# Privacy Policy — Elemental **Effective date:** August 3, 2026 **Last updated:** August 3, 2026 > This is a template drafted to match exactly what the current codebase > does — it is not legal advice. Have a qualified lawyer review it before > publishing. **This version stores IP addresses and sets a persistent > tracking cookie, gated behind the opt-in consent banner described > below — get the banner copy and this policy reviewed by a lawyer > before this goes live for EU/UK users.** --- ## Overview Elemental ("the app," "we," "us") is a reference tool for chemistry — a periodic table, a molecule viewer, a functional-group catalog, and an organic reaction database. This policy explains what data is collected when you use it and why. **The short version:** we don't have user accounts and don't collect your name, email, or payment information. We do run our own first-party analytics — not Google Analytics or any other third-party service, but a system we built and operate ourselves — which stores your IP address and sets a persistent cookie to recognize you as a returning visitor across sessions. --- ## What changed from the previous version of this policy An earlier version of this app used Google Analytics (GA4); that was removed and replaced with a cookie-free, IP-less, hash-based system. **As of this update, that cookie-free design has itself been replaced.** The app now stores real IP addresses and sets a persistent first-party tracking cookie, in order to count returning visitors more precisely than the previous privacy-preserving hash allowed. No third party is involved — this data stays on our own server — but it is now personal data in the ordinary sense: it can identify you and can be linked across your visits over roughly two years. --- ## Cookie consent Because the cookie described below is used for analytics rather than being strictly necessary for the app to function, your consent is required before it's set for users in the EU/UK and other jurisdictions with similar rules. The first time you visit, a banner asks you to **Accept** or **Reject** first-party analytics. Your choice is stored in a separate, non-tracking `elemental_consent` cookie (`accepted` or `rejected`). If you reject, our server does not create a page-view record for your visit and does not set the `elemental_vid` tracking cookie described below — this is enforced server-side, not just hidden in the interface. You can change your choice at any time via the "Cookie preferences" link in the footer, which reopens the banner. --- ## What we collect ### The `elemental_vid` cookie | Cookie | Purpose | Duration | |---|---|---| | `elemental_vid` | Recognizes you as a returning visitor across sessions | ~2 years | This cookie holds a randomly generated identifier — not your name, email, or IP address directly — but because it persists across visits, it lets us (and only us; it isn't shared with anyone) link your visits together over time. ### Per-request data For each successful page load or API request made **after you accept** the cookie banner, our server records: | Field | What it is | |---|---| | Path | The URL path requested (e.g. `/molecules/`, `/api/reactions/`) | | Method | The HTTP method (almost always `GET`) | | Status code | Whether the request succeeded | | Referrer | The page you came from, if your browser sent one | | User agent | Your browser/OS string | | **IP address** | Your IP address at the time of the request | | **Visitor ID** | The value of the `elemental_vid` cookie described above | | Timestamp | When the request happened | ### Content-interaction events We also record specific interactions, separately from the per-request log above: which periodic table element, functional group, or reaction card you open; which molecule you look up in the Molecules (PubChem lookup) tab; and which starting-material and target molecules you enter in the SMILES Viewer's reaction-pathway planner ("Reaction Lab"). Each event records only a category, the specific item (e.g. an element symbol, a reaction ID, or a SMILES string you typed), the `elemental_vid` value described above, and a timestamp — no IP address. These events are gated by the same cookie-banner choice as everything else on this page: none are recorded if you reject. ### What we still do not collect We do not collect: names, email addresses, account credentials, payment information, contact lists, or precise (GPS) location. We do not use any third-party analytics, advertising, or tracking service — this data is processed only by us, on our own infrastructure, and is not sold or shared. --- ## Third-party services ### PubChem (molecule data) The Molecules page fetches chemical data directly from the National Institutes of Health's [PubChem](https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) database via its public REST API. Your search queries are sent directly to PubChem's servers; this is a live lookup, not something we proxy or log ourselves. See the [NIH/NLM privacy policy](https://www.nlm.nih.gov/web_policies.html). ### RDKit.js / 3Dmol.js (structure rendering) Molecule structure rendering runs entirely in your browser using RDKit.js and 3Dmol.js, loaded from a public CDN (cdnjs / unpkg). Your SMILES input is not sent to us or to any third party for this. --- ## Data retention Analytics records, including IP addresses, are retained for **up to 13 months (400 days)**, after which they are deleted by a scheduled cleanup process on our server (`trim_old_pageviews`). --- ## Legal basis for processing (GDPR) Because the `elemental_vid` cookie is not strictly necessary for the app to function, our legal basis for setting it and storing the associated IP address is your **consent**, given via the cookie banner referenced above. You may withdraw consent at any time; withdrawing does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal, but stops further collection going forward. --- ## Your rights Depending on where you live, you may have rights under laws like the GDPR (EU/UK) or CCPA/CPRA (California), including the right to know what data is processed about you, request deletion, and object to processing. Unlike the previous cookie-free design, these requests are now technically actionable: if you provide us with your `elemental_vid` cookie value or the approximate IP address and time window of your visits, we can locate and delete the associated records. Contact us at the address below to make a request. We do not sell personal information, as defined under CCPA/CPRA. --- ## Children's privacy This app is an educational chemistry reference and is not directed at children under 13 (or the relevant age threshold in your region). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will address it. --- ## International users If you're accessing this app from outside the country where our server is hosted, your IP address and the other data described above may be processed in that country, which may have different data protection laws than your home jurisdiction. --- ## Changes to this policy We may update this policy as the app changes. Material changes — like this one — will be reflected by updating the "Last updated" date above, and where required, by prompting for consent again rather than relying on a past acceptance. --- ## Contact Questions about this policy or how data is handled: **Grant Brannon** gbrannon113@gmail.com gbrannon.net