Privacy - Processing of personal and other data

Server data for version query

4.3+ Since QF-Test 4.3 it is possible to check for the availability of a new QF-Test version via an encrypted HTTPS request to www.qfs.de, either automatically when starting QF-Test or via explicit user action. This version information is compared to the current QF-Test version and in case a newer version is available a notification is shown with links to to the respective QFS web pages.

For technical reasons the following data among others are stored by our provider (in so called server log files) when the latest available QF-Test version is retrieved from the QFS web server:

  • Your internet protocol (IP) address

In addition the following data may be transferred with the query to select the correct update version:

  • The QF-Test version currently used
  • The operating system currently used
  • The QF-Test language version currently used
  • Type of the QF-Test license currently used
  • Hash code of the QF-Test license currently used

This anonymous data is stored separately from any personal data possibly provided at a different time and does not allow drawing conclusion to a dedicated person. The data may be used for statistical purpose to optimize our web presence and offers.

The legal basis for the temporary storage of data is Article 6 para. 1 point b and Article 6 para. 1 point c in conjunction with Article 32 GDPR.

The temporary storage of the IP address by the system is necessary to enable the version information to be delivered to the user's computer. For this the IP address of the user must remain stored for the duration of the session.

Data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer needed to achieve the purpose for which it was collected. In case of the collection of data for the provision of the version information, this is the case when the respective session has ended. To detect web service failures including security issues data is stored for 42 days and then automatically deleted.

The collection of data for the provision of the version information and the storage of data in log files is absolutely necessary for the operation of the web service. Consequently, there is no possibility of objection on the part of the user. However, the version information query and thus usage of the web service can be deactivated via QF-Test user options (see subsection 40.1.10).

Sending support requests from within QF-Test

4.5+ QF-Test contains the option to send requests directly to the QF-Test support team. When the action is selected in the "Help" menu of the application, an encrypted web form from www.qfs.de is opened in the default web browser of the user. All information entered into the web form will be sent as email to support@qfs.de.

For technical reasons the following data among others are stored by our provider (in so called server log files) when the latest available QF-Test version is retrieved from the QFS web server:

  • Your internet protocol (IP) address
  • Browser type and version
  • The web page you are visiting
  • Date and time of your access

In addition the following data may be transferred with the query to improve the support quality and to speed up the support process:

  • The QF-Test version currently used
  • The operating system currently used
  • The QF-Test language version currently used
  • The name and company of the QF-Test license currently used
  • Hash code of the QF-Test license currently used

The legal basis for the temporary storage of data is Article 6 para. 1 point b and Article 6 para. 1 point c in conjunction with Article 32 GDPR.

The temporary storage of the IP address by the system is necessary to allow the transfer of support request using the browser web form. For this the IP address of the user must remain stored for the duration of the session.

Data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer needed to achieve the purpose for which it was collected. In case of the collection of data for the provision of technical support, this is the case when the business relation with the customer has ended. To detect web service failures including security issues data is stored additionally on the web server for 42 days and then automatically deleted.

The collection of data for the provision of technical support and the storage of data in log files is absolutely necessary for the operation of the web service. Consequently, there is no possibility of objection on the part of the user. However, it is possible for the user to directly sending an email to support@qfs.de instead of selecting the convenience action from the "Help" menu.

Context Information for Online Manual

7.1+ QF-Test opens since 7.1, if the local version of the manual or tutorial is not available, an online version of the document in the browser. To provide context dependent help in QF-Test, the file doc/context/de/context.properties resp. doc/context/en/context.properties is required. If (and only if) this file does not exists, an online version of the file is requested from the QFS server. For technical reasons the following data among others are then stored by our provider (in so called server log files):

  • Your internet protocol (IP) address

More information has already been described in the section "Server data for version query".

Request Data on WebDriver Download

4.5.2+ Since QF-Test 4.5.2 the webdriver file for certain browsers (e.g. Chrome) can be downloaded and extracted automatically by QF-Test. To do so, QF-Test downloads the required files from the servers www.qfs.de, github.com, chromedriver.storage.googleapis.com, developer.microsoft.com and their content delivery peers using an encrypted connection.

For technical reasons the following data is submitted along the requests:

  • Your internet protocol (IP) address
  • The name of the file to download, which includes the version number of the file to download.

Please see the privacy policy of the aforementioned service providers for details on their data processing. To deactivate the automatic webdriver download, you can specify the webdriver to use explicitly in the "Start Web Engine" node by pointing the qftest.web.webdriver.driver Java property to the existing driver file.

Client data in QF-Test log files

Note The log files described below may be provided the Quality First Software GmbH support team via email or file upload in order to facilitate support services. There is no automatic transfer of such logs by QF-Test to QFS or any third party.

QF-Test run logs are a critical tool for analyzing automated test runs in order to locate errors in the test implementation of the system under test. Besides details about the system environment and executed test steps a run log may also contain textual output from the system under test, screenshots of connected monitors or virtual desktops, or the HTML code of the page tested in a browser.

Type and amount of data to be stored in run logs can be adjusted via the QF-Test run log options (see section 40.10). Among those the number of automatically stored run logs can be specified - older run logs are automatically deleted.

The default directory where run logs are stored depends on the operating system. The current value can be retrieved via the menu »Help«-»Info«-»System info« shown as dir.runlog. The directory can also be explicitly defined via the command line argument -runlogdir <directory>.

In addition to run logs QF-Test also creates internal logs for the purpose of diagnosis of QF-Test itself or the connection to the system under test.

Internal logging of QF-Test is done in five rotating text files named qftestN.log with N = [,1,2,3,4]. Connection log data to the SUT are stored in the text file qfconnect.log.

The default directory for internal logs is depending on the operating system. The current value can be retrieved via the menu »Help«-»Info«-»System info« shown as dir.log. The directory can also be explicitly defined via the command line argument -logdir <directory>. An invalid directory parameter deactivates internal logging.

Here we'd like to emphasize that QF-Test is originally meant as tool for software test automation. There we always presume that our customers perform software tests within designated test environments with special test data because use of real personal data is not permitted according to data protection regulations, following the principles of dedication to purpose, minimization of data as well as anonymization.