================================================================================ PRIVACY STATEMENT FOR DELPHIDABBLER CODESNIP ================================================================================ Offline Privacy ================================================================================ CodeSnip stores some personal information in two configuration files. The location of the files differs depending on whether you are using the standard or portable edition. Common.config -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Common.config is located in the %ProgramData%\DelphiDabbler\CodeSnip.4 folder for the standard edition or in the AppData sub folder of the install directory for the portable edition. The data that is stored in Common.config includes: * A unique 32 digit key based on attributes of your computer. * A 32 digit registration key (registered programs only). * The registered user name or nickname (registered programs only). The data that is used to create the hexidecimal keys cannot be recovered from those keys. User.config -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- User.config is found in the current user's %AppData%\DelphiDabbler\CodeSnip.4 folder for the standard edition or in the AppData sub folder of the install directory for the portable edition. The file stores several user-specific application data settings such as your preferences. The only personal information is as follows: * Any user name or email address you provided if you ever entered the information in a dialogue box. This is used simply to automatically enter the data in dialogue boxes where needed, to save you re-typing it. See below for details of activities that require either or both a name or email address to be submitted. * Your user name and password if you configured CodeSnip to access the internet using a proxy server. The information is used only to access the proxy. Passwords are encrypted. Spyware ================================================================================ No spyware or other software that threatens your privacy has been deliberately or knowingly included with CodeSnip or its installer. If the program is found to contain spyware it will have been added by third parties without permission. Please inform the author of any such occurrence or any suspicious behaviour via http://delphidabbler.com/contact. CodeSnip never tries to "phone home" of its own accord. It only goes online in response to user requests. Should you notice any unauthorised activity please inform the author since it is likely that your copy of the program has been hacked by some third party. CodeSnip Online Activity ================================================================================ CodeSnip may go online for several reasons. They are: 1. Updating the database. 2. Registering the program. 3. Submitting code for inclusion in the main database. 4. Displaying the latest news in the "CodeSnip News" dialogue box. 5. Checking for program updates. 6. Importing snippets from the SWAG database. 7. Accessing various websites via hyperlinks and menu options. 8. Accessing the internet using a proxy server. The first six actions are performed directly by CodeSnip, which communicates with web services located on delphidabbler.com using HTTP on port 80. The seventh action simply displays web pages in a browser. The eighth passes user information to the proxy server. Personal data will neither be published on the DelphiDabbler website nor knowingly passed to third parties. Furthermore your data will only be used by the author for the purposes described below. Updating the Database -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This activity is started by displaying the "Update From Web" dialogue box and clicking its "Update from Web" button. CodeSnip may also check automatically, behind the scenes, to see if database updates are available. This usually happens just after the program has started. You can disable this automatic checking by using the "Updates" tab of the "Preferences" dialogue box which is displayed via the "Tools | Preferences" menu option. When CodeSnip contacts the update web service it sends the following information: * The unique 32 digit program key (see Common.config above for details). * Program version number. * Operating system description. * Internet Explorer version. This information is recorded in two places: 1. Each transaction is recorded in a log file on the web server. This log is used for tracking any database errors. 2. A database of the program keys is updated with the following data: * the number of times that program has updated the database; * the first and latest version of CodeSnip having that program key; * the date of the first and latest updates; * the current operating system being used; * the current Internet Explorer version being used. This database is used to provide usage information and to track the operating systems and browser control versions currently in use. This information informs development of CodeSnip. This information may also be used to update the registered program database. None of these records store any information that can be tracked back to an individual. Registering the Program -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This activity is started when the user chooses to register CodeSnip. A wizard appears that guides the user through the registration process. The wizard displays the data that is to be sent to the registration web service. The data is only sent if the user clicks the wizard's "Submit" button. The data is: * The program's id, name and version information. * The unique 32 digit program key (see Common.config above for details). * The user name or nickname. * A description of the operating system and version of Internet Explorer being used. The registration data is recorded in a database on the DelphiDabbler web server. The data is only used to keep track of the number of people using the different versions of the program and what operating systems are being used. The registration web service returns a registration code to the program. CodeSnip records this code, with the user name, in Common.config. Registration information may be updated when the user updates the database (see "Updating the Database" above). Submitting code to the main database -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This activity is started from the "Snippets | Submit Snippets" menu option and data is collected using the resulting wizard. Clicking the "Submit" button in the wizard sends the following information to the DelphiDabbler code submission web service: * The CodeSnip program version number. * Your name, email address any comments entered in the wizard. * All the snippets you chose to send. You can preview the data to be sent (in XML format) from the wizard. The XML will be stored in a file on the DelphiDabbler server until processed. The data is also emailed to the database maintainer (currently the author of CodeSnip). The snippets may be edited and published on the Code Snippets online database and distributed to CodeSnip users. Your name may be used to credit the snippets. Your email address will not be published and is used only to contact you with any queries about the submitted code or its licensing. Displaying the latest news -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This action is performed by selecting the "Help | CodeSnip News" menu option or by clicking the "Latest News" button in the "Update from Web" dialogue box. CodeSnip simply requests an XML document containing an RSS 2.0 news feed from the DelphiDabbler website. No personal information is included in the request. Checking for program updates -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This action can be started manually by clicking the "Tools | Check For Program Updates" menu option. The resulting dialogue box connects to the DelphiDabbler program update web service. CodeSnip may also check for updates automatically, behind the scenes. The same DelphiDabbler program update web is used in this case. The process usually happens just after the program has started. You can disable this automatic checking by using the "Updates" tab of the "Preferences" dialogue box which is displayed via the "Tools | Preferences" menu option. Whichever way the the web service is used the same information is sent, which is: * An API key used permit access to the web service. * The program's version information. * The unique 32 digit program key (see Common.config above for details). * A description of the operating system and version of Internet Explorer being used. * An indication of whether the service is being called automatically or manually. This information is recorded in a log file on the DelphiDabbler web server. The log file is used to gather information about the operating systems and program versions currently in use and to monitor any web service errors. Regardless of the method used to contact the web service, if an update is available you are given the option to download it. To do this CodeSnip uses your default web browser to download a zip file containing the update from the SourceForge website. SourceForge may set cookies on your computer that are outside CodeSnip's control. Importing snippets from the SWAG database ----------------------------------------- Snippets are imported from the SWAG database (http://swag.delphidabbler.com) using the SWAG Import Wizard that is accessed from the "Snippets | Import Snippets From SWAG" menu item. The wizard gets the required snippets from the REST API at swag.delphidabbler.com. This API is documented at http://swag.delphidabbler.com/docs/api/. No personal data is sent. Accessing Websites via Links and Menu Options -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CodeSnip's "Help" menu contains several items that cause various web pages from DelphiDabbler.com to be displayed in your default web browser. In addition, various links in the program's main display, some dialogue boxes and the help file access remote websites which are displayed in your default browser. You should refer to the relevant website's privacy policies to learn how they use any data you supply when visiting their pages. DelphiDabbler has no control over the content of linked third party websites and you follow such links at your own risk. Accessing the internet using a proxy server -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CodeSnip can be configured to use a proxy server to access the internet. In this case the program sends the appropriate user name and password to the proxy server if required. DelphiDabbler has no control over the proxy server and you should satisfy yourself that the proxy you use is trustworthy. You use this feature at your own risk. ================================================================================ $Rev$ $Date$ ================================================================================