About Blame Circle
Blame Circle is a small, independent project. To reach the owner about this policy or anything else, email hello@blamecircle.com.
What we collect and why
When you join the Blame List
When you sign up on our website we store:
- your email address
- your first name, if you enter one
- the date and time you joined, and your place in line
- whether your welcome email was sent, and whether you've unsubscribed
- a scrambled code made from your IP address (a keyed hash, which can't be turned back into the IP), used only to spot abuse such as mass fake signups
We use your email and name to send you a welcome email and then to tell you when Blame Circle launches. We don't send newsletters or ads, and we don't share your email with anyone for marketing.
Legal basis: your consent, Art. 6(1)(a) GDPRThe scrambled IP code is used to protect the signup form from bots and spam.
Legal basis: legitimate interest in keeping the service secure, Art. 6(1)(f) GDPRProtection against abuse
Each time the signup form is used, we briefly record a scrambled IP code and the time so we can limit how many signups can come from one connection. These records are deleted after about 24 hours.
Legal basis: legitimate interest, Art. 6(1)(f) GDPRServer logs
Like every website, our hosting provider automatically records technical details when a page is requested: IP address, date and time, the page requested, the referring page, and browser type. These logs are needed to run the server, investigate errors and defend against attacks. They are kept by the host for a limited period and then deleted. We don't combine them with the Blame List.
Legal basis: legitimate interest, Art. 6(1)(f) GDPRThe "Try it out" demo
The demo on our homepage runs entirely in your browser. The circles and messages you create are saved in your browser's local storage and are never sent to us. You can remove them at any time by clearing this site's data in your browser settings.
When you email us
If you write to hello@blamecircle.com, we use your email address and message to reply, and keep the conversation only as long as needed to deal with your request.
Legal basis: legitimate interest in answering you, Art. 6(1)(f) GDPRCookies and tracking
The public website sets no cookies and uses no analytics, tracking pixels, ads or social media plugins. Our fonts and images are hosted on our own server, so your browser doesn't contact Google or any other third party when you visit.
The only cookie on the site is a strictly necessary session cookie in the password-protected admin area, which only the site owner uses.
Who helps us run Blame Circle
We use two service providers who process data on our behalf, under data processing agreements as required by Art. 28 GDPR:
| Provider | What they do | Data involved |
|---|---|---|
| Bluehost (Newfold Digital, Inc., USA) | Hosts the website and the Blame List database | Everything listed above, plus server logs |
| Google Workspace (Google Ireland Ltd., Ireland) | Sends our emails and runs our hello@ inbox | Your email address, first name, and the emails we exchange |
Some of this data may be processed in the United States. Where that happens, the transfer is protected by the EU–US Data Privacy Framework or the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses.
We never sell your data.
How long we keep it
- Blame List entries stay until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete them.
- After you unsubscribe, we keep only your email address marked as unsubscribed, so we can make sure we never email you again. If you'd rather we delete it completely, just ask.
- After launch, we delete the Blame List within 6 months of sending the launch email. If you create a Blame Circle account, the app's own privacy terms apply from then on.
- If Blame Circle doesn't launch, we delete the whole list.
- Abuse protection records are deleted after about 24 hours.
Your rights
Under the GDPR you have the right to:
- get a copy of the data we hold about you (Art. 15)
- have it corrected (Art. 16) or deleted (Art. 17)
- restrict how we use it (Art. 18)
- receive it in a portable format (Art. 20)
- object to processing based on legitimate interest (Art. 21)
- withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting what happened before (Art. 7(3)). The easiest way is the unsubscribe link in any of our emails.
To use any of these rights, email hello@blamecircle.com. We'll answer within one month.
You also have the right to complain to a data protection supervisory authority, usually the authority in the EU country or German federal state where you live.
How we protect your data
The whole site runs over an encrypted HTTPS connection. The database and its passwords are kept outside the public part of the server, IP addresses are only stored in scrambled form, and the admin area is protected by a hashed password, login limits and automatic sign-out.
Children
Blame Circle is not meant for children under 16, and we don't knowingly collect their data. If you think a child has joined the Blame List, tell us and we'll delete the entry.
Changes to this policy
When Blame Circle launches as a full app, this policy will change to cover accounts and circles. We'll update the date at the top, and if a change affects how we use your email, we'll tell you before it takes effect.