Privacy Policy
Your privacy, by design.
Most privacy policies ask you to trust a company with your data. PC Tether is built so there's almost nothing to trust us with. Your screen goes straight from your PC to your phone, scrambled end to end. We don't run an account system, we don't track you, and we never see what's on your screen.
1. Who this covers
PC Tether is a Windows and Android app that lets you see and control your own PC from your own phone. It's made and run by an independent developer based in Canada. In this policy, "PC Tether", "we", "us", and "our" mean that developer. "You" means anyone who uses the app or visits pctether.com.
This policy explains what little personal information touches us and how we treat it. PC Tether is currently in an invite-only beta.
2. The big idea: your screen is yours
When you use PC Tether, your PC and your phone talk to each other directly. The picture of your screen, your taps and clicks, and any files you send are wrapped in end-to-end encryption — locked on the device that sends them and only unlocked on the device that receives them.
That means no server sees your screen — not ours, not anyone's. There is no cloud copy of your desktop sitting in a data center. There is no "support agent could watch your session" risk, because there is nothing to watch. This isn't a promise we're asking you to take on faith; it's how the app is put together.
3. The one relay (and what it can't see)
Whenever possible, your two devices connect straight to each other. Sometimes a home or office network won't allow a direct connection — in that case, PC Tether uses a single relay to pass the data along, like a sealed pipe between your devices.
The relay only forwards the already-encrypted data. It cannot read your screen, your keystrokes, or your files — the encryption keys never leave your two devices. To route traffic, the relay necessarily handles the network addresses (IP addresses) of the devices connecting, the same way any internet connection does. We don't use that to build a profile of you, and the relay is not a place where your screen is stored.
Our relay runs on Cloudflare's network. Cloudflare acts as our service provider and may process the connection data needed to move traffic and keep the service secure, under Cloudflare's own privacy terms.
4. What we don't collect
It's easier to list what we don't gather, because it's most of it:
- No accounts. No sign-up, no username, no password.
- No analytics or telemetry. The app doesn't send us data about how you use it.
- No screen recordings. Your screen is never captured to any server.
- No activity logs. We don't keep a record of what you view or do over PC Tether.
- No advertising trackers, no third-party ad networks, no data sales.
- No location tracking.
5. The little we do handle
A few small pieces of information do reach us, only when you choose to give them:
If you request an invite
If you ask for a beta invite on our website, you give us your email address and, optionally, a note about what you'd use PC Tether for. We use this only to send your invite and manage the beta waiting list. We don't sell it or use it for advertising.
If you buy the "Anywhere" unlock
There is nothing to buy during the free invite-only beta. If and when a paid "Anywhere" unlock becomes available and you purchase it, payments are processed by Paddle (see the next section), and from a completed purchase we would receive limited order details — such as your license key, the email tied to the order, and your country (which Paddle needs for tax). We would use this only to activate your unlock and to help you if you contact support. We never receive or store your full card number.
If you email us
If you write to support, we receive whatever you send — your email address and the contents of your message — so we can help you.
6. Payments are handled by Paddle
If and when PC Tether offers a paid one-time "Anywhere" unlock, it will be sold through Paddle, which acts as our authorized reseller and Merchant of Record. When you pay, Paddle collects and processes your payment details (like your card information and billing address) and handles sales tax and VAT worldwide.
Because Paddle is the seller for that transaction, your payment information is processed under Paddle's Privacy Policy and Paddle's Buyer Terms. PC Tether never touches your card data.
8. Your privacy rights (GDPR, CCPA, PIPEDA)
Wherever you live, you have rights over the small amount of personal information we hold. Depending on your region — including under the EU/UK GDPR, California's CCPA/CPRA, and Canada's PIPEDA — these can include the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you;
- Correct information that's wrong;
- Delete your information (for example, remove your email from the invite list);
- Take your data with you (portability);
- Object to or restrict certain uses, and withdraw consent at any time;
- Not be sold out — we do not sell your personal information, and never have.
Because we hold so little, most requests are quick to honor. To exercise any right, email support@pctether.com. We won't treat you differently for asking. For payment-related data, you can also contact Paddle directly. If you're in the EU/UK, you have the right to complain to your local data protection authority; if you're in Canada, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
9. How long we keep things
We keep personal information only as long as we need it:
- Invite emails — until the beta ends or you ask us to remove you, whichever comes first.
- Support emails — for as long as needed to help you and keep a reasonable record of the conversation.
- Order records — only if you purchase a paid unlock. In that case Paddle retains billing records under its own policies and as tax law requires, and we keep the minimal license details needed to honor that purchase. During the free beta there are no order records.
10. Children
PC Tether isn't designed for or directed at children. It's a tool for controlling your own computer. Please don't use it if you're under 16 (or the minimum age in your country). We don't knowingly collect information from children.
11. Where your data is handled
Your screen stays between your own two devices and doesn't cross our borders at all. The small amount of information we do handle may be processed in Canada and, through our providers (Paddle and Cloudflare), in other countries where they operate. Those providers commit to appropriate safeguards for international data transfers.
12. Security
Security is the whole point of PC Tether. Your connection is end-to-end encrypted, and there's no central store of your screen to break into. Still, no system is perfectly safe, and part of staying secure is on your side: keep your phone and PC locked, keep your operating system updated, and don't share your invite codes or unlock with people you don't trust.
13. Services we rely on
To run PC Tether, we use a small number of trusted providers, each acting on our behalf:
- Paddle — payments, billing, and worldwide sales tax. See Paddle's Privacy Policy.
- Cloudflare — website hosting, security, and the connection relay. See Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.
- Email — to send invites and reply to support.
14. Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle privacy, we'll update this page and move the "Effective date" at the top. If a change is significant, we'll make a reasonable effort to let beta users know. Continuing to use PC Tether after an update means you accept the new version.
15. Contact us
Questions about privacy, or want to exercise a right? Email support@pctether.com and a real person will get back to you.