Privacy Policy
Introduction
Welcome to CSSPainter ("we," "our," or "us"). CSSPainter is a free, browser-based collection of CSS generator tools available at https://css.thebirthflower.com. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you visit our website, how we use that information, and the choices you have regarding your data.
By using CSSPainter, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please discontinue your use of the website.
We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling any personal information we obtain from you with care and respect. This policy is designed to be straightforward and transparent about our data practices.
Information We Collect
Automatically Collected Information
When you visit CSSPainter, certain information is automatically collected by our analytics provider, Google Analytics. This includes:
- IP address — Used to determine your approximate geographic location (country/region level) and to detect abuse. IP addresses are anonymized by Google Analytics.
- Browser type and version — For example, Chrome 120 on Windows, Safari 17 on macOS.
- Operating system — The device's operating system (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, etc.).
- Pages visited and navigation paths — Which tools you visited, the order of pages, and the referring page that brought you to us.
- Time spent on pages — Session duration and time spent on individual pages.
- Screen resolution and viewport size — Used for understanding device types (desktop, tablet, mobile).
- Clicks and interactions — Aggregated event data (e.g., "CSS copied" events) to understand how tools are being used.
This information is collected through cookies and browser local storage set by Google Analytics. None of this data is personally identifiable on its own, and we only review it in aggregate form to understand overall traffic patterns.
Voluntarily Provided Information
We only collect personal information that you actively choose to provide:
- Contact form submissions — When you use the Contact page, we collect your name, email address, chosen subject, and message content. This information is used solely to respond to your inquiry.
Generated Content (Shared Presets)
When you click the "Share" button in any tool, your current CSS parameter settings are saved to our database with a randomly generated short URL slug. No personal data is stored with these presets — we record only the tool name, the CSS values, a view count, and a creation timestamp. Shared presets are not linked to any user account, IP address, or identifying information.
How We Use Information
We use the collected information for the following purposes:
- Improving site performance and user experience — Analytics data helps us understand which tools are most popular, where users encounter difficulties, and which features to prioritize in development.
- Responding to contact form messages — When you submit a contact form, we use your name and email address to send a reply to your inquiry. We do not use contact form data for marketing purposes.
- Aggregate traffic analysis — We review anonymized, aggregated statistics to understand overall traffic trends, peak usage periods, and geographic distribution of users.
- Abuse prevention — IP addresses are used in rate-limiting contact form submissions to prevent spam.
- Advertising — Google AdSense may use cookies and browsing data to show relevant advertisements. See the "Cookies and Tracking" section for details.
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third parties. We do not use your information for automated decision-making or profiling that has legal or similarly significant effects on you.
Cookies and Tracking
CSSPainter uses the following categories of cookies:
Google Analytics Cookies
- _ga — Persists for 2 years. Used to distinguish unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier. Sent to Google Analytics with each page view.
- _gid — Persists for 24 hours. Used to distinguish users for statistical purposes.
- _gat — Persists for 1 minute. Used to throttle the request rate sent to Google Analytics servers.
Google Analytics data is processed by Google LLC. For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy.
Google AdSense Cookies
CSSPainter displays advertising provided by Google AdSense. AdSense may use cookies and web beacons to serve ads based on your prior visits to our website or other websites on the internet. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to our site and/or other sites on the internet. You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ad Settings.
How to Opt Out
- Browser settings: You can configure your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, disabling cookies may affect some site functionality.
- Google Analytics opt-out: Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on to prevent Google Analytics from collecting data about your visits.
- Ad personalization: Visit Google Ad Settings or aboutads.info to opt out of interest-based advertising.
Third-Party Services
CSSPainter integrates with the following third-party services. Each has its own privacy policy governing its data practices:
- Google Analytics — Web traffic analytics. Google Privacy Policy
- Google AdSense — Advertising platform. Google Privacy Policy
- Google reCAPTCHA v3 — Spam prevention on the contact form. reCAPTCHA collects hardware and software information and sends this data to Google for abuse-prevention analysis. Google Privacy Policy
- Telegram — When you submit the contact form, a notification is sent to our private Telegram channel. This notification contains the information you submitted (name, email, subject, message). Telegram does not store or process this beyond delivering the message to us. No user data is retained by Telegram for this use case beyond their standard message retention policies.
- Google Fonts — Font files are loaded from Google's CDN. Google may log the request including your IP address and browser type. Google Privacy Policy
Data Retention
- Google Analytics data: Retained for 14 months (Google's default retention period for Analytics data).
- Contact form messages: Stored in our database for up to 12 months after receipt, then permanently deleted. We retain messages only long enough to ensure follow-up if needed.
- Shared CSS presets: Stored indefinitely as they contain no personal data. Only the CSS values, tool name, and creation timestamp are stored.
- Rate limit records: IP-based rate limit entries are automatically deleted after 10 minutes.
Data Security
We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. Our website is served over HTTPS (TLS encryption) at all times. Database access is restricted to application-level queries using parameterized prepared statements to prevent SQL injection. However, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Your Rights (GDPR / CCPA)
Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal data:
- Right to access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data.
- Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten"): Request deletion of your personal data.
- Right to restriction: Request that we limit the processing of your data.
- Right to data portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Right to object: Object to our processing of your personal data.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at hello@csspainter.com. We will respond to verified requests within 30 days. Note that because CSSPainter does not require account creation, we may have limited ability to locate personal data associated with your use of the site beyond contact form submissions tied to your email address.
Children's Privacy
CSSPainter is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has submitted personal information to us, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at hello@csspainter.com.
International Users
CSSPainter is operated from servers that may be located in different countries. If you are accessing our website from outside the country where our servers are located, your information may be transferred across international borders. By using our website, you consent to the transfer, storage, and processing of your information in the countries where our servers operate.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or service offerings. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of CSSPainter after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact Information
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
- Email: hello@csspainter.com
- Website: CSSPainter Contact Page