Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to ThreadChain.io ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring you have a positive experience on our website. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website threadchain.io (the "Site") and use our services.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide when you:

• Register for an account (username, email address, password)
• Create or interact with content (posts, comments, votes)
• Contact us or participate in surveys
• Sign in using third-party providers (Google, GitHub)

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you access our Site, we automatically collect certain information, including:

• Device information (browser type, operating system)
• IP address and approximate location
• Pages visited and time spent on the Site
• Referring URLs and search terms

2.3 Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect information about your browsing activities. You can control cookies through your browser settings and our cookie consent banner. See Section 6 for more details.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve our services
• Create and manage your account
• Process and respond to your inquiries
• Send administrative information and updates
• Personalize your experience
• Monitor and analyze usage patterns
• Detect, prevent, and address technical issues and fraud
• Display relevant advertisements
• Comply with legal obligations

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information in the following situations:

• Public Content: Posts, comments, and profile information you make public are visible to all users
• Service Providers: With third parties who perform services on our behalf (hosting, analytics, advertising)
• Legal Requirements: When required by law or to protect our rights
• Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets
• With Your Consent: When you have given us permission to share

5. Third-Party Advertising

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements on our Site. Google AdSense uses cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our Site and other websites. 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 Ads Settings. Alternatively, you can opt out of third-party vendor's use of cookies by visiting aboutads.info.

6. Cookies Policy

6.1 Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential Cookies: Required for the Site to function properly (authentication, security)
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use the Site
• Advertising Cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences

6.2 Managing Cookies

You can manage your cookie preferences through our cookie consent banner or by adjusting your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect your experience on our Site.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services. We may retain certain information as required by law or for legitimate business purposes. You may request deletion of your account and associated data at any time.

8. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal data:

8.1 For All Users

• Access and update your account information
• Delete your account
• Opt out of marketing communications
• Manage cookie preferences

8.2 For EU/EEA Residents (GDPR)

• Right to access your personal data
• Right to rectification of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to object to processing
• Right to withdraw consent

8.3 For California Residents (CCPA)

• Right to know what personal information is collected
• Right to know if personal information is sold or disclosed
• Right to opt out of the sale of personal information
• Right to deletion of personal information
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights

We do not sell your personal information as defined under the CCPA.

9. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Children's Privacy

Our Site is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.

11. Browser Extension Privacy

The ThreadChain browser extension ("Extension") is designed with privacy in mind. This section explains how the Extension handles your data.

11.1 Data Collection

The Extension collects minimal data necessary for its functionality:

• Page URL: Only when you click the share widget to create a thread. We do not track your browsing history.
• Page Title: Captured only when sharing to suggest a thread title.
• Authentication Token: Stored locally to keep you signed in.

11.2 Data Storage

All Extension data is stored locally on your device using Chrome's secure storage API. Authentication tokens are encrypted before storage. No data is stored on external servers except when you actively share content to ThreadChain.

11.3 Data Transmission

The Extension only communicates with threadchain.io. Data is transmitted only when you:

• Sign in to your account
• Create a new thread by clicking the share widget
• Check your authentication status

11.4 Permissions

The Extension requests only minimal permissions:

• Storage: To save your preferences and authentication locally.
• Active Tab: To read the current page URL and title when you click share.

The Extension does not access your browsing history, read page content beyond the URL and title, or track your activity across websites.

12. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have different data protection laws. We take appropriate safeguards to ensure your information remains protected.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Email: privacy@threadchain.io