Privacy Policy

We collect the minimum necessary to run the service.

If you use the site without an account — we record standard server logs (IP address, browser type, pages visited) retained for up to 30 days, used only for security monitoring and abuse prevention.

If you save a snippet — the content you choose to save is stored in AWS S3. Anonymous snippets are automatically deleted after 7 days. Authenticated snippets are kept until you delete them.

If you sign in — we store your name and email address as provided by Google or GitHub OAuth, managed through AWS Cognito. We never see or store your password.

Analytics — if you consent (or are in a region with no prior-consent requirement), Google Analytics (GA4) collects anonymised usage data such as pages visited, session duration, and general device and location information. No tool input is ever included.

Advertising — Google AdSense always runs on this site and may use cookies and data to serve ads. Depending on your consent, ads may be personalised or contextual only. See the Advertising section below.

Tool input is never transmitted for processing. Every formatter, converter, validator, and other tool on SyntaxMaster runs entirely in your browser. JSON, SQL, YAML, HTML, or any other content you paste or type is processed locally — no server call is made for tool operations. The only time content leaves your device is when you explicitly choose to save or share a snippet, which is covered in the What we collect section above.

No passwords. Authentication is handled via Google or GitHub OAuth — we never receive or store your password.

No payment data. SyntaxMaster is free. We have no payment processor and collect no financial information.

No tool output. Transformation results are displayed in your browser and discarded when you leave the page, unless you explicitly choose to save a snippet.

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how the site is used — which tools are visited, approximate session counts, and device types. This helps us prioritise improvements.

GA4 is implemented with Google Consent Mode v2. For users in the EU, UK, EEA, and Switzerland, the GA4 script is not loaded until you accept cookies in the consent banner. For users in California, analytics are active by default with an opt-out option. For other users, analytics load immediately.

When analytics are active, GA4 may collect: pages visited, time on site, approximate geographic region, device type and browser, and referring source. It does not collect any tool input content.

GA4 data is sent to Google servers in the United States and is governed by Google's privacy policy. You can opt out of GA4 tracking across all websites using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

SyntaxMaster is supported entirely by