Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

BreadHydration.com ("the site", "we", "us") is an independent website providing free bread baking calculators and reference tools. It is operated by an individual and not a registered company. For data-related enquiries, contact us via the contact page.

2. What data we collect

2.1 Data you provide directly

If you submit the contact form on this site, we receive your name, email address, and message. This data is processed via Formspree (a third-party form service) and used only to respond to your message. We do not add you to any mailing list or share this data with anyone.

2.2 Server logs

Our hosting provider (Cloudflare Pages / Netlify or similar static hosting) automatically logs standard web server access data, including your IP address, browser type, referring URL, and the pages you request. These logs are retained for up to 30 days for security and debugging purposes. We do not use these logs to identify individual users.

2.3 Analytics

We use anonymized analytics to understand which tools are most used and how visitors navigate the site. Where analytics are collected, they are aggregated and do not contain personally identifiable information. We do not track you across other websites.

If Google Analytics is enabled on this site, it may set cookies as described in Section 4 below. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on .

2.4 Advertising

The site may display ads served by Google AdSense. Google AdSense may use cookies and similar technologies to show you relevant ads based on your browsing history. You can manage your ad personalization preferences at adssettings.google.com .

We do not directly collect or process any data through the advertising system. All ad-related data collection is governed by Google's own privacy policy.

3. How we use your data

We use the data described above for the following purposes:

• To respond to contact form submissions.
• To monitor and improve the performance and security of the site.
• To understand which tools and content are most useful (aggregated analytics only).
• To display relevant advertising that helps keep the tools free.

We do not sell, trade, or transfer your information to third parties, except as described in this policy (Formspree for contact form processing, Google for analytics and advertising where enabled).

Our legal basis for processing personal data under GDPR is:

• Legitimate interests — server logs and security monitoring, aggregated analytics.
• Consent — advertising cookies (where applicable and where a cookie consent banner is shown).
• Contract performance — contact form responses.

4. Cookies and local storage

4.1 Strictly necessary storage (no consent required)

BreadHydration.com uses your browser's localStorage — not cookies — to store the following:

• Theme preference (theme key): stores whether you have chosen light or dark mode. This prevents a flash of the wrong theme on page load.
• Calculator history: recent calculator inputs are saved locally so your last calculation is available when you return. Each tool stores its own key.

This data is stored entirely in your browser and is never transmitted to our servers. You can clear it at any time by clearing your browser's local storage for this domain, or by using the "Reset" button inside each calculator.

4.2 Analytics cookies

If Google Analytics is active, it may set the following cookies:

• _ga — distinguishes users. Expires after 2 years.
• _ga_* — maintains session state. Expires after 2 years.

4.3 Advertising cookies

If Google AdSense is active, Google may set cookies including IDE and DSID to measure ad effectiveness and show personalized ads. These are third-party cookies operated by Google. See Google's cookie policy for full details.

4.4 Ko-fi

If you click a Ko-fi donation link, you will be taken to Ko-fi's website, which operates under its own privacy policy. We receive confirmation of successful donations but not your Ko-fi account details or payment information.

5. Your rights (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate data.
• Right to erasure — request deletion of your personal data.
• Right to restrict processing — ask us to limit how we use your data.
• Right to data portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to object — object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us via the contact page. We will respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

6. Data retention

Contact form submissions are retained only as long as needed to respond, typically no more than 90 days. Server access logs are retained for up to 30 days by our hosting provider. Analytics data is retained in aggregated form indefinitely.

LocalStorage data on your device persists until you clear it. We have no access to or control over data stored only in your browser.

7. Children's privacy

This site is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent revision. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

9. Contact

For questions about this privacy policy or to exercise your data rights, use the contact page. We respond to all data-related requests within 30 days.