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Privacy Policy

Last updated: 22 September 2026

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Who We Are

This website, samuelmarks.com, is operated by Samuel Edney, based in Witney, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.

The Terms of Use and Acceptable Use Policy set out the rules for using the platform. For any questions about this policy or your personal data, please contact: [email protected]

What Data We Collect

When you create an account on sm.teamvault or use the service, we may collect and process the following data:

• Email address (used as your account identifier)
• Password (stored as a one-way cryptographic hash; we never store your plain-text password)
• Files you upload (encrypted at rest using AES-256-CBC)
• Comments you leave on files
• Team membership information (which teams you belong to and your role)
• Session data (stored server-side as files; a session cookie is set in your browser)

We do not use third-party analytics, tracking, or advertising on this site. This site, and websites published with our website builder, keep their own first-party visitor statistics, described under Visitor statistics below.

Visitor Statistics

This site keeps its own first-party visitor statistics, and so do websites built and hosted on this platform with our website builder (which may be served on their own domain names, when their owner has visitor analytics switched on). For each page you view we record:

• The date and time of the visit
• The page viewed, the page you came from (the HTTP referrer) and any campaign tags in the link (utm_source, utm_campaign)
• How long the page stayed open in your browser
• Your IP address
• Your approximate location (country, region and city), which our hosting provider Cloudflare derives from your IP address
• The type of device, browser and operating system, taken from your browser's user-agent string

We do not set any cookies or store anything in your browser to do this, and we do not attempt to identify you by name. Page views from the same device on the same day are grouped together using a hash that changes every day, so your visits cannot be followed across days.

For this site the information is seen only by its administrator; for a website built with the website builder, only by that website's owner and editors, so they can understand how their site is used. It is not shared with anyone else, sold, or combined with data from other websites.

Retention: the IP address and user-agent string are removed 90 days after the visit. The remaining, non-identifying page-view records (page, time, approximate location, device type) are deleted after two years.

Legal basis: legitimate interest, in operating the website and understanding how it is used. Where a website owner has their own privacy policy it applies alongside this one. If you do not want your visit recorded, most browsers can block requests to a site or use a private/incognito window; you may also contact us to have records relating to your IP address erased.

Why We Collect Data

We collect personal data solely to provide and operate the sm.teamvault service, including:

• Authenticating your identity when you log in
• Storing and serving files you upload
• Managing team membership and collaboration features
• Sending transactional emails related to your account (e.g., invitations, welcome messages)

Legal Basis for Processing

We process your data under the following legal bases as defined by the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR):

• Consent — you provide your data voluntarily when you create an account and agree to this policy
• Legitimate interest — we process data as necessary to operate, maintain and secure the service

Data Storage and Security

• All uploaded files are encrypted at rest using AES-256-CBC
• Passwords are stored as one-way hashes using bcrypt
• Application data is stored in an SQLite database on the server
• The service is hosted on servers located within the European Union
• Access to the server is restricted and protected by standard security measures

Third Parties

We share your data with the following third-party services only as necessary to operate the site:

• Mailgun (EU region) — used to send transactional emails from [email protected]. Mailgun processes your email address solely for delivery purposes. See Mailgun's privacy policy.
• Cloudflare — sits in front of the platform and the websites it hosts to provide DNS, TLS and protection against attacks. Cloudflare sees your IP address and tells us your approximate location (country, region and city) for the visitor statistics described above. See Cloudflare's privacy policy.
• Google Fonts — the Fira Code font is loaded from fonts.googleapis.com. Google may collect your IP address when serving font files. See Google's privacy policy.

We do not sell, rent, or otherwise share your personal data with any other third parties.

Cookies

This site uses a single session cookie to maintain your login state. This cookie is essential for the service to function and cannot be disabled while using sm.teamvault.

We do not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or any other non-essential cookies. Visitor statistics for websites built with the website builder are collected without cookies.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account remains active. Visitor records for websites built with the website builder are retained as described above (IP address removed after 90 days; records deleted after two years). If you request deletion of your account, we will erase your personal data, uploaded files, and associated content within a reasonable timeframe.

Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access — you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification — you may request correction of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure — you may request deletion of your account and all associated data
• Right to data portability — you may request your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to object — you may object to the processing of your data
• Right to withdraw consent — you may withdraw consent at any time by deleting your account

To exercise any of these rights, please contact [email protected].

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date.