Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Lost Kitchen Scrolls. We aim to preserve and make accessible historical recipes from cookbooks and manuscripts from all kinds of time periods. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you visit our website, create an account, save recipes, and other interactions you may have on our website.

Lost Kitchen Scrolls is a historical recipe collection. You can read about traditional cooking methods as well as share your insights through comments on individual recipes. We also offer optional account-based features that allow you to save favorite recipes, organize them into collections, add personal notes and ratings. You can also build your own collection of recipes.

2. Information We Collect

2.1. Account Information

When you create an account with us, we collect:

• Your name (first and last name)
• Your email address (required for account creation and login)
• Account creation date
• Authentication data through our secure authentication provider (Clerk) - we don't have access to passwords or anything

2.2. Recipe and Collection Data

When you use our recipe saving and collection features, we collect:

• Recipes you save to your personal collection
• Personal notes you may add to saved recipes
• Ratings you give to recipes (1-5 stars)
• Tags you apply to organize your saved recipes
• Custom recipe collections you create
• Dates when recipes were saved or collections were created

2.3. Comment Information

When you leave a comment on a recipe, we collect:

• Your name (from your account or entered manually)
• Your email address (from your account or entered manually)
• Your comment content
• The date and time of your comment
• Any images you may optionally upload with your comment

2.4. Technical Information

• Security verification data (Cloudflare Turnstile)
• If you have an account, session data for maintaining your login status

2.5. What We Don't Collect

• We do not collect payment or financial information
• We do not use tracking cookies for advertising
• We do not collect sensitive personal data beyond what's listed above
• We do not track your browsing activity

3. How We Use Your Information

3.1. Account Services (if you create an account)

• Provide secure account creation and authentication
• Maintain your personal recipe collection and saved items
• Enable you to organize recipes with notes, ratings, and tags
• Allow creation and management of custom recipe collections
• Personalize your experience on our website
• Send account-related notifications (password resets, security alerts)

3.2. Community Features

• Display approved comments on recipe pages for community insight sharing
• Moderate comments to ensure quality and prevent spam
• Contact you if allowed, and needed, regarding your comments or account
• Allow you to share your culinary experiences and recipe experiences

3.3. Security and Service Improvement

• Prevent spam and abuse through rate limiting and security measures
• Protect your account from unauthorized access
• Analyze usage patterns to improve our website functionality and user experience
• Comply with legal obligations if required
• Provide customer support and respond to your inquiries

4. Data Storage and Security

4.1. How We Store Your Data

• Account information is stored securely in our database with encryption
• Authentication is handled by our secure third-party provider (Clerk)
• Saved recipes, ratings, notes, and collections are stored in our secure database
• Comments are stored securely in our database
• All data transmission uses encryption (HTTPS)
• We use industry-standard security practices and regular security updates
• Access to your data is limited to necessary account management and moderation functions

4.2. Account Security

• Account passwords are securely handled by our authentication provider (Clerk)
• We implement session management and automatic logout for security
• Account data is protected by access controls and user authentication
• You can manage your account security settings including password changes

4.3. Content Moderation

• Comments are reviewed before appearing publicly
• We reserve the right to remove inappropriate content
• Approved comments become publicly visible on recipe pages
• Email addresses are never published or shared publicly
• Your saved recipes and personal notes remain private to your account

5. Cookies and Analytics

We respect your privacy and use only essential cookies that are strictly necessary for website functionality and security. We also use privacy-friendly analytics that don't require consent under privacy regulations like GDPR because they don't collect personal data or use tracking cookies.

5.1. Essential Cookies We Use

The following cookies are essential for website functionality and are used without requiring consent:

• Security cookies: For Cloudflare Turnstile verification to prevent spam and protect our forms
• Session cookies: For user authentication and maintaining login status when you create an account
• Functional cookies: For basic website operation and remembering your preferences during your visit

5.2. Privacy-Friendly Analytics

• Plausible Analytics: We use Plausible, a privacy-friendly analytics service that is GDPR-compliant by default
• No personal data tracking: Plausible doesn't collect any personal information, IP addresses are anonymized, and no cookies are used for tracking
• No consent required: Since Plausible is privacy-compliant by design, no cookie consent banners or opt-ins are necessary
• Transparent insights: We gather basic usage statistics (page views, referrers, popular content) to improve our website functionality

5.3. What We Don't Use

• No advertising cookies: We do not use cookies for advertising or behavioral targeting
• No marketing tracking: We do not share data with advertising networks or marketing platforms
• No invasive analytics: We don't use external tracking tools like Facebook Pixel that collect personal data
• No cross-site tracking: Our analytics don't track you across other websites or build user profiles

6. Data Sharing

We respect your privacy and do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information. We may share data only in these limited circumstances:

• Public comments: Approved comments (name and content only) are displayed publicly on recipe pages
• Authentication services: Account authentication data is processed by our secure provider (Clerk) to enable login functionality
• Legal requirements: If required by law, court order, or government regulation
• Security services: With Cloudflare for security verification (Turnstile)
• Service protection: To protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of our users

Note: Your email address, saved recipes, personal notes, and account information are never shared publicly or with third parties for marketing purposes, except as required by law. Your saved recipes and collections remain private to your account.

7. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your data:

• Access: Request information about data we have about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your comments and personal data
• Portability: Request a copy of your data in a readable format
• Objection: Object to processing of your data

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us.

8. Data Retention

• Account information: Retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period after account deletion
• Saved recipes and collections: Retained while your account is active and deleted when you delete your account
• Personal notes and ratings: Retained while your account is active and deleted when you delete your account
• Comments: Retained indefinitely unless you request deletion (comments may remain after account deletion for historical context)
• Email addresses: Retained with your account and deleted when you delete your account
• Technical logs: Retained for a limited period (typically 30-90 days) for security purposes
• Security data: Retained as needed for spam prevention and account security

You may request deletion of your account and associated data at any time by contacting us. Note that some information (like approved comments) may be retained for historical and community value, but can be anonymized upon request.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy occasionally to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. When we make changes:

• We will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy
• For significant changes, we may post a notice on our website
• Your continued use of our website after changes implies acceptance of the updated policy

10. Contact Information