Privacy policy

Last updated: September 22, 2026

Who this policy covers

WindowsForum.com is owned and operated by Fara Technologies LLC. This policy also applies to the WindowsForum and WindowsForum Diagnostics apps when they use WindowsForum services or link to this policy.

Information we collect

Depending on how you use WindowsForum, we may collect:

• Account information: username, email address, date of birth, password hash, profile fields, preferences, and linked sign-in information.
• Content and messages: posts, replies, uploads, media, private conversations, reports, and contact-form messages.
• Technical and security information: IP address, browser, device, operating system, session information, logs, and abuse-prevention signals.
• Usage and advertising information: pages viewed, interactions, cookies, browser storage, analytics identifiers, and advertising identifiers.
• Email and transaction information: email delivery or engagement data and records connected with payments or donations. Payment providers handle full payment-card details.
• AI feature information: prompts, search terms, drafts, files you choose to attach, relevant conversation context, and generated output.

How we use information

We use information to operate accounts and forum features, deliver notifications, answer requests, process transactions, moderate content, prevent abuse, secure the service, measure site use, improve features, display advertising, process AI requests, and comply with lawful requests.

Public and private content

Forum posts, public profile fields, and public uploads can be viewed, indexed, quoted, or copied by other people and search engines. Do not post information that you want to keep private.

Private conversations and contact messages are stored as part of the service. Do not use WindowsForum to store passwords, security codes, financial account details, or other highly sensitive information.

Service providers and disclosure

Information may be processed by providers that support hosting, content delivery, security, analytics, advertising, email, payments, sign-in, spam prevention, and AI features. They receive the information needed to provide those services.

We may also disclose information when required by law, to enforce our Terms, or to protect WindowsForum, its users, or other people.

We do not sell lists of member information for money. We use Google Analytics to understand site use and improve the service. Google and our advertising providers may receive device identifiers and usage information as described above.

Cookies and browser signals

WindowsForum uses cookies and similar browser storage for sign-in, security, preferences, analytics, advertising, and embedded content. See our Cookie information for more detail.

You can block or delete cookies through your browser, although some site features may stop working. WindowsForum does not currently change its behavior in response to a browser's Do Not Track signal.

Microsoft Store apps

The WindowsForum apps use WindowsForum services and may use device features needed for their functions. Microsoft Store and Windows show available app permissions. You can review or change those permissions in Windows settings.

ChatGPT app and AI connectors

The WindowsForum.com app for ChatGPT and our Model Context Protocol (MCP) connector at mcp.windowsforum.com let AI assistants search and read public WindowsForum content. WindowsForum.com is an independent community and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft or OpenAI.

What we receive: the tool requests the assistant sends on your behalf, such as search terms, document or thread IDs, forum IDs, and member usernames you ask about, plus standard request information such as IP address, time, and client software. We do not receive your ChatGPT account details or conversation history. No WindowsForum account is needed. If your client uses the optional GitHub sign-in, we receive the basic GitHub profile information GitHub provides, such as your GitHub username and account ID, and use it only to authenticate the connection.

What the tools return: only content a signed-out visitor can already see on WindowsForum.com:

• Public threads, posts, and news articles, with their titles, text, URLs, dates, view and reply counts, and the author's username.
• Forum names, descriptions, and sitewide statistics.
• Public member profile fields: username, member ID, profile link, join date, message count, reaction score, and last-seen time. Members who limit who can view their profile are returned by username only, and last-seen time is never returned for members who hide their online status.
• Who's online: counts of members, guests, and robots, and the usernames of online members who show their online status.
• Newest members: username and join date of confirmed accounts.
• Microsoft Knowledge Base articles fetched from Microsoft's public support site.

The tools never return email addresses, IP addresses, private conversations, content from restricted forums, or the pages a member is viewing.

How it is used and shared: tool results go to the assistant that requested them, such as ChatGPT (operated by OpenAI), to answer your question. OpenAI's handling of your conversation is governed by OpenAI's own privacy policy. We use request information to run, secure, and troubleshoot the service and to prevent abuse. We do not sell it or use it for advertising.

Retention: tool results are cached for up to 10 minutes to keep responses fast. Server and security logs are kept only as long as needed for security and troubleshooting and are routinely rotated.

Your choices: you can stop using the app at any time by disconnecting it in ChatGPT settings. Members can limit who sees their profile and hide their online status under Account > Privacy on WindowsForum.com; the app follows those settings. To ask about or remove information returned by the app, contact us.

Retention and account deletion

We keep information for as long as needed to operate and secure the service, handle disputes, meet legal obligations, and enforce site rules.

The account-deletion process has a 90-day delay. Deleting an account does not delete forum posts or remove the username attached to them. Limited information, including an email address, may remain in security or abuse-prevention records.

Your choices

You can edit profile information and email preferences through your account. You may also request a copy, correction, or deletion of account information through the available account tools or Contact us. We may ask for information needed to verify that the account belongs to you.

Security and children

We use reasonable measures to protect information, but no online service can promise complete security.

WindowsForum is not intended for children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has submitted personal information, please contact us.

Changes and contact

We may update this policy as the service changes. The date above will show the latest revision.

Questions or privacy requests can be sent through Contact us.