two-factor data: the authenticator secret, encrypted, and hashed recovery codes.
• Sign-in and security records: active sessions and a security log (sign-ins, failed attempts, password and two-factor changes), each with the IP address and browser description. These protect your account and let you see its activity.
• Projects you save: the whole project file, including your traces, analysis settings and the original instrument files. Instrument exports can contain operator names, file paths and sample details; they are stored exactly as you imported them. Every save is kept as a separate version.

Public contributions

Records you submit to the library stay private while they are drafts. Once we approve one, it is public under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (CC BY 4.0), shown with the credit name you typed, if any; your email address is never shown. If you attach a chromatogram project file, that file is published too, including the original instrument file and any operator names, sample names or file paths inside it. Check it before you submit. You can withdraw a record, which removes it from the site, but copies that people made under the license may persist.

Feedback

When you use “Send feedback” at the bottom of a page, we store your message, the kind you chose, the page you were on (its path only, without any share-link token), your browser description, and the date. Your IP address is recorded to limit abuse (for example, too many messages from one address). If you are signed in, the feedback is linked to your account and replies go to your account email. If you are not signed in, you can leave an email address so we can reply; it is optional. Each message is also sent by email to the ChromatoHub team.

Files you send for format support

If a file does not import, or you want us to support another format, you can send the file to us from the workbench. Nothing is sent until you tick the consent box and press Send. We store the file (encrypted), its name, size and fingerprint (SHA-256), the instrument, software and note you typed, the import error shown to you, and the date. If you are signed in, it is linked to your account; if not, you can leave an optional email address. Your IP address is stored with the file and used to limit how many files one address can send; it is never shown to anyone. The ChromatoHub team is told by email that a file arrived (name, size and instrument, never the file itself).

The file may contain operator names, sample names, file paths and instrument settings. Our team may open it to write and test an importer, and uses it for nothing else. We do not copy it into our public test files without your separate written permission. It expires 30 days after the format is supported or 365 days after receipt, whichever comes first. Expired originals cannot be accessed and are queued for periodic deletion. If you are signed in, you can see and delete your files on the account page at any time; otherwise write to us. If you left an address, we tell you when the format is supported.

Share links

From the account page you can create a read-only link to one saved version of a project. Anyone with the link can open that full project without signing in, including the traces, analysis settings and the original instrument files, until the link expires or you revoke it. We count how often each link is opened and when it was last opened, and show you these numbers. Only share a link with people you want to see the data. Deleting the project or your account deletes its links.

Workspaces

If you join a team workspace, its other members can see your email address, and every member can open every project in the workspace, including the traces, analysis settings and original instrument files. Each saved version records who saved it. Only move or save a project to a workspace if everyone in it may see the data.

Where it is kept and who processes it

• The account database runs on a server operated by Furiga GmbH. Traffic reaches it over HTTPS through Cloudflare.
• Nightly database backups are stored on that server and in the operator's Google Drive.
• Emails (confirmation, password reset, security notices, feedback notifications and replies, notices about files you sent for format support) are sent through Google's Gmail service.
• Operator alerts are sent through Telegram for new accounts and uploads. They include your email address if provided, the filename, file size and import status, but never file contents, passwords or access tokens.
• If you choose "Continue with Google", Google tells us your email address and account identifier. We do not receive your Google password or contacts.

Only you can open your personal saved projects and uploaded files through the site, unless you create a share link, share them with a workspace, or submit a library record. The operator can technically access the database for maintenance, backups and security, but does not look at project contents as part of normal work.

Product analytics

We record a small set of product events so we can tell which parts of ChromatoHub are used and which do not work: a page being opened, a workbench import completing or failing, an export, a project saved to an account, a region saved, a simulator being used, a library record opened or submitted, an account created and feedback sent. The events go to ChromatoHub's own server. We do not use a third-party analytics provider, and no cookie is set for them.

What an event may contain is a fixed list, enforced in your browser before anything is sent and again on the server: the page as a template (for example /learn/techniques/:slug or /library/:id, never a private address, query string or share-link token), the import source (such as UNICORN™ or a two-column file), the number of traces as a range (1, 2–3 or 4–6), an error category, an export format, and the simulator name. Page views may also include a known public Academy page, a broad traffic-source category and approved campaign labels. Unknown referral or campaign values are grouped as “other”; raw referrer URLs and query values are never stored. These labels are not persisted to track you across pages. The server stores the event, these values and the date (to the hour).

What an event never contains: your account, email or any user or session identifier, file names, sample or protein names, measured values or results, project, record or workspace identifiers, free text, or your IP address (it is used only to limit how many events one address can send, and is not stored with the event). Events older than 400 days are removed by periodic cleanup. An outage or cleanup backlog can delay removal.

We honour Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track: if your browser sends either, nothing is recorded. You can also turn product analytics off here.

Cookies and local storage

We set one sign-in cookie (httpOnly, used only by the account service) and, during Google sign-in, a short-lived cookie to protect that step. There are no tracking, analytics or advertising cookies. If you turn product analytics off, that choice is kept in your browser's local storage.

Retention and deletion

Your data is kept while your account exists, except uploads without an account (expire after 90 days), uploads you asked us to delete after import (removed at import or expire after 30 minutes) and files you send for format support (expire after at most 365 days, or 30 days after support is added, whichever comes first). Expired originals become inaccessible immediately. Periodic cleanup normally removes them on a following pass; outages or a backlog can delay physical removal. These expiry periods do not promise an exact physical deletion time. You can delete saved projects, uploads and sent files at any time, and delete your account from the account page; this removes the account, sessions, security log, all saved projects, uploads and the files you sent immediately. Copies in backups are overwritten as backups roll over, within about twelve months.

What we don't do

• We do not sell your data or email address.
• We do not publish or share your projects, and do not use them to train models. The exceptions are a library record you submit and we approve, share links you create yourself, and projects in a workspace you belong to, as described above. Uploaded files and files you send for format support are opened by our team only to maintain and improve importers.
• We are not SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certified.

Contact

For questions or requests about your data, contact Furiga GmbH at [email protected]. See Contact for details.