Privacy policy

Effective July 7, 2026. Questions: support@paperroute.gg

The short version: PaperRoute measures the geometry of your desktop, never the contents. We collect the minimum needed to pay you accurately and to bill sponsors honestly, and we can show you every field we ever send. The full field-by-field list is on the transparency page.

What the desktop app collects

For each minute the app runs, your device reports:

• how many megapixels of your wallpaper were visible (a number),
• whether you were present (a yes/no based on recent keyboard or mouse input and whether the session is locked; we never log what you typed),
• which ad creative was being displayed (an ID),
• your monitor resolutions (reported once, when you pair the device).

That is the entire telemetry surface. The app never reads or transmits window titles, process names, application names, screenshots, screen pixels, files, browsing history, or keystrokes. Requests are authenticated with a per-device key; they do not carry your name or email.

Minute-level telemetry is kept for 30 days and then deleted. The earnings ledger built from it (daily totals in cents) is kept permanently, because it is your money.

What the website collects

• Account: sign-in is handled by Clerk (our authentication provider), which stores your email and login credentials. We store an account ID and role.
• Payouts: payouts run on Stripe Connect. Identity verification, bank or debit details, and tax information are collected by Stripe directly and never touch our servers. We see only the payout amount and status.
• Advertisers: payment details for ad budgets are processed by Stripe. We store your campaign settings, creatives, and an append-only ledger of deposits and spend.
• Cookies: session cookies for sign-in only. No advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

Who we share data with

Only the services that run the product: Clerk (authentication), Stripe (payments and payouts), Vercel (hosting), and Neon (database). We do not sell data, share it with data brokers, or use it for advertising profiles. Sponsors never receive your identity; they see aggregate exposure numbers for their own campaigns only.

Your choices

• Pausing or quitting the app stops all telemetry immediately, and your original wallpaper is restored.
• You can remove a device from your dashboard at any time.
• To delete your account and associated data, email support@paperroute.gg and we will complete the deletion within 30 days. (A self-serve deletion flow is coming; until then it is a manual but guaranteed process.)
• Ledger records connected to payments we are legally required to keep (for example tax reporting) are retained as required by law.

Payments to you and taxes

If we pay you $600 or more in a calendar year, US law requires us to file a 1099 form. Stripe collects the necessary tax details from you during payout onboarding and delivers the forms.

Age

PaperRoute is not directed at children. You must be at least 18 to receive payouts (a Stripe requirement) and at least 13 to use the app at all.

Changes

If this policy changes, the effective date above changes with it, and material changes will be announced in the changelog before they take effect. The policy history is public in the project repository.