Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Gluten Checker ("we," "us," or "our"), accessible at https://checkgluten.com. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website and use our services.

Please read this privacy policy carefully. By accessing or using our website, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by the terms of this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the site.

2. Data Controller

Gluten Checker is the data controller responsible for your personal data. If you have any questions about this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us at Contact@checkgluten.com.

3. Information We Collect

We collect information in the following ways:

3.1 Information You Provide

• Account information (email address, name) when you register
• Product search queries and ingredient lists you submit for analysis
• Images you upload for AI-powered ingredient scanning
• Contact form submissions and support requests
• Payment information processed through PayPal (we do not store credit card details)

3.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Device information (browser type, operating system, device type)
• IP address and approximate location
• Pages visited, time spent, and navigation patterns
• Referring website addresses
• Information collected through cookies, pixel tags, and similar technologies

3.3 Information from Third Parties

• Authentication data from Firebase Authentication
• Analytics data from Vercel Analytics
• Advertising data from Google AdSense (see Section 6)

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Process and analyze food products for gluten content
• Improve the accuracy of our AI-powered gluten detection
• Manage your account and provide customer support
• Process subscription payments through PayPal
• Send you service-related communications
• Enhance user experience and application performance
• Display relevant advertisements through Google AdSense
• Analyze site usage through Vercel Analytics
• Prevent fraud and ensure security
• Comply with legal obligations

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track activity on our website and store certain information. Cookies are small data files placed on your device. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent.

Types of Cookies We Use

You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain features on our website.

6. Third-Party Advertising (Google AdSense)

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements on our website. Google AdSense uses cookies and web beacons to serve ads based on your prior visits to our website and other websites on the Internet.

How Google uses your data:

• 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.
• Google may use the DoubleClick cookie to enable it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to our website and/or other websites on the Internet.
• Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to this website or other websites.

Opting out of personalized advertising:

• You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings.
• You can also opt out of third-party vendor cookies by visiting www.aboutads.info/choices.
• For more information about how Google collects and uses data, please visit Google's Privacy & Terms page.

7. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may collect information:

• Google Firebase — Authentication and database services (Firebase Privacy Policy)
• Google Generative AI (Gemini) — AI-powered ingredient analysis
• PayPal — Payment processing for subscriptions (PayPal Privacy Policy)
• Vercel — Website hosting and analytics (Vercel Privacy Policy)
• Crisp — Live chat and customer support
• Google AdSense — Advertising (see Section 6 above)

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data from accidental loss, unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures include encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS), secure authentication through Firebase, and access controls limiting data access to authorized personnel only. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal data within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it by law. Anonymized data that cannot be linked back to you may be retained indefinitely for analytical purposes.

10. Your Rights Under GDPR

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain data protection rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). These include:

• Right of Access — Request copies of your personal data
• Right to Rectification — Request correction of inaccurate personal data
• Right to Erasure — Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to Restrict Processing — Request restriction of processing of your personal data
• Right to Data Portability — Request transfer of your data to another organization
• Right to Object — Object to the processing of your personal data
• Right to Withdraw Consent — Withdraw your consent at any time for processing based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at Contact@checkgluten.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

11. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants you additional rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to Know — What personal information is being collected, used, shared, or sold
• Right to Delete — Request deletion of your personal information
• Right to Opt-Out — Opt out of the sale of your personal information
• Right to Non-Discrimination — Not be discriminated against for exercising your privacy rights

We do not sell your personal information. To exercise your California privacy rights, contact us at Contact@checkgluten.com.

12. Children's Privacy

Our service is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or 16 in certain jurisdictions). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to remove that information from our servers. If you believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at Contact@checkgluten.com.

13. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and maintained on servers located outside of your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where data protection laws may differ. By using our service, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and other countries where our service providers operate.

14. 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. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

15. Contact Us

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

• Email: Contact@checkgluten.com
• Website: https://checkgluten.com/contact