Short Version
MeshScout is an independent discovery index for 3D models. We do not sell personal information. We do not ask for information we do not need. Optional analytics are collected through our self-hosted Matomo instance and are used only to improve MeshScout and power opt-in personalization. Advertising depends on consent where required.
What We Collect
- Indexed model data: public titles, images, descriptions, authors, source links, tags, categories, licenses, publish dates, likes, downloads, and similar listing metadata.
- Account data: your MeshScout username, email address from your sign-in provider, profile image URL, linked OAuth providers, signup method, join date, roles, permissions, collections, Watch settings, model source-order and opening preferences, browser timezone, and staff-issued API keys.
- Creator profile data: claimed source accounts, claim proofs, creator names and images, biographies, specialties, profile and donation links, commission settings, vanity URLs, selected featured models or collections, source-sync status, private setup progress and review events, and other profile choices you submit.
- Community activity: creator follows and likes, model or profile comments, public collection activity, notification state, and limited signed-in presence data used to deliver browsing-now announcements.
- Security records: signup IP address, recent login IP address, login time, user agent, API key usage, requested endpoints, rate limits, admin actions, errors, and basic technical logs needed to operate and protect the service.
- Contact messages: your email, subject, selected topic, message, account reference if signed in, message status, and anti-spam verification result.
- Search quality feedback: the affected model, issue type, bounded search query and result context, optional comparison model, submission count, review status, and a one-way reporter identifier derived from your account or network and browser identifier for rate limiting and deduplication.
- Model lineage evidence: reviewed links between public model listings, relationship type, confidence, source attribution URL, bounded staff notes, review state, and an audit history of authorized staff decisions.
- Community corrections: the affected public model listing, correction type, structured proposed value, public evidence link, explanation, optional compared listing, submission authority level, review state, staff note, and an audit history of submission, withdrawal, and review actions.
- Commission conversations: commission request subjects, messages, participants, creator profile references, request status, read times, and related notification records.
- Notifications, Watches, and email delivery: Watch definitions and cursors, price snapshots, generated events, notification titles and messages, recipients, read or dismissal state, activity mutes, destination links, preview and test requests, digest delivery attempts, quiet hours, and email preferences.
- Optional analytics: searches, page views, model views, collection views, collection likes and comments, material searches, outbound source/vendor clicks, device/browser details, approximate location from IP address, anonymous or signed-in visitor identifiers, and For You interactions when you consent.
- For You signals: if you are signed in and have opted into analytics, we may use models you view, models you open on source sites, models you save to collections, creators you like, and your For You feedback such as "more like this" or "less like this" to build your personalized recommendations.
Matomo Analytics
MeshScout uses Matomo for website analytics. Our Matomo instance is self-hosted and operated by MeshScout rather than provided as a third-party analytics service. Analytics data helps us understand which searches work, which model and collection pages are useful, where users run into dead ends, and how to improve performance, navigation, indexing quality, and reliability.
We use analytics data to improve MeshScout. We do not sell Matomo analytics data. We may review aggregated trends, individual visit logs, search terms, clicked models, clicked collections, material/vendor clicks, and technical details when needed to debug issues, prevent abuse, or improve the product.
For You Recommendations
For You is personalized only when you are signed in and have turned analytics on. We use your opt-in activity to understand the kinds of models, categories, creators, and sources you seem interested in, then cache a private recommendation feed for your account so the page loads quickly.
For You data is used to recommend models to you and improve MeshScout's discovery tools. It is not sold. You can mute recommendation sources, normalized categories, and tags in your account settings. If you turn analytics off, MeshScout stops showing For You recommendations and stops using new analytics activity for personalization.
Search Quality Feedback
When you report an irrelevant result, duplicate, wrong creator, broken image, missing details, or unblurred sensitive preview, MeshScout stores enough bounded search context for authorized staff to reproduce and review the issue. Reports are rate limited and deduplicated using a one-way identifier; MeshScout does not store the raw IP address in the search-feedback record.
Search feedback is operational catalog-quality data and may be processed even when optional Matomo analytics is disabled. A single anonymous report never changes public model data automatically. Authorized staff review queued reports before taking catalog action.
