Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly, such as your name, email address, and any other details you submit when you create an account, subscribe to our newsletter, submit a tool listing, leave a review, or contact us through our platform. We also collect information automatically when you use our services.

1.1 Information You Provide

Account registration data (name, email); tool submission details (tool name, URL, description, category); reviews and ratings; contact form messages; payment information (processed securely by Stripe — we do not store card details); newsletter subscription preferences.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

Device and browser information (type, version, operating system); IP address (anonymized where possible); pages visited, time spent on pages, and navigation paths; referring URLs and search terms; cookies and similar tracking technologies.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To operate, maintain, and improve Tool Atlas and its features; to process tool submissions and manage listings; to send newsletters and marketing communications you have opted into; to process payments and manage subscriptions; to respond to your inquiries and support requests; to detect, prevent, and address technical issues, fraud, or abuse; to generate aggregated, anonymized analytics to improve our services; to comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.

3. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we process your personal data based on the following legal grounds: (a) your consent (e.g., newsletter subscriptions); (b) performance of a contract (e.g., providing services you requested); (c) our legitimate interests (e.g., improving our platform, preventing fraud); (d) compliance with legal obligations.

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use essential cookies to maintain your session and remember your preferences. We use analytics cookies to understand how visitors interact with our site. We may use third-party cookies from services like Stripe (payment processing) and analytics providers.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies may affect the functionality of our services. We honor Do Not Track (DNT) browser signals where technically feasible.

5. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may collect or process your data:

Stripe — for payment processing. Stripe's privacy policy governs data collected during checkout. Cloudflare — for content delivery, security, and image storage. Analytics providers — we may use privacy-respecting analytics tools to understand site usage. OpenAI — for AI-powered content generation (no personal user data is sent to OpenAI). Telegram — for internal operational notifications only.

Each third-party service operates under its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review their policies.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our services. Specifically: account data is retained until you request deletion; tool submission data is retained indefinitely as part of our directory; contact messages are retained for up to 2 years; payment records are retained as required by tax and financial regulations; analytics data is retained in anonymized form indefinitely.

When data is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it.

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include: encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL); secure server infrastructure; access controls and authentication; regular security reviews. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from your jurisdiction. By using our services, you consent to the transfer of your information to these countries. We take steps to ensure that your data receives an adequate level of protection in the jurisdictions in which we process it.

9. Children's Privacy

Tool Atlas is not intended for children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child under 16, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

10. Your Rights

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

Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. Rectification — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data. Erasure — request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten"). Restriction — request that we restrict processing of your data. Portability — request your data in a structured, machine-readable format. Objection — object to processing based on legitimate interests. Withdraw consent — withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us through our contact page. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

11. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA): the right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose; the right to request deletion of your personal information; the right to opt out of the sale of your personal information (we do not sell personal information); the right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights.

12. Changes to This Policy

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

13. Disclaimer

Tool Atlas provides information about third-party AI tools and services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, data collection, or security measures of any third-party tools listed in our directory. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any tools you choose to use. Listings on Tool Atlas do not constitute an endorsement of any tool's privacy or security practices.

14. Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us through our contact page.