Introduction
FormaTeX operates the FormaTeX LaTeX compilation API and associated web services. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and safeguard information about you when you visit our website, create an account, or use our API.
By using FormaTeX, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our services.
Information We Collect
We collect information you provide directly to us and information generated automatically through your use of our services.
Account information
When you register, we collect your name, email address, and a hashed version of your password. If you sign in via GitHub or Google OAuth, we receive your name, email address, and profile avatar from those providers.
Usage data
We log metadata about each compilation request: the LaTeX engine used, compilation status (success or failure), duration in milliseconds, and input size in bytes. Compilation uses temporary job files, compilation caches and SyncTeX assets to deliver results and editor features. We do not copy new source, compiler logs or PDFs into compilation telemetry for admin inspection. Saved projects, templates, CVs and their history are stored to provide the features you choose to use.
Our servers process document contents to compile, store and deliver your files. Source files and PDFs are not end-to-end encrypted against FormaTeX; technical access through infrastructure administration remains possible.
We do not run background AI classification or profiling of your documents. AI assistance runs when you explicitly submit a request; the submitted instructions and relevant document or error context are sent to the configured AI provider to answer that request. We do not store raw AI prompts or responses in AI usage telemetry.
API key data
We store a SHA-256 hash of each API key you create, along with its prefix, name, and usage timestamps. The raw key is shown to you exactly once and is not retained in our server database. If you manually enter it in the playground, it can be cached in your browser's sessionStorage for that session.
Billing data
Payment processing is handled entirely by Polar.sh, our billing provider. We receive a customer ID and subscription status from Polar but never handle or store your payment card details.
Technical data
We collect standard server logs including IP addresses, browser user-agent strings, and request timestamps for security, rate-limiting, and operational purposes.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Provide, operate, and maintain the FormaTeX API and dashboard
- Authenticate your identity and authorize access to our services
- Enforce plan-based rate limits and compilation quotas
- Send transactional emails such as account verification and password reset
- Detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent or abusive activity
- Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service
- Improve the reliability and performance of our infrastructure
We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We do not use your data for advertising. Optional product analytics measures feature usage. We do not use your documents for background AI classification or automatic failure analysis. When you explicitly request AI assistance or a grammar check, relevant document text, instructions or error context is processed to provide that assistance.
Data Retention
Temporary compilation job files are cleaned up after use or expiry. Additional copies may remain in compilation history, object storage, browser caches and backups. Saved project files remain available to you and people with whom you share access.
We retain your account information for as long as your account is active. If you request deletion of your account, we will delete your account records and review associated storage and service-provider records. Some diagnostics, support correspondence and backup copies can remain after the account is removed. Contact our privacy address for an erasure request covering those copies. We explain any records retained for a specific legal or security obligation when responding to your request.
New compilation telemetry contains operational metadata rather than document contents. PDF cache entries expire after one hour; temporary jobs and SyncTeX assets follow their separate operational lifecycles. Historical diagnostic source and error content is removed during the privacy migration. Historical diagnostic PDFs are scheduled for cleanup after 7 days. Cleanup runs in batches; failed object-storage deletions remain queued for retry. Content-free usage records can remain for quotas, reporting and billing. Saved projects, templates and CV form data have separate retention until deletion. Saved CV PDFs have a separate object-storage expiry of up to 90 days and can be regenerated from saved form data.
Our central server-log store is configured for 30-day retention for security and operations. Other infrastructure and service providers maintain their own logs. Backup schedules can retain daily copies for 7 days, weekly copies for 28 days and monthly copies for up to a year. Backup copies are not removed immediately when an account is deleted. Logout clears the covered account caches in the current browser and notifies other open tabs. Other devices and copies you download yourself are outside that browser cleanup.
| Data category | Retention period | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Historical compilation diagnostics | Source/log cleanup at migration; PDFs after 7 days; failed deletion retried | Retirement of previously collected diagnostics |
| Saved project files (.tex, images, bibliography, assets) | Until deletion; storage and backup cleanup can follow later | Provide persistent projects and collaboration features |
| Compilation metadata (engine, status, duration, input size) | Until deletion or configured database retention | Usage reporting, quota enforcement, billing reconciliation |
| Server access logs (IP, user-agent, timestamps) | Central log store: 30 days; other provider logs vary | Security monitoring, abuse prevention, operations |
| Account and billing records | While account is active, plus legally required retention for financial records | Account management, compliance, tax and accounting obligations |
Data Sharing
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:
Service providers
We use the following third-party services, each receiving only the data necessary to perform their function:
- Netcup — VPS hosting in Germany (EU), including application and database processing
- Backblaze B2 — database and processing-data backups in the US East region (United States)
- Polar.sh — Merchant of Record for payments, subscriptions and invoicing; receives your email and account identifier and retains legally required financial records
- Resend — transactional and support email delivery, including recipient details and message contents
- PostHog (US region) — optional page-view and feature-usage analytics, device information and a pseudonymous account identifier; only with your consent, without email in new identification events
- Sentry — scrubbed error reports, technical breadcrumbs and performance traces for reliability; session replay is disabled in the current application release
- Groq — AI inference for assistance you explicitly request, routed through our locally operated LiteLLM proxy using openai/gpt-oss-20b; Global Zero Data Retention is enabled for inference inputs and outputs, while operational usage metadata is still collected
- Configured grammar service — document text for grammar checks you explicitly request
- Formbase — contact-form submissions, including name, email and message
Our service is managed from Morocco. Hosting in Germany does not mean all processing stays in the EU: staff access and providers such as US PostHog involve international processing. Sentry previously received sampled session replays; disabling future replay does not erase historical vendor-held records. The analytics consent choice currently controls PostHog only.
OAuth providers
If you choose to sign in with GitHub or Google, we receive profile data from those providers as described above. We do not share your FormaTeX document data back to those providers solely for sign-in. If you separately enable GitHub project sync, selected project files are exchanged with GitHub to provide that feature.
Legal requirements
We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government authority, or where we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.
Security
We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information:
- Passwords are hashed with bcrypt and never stored in plain text
- The server database stores API-key hashes; manually entered playground keys may be cached in browser sessionStorage
- All data is transmitted over TLS (HTTPS)
- Infrastructure uses non-root containers with no-new-privileges security options
- Worker processes have no internet access and run in isolated Docker networks
- Temporary compilation workspaces have cleanup routines; saved history, logs, PDFs and backups have separate retention
No method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we continuously review and improve our security practices.
Your Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify registered users by email. Your continued use of FormaTeX after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please reach out: