N.B. Simple use of the UpdraftPlus plugin does not necessarily mean that you have an updraftplus.com account. You only have an updraftplus.com account if you created one (please see the details below).
Implications of having an updraftplus.com account
In order to buy UpdraftPlus add-ons, UpdraftPlus Premium or UpdraftVault storage space, or to purchase or use a free trial for UpdraftCentral Cloud, you have to create an updraftplus.com account. (In the cases of purchases, this is done when you go through the checkout in our shop). When you do so, you will be asked to give your email address and give yourself a password. With an account at updraftplus.com, you can use the purchased facility (if it is a software-as-a-service purchase like UpdraftVault or UpdraftCentral Cloud), or to download your software or invoices, or to claim support.
Creating an account in itself does not allow us to:
- Make purchases, or access your PayPal account in any way. That is technically impossible. All payments handled by PayPal are handled on their site (www.paypal.com). All that we get to know about it is that PayPal send us a notification that the payment has cleared – and our PayPal account balance then increases. All details of how you paid, bank accounts, bank cards, etc., remain entirely between you and PayPal. That’s PayPal’s design, it’s great, and we have no desire or power to change it. The exception to this is subscription purchases, which provide us with a secure token which can (only) be used to subsequently make a repeat purchase of the same item later.
- Do anything with your WordPress site. It is not your WordPress password. It can’t be used to log in to your WordPress site or do anything else on it. (Of course, if you subsequently explicitly connect a WordPress site to our remote control application, UpdraftCentral Cloud, then, the purposes of that applicationis remote control. We, however, have no legal right to exercise this facility; only you do, unless you specifically ask us to do so (e.g. as part of a support request)).
If someone gets hold of your updraftplus.com password, then what could they potentially do with it? In the normal case, not very much. Basically, they can log in to your UpdraftPlus.Com account. You can prevent that by turning on two-factor security. From there, they can view details of your purchases. They could also claim licences for software add-ons that you purchased on their sites. You’ll be able to see if they do this, because when you log in and see the list of which sites you’re using add-ons on, you’ll spot it. If you have connected other services, then they can do more. If you have purchased UpdraftVault storage space, then they could store their backups in your storage space. If you have connected sites to UpdraftCentral Cloud for remote control, then they could control your connected site. If you are using UpdraftCentral Cloud, then we would underline our recommendation of two-factor security.
You will need to type in your updraftplus.com username and password into your WordPress site when connecting to your updraftplus.com account, in order to claim your purchases. This then allows you to receive automatic updates to UpdraftPlus through the usual WordPress dashboard. If at any time you don’t wish to receive updates, or wish to not connect to your updraftplus.com account any more, then simply remove the username from your settings. It will not delete your already-downloaded add-ons. So removing it is quite safe.
Note that after you have successfully connected and activated your add-ons, you can then remove your password (i.e. enter a blank password and press the ‘Connect’ button again). Your password will then not be stored on the WordPress site, but it will still be able to access updates. (This is done automatically since version 1.11.1, August 2015).
Note that you can lock access to the UpdraftPlus settings page in your WordPress dashboard using the “lock admin” feature, which is part of UpdraftPlus Premium.
Data processing and privacy
Concerning data processing in relation to the use of UpdraftPlus, UpdraftVault, UpdraftCentral, site cloning and other features, and visiting our websites, please see the information on this page. You must agree to these uses in order to have an updraftplus.com account.
Right to deletion
You have a right to delete your account at any time. This will, out of technical necessity, mean that connected services (e.g. access to plugin updates, use of UpdraftVault space, use of UpdraftCentral) will stop working. It will not cause UpdraftPlus itself, installed on your WordPress site, to stop working (there is no requirement to maintain an updraftplus.com account in order for UpdraftPlus to operate). If you wish to delete your account, then please make a request here. We will need to authenticate your request to prevent abuse. Please note that we will need to retain some data on any purchases in order to comply with taxation and auditing laws (note that the EU’s GDPR regulation specifically recognises that the right to deletion does not apply to data that other laws require to be maintained).
Posted in: Account management, UpdraftGold
