Privacy Policy · Hi Res Quest
Last updated: September 5, 2026
This is a courtesy translation. In case of discrepancy, the French version (« Politique de confidentialité ») prevails. Hi Res Quest (“HRQ”, “we”) is a web application that audits the audio quality of users' playlists by comparing their contents across several streaming services (Spotify, Qobuz, TIDAL, Deezer, Apple Music) and marketplaces (Qobuz Store, Discogs). The data controller is the company AWYSE (publisher of HRQ). This page explains what data HRQ collects, why, and for how long.
1. Data Collected
HRQ collects only the data strictly necessary to perform an audit:
- OAuth authentication credentials (Spotify, Qobuz, TIDAL): access tokens and refresh tokens, stored server-side in a restricted-access database (one table per user, never exposed to the browser), so that HRQ can call the services' APIs on your behalf. For TIDAL, the scopes requested are limited to
user.read(basic identity) andplaylists.read(reading playlists), through the official OAuth 2.1 PKCE flow. - Track metadata (title, artist, album, ISRC, duration, platform identifiers): read during each analysis to perform the cross-service comparison, processed transiently (temporary session files automatically deleted within 48 hours).
- Saved lists (subscribers): at the end of each analysis, HRQ keeps, for each analyzed playlist, a minimal fingerprint — the playlist name and, for each track, only the ISRC (International Standard Recording Code, the public ISO 3901 standard identifier of the recording, managed by the music industry) and the results produced by HRQ (measured audio resolution, score, authenticity verdict, analysis mode). No title, artist, album, cover art or platform popularity data is kept: this information is reloaded from the platforms when the list is reopened. Purpose: reopening your analyses (“Resume”), re-analyzing, and notifying you of the best editions (monitoring).
- Google account (Sign In with Google): email address, display name, profile picture and Google identifier, used to create and recognize your HRQ account, show your identity in the account menu and restrict access (list of authorized accounts during the beta).
- Waitlist (early access): your answers to the sign-up form — price range of your listening gear (DAC, streamer, preamp, amplifier, headphones, headphone amp, speakers), streaming platforms you use, listening context — plus the date of your consent to receive the access-opening email and, at most, one email per month about the beta, and the language of your sign-up (French or English). Legal basis: your consent (checkbox, unchecked by default), which you can withdraw at any time by replying “stop” to one of these emails. These answers are used only to calibrate the beta.
- Interface language: your FR/EN choice is stored in your browser's local storage (key
hrq_lang) — a display preference exempt from consent, with no tracker — and, for our emails, in your account. - Bug reports and questions: the text you type in “Report a bug” or in the FAQ question form, with your email address if you are signed in, so we can answer you and fix the service.
- Subscription data (for paying users): subscription level (tier), status, customer/subscription identifiers assigned by our payment provider Paddle, and monthly quota usage. This data is used to activate and manage your paid access. No card data is collected or stored by HRQ (see Articles 2 and 4).
2. Data Not Collected
- HRQ does not read, download or store the audio content of the services.
- HRQ never sees or stores your card details: payment entry and processing are handled exclusively by Paddle (see Article 4).
- HRQ does not read your contacts, calendar, or listening history (apart from the playlists you explicitly choose).
- HRQ uses no advertising tracking cookies. No Google Analytics, no Facebook Pixel, no ad network.
3. Retention Period
- OAuth tokens: kept as long as you are signed in. You can revoke them at any time from each service's settings (Spotify Account → Apps, Qobuz → bookmark logout) or by clicking “Disconnect” in HRQ.
- Analysis session files (temporary detailed reports): automatically deleted within 48 hours.
- Saved lists (ISRC + HRQ results, see Article 1): kept as long as your account exists, with three deletion mechanisms — per list (“Delete” button on the My playlists page), per platform (disconnecting a platform in HRQ deletes all your saved lists from that platform, along with the associated tokens), and automatically after 12 months without being reopened. Deleting the account erases everything.
- Waitlist: your form answers and your consent are kept until the public opening of the service, then twelve (12) months at most; you can ask for their deletion at any time (section 8).
- Platform metadata (titles, artists, albums, cover art, popularity): never persisted long-term — transient during the analysis, reloaded from the APIs each time a list is reopened.
- Subscription data: kept as long as the subscription is active. Accounting records related to payments are kept by our provider Paddle and, where applicable, by the publisher, for the period required by legal and tax obligations.
4. Sharing with Third Parties and Processors
HRQ does not sell, rent or share any of your data with third parties for commercial or advertising purposes. Communications with third parties are limited to:
- Technical API calls required for the audit (Spotify, Qobuz, TIDAL, Deezer, Discogs, Apple Music), in compliance with the terms of use of each service.
- Google (Sign In with Google, Google LLC, United States) for authentication — transfer governed by the European Commission's standard contractual clauses and the EU–US Data Privacy Framework.
- o2switch (SAS, Clermont-Ferrand, France) — hosting of the site and the database, in France.
- Awin — affiliate network behind the purchase links labeled “affiliate link”: on click, Awin receives a technical click identifier and the track's ISRC code, never your identity.
- Paddle — our payment provider, which acts as the official seller (Merchant of Record) for paid subscriptions. When a user subscribes, their email address and the billing/payment information they enter are processed directly by Paddle, which issues the invoice, collects the payment and handles taxes. In return, HRQ receives only non-sensitive subscription data (status, level, technical identifiers) — never card data. Processing by Paddle is governed by its own privacy policy.
5. Spotify Data Specifically
HRQ uses the Spotify Web API under the Spotify Developer Terms of Service. Spotify data (titles, artists, albums, playlists) is displayed during the analysis, with clear attribution to Spotify (official logo and links to open.spotify.com), and is not persisted long-term — only the ISRC (public, non-proprietary ISO 3901 identifier) and the results computed by HRQ are kept in your saved lists (Article 1). No Spotify data is redistributed, sold, or used for competing commercial purposes. Disconnecting Spotify in HRQ immediately deletes the Spotify tokens stored server-side and all your saved lists from Spotify.
You can revoke HRQ's access to your Spotify account at any time from Spotify Account → Apps.
6. Security
- All transfers between your browser and the HRQ server are encrypted (HTTPS / TLS 1.2+).
- Tokens stored server-side are kept in a restricted-access database, out of the browser's reach, and deleted when you disconnect the platform.
- HRQ uses OAuth PKCE (no client secret) for Spotify, in line with web security best practices.
7. Your Rights
Under the GDPR, you have the following rights: access to your data, rectification, erasure, portability, and objection. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the address below. Every request is processed within 30 days. You may also lodge a complaint with the CNIL (cnil.fr), the French data protection authority.
8. Contact
For any question about this privacy policy:
- Email: contact@hiresquest.com
- Data controller: AWYSE, RCS Paris 499 456 648, 39 rue de Richelieu, 75001 Paris, France.
- Payment processor: Paddle (official seller / Merchant of Record).
9. Changes
HRQ may update this policy to reflect changes to the Service. The “Last updated” date at the top of the page indicates the current version. Substantial changes are notified by email to active users.