# Counting and privacy - Fileline 1.x documentation

> What's counted and what isn't, repeat downloads, and the data Fileline keeps (none about visitors).

## What's counted

Every download is counted twice: for the version, and in the download's total. The total is in the **Downloads** column of the list (click it to sort) and in the **Download link** box; each version's count is in the Versions box.

Counts are increased in the database in one step, so two downloads at the same moment are both counted.

Not counted:

- **bots, crawlers and link previews** (search engines, social networks, chat apps, uptime monitors), recognised by their user agent, as long as **Don't count downloads by search engines, crawlers and link previews** is ticked under **Downloads → Settings**;
- the later parts of a **resumed** download (only the start counts);
- requests that only ask for the file's details (`HEAD`).

## Repeat downloads

Set **Repeat downloads** to a number of minutes to count the same visitor downloading the same version only once in that time. Someone who clicks the button three times in a row then counts once. 0 (the default) counts every download.

## Privacy

Fileline keeps **no personal data**:

- counts are plain numbers, not linked to anyone;
- for the repeat check, it keeps a scrambled code made from the visitor's IP address and browser (a salted one-way hash) for the minutes you set, then it's deleted automatically. It can't be turned back into an address;
- it sets no cookies.

So there's nothing to export or erase with **Tools → Export / Erase Personal Data**. Fileline adds a suggested paragraph to **Settings → Privacy → Policy Guide** that you can copy into your privacy policy.

Fileline Pro's email gate does keep personal data (the addresses visitors give); it adds its own export and erase tools.

## Behind a proxy or CDN

If your site is behind a reverse proxy or a CDN, every visitor may seem to come from the same IP address, which makes the repeat check count too few. Return the real address from your proxy's trusted header with the `fileline_client_ip` filter (see **Hooks**).

Source: https://extendiment.com/plugins/fileline/docs/1.x/counting-and-privacy