Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how HowItStands collects, uses, shares, and protects information when you use howitstands.com, create an account, create status trackers, open public status links, contact us, or otherwise use our services.

Information We Collect

We collect information you provide and information generated by use of the service.

• Account and authentication data: email address, display name, Google login profile data, and, for email and password sign-in, authentication credentials processed through our authentication provider, plus account identifiers and session identifiers. We do not store your raw password.
• Status content: status tracker titles, template names, custom aliases, steps, public notes, private notes, general notes, status updates, completion dates, and theme preferences selected for public status displays.
• Collaboration and notification data: collaborator email addresses, collaborator roles, notification recipient email addresses, notification subject and body templates, delivery status, and related quota or delivery metadata.
• Contact and report data: contact form name, email address, topic, and message, plus public status report categories and optional report details.
• Technical data: IP address, browser and device information, pages or features used, timestamps, logs, security and abuse-prevention metadata, and approximate location inferred from IP address.

Public Status Links

Public status links are designed to be opened without an account. Anyone with a public status link can view the public fields attached to that status. Do not include sensitive or private information in public titles, custom aliases, public notes, or other public fields. Private notes, permissions, private account information, and service records are not intended for anonymous public viewers.

How We Use Information

• Provide, secure, maintain, and improve the service.
• Create and manage accounts, sessions, status trackers, templates, public links, collaborators, and notifications.
• Send service-related emails and respond to support, contact, deletion, and privacy requests.
• Monitor reliability, diagnose errors, prevent abuse, and protect the service.
• Use Google Analytics to understand site and product usage.
• Comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our terms.

Cookies, Analytics, and Local Storage

We use cookies and similar browser technologies for login, security, preferences, saved browser-only lists, and analytics. Google Analytics may set cookies such as _ga and related identifiers. For details, see our Cookie Policy.

You can manage cookies through your browser settings and Google offers browser add-ons and account controls for certain analytics and advertising settings. Blocking essential cookies may affect login or app functionality.

Service Providers

We share information with service providers that help us operate, secure, monitor, and improve the service. These include account access providers, hosting providers, site security and traffic-protection providers, email delivery providers, and analytics providers. Google Analytics is used for usage analytics.

We may also share information if required by law, to protect rights and safety, or as part of a merger, financing, acquisition, or sale of all or part of the business.

Sign-In and Authentication

You can sign in with Google or with an email and password. If you sign in with Google, our authentication provider may receive information from Google such as your email address, name or display name, profile information, and account identifiers, depending on the login configuration. If you sign in with an email and password, our authentication provider processes your credentials and we do not store your raw password. We use this information to create and manage your account and login session.

Retention

We keep information for as long as needed to provide the service, maintain security, prevent abuse, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and operate backups. When information is no longer needed, we delete or anonymize it when reasonably practical. Backup copies may remain until they age out on normal backup schedules.

Your Choices and Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to request access, correction, deletion, portability, opt-out of certain processing, or appeal a decision. You can submit privacy requests, deletion requests, or account closure requests through our contact form.

We may need to verify your identity or authority before completing a request. We may deny or limit requests where permitted by law, such as for security, fraud prevention, legal compliance, backups, dispute resolution, or abuse prevention. We will not discriminate against you for exercising privacy rights.

Authorized agents may submit requests where applicable law permits, but we may require proof of authorization and additional information needed to verify the request.

Children

Accounts are intended for users who are at least 18 years old. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children for account use. If you believe a child provided personal information to us, contact us through the contact form so we can review and address the request.

Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect information. No internet service can guarantee perfect security. You should use strong account credentials, keep your Google account or password secure, and be careful about what you place in public status fields.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. If changes are material, we may provide notice in the product, on the website, or by email where appropriate. The updated date above shows the latest version.

Contact

For privacy questions, deletion requests, or account closure requests, use the contact form.