Privacy Policy

How we handle your data.

Last updated: March 24, 2026

Who We Are

LEWCA is a WordPress accessibility plugin developed by Merkra. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and protect information through the lewca.com website and the LEWCA plugin.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

  • Account and license information: When you purchase a Pro license or start a free trial, we collect your email address, site URL, and payment information (processed by Stripe — we do not store credit card numbers).
  • Email address: If you enter your email in the setup wizard or scan results page, we store it to send product updates. This is entirely optional.
  • Support requests: When you contact support, we collect your email address, subject, and message content.
  • Referral program: If you register for the referral program, we collect your email address and site URL.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

Free version: The free version of LEWCA runs entirely on your server with no external connections by default. If you enter your email (setup wizard or scan results) or activate a license key, the plugin sends periodic status pings (once per hour while the admin dashboard is open) to lewca.com. These pings include your site UUID, plugin version, WordPress version, and PHP version. No other data is transmitted.

Pro features: Pro features communicate with api.lewca.com for the following purposes:

  • License validation: Sends your license key and domain to verify license status. This occurs at activation and periodically via a background check.
  • AI-powered fixes: Sends the specific HTML snippet and issue context for processing. Only the relevant code block is transmitted — not your entire page content.
  • Deep scanning: Sends the page URL for headless browser analysis.
  • Dictionary lookups: Sends the queried word. No visitor identification or page context is included.
  • Translation: Sends visible page text and the target language for translation. No personally identifiable visitor information is included.
  • Referral dashboard: Contacts api.lewca.com when you view your referral stats.

Website analytics: We use privacy-respecting analytics on lewca.com. We do not use invasive tracking or sell visitor data.

1.3 Information That Stays on Your Server

The majority of LEWCA's functionality operates entirely within your WordPress installation. The following data never leaves your server:

  • Accessibility toolbar rendering and all visitor toolbar interactions
  • Visitor toolbar preferences (stored in the visitor's browser localStorage)
  • WCAG scan results and accessibility scores
  • All 21 automated frontend fixes
  • Plugin settings and toolbar configuration
  • Generated legal documents
  • Compliance reports (PDF/CSV exports)

2. Third-Party Services

LEWCA uses the following third-party services:

  • Stripe: Processes Pro license purchases. Stripe receives your payment information directly — we do not store credit card numbers on our servers.
  • Translation and dictionary (Pro): Toolbar translation and dictionary features send text through api.lewca.com. Administrators can disable both features in the LEWCA Button Manager, which stops all data transmission for these services.

No visitor personal data is included in any request to our servers or third-party services.

3. Cookies and Local Storage

The LEWCA plugin does not set cookies. Visitor toolbar preferences (font size, contrast settings, etc.) are stored in the visitor's browser using localStorage. This data is not accessible to your server or to us. Visitors can clear these preferences using the toolbar's Reset All button or by clearing their browser data.

The lewca.com website may use essential cookies for session management.

4. How We Use Your Information

  • To provide and maintain the LEWCA plugin and services
  • To process license purchases and manage your subscription
  • To verify license validity and prevent unauthorized use
  • To provide AI-powered accessibility fix suggestions (Pro)
  • To respond to support requests
  • To send transactional emails (license confirmations, trial notifications, support responses)
  • To send product updates if you opted in via the setup wizard
  • To improve our products and services

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.

5. Data Retention

  • License records: Retained for the duration of your license plus 12 months after expiration.
  • AI fix request data: HTML snippets sent for AI processing are retained for up to 30 days, then permanently deleted.
  • Support requests: Retained for up to 24 months after resolution.
  • Email subscriptions: Retained until you request removal or unsubscribe.
  • Local plugin data: Scan results, scores, and settings are stored in your WordPress database and retained until you delete them or uninstall the plugin.

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including encryption in transit (TLS/HTTPS), HMAC-SHA256 request authentication, secure server infrastructure, and access controls. However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Your Rights (GDPR and Similar Laws)

If you are located in the European Union, United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction with applicable data protection laws, you have the following rights:

  • Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
  • Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data
  • Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data
  • Portability: Request a machine-readable copy of your data
  • Restriction: Request that we limit processing of your data
  • Objection: Object to processing of your data for specific purposes

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected] with your site URL and the nature of your request. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Children's Privacy

LEWCA is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date.

10. Contact Us

For privacy-related questions or requests, contact us at [email protected].