Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are and What This Covers

L.A.P - Docs is operated by the L.A.P Team ("L.A.P", "we", "us", or "our"). This policy explains how we handle personal data when you visit lap.onl, create a reader account, use community features, or contact us. The L.A.P Team is responsible for the processing described in this policy. You can contact us at contact@lap.onl.

You can read published documentation without creating an account. An account is required for community features such as posting and managing comments.

2. Information We Handle

• Account and profile information: email address, display name, public handle, profile picture, authentication provider, account dates, and records showing acceptance of our Terms and Community Guidelines. Your handle, display name, profile picture, and content attribution may be visible publicly.
• Community information: comments, replies, reactions, reports, uploaded comment images, notification settings, and moderation actions or warnings.
• Security and device information: the public IP address observed by our server, user agent, platform, language, timezone, screen size and color depth, processor-core count, approximate device memory, and touch capability. We create a random identifier for this browser installation and store it in local storage. Our server stores a SHA-256 hash of that identifier and a keyed HMAC of normalized browser characteristics. These hashes are identifiers used for abuse prevention; they do not make the related data anonymous. Limited recent IP, device, and fingerprint history may be associated with an account.
• App integrity and request information: our security service may process interaction, browser, device, and network signals to distinguish legitimate requests from automated or abusive traffic. Hosting and server providers may also receive request details such as IP address, requested URL, user agent, timestamp, and error information in technical logs.
• Optional analytics: if you accept analytics, Google Analytics may process page URLs, referral information, browser and device details, approximate location derived from IP address, interactions, timestamps, and analytics identifiers. We configure the site not to use Google advertising signals or ad personalization. We do not describe this data as anonymous.
• Translation information: when automatic translation is enabled, a translation is requested, or a moderator translates content for review, the text and requested language are sent to a translation provider. The provider also receives normal network request information.
• Messages: if you contact us, we receive the contact details and contents you choose to provide.

3. Why We Use This Information

We use information to:

• provide accounts, comments, reactions, translations, and notifications;
• publish and attribute community content;
• authenticate users and maintain account preferences;
• detect spam, fraud, ban evasion, account misuse, and other security or Community Guidelines violations;
• review reports, moderate content, handle appeals, and resolve disputes;
• understand and improve site use through analytics only when you have accepted analytics;
• operate, debug, and protect the site; and
• comply with law and establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

Where a law requires a legal basis, we rely as appropriate on your consent for optional analytics; performance of our agreement or steps you request for account and community features; our legitimate interests in operating, securing, and improving the service; and compliance with legal obligations. If your local law uses different grounds, we process information only on a ground permitted there.

4. Cookies and Local Storage

The site uses cookies and similar browser storage that are necessary for authentication, security and app-integrity checks, fraud prevention, language and interface preferences, service-worker operation, and remembering your privacy choice. The random browser installation identifier described above is also stored locally. Blocking or clearing necessary storage may sign you out, reset preferences, or prevent community features from working.

Google Analytics does not load unless you choose "Accept analytics". Declining analytics does not prevent you from reading the site or using account features. You can reopen Privacy settings at the bottom of the site to change or withdraw your analytics choice. Withdrawal stops future Analytics loading on this site, but does not erase data already processed; you may contact us about deletion rights.

5. When Information Is Shared

We do not sell or rent personal data. We share information only as needed for the purposes described here, including with:

• Google Firebase and Google Cloud: authentication, database, server functions, file storage, app-integrity checks, and related infrastructure;
• Google Analytics: optional traffic measurement after you accept analytics;
• Hosting and delivery providers: serving the site, security, logs, and performance;
• Google Translate or MyMemory: comment text and language information when translation is used; and
• Authorities or other parties: when reasonably necessary to comply with law, respond to valid legal process, protect users or the public, enforce our terms, or defend rights.

Some articles contain YouTube videos. When a page includes an embedded video, your browser may connect directly to YouTube or Google and send device and network information under their own privacy terms, even if you do not play the video. External links and third-party content are governed by the third party's policies.

6. International Processing

L.A.P and its service providers may process information in countries other than your own. Privacy protections can differ between countries. Where transfer safeguards are legally required, we rely on safeguards made available by the relevant provider and any other mechanism required for the transfer. Contact us if you want more information about a transfer that applies to you.

7. How Long We Keep Information

We keep information only for the service, security, moderation, and legal purposes described above. Current application retention rules include:

• account and profile information while the account remains active;
• comments and replies until deleted or no longer needed; after account deletion they may remain with the author replaced by a deleted-user label so conversations remain coherent;
• inactive browser-installation registry records for about 90 days;
• flagged IP security records for about 180 days;
• administrative audit records for about 365 days; and
• community report records for about 730 days.

A limited recent device, fingerprint, and IP history may remain with an active account, and ban or warning records may remain while needed to enforce a restriction or protect the service. Google Analytics event data follows the retention period configured in the Analytics property; that administrative setting is not contained in the site code. Provider logs, backups, and translation data follow the relevant provider's retention rules. We may retain information longer when required by law, a dispute, or a security investigation, and may keep aggregated information that no longer identifies a person.

8. Account Deletion and Your Rights

You can update some account information and delete an eligible reader account through the site. Account deletion removes the authentication account, private profile information, profile uploads, notifications, warnings, device subrecords, and reaction records handled by the deletion process. Comments and replies may be retained in anonymized form as described above. Reports, audit entries, logs, backups, and security records may remain until their retention period expires or while legally necessary. If self-service deletion is unavailable, including for a restricted account, contact us.

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or receive a copy of your personal data; object to or restrict processing; withdraw consent; and complain to your local data protection authority. These rights can have lawful exceptions. Email contact@lap.onl to make a request. We may need to verify your identity before acting on it.

9. Automated Security Checks and Appeals

Automated checks compare account, browser-installation, fingerprint, and network signals to detect abuse. A browser installation associated with an enforced restriction may be blocked from community access. Fingerprint or network similarities are risk signals and can be reviewed by moderators; a shared IP address is not intended to be the sole basis for blocking everyone on that network. Contact us if you believe a restriction is incorrect and want human review.

10. Children

L.A.P - Docs is a general-audience service and is not directed to children under 13. Do not create an account if you are under 13. If the law where you live requires a higher age or parental permission to use community features, you must meet that requirement. If we learn that we collected a child's personal data unlawfully, we will take reasonable steps to delete it. A parent or guardian can contact us.

11. Security

We use technical and organizational measures intended to protect personal data, including access controls, security rules, hashing, app-integrity checks, moderation controls, and retention limits. No internet service can guarantee complete security. Please protect your account and tell us promptly if you suspect misuse.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy when the service, providers, or legal requirements change. We will post the revised date and, when a change materially affects how we use personal data, provide additional notice where reasonably possible or legally required.

13. Contact

For privacy questions, rights requests, or security appeals, email contact@lap.onl. Include enough information for us to understand the request, but do not send passwords or unnecessary sensitive information.