Privacy Policy

Effective July 21, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains what information Boards (boards.applebiter.com) collects, why, and what we do with it. We have no relationship with any advertising service, and we do not collect data in order to sell or rent it to third parties. Whenever we ask you for information, we tell you what it's for.

1. Information We Collect

  • Account information — username, email address, and a securely hashed password (if you register directly rather than via Google). Your email is used to send an activation code when you register and for account-related notices; it is never displayed publicly.
  • Sign-in with Google — if you choose to sign in with Google, we store the linkage between your account and your Google account identifier so you can log in that way again. We do not receive your Google password.
  • Posts and messages — the content you post to boards, including edit history, and the IP address the post was made from. Edited messages keep a visible revision history by default, for accountability; moderators can hide an individual revision, but the record itself is not silently deleted.
  • Login attempts — the username and timestamp of sign-in attempts, and the IP address the attempt was made from, used solely to detect and slow down brute-force login attempts and to let the site owner block IP addresses engaged in abuse.
  • Theme preference — a display preference (light or dark theme, color scheme), stored on your account if you're logged in, or in your browser's local storage if you're not. This is not used for tracking.

2. What We Don't Do

  • We have no relationship with Google Ads or any other advertising network, and we do not run third-party ads.
  • We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties.
  • We do not use tracking or analytics cookies.

3. Who We Share Information With

We share information only in the following limited circumstances:

  • Service providers we rely on to operate the site — our email delivery provider, used solely to send account-related email (such as activation codes); and Google, if you choose to sign in with Google.
  • Law enforcement — we will comply with lawful requests from law enforcement or other government authorities to disclose the administrative records described above, as required by applicable law.
  • Other users — your username and the content you choose to post are visible to other visitors, as is inherent to a public discussion forum.

4. Data Retention

We keep your account and message data for as long as your account is active. Message revision history is kept indefinitely by design, as the public accountability of the edit trail is a core part of how the forum works. You may request deletion of your account by contacting us; some records may be retained where we have a legitimate administrative or legal reason to do so.

5. Security

Passwords are never stored in plain text — they are stored using a one-way cryptographic hash. Access to administrative records is limited to the site owner and designated moderators. IP address data specifically is visible only to the site owner — never to moderators or other staff — and is used only to investigate and block IP addresses engaged in abuse (spam, harassment, ban evasion). It is not disclosed to other users under any circumstances.

6. Children's Privacy

Boards is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from children under that age.

7. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Continued use of the site after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

8. Contact

Questions about this policy, or requests regarding your data, can be directed to the site owner via applebiter.com.

This document is a general-purpose template and is not a substitute for legal advice specific to your jurisdiction.