Whamcloud (“we”, “our”, “us”) is an open-source community that maintains and develops the Lustre file system and related tools. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect personal information when you interact with our repositories, mailing lists, community sites, and related services hosted under the Whamcloud organization.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to support open-source collaboration, community participation, and infrastructure maintenance.

a. Information You Provide Voluntarily

  • GitHub Account Information:
    When you interact with Whamcloud repositories on GitHub (e.g., opening issues, submitting pull requests, or commenting), GitHub provides us with your public username, profile link, and any information you include in your contribution.

  • Contributor License Agreement (CLA):
    Contributors may be required to sign a CLA before their code can be merged. The CLA typically includes your name, email address, and GitHub username for attribution and license tracking.

  • Mailing Lists and Forums:
    When you post to Whamcloud mailing lists or discussion forums, your name, email, and message content are publicly archived for transparency and historical reference.

b. Automatically Collected Information

  • Repository Activity Logs:
    GitHub automatically logs commits, timestamps, and contributor information as part of open-source version control history.

  • Website Usage Data:
    When you visit Whamcloud websites or documentation pages, we may collect limited data such as IP address, browser type, and referring URL to monitor performance and security.

  • Cookies:
    Minimal cookies may be used by hosting platforms (such as GitHub Pages) for authentication or analytics purposes, following GitHub’s own Privacy Statement.

2. How We Use the Information

We use collected data to:

  • Facilitate collaboration among contributors.

  • Maintain accurate authorship and licensing records for code contributions.

  • Improve Whamcloud documentation, communication, and infrastructure.

  • Provide community updates, release announcements, and event notifications.

  • Ensure compliance with open-source license obligations.

We do not sell, trade, or use contributor data for commercial advertising or profiling.

3. Sharing of Information

  • Public Visibility:
    All commits, issues, discussions, and contributions are publicly visible as part of Whamcloud’s open development model.

  • Third-Party Platforms:
    Whamcloud services are hosted on third-party platforms such as GitHub, Mailman, and Google Groups. These platforms have their own privacy policies that govern how your data is handled.

  • Legal Compliance:
    We may disclose limited data if required by law or to protect the integrity of the Whamcloud project.

4. Data Retention

  • Contribution data (e.g., commits, issues, mailing list posts) forms part of Lustre’s permanent public development record and cannot generally be removed without breaking version history.

  • Requests for removal or anonymization will be reviewed case by case, considering open-source licensing and technical feasibility.

5. Security

We rely on GitHub’s and our hosting providers’ security infrastructure, which includes HTTPS encryption, access controls, and regular audits.
While we take reasonable measures to protect community data, the inherently open nature of Git-based collaboration means information shared publicly may remain visible indefinitely.

6. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have rights to:

  • Request a copy of your personal data stored by Whamcloud (limited to what’s not publicly available).

  • Request correction of inaccurate data or removal from mailing lists.

  • Withdraw consent for email communications.

Requests can be sent to devops@whamcloud.com, and we’ll do our best to accommodate them while respecting open-source norms.

7. Third-Party Links and Services

Whamcloud resources may include links to third-party sites such as:

These platforms have their own privacy and data handling policies, and Whamcloud is not responsible for their practices.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Effective Date” above will reflect the most recent version.
Significant updates will be announced through Whamcloud communication channels.

9. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or data-related requests, please contact:

Whamcloud Team
📧 devops@whamcloud.com
🌐 https://www.whamcloud.com

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