Data Privacy
This page explains how the Upload app handles your customers' data and which settings you can use to meet GDPR, UK GDPR, Swiss FADP, and CCPA requests. You can also use it to update your own privacy notice.
It is a summary for information only and is not legal advice. It is not part of our legal terms: the policies below apply, and they apply over this page if the two differ. For advice on the privacy laws in your region, please talk to a lawyer.
Our policies
- Privacy Policy: the data of merchants, their staff, and website visitors
- Data Processing Agreement (DPA): how we process your customers' data for you
- Subprocessors: the companies that may process this data, with their locations and transfer safeguards
- Terms of Service: the contract for using our apps
- Security and GDPR FAQ: answers for data protection reviews
You find the same links in the app under Settings > Storage & Privacy.
Who is responsible for the data
For your customers' data, your store is the controller and Cloudlift GmbH (Switzerland) is your processor. We process the data only on your behalf, under the DPA. The DPA applies from installation, and no signature is needed. We provide a signed copy on request.
For California residents, we act as a service provider to your store. We do not sell personal information.
What data the app stores
Uploaded files can contain personal data, so please mention them in your own privacy notice. The app stores:
| Data | Examples |
|---|---|
| Uploaded files | The files with their name, size and type, and the previews, thumbnails, conversions and print exports made from them |
| Order references | Shopify order id, order number, line item, product and variant |
| Customer references | The Shopify customer id and company id of a signed-in customer, used for their saved files |
| Technical data | IP address, browser and request path in application logs, and a session token cookie in the customer's browser |
An email address that a customer types to save files as a guest goes straight to Shopify, which creates the customer. We do not store it. Guest save is a setting you turn on yourself, see Customer.
The app does not store customer names, so you cannot search for files by customer name. Search by order number instead.
The full list is in Annex 1 of the DPA.
Where the data is stored
Your customers' files are stored on Google Cloud in your shop's configured storage location. App configuration data is always stored in the United States.
| Storage location | Available on |
|---|---|
| United States | All plans (default) |
| European Union (Belgium) | Paid plans |
| Asia (Singapore) | Paid plans |
To change it, open Settings > Storage & Privacy and choose a Storage location. The new location applies to files uploaded from then on. Existing files stay where they are.
Moving older archived files
You can move archived files from before the change to your current location for a one-time charge. In Storage & Privacy, click Calculate migration cost, then approve the price in Shopify. The move runs in the background and shows its progress in the same place.
While a move is running, the storage location cannot be changed. Restoring an order from before the move puts a copy of its files back in the old location for a while, so the order links keep working.
AI
No customer data is sent to AI providers: not your customers' uploaded files, file names or order data. We do not use your data or your customers' data to train AI models.
The only AI in the app is the AI assistant in the app admin. It uses what you type in the chat, and the app settings and upload field configurations it works on for you. It is used only when you open the chat and write to it.
The AI providers are named on the subprocessor list.
File uploads
Uploaded files in the Uploads tab are working copies. They are deleted automatically after at most 30 days.
Archived files
On plans with the file archive, ordered files are copied to the archive. They stay there until you delete them or your storage retention setting removes them.
Storage retention
To limit how long archived files are kept, set a custom storage retention:
Open Settings > Storage & Privacy, enable Storage retention, and set the number of days. Files older than that are deleted automatically. This setting needs a plan with the file archive.
Customer deletion and access requests
You decide on these requests, as the controller. If a customer writes to us, we refer them to you.
Delete all data of a customer
In Shopify, open the customer and choose More actions > Erase personal data. Shopify then asks the app to delete the files of their orders.
Delete a file or an order
This also works for guests without a customer account. Open Settings > Storage & Privacy and use the section Deletion request:
- Request order deletion: enter the order number or order ID. All files of the order are deleted, including their thumbnails and print exports.
- Request file deletion: enter the file URL, which you can copy from the order. The file is deleted including its thumbnails. A print export has its own link on the order, so enter that link to delete it.
You can also search for the order number in the app and delete the files there:
See also How can I delete all files from an order?
Deleted files go offline right away and are removed from storage within 7 days.
History
The History section in Storage & Privacy shows the shop's deletions, retention runs and storage changes, with the date and the user. Keep it as a record of how you handled a request. Deletion records are kept for up to 365 days, as proof of the deletion.
Export the data of a customer
Use the same search by order number and download the order's files from the archive.
When you uninstall the app
Download the archived files you need before you uninstall, one by one or as a ZIP. After you uninstall, Shopify tells us to erase your shop's data. Your data is then deleted or made permanently inaccessible, and files are removed from storage within 7 days of that notice. Deleted files cannot be restored, and there is no export window after uninstall.
You can also ask us to delete your shop's data at any time. On request, we confirm the deletion in writing.
How long data is kept
| Data | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Working copies and other temporary data | At most 30 days |
| Archived files | Until you delete them or your storage retention removes them |
| Files you delete, or that a Shopify customer erasure covers | Offline at once, removed from storage within 7 days |
| Shop data after uninstall | Deleted or made permanently inaccessible on Shopify's notice, files removed within 7 days of it |
| Backups and application logs | At most 30 days |
| Log of deletion requests | Up to 365 days |
Section 11 of the DPA sets these periods.
Common questions
Is the app GDPR compliant?
We process your customers' data as your processor under a DPA that covers GDPR Art. 28. Your own compliance also depends on how you run your store, for example your privacy notice and your legal basis for letting customers upload files.
What should my privacy notice say?
That you use Cloudlift as a processor for file uploads, where the data is stored, and how long you keep it, with a link to our DPA or subprocessor list.
Is data transferred outside the EU?
Cloudlift is based in Switzerland, which the EU and the UK recognise as providing adequate data protection. The subprocessor list names each provider's location and transfer safeguard.
Does the app need a cookie banner?
The app in your store uses only the cookies and browser storage needed for the feature in use, and loads no analytics or advertising scripts. See section 7 of the Privacy Policy.
How are the files protected?
Traffic is encrypted in transit and stored data is encrypted at rest. Files are stored under random identifiers that cannot be guessed. Archived files are kept in private storage and are reachable only through the app admin. The full list of measures is in Annex 3 of the DPA.
Will I be told about new subprocessors?
Yes. We update the list at least 14 days before a new subprocessor starts, and show a notice in the app admin. If you want an email as well, ask at privacy@cloudlift.app.