Privacy Policy

1. Who this policy covers

This policy applies to LANCOM, listed in the Microsoft Store as LANCOM LAN Messanger (NextGen), and to the public website at lancom.uk. The developer and publisher is TwoFish Studios (“we”, “us” or “our”).

For privacy questions or support, contact contact@twofishstudios.com.

2. What LANCOM does

LANCOM provides direct messaging and file sharing between devices that are reachable on a local network. Core local messaging does not require a cloud account or a central messaging server. Devices communicate with one another over the network path available to them.

3. Information the application handles

Depending on the features you use, LANCOM may process the following information on your device and exchange some of it with other LANCOM users:

• Profile information: display name, profile picture and optional role badges.
• Status and presence: whether you appear available or active to other users.
• Device and network information: identifiers and network details needed to discover devices, establish connections and route local communications.
• Communication content: messages you write and files you choose to share.
• Activity records: message history, delivery state and file-transfer records, such as information about transfers.

Processed on your devices and shared with peers

LANCOM processes profile details, messages, files and records locally as needed to provide its features. Profile details and presence can be visible to other LANCOM users on a reachable network. Messages and files you select are sent to their intended recipients. A recipient may keep, copy, save, screenshot or otherwise retain information they receive.

Information received by TwoFish Studios

Normal direct LAN messaging is not routed through a TwoFish Studios messaging server. TwoFish Studios does not receive your message content, shared-file contents, profile or local conversation history as a routine part of that peer-to-peer operation. This is not a claim that the application handles no data: LANCOM processes information on participating devices and shares selected information with other users as described above.

This statement describes the local messaging and file-sharing design. It does not cover information you separately choose to send to support, information handled by a distribution platform, or technical data processed when you visit the website.

4. Visibility and sharing with other users

Your display name, profile picture, optional role badge and presence information may be visible to LANCOM users who can discover or reach your device on the local network. Only send profile information you are comfortable showing to people on that network.

Messages and files are sent to the recipients you select. Once delivered, recipients control their own copies. LANCOM cannot make a recipient delete a message, screenshot, exported file or other copy from their device.

5. Local storage and offline delivery

LANCOM stores application settings, profile information and available history on the device where you use the application. Windows-specific storage protections are described in Section 6.

Pending messages and file offers can be delivered when both devices are running LANCOM and become reachable on the network. A pending file transfer depends on the original file remaining available and unchanged. If the original file is moved, deleted or modified before delivery, the pending file may no longer be deliverable as intended.

6. Security and Windows-specific protections

The Windows version encrypts message and file communications and encrypts its local history database. It also supports password-protected backups. These are protections for the stated communications, history database and backup functions; they do not mean that every local file, application setting or item on your computer is encrypted.

Files you receive and save outside LANCOM are protected according to the destination folder, drive and security settings on your device. LANCOM's communication encryption does not guarantee that a device, network or recipient is safe, and encryption does not by itself verify the real-world identity of the person using a device.

No software or transmission method can be guaranteed completely secure. Keep your operating system and security software updated, use trusted networks, protect your device and take care when accepting files.

Platform scope: the local-history encryption and password-protected backup statements in this section are specific to the Windows application behaviour described here. Do not assume Android or any future Ubuntu/Linux version has identical storage, database or backup protections.

7. Backups

Windows LANCOM backups include profile and settings information, identity and trust information, message history and transfer records. They do not include the actual contents of shared or downloaded files.

You choose where a backup is saved. Anyone who can access an unprotected backup location may be able to access the backup file, so choose a secure location and keep the backup password confidential. You are responsible for keeping the backup password safe. Keep separate copies of important files if you need them; those file contents are not included in the LANCOM backup.

8. Your choices and deletion

Depending on the version and platform, LANCOM provides controls that let you:

• Edit your display name and profile picture, and manage optional profile details.
• Choose notification preferences.
• Manage file-acceptance settings and decide whether to accept incoming files.
• Use available history-cleanup controls to remove conversation history from the app.

Deleting conversation history in LANCOM does not automatically delete files already downloaded or saved elsewhere, separate backups, or copies held by message and file recipients. Uninstalling LANCOM should not be treated as a guarantee that every copy of information has been removed from the device, backups or other locations. Review and delete those copies separately where appropriate.

9. Support messages and third-party services

When you contact support

If you email contact@twofishstudios.com, you choose what information to include. This may include your email address, the contents of your message, attachments, screenshots, diagnostic details or information you provide so we can investigate an issue. Please avoid sending passwords, backup passwords or information that is not needed for your request.

Support email is currently received through Gmail. Google processes email and related account information to provide that service under its own terms and privacy practices. We do not currently apply a fixed retention period to support emails or attachments. We retain them as needed to handle the request and related support or business matters, and review them for deletion when they are no longer needed, subject to any applicable record-keeping requirements.

Website hosting and downloads

The LANCOM website is hosted using Vercel. As part of delivering and protecting a website, the hosting provider may process technical request information such as IP address, requested page, browser or device details and security or delivery logs. These operations are governed in part by the hosting provider's own practices and settings.

Public release files are linked from GitHub. If you follow a download link, GitHub handles the request and any account or technical information under its own privacy practices. The Microsoft Store may also process information when you browse, obtain, install or update LANCOM through its store. Those distribution-platform activities are separate from LANCOM's direct local-network messaging.

We currently use Gmail for support email, Vercel for website hosting and GitHub for linked release downloads. We are not currently aware of other service providers that receive or process LANCOM message or file content as part of the direct LAN messaging feature. If our providers or processing arrangements change, we will update this policy as appropriate.

10. Website privacy

The LANCOM website is a static website. The website code reviewed for this policy does not include an analytics service, advertising tracker, contact form, embedded third-party media player or cookie-consent tool. The site does use browser local storage to remember your light or dark theme preference. This preference stays in your browser and is not used by the site code as an analytics profile.

When you open external links, such as GitHub downloads or the TwoFish Studios website, those sites operate under their own privacy practices. The website host may process technical request information as described above. Website functionality and third-party services may change; this section will be updated if they do.

11. Children and network use

LANCOM is a communication tool, not a public social network. An organisation, school, family or network administrator may set rules for devices and users on its network. If you use LANCOM in a managed environment, follow that organisation's policies and obtain any permissions required before sharing another person's information or files.

12. Policy updates

We may update this policy when LANCOM features, platforms, providers or applicable requirements change. The effective date at the top indicates when the current version was published. Material changes will be reflected on this page. Please review it periodically.