Model Comparison and Source Preferences
The search comparison tray temporarily stores up to four selected model summaries in this browser session and requests current indexed details when you open the comparison. Signed-in users may save a preferred order for public model sources plus free-copy, verified-creator, freshness, quality, and reachability choices.
Source preferences choose which known grouped listing opens first. They do not hide source variants, change source metadata, or override an explicit source choice you make for a search. Cross-currency prices are displayed separately and are not compared numerically without conversion data.
Model Lineage
MeshScout stores model-lineage relationships only when a source page states the connection or authorized staff review supporting evidence. Public lineage can describe originals, remixes, derivatives, versions, and cross-posts. Candidate and rejected relationships remain private to authorized staff.
Lineage records identify public source listings and may include a public evidence URL. They are catalog-trust records, not optional analytics, and do not establish ownership or replace a source platform's license and attribution requirements.
Community Corrections
Signed-in members may suggest structured corrections for public model listings and provide a public source link or other evidence. MeshScout records the proposal, submitter, evidence, explanation, review priority, and staff decision so the correction can be reviewed, withdrawn, rejected, accepted as evidence, or reopened.
Claimed creator status and a history of accepted corrections can raise a proposal's place in the review queue, but they never bypass staff validation. A submitted or accepted proposal does not automatically rewrite public catalog data. Material Finder listings are not part of this correction system.
Browser Companion
When you use the optional Browser Companion, MeshScout receives the public source-model URL you ask it to check and compares it with the public model index. If you are signed in, the response may also show whether an existing Watch or one of your own collections already contains that model.
The Companion is read-only. It does not inject code into a source website, change the source page, create a Watch, add a model to a collection, or make a catalog correction. The checked URL may appear in ordinary short-lived server and security logs under the same retention rules as other MeshScout requests. Material Finder products are not included.
Watches and Dynamic Collections
When you create a model, creator, or saved-search Watch, MeshScout stores the Watch definition, a cursor or initial snapshot, matching events, notification state, and your selected digest cadence. Model Watches evaluate known public source variants and may notify you about price drops or a paid listing becoming free. Preview and test actions evaluate current indexed data without sending notifications or moving your Watch cursor. Daily and weekly digests are grouped by account and scheduled after 9:00 AM in the timezone saved to your profile, outside any quiet hours you set.
Smart collections store a reference to your saved search, a normalized query snapshot, refresh state, automatic match membership, and pin choices. MeshScout keeps the last successful collection snapshot visible if a later refresh fails. Removing a Watch or converting a smart collection to static stops its future automatic processing, subject to limited operational and backup retention described below.
Creator Commission Conversations
When a signed-in user requests a commission, MeshScout stores the private request and replies so the buyer and creator can discuss the work. We use account email addresses to send transactional notifications that link back to the private conversation.
MeshScout does not process commission payments or collect payment credentials. Buyers and creators arrange payment directly. Authorized staff may access commission records only when reasonably needed for support, safety, abuse prevention, or legal obligations.
Cookies and Browser Storage
We use cookies or local storage for sign-in sessions, language choice, interface preferences, analytics consent, Matomo analytics operation, and feature settings. Blocking storage may prevent account features from working.
If you are signed in, your analytics preference may be saved to your account so the consent notice does not keep appearing across devices.
reCAPTCHA
MeshScout uses Google reCAPTCHA on the contact form to help distinguish real messages from spam and automated abuse. reCAPTCHA may collect hardware, software, browser, app, device, interaction, and network information and send it to Google for analysis. MeshScout uses the result only to protect the contact form and keep the support inbox usable.
Use of reCAPTCHA is subject to Google's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
Donations
If you donate through Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee, or another donation provider, that provider and its payment partners handle checkout. MeshScout may receive limited donation details such as display name, email address, amount, currency, message, provider, transaction or event ID, timestamps, and payment status.
We use donation details to record support, avoid duplicate processing, respond to donation-related questions, handle payment disputes or chargebacks, and add a supporter badge when the donation email matches a MeshScout account. MeshScout does not receive or store full card numbers, bank account details, PayPal login credentials, or similar payment credentials.
Why We Use Data
- Provide search, model details, collections, accounts, contact forms, and API access.
- Improve relevance, categories, speed, and reliability.
- Measure search quality, model interest, collection interest, material search demand, and common user paths.
- Prevent spam, scraping abuse, credential misuse, and denial-of-service patterns.
- Support account recovery, OAuth unlinking, legal requests, and abuse investigations.
- Respond to support requests and model data reports.
- Meet legal, security, and operational obligations.
Legal Bases
Where privacy law requires a legal basis, MeshScout processes account and feature data to provide the service you request; optional analytics and non-transactional email based on your consent; security, fraud prevention, service improvement, and limited operational analytics based on legitimate interests; and records required to meet legal obligations. You may withdraw consent for future optional analytics or email at any time in your account settings.
Sharing
We do not sell personal information. MeshScout hosts and operates its own Matomo analytics instance. We disclose only the data reasonably needed to infrastructure, backup, content-delivery, authentication, email, anti-spam, and security providers that help operate MeshScout. Those providers process data under their own terms or on MeshScout's behalf.
Public creator profiles, comments, usernames, profile images, source-account links, public collections, and other content you intentionally publish can be seen by visitors. Public pages that meet MeshScout's quality requirements may also appear in search engines or link previews with their title, description, public image, source attribution, and canonical MeshScout URL. Outbound links send you to third-party model repositories, retailers, donation providers, or creator sites, whose privacy practices apply after you leave MeshScout.
Retention and Backups
We keep account and user-created data while your account or the related feature remains active. Closed support, search-feedback, and commission records, security logs, API usage, moderation records, and administrative audit data may be retained longer when reasonably needed for support, catalog quality, fraud prevention, dispute handling, system integrity, or legal obligations.
Analytics data is retained or anonymized according to MeshScout's configured Matomo retention settings. Short-lived cache, presence, rate-limit, and session records expire as they are no longer operationally useful. Deleted or changed information may remain in encrypted or access-controlled rotating backups until those backups expire or are overwritten.
Security
MeshScout uses measures such as encrypted transport, access controls, restricted administrative permissions, encrypted stored source credentials, rate limits, logging, backups, and service isolation. No online service can guarantee absolute security. Contact us promptly if you believe your account, API key, or MeshScout data has been exposed.
Your Choices
- You can accept or opt out of optional analytics.
- You can turn off analytics to disable For You personalization.
- You can disable MeshScout email updates and model roundups from your account settings.
- You can sign out at any time.
- You can link or unlink OAuth sign-in providers as long as at least one sign-in method remains on the account.
- You can contact us to request account help, correction, export, or deletion.
- Depending on where you live, you may also have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, object to, or receive a portable copy of personal data, withdraw consent, or appeal a denied request.
- You may complain to your local privacy or data-protection authority where that right applies.
- Authorized admins can review account security records, help unlink OAuth accounts, revoke API keys, adjust roles, or disable accounts when needed to protect the service.
We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request. Some information may be retained when required for security, legal compliance, fraud prevention, or to preserve other users' rights.
Children
MeshScout is a general-audience service and is not directed to children under 13. Children under 13 may not create an account, submit personal information, or use interactive account features. If you believe a child under 13 provided personal information, contact us so we can investigate and delete it where required.
International Processing
MeshScout and its service providers may process information in the United States and other countries where infrastructure or providers operate. Privacy protections and government-access rules can differ by location. Where required, MeshScout will use an appropriate legal mechanism for a cross-border transfer.
Source Content
Model listings, images, descriptions, licenses, trademarks, downloads, and author information remain owned by their respective authors and source platforms. Always review the source page and license before downloading, printing, sharing, or using a model commercially.
Contact
Questions or privacy requests can be sent through the Contact page or by email at [email protected].
Policy Changes
We may update this policy when MeshScout's features, providers, or legal obligations change. The date above shows the latest revision. Material changes may also be announced on MeshScout or sent to affected account holders when appropriate.