Privacy Policy

1. Who is responsible

1.1Chinesekit (chinesekit.net) (“we”, “us”) is responsible for the personal data described in this policy. You can contact us at support@chinesekit.net. This is the same operator named in our Terms of Use. If the operator changes, we will name the new operator at the top of this page and in the Terms before the change takes effect.

1.2This policy covers chinesekit.net. It does not cover other websites that we link to.

2. What we process, why, and on what basis

2.1Technical data. When your browser loads a page, our hosting provider Cloudflare receives the technical data that browsers send, such as your IP address, the page requested, the time, and browser and device information. We use it to deliver the Service and keep it secure and available. We also keep request logs of our own for 7 days, and query strings are removed from our request logs. Basis: our legitimate interests in running and protecting the Service (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR).

2.2Search. When you type in a search box, the text is sent to our server as you type, so that we can suggest results, and again when you submit a search or open a suggestion. When you open a suggestion, the Service sets the short-lived cookie described in Section 3.1, which contains your search text. The Service has no accounts, so we do not link searches to an account or profile. Query strings, which are where search text appears, are removed from our request logs (Section 2.1). Basis: our legitimate interests in providing the search you asked for.

2.3Usage statistics. For visitors outside the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, we use Cloudflare Web Analytics to understand how the Service is used and how fast pages load. When you load a page, a script from Cloudflare (static.cloudflareinsights.com) measures page-view and page-load performance in your browser and sends the measurements to Cloudflare. We do not load this script for visitors whose requests come from a country in the EEA, the UK or Switzerland, as determined by Cloudflare from your connection. That country is an estimate and may not match your nationality or where you live. Basis: our legitimate interests in improving the Service.

2.4Messages to us. If you email support@chinesekit.net, the message is passed on by an email-forwarding service provided by our domain registrar, Namecheap. We use your email address and the contents of your message to reply to you. Basis: our legitimate interests in answering your question.

2.5The Service has no user accounts or sign-in, and it does not ask you for your name or contact details. If that changes, we will update this policy before we collect that data.

3. Cookies and browser storage

3.1The Service does not set cookies for analytics, advertising or tracking. It sets one short-lived first-party functional cookie, “ck-via”. When you open a result from the search box, this cookie stores your search text and the page you opened, so that page can show a short “opened from your search” note. It is set with the Secure attribute, expires after 120 seconds or earlier when the page you opened clears it, and is not stored on our servers. If we ever need another cookie, we will list it here.

3.2Local storage on your device keeps your recent searches, so that they can be shown to you again. This list stays on your device. You can clear it from the search menu or by clearing the site’s data in your browser.

3.3Session storage in your browser holds short-lived technical state used for page navigation. It is cleared when you close the tab.

3.4Except for Cloudflare Web Analytics for visitors outside the EEA, UK and Switzerland (Section 2.3), and the technical services of our hosting provider Cloudflare, the Service does not load third-party scripts, fonts or advertising.

4. Pronunciation and writing practice

4.1The “Hear it” button uses the speech voices built into your browser or operating system. We do not receive or store any audio. Depending on the voice you choose, your device or browser vendor may process the text that is spoken under its own policy.

4.2Handwriting practice stays on the page in your browser. What you draw is not uploaded to us.

5. Who receives data

5.1Cloudflare, Inc. and its group companies provide our hosting, content delivery, security and (for some visitors) web analytics. Cloudflare processes data on our behalf and, for network security and performance, under its own privacy policy (cloudflare.com/privacypolicy). Our domain registrar (Namecheap) provides email forwarding. We do not sell personal data, and we do not share it with advertisers.

5.2We may disclose data where the law requires it.

6. International transfers

6.1Cloudflare runs a global network, so data may be processed in other countries, including the United States. For transfers from the EEA, the UK and Switzerland, Cloudflare states in its privacy policy that it relies on the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and its UK and Swiss extensions, and on standard contractual clauses (Cloudflare Privacy Policy, section 7: cloudflare.com/privacypolicy). We may also access the data from outside the EEA and the UK.

7. How long we keep data

7.1Recent searches stay on your device until you clear them. The ck-via cookie expires after 120 seconds. Session storage ends when you close the tab. Our request logs are kept for 7 days. Emails to us are kept for 12 months after our last exchange with you, unless we need them to resolve a dispute. Cloudflare Web Analytics keeps unsampled measurements for 7 days, then aggregates them; reports stay available for up to 6 months, according to Cloudflare. Other technical data held by Cloudflare is kept under Cloudflare’s own retention practices.

8. Your rights and how to use them

8.1Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access your personal data, have it corrected or deleted, restrict or object to its processing, receive a copy of it, and withdraw consent where we rely on consent.

8.2To use any of these rights, email support@chinesekit.net. We will reply within one month. We may need to ask you for information so that we can verify your request and find the data you mean.

8.3If you are in the EEA or the UK, you also have the right to complain to your local data-protection authority.

8.4You do not have to give us any personal data to use the Service, apart from the technical data your browser sends automatically. We do not make decisions about you by automated means that have legal or similarly significant effects.

9. Children

9.1The Service is a general-audience reference site. It is not directed to children under 14, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 14. If you believe a child has sent us personal data, email support@chinesekit.net and we will delete it.

10. Changes to this policy

10.1We may update this policy. The current version is always on this page, with its “Last updated” date at the top. We will note material changes at the top of this page.