Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 31, 2026 | Effective Date: March 31, 2026

MissingTools ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you visit and use our platform. By accessing and using MissingTools, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

If you sign in with GitHub:

  • GitHub name and profile picture: Displayed publicly next to your comments
  • Email address: Stored securely, never shown publicly, used only for account management

Information you voluntarily provide:

  • Idea Submissions: Title, description, and tags. Publicly displayed. If signed in, your submission is linked to your account. Your identity as a submitter is only visible to you on your own ideas.
  • Comments: The text you write, displayed publicly with your GitHub name and avatar. Requires a GitHub account.
  • Reports: Your reason and description when flagging content for moderation.

Information collected automatically:

  • Anonymous User ID: A UUID stored in a cookie to prevent duplicate votes.
  • IP Address: Collected for rate limiting and fraud prevention, stored as a one-way hash.
  • Usage Data: Pages visited and view counts, collected anonymously.
  • Cookies: A vote-tracking cookie for anonymous users; a session cookie when signed in.

2. How We Use Your Information

  • Platform Operations: To enable idea submissions, voting, comments, and authentication
  • Duplicate Vote Prevention: To enforce one-vote-per-user and maintain integrity
  • Spam & Abuse Prevention: Rate limiting and security monitoring
  • Content Moderation: Processing reports and removing policy-violating content
  • Analytics & Improvement: Understanding platform usage anonymously
  • Legal Compliance: Complying with legal obligations and protecting our rights

What We Do NOT Do:

  • Sell, rent, or share your data with third parties for marketing
  • Use cookies for cross-site tracking or behavioral advertising
  • Display personalized advertisements
  • Share your email address with anyone
  • Build personal profiles for targeting

3. Third-Party Services

We use third-party service providers to help operate the platform. All providers are contractually obligated to maintain confidentiality and use your data only for delivering services to us. We do not share your data with advertisers, marketers, or data brokers.

Sign-in is handled via GitHub OAuth. When you sign in, GitHub shares your public profile information under GitHub's own privacy policy. We do not have access to your GitHub password or private data.

4. Cookies & Tracking

We use cookies only for core platform functionality: anonymous vote tracking and session management when signed in. We do not use cookies to track you across other websites or build advertising profiles.

You can delete cookies anytime via your browser settings. Deleting your session cookie will sign you out.

5. Your Rights & Controls

  • Delete your anonymous vote cookie anytime via browser settings
  • Sign out at any time to clear your session
  • Request a copy or deletion of your account data by contacting us
  • Browse, vote, and submit ideas without ever creating an account

Note: If you request account deletion, your account data will be removed. Submitted ideas and comments may remain on the platform in anonymized form to preserve community value.

6. How Long We Keep Your Information

Account data is retained as long as your account exists. Idea submissions and comments are retained indefinitely as part of our public community archive. IP hashes used for rate limiting are retained for up to 90 days. You may request deletion at any time.

7. Security & Data Protection

We implement industry-standard security measures including encrypted connections, hashed IP storage, and access-controlled infrastructure. No system is 100% secure — we cannot guarantee absolute protection. We will notify users of any material security breach within 30 days of discovery.

8. International Transfers & Compliance

Your data may be processed in countries where our service providers operate.

  • GDPR (EU residents): You have rights to access, rectify, and erase your personal data. Contact us to exercise these rights.
  • CCPA (California residents): You have the right to know what data we hold and to request deletion.

9. Children's Privacy

MissingTools is not directed to children under 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has submitted content or created an account, we will promptly remove it.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will update the "Last Updated" date and post a notice for significant changes. Continued use constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact Us

For privacy questions, data requests, or account deletion:

Email: [email protected]

Website: missingtools.app

Response Time: We will respond within 30 days.

Quick Reference: Your Privacy at a Glance

  • ✓We collect: Idea submissions, votes, optional GitHub profile (name, avatar, email), and IP hash for security
  • ✓Public: Idea content, comment text, commenter's GitHub name and avatar
  • ✓Never public: Your email address, vote activity, or idea submitter identity (visible only to you)
  • ✓We do NOT: Sell data, track across websites, show ads, or build personal profiles
  • ✓Your rights: Delete cookies or account anytime, request data deletion via email
  • ✓GDPR/CCPA: We comply with international privacy regulations