Privacy Policy
Draft · last updated September 22, 2026
Text to Chip is run from Milano, Italy. This page explains what data the app handles and why. The short version: you can use it without an account and your work stays in your browser; if you sign up, we store only what's needed to save your missions and keep you signed in.
1. Accounts are optional
You can use almost everything — the editor, the simulator, the AI assistant and connecting a board — without signing up. Without an account, your programs, files and settings live only in your browser (localStorage) on your device; we don't have them on our servers and can't read them.
2. If you create an account
To save your missions to a profile you can sign up with an email and a password. We store your email address, a display name, and your password in hashed form — we never see or keep the plaintext password. When you sign in we keep you logged in with a session cookie.
3. Missions you save
When you're signed in, the missions you explicitly choose to save are stored in our database, linked to your account, so you can find them on any device. You can delete a saved mission, or your whole account, at any time from the profile menu — deleting the account erases it and all of its saved missions.
4. Emails we send
We only send transactional emails: confirming your address and resetting your password. They go out through Cloudflare Email Service. We don't send marketing email and don't share your address.
5. The AI assistant
When you ask the assistant to generate or edit code, your prompt, the current BASIC program and your chosen language are sent to our server, which forwards them to our LLM provider (OpenAI) to produce a reply. They are used only to answer you, not to train models. Our server applies a per-IP rate limit to prevent abuse.
6. Connecting a real board (Web Serial)
When you connect an ESP32/board over Web Serial, the communication happens locally between your browser and the board. That data does not pass through our servers.
7. Explorer Kit waitlist
If you join the hardware waitlist, we store the email address you give us so we can contact you about the kit — nothing more.
8. Analytics & cookies
To understand how the app is used and fix rough edges, we use Microsoft Clarity (session replay + heatmaps): it records anonymized interactions (clicks, scrolls, navigation) and masks text and inputs by default, so it does not capture what you type. That data is processed by Microsoft; you are not identified personally. When something breaks, an error report (the message, where in the code it happened, your browser version and the page URL) is sent to GlitchTip, our own error tracker running on our servers in the EU — no third party, no session recording, and it is not used to profile you. As for cookies: a functional cookie remembers your language (NEXT_LOCALE); when you sign in, a session cookie keeps you logged in; Clarity sets first-party analytics cookies (_clck, _clsk). No advertising cookies.
9. Where your data is processed
Our servers run on Hetzner (Germany, EU). Cloudflare provides DNS, the CDN/proxy and email delivery. The AI assistant uses OpenAI, and usage analytics use Microsoft Clarity. Error reports stay on our own Hetzner server (GlitchTip). These providers process data only to run the service.
Technical diagnostics
To investigate failures, we keep technical event summaries on our EU servers for 30 days: compilation outcomes, error categories and line numbers, board and execution mode, operation timings, and outcomes of assistant, account and mission-saving requests. A random page-session code connects events within a visit and is attached when you send feedback. It resets when the page reloads; it is not linked to your email or Clarity replay. These diagnostic logs do not contain your BASIC source, chat, passwords, account tokens or sensor readings. Delivery is best-effort; you can download recent diagnostics from Feedback. Your component checklist stays in your browser.
10. Children
Text to Chip is made for learning, including by children. An account is optional and asks only for an email and a name. If you are below the age of digital consent in your country, please ask a parent or guardian to create and manage the account. We collect the minimum needed and never sell data.
11. Your rights (GDPR)
You can access, correct or delete your data. Delete your account in the app to erase it and your saved missions; clear your browser storage to remove local data. For any other request, contact [email protected].
12. Changes
We may update this policy as the product evolves; the date above reflects the latest revision.