Ceno Browser | Privacy Policy

Ceno Browser Terms of Use & Privacy Notice

1. Overview

This Ceno Browser (“Ceno”) Terms of Use (the “Agreement”), along with this Privacy Notice (collectively, the “Terms”), bind all users of Ceno - a peer-to-peer mobile web browser. By installing and running the Ceno Browser application (the “Service”), you consent to be bound by and to comply with this Agreement between you and eQualitie Inc. (“eQualitie”, “we”, or “us”). Usage of the Ceno Browser application and associated services are provided by eQualitie at no cost and are provided for use as is.

2. Terms of use

The Ceno Browser application is built in-line with eQualitie’s values. By using this software you agree that you will not use Ceno to publish, share, or store materials that are contrary to the underlying values of eQualitie, the applicable laws of Quebec or Canada or the International Bill of Human Rights. This includes, but is not limited to, content that:

  • Infringes on personal information protection rights, including the underlying values or the letter of Canada’s Privacy Act or PIPEDA (the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act);
  • Constitutes child sexually exploitative material (including material which may not be illegal child sexual abuse material but which nonetheless sexually exploits or promotes the sexual exploitation of minors), unlawful pornography, or are otherwise indecent;
  • Contains or promotes extreme acts of violence or terrorist activity, including terror or violent extremist propaganda;
  • Advocates bigotry, hatred, or the incitement of violence against any person or group of people based on their race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, impairment, or any other characteristic(s) associated with systemic discrimination or marginalization;
  • Contains files with viruses, trojans, worms, logic bombs or other material that is malicious or technologically harmful.

Content Responsibility

eQualitie is not responsible for content shared or distributed by users via the BitTorrent network or other third-party servers. While Ceno facilitates decentralized content sharing, the responsibility for the legality and ethicality of shared content lies solely with the users. Users are advised to comply with applicable laws and community guidelines when using the Service. Ceno does not actively monitor or moderate user-shared content, but we reserve the right to investigate and take action (such as disabling access to certain features) if notified of misuse that violates these Terms of Use, including the promotion of illegal, harmful, or otherwise prohibited material.

3. Privacy Notice

This section is used to inform visitors of eQualitie’s policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of Personal Information for all users of this Service.

3.1 Data Collection

Ceno Browser does not require any personally identifying information to use the service. It is designed to be able to provide access to online content without a user ID, name, nickname, user account or any other form of user data. eQualitie does not know who uses the app and with whom users sync or share their data. eQualitie values user privacy and will only collect user information (such as usage statistics) with users’ prior consent and with personally identifying information removed.

Ceno will ask the user during the setup process for consent to share aggregated and anonymized analytics information with us. We use the Clean Insights measurement platform to help better understand app usage patterns. Data is captured in a privacy-preserving way: we don’t use a tracking cookie; we don't store IP addresses; we don’t capture personal information; and we don’t track users across sites. We use a self-hosted Matomo instance to collect anonymized information about your usage of the app. Information collected is deleted every 90 days.

We collect in hourly, daily, and monthly intervals various aggregated measurements to help us understand the number of users, including the network origin ASN and country, based on browsing in Public mode.

Injectors are servers that can see requests for content on the network, including the IP address of the user making the request and the name of the website with the desired content. The injectors are a necessary network component for 1) introducing web content into a decentralized network, and 2) authenticating the integrity of introduced content. On the Ceno network, Injectors are run and managed by the Ceno team. eQualitie deletes all access logs every 24 hours.

Bootstrap Servers are servers used to help introduce your device to the BitTorrent network. We send users' IP addresses to both our self-hosted bootstrap servers and to third-party bootstrap servers. For the self-hosted bootstrap servers, we keep IP addresses in a cache in memory. IP addresses are checked for liveliness every so often and are removed when they are no longer responsive to BitTorrent traffic.

3.2 Data Sharing

Ceno Browser (and eQualitie) does not share any data with any third parties. 

The application offers two modes of operation - Public and Personal. In Public mode, any retrieved content becomes part of the BitTorrent network and can be accessed by other users searching for the same content. In contrast, Personal mode ensures that no activity is shared with the network, providing a private browsing experience. Users can switch modes as needed to balance accessibility and privacy based on their preferences.

Whenever you request or share a piece of content on the BitTorrent network (Public mode) you create a record that associates your IP address with a piece of content that was retrieved from a particular website. For example, anyone can query the BitTorrent network for a list of IP addresses that have been associated with example.com.

Users sharing retrieved content with others may also incur additional data charges as content is copied from their device to the device of other Ceno users.

Public tabs use all connectivity methods available in the Ceno network to get the desired content. When browsing using a Public tab, users will leave a record of their activity on the public BitTorrent network (IP address and website requested). Content that has been retrieved by a user’s device inside a Public tab will be shared with other Ceno users via the BitTorrent network.

In Personal mode, you will only contact the Injectors to have that website fetched and delivered to you. The search will not connect to the BitTorrent network and will not attempt to locate the content on other users’ devices.

Information requested and retrieved in a Personal tab is not shared with anyone else. No record of a user’s activity is recorded on BitTorrent. Personal tabs are ideal for logging into social media and other accounts, or if the user does not want to be associated on BitTorrent with any of their browsing activity in Ceno.

Bridges

To ensure that your Ceno client can always contact an Injector, we have also created Bridges. If the Injectors are blocked on your network, the Ceno app will look for available Bridges, who will forward a user’s request to the Injectors. Users may opt in to enabling Bridge Mode in Ceno Browser to improve web content accessibility for others. Bridge activity is invisible to the Bridge operator (unless they are actively monitoring their device for incoming and outgoing connections). Their job is to receive network requests from other Ceno users for access to an Injector and forward this request. Bridge operators will have their device’s IP address listed in the BitTorrent network as an accessible Bridge.

See the FAQ or User Manual for more details on Ceno Browser usage. eQualitie is not responsible for content shared and distributed on other servers.

3.3 Log Data

Users can opt-in to enabling logging via the Settings menu in Ceno Browser. When enabled, Ceno Browser creates logfiles on users’ devices. The purpose of these files is only to log the device’s activity to facilitate the debugging process in the event a user experiences difficulties in connecting with their peers or otherwise in using Ceno. The logfile remains on a user’s device unless the user decides to send it to us for support purposes, and is automatically deleted when its sizes reaches 15 MB.

If the user does decide to contact us, the personally identifiable data we may collect is:

  • Email address - if the user decided to contact us by email;
  • Information the user may provide by email, through help tickets, or through eQualitie websites, and associated metadata - for the purposes of providing technical support;
  • Web browsing activity and history.

None of this data is shared with any third parties.

3.4 Crash Reporting

Users can opt-in to crash reporting via the Settings menu in Ceno Browser. When enabled, Ceno Browser will send crash reports in the event of an issue while running the app. Crash reports are forwarded automatically to a server run by eQualitie. We use Sentry for crash reporting.

Sentry retains event data in production for 90 days. Individual events are aggregated into broader issues, and are deleted after the above retention period. Issues are deleted when all associated events are deleted.

3.5 Cookies

The Ceno Browser app does not use cookies.

3.6 Links to Other Sites

This Service may contain links to websites or services operated by third parties. These external sites are not controlled or monitored by eQualitie, and we do not make any representations or warranties regarding their content, security, or privacy practices.

By clicking on a third-party link, you acknowledge and agree that:

  • Your interactions with third-party sites are governed solely by their respective terms of use and privacy policies.
  • eQualitie is not responsible for any content, data collection, or practices of third-party websites or services.
  • Visiting external sites linked from Ceno is entirely at your own risk.

We strongly recommend that you:

  • Exercise caution when clicking on links to unfamiliar or untrusted sites.
  • Review the privacy policies and terms of use of any third-party website you visit.
  • Refrain from providing personal or sensitive information to external sites unless you are confident in their security and intent.

eQualitie disclaims all liability for any harm, loss, or damage arising from your use of third-party links or services. 

3.7 Children’s Privacy

We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children. We encourage all children to never submit any personally identifiable information through the Application and/or Services. We encourage parents and legal guardians to monitor their childrens’ Internet usage and to help enforce this Policy by instructing their children never to provide personally identifiable information through the Application and/or Services without their permission. If you have reason to believe that a child has provided personally identifiable information to us through the Application and/or Services, please contact us. You must also be at least 16 years of age to consent to the processing of your personally identifiable information in your country (in some countries we may allow your parent or guardian to do so on your behalf).

3.8 Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Thus, you are advised to review this page periodically for any changes.

This policy is effective as of 2024-12-18.

4. Glossary

Bootstrap Servers: Servers used to help your device get into the BitTorrent network.

Bridges: Servers (including users’ devices if Bridge Mode is enabled) running Ceno Browser that serve to route web content requests if other connectivity mechanisms are inaccessible or unavailable.

Injectors: Servers run by eQualitie that route web content from origin servers to Ceno users’ devices requesting that content.

Personal Mode: Browsing activity in Personal Mode is not shared with anyone else. Web content is securely retrieved from origin or via Injectors.

Public Mode: Browsing activity in Public Mode utilizes all available connectivity methods to retrieve web content from the Ceno network, shares this content with other Ceno users via the BitTorrent network, and leaves a public record of your device’s IP address and content retrieved.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or suggestions about this Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us at: support [at] censorship [dot] no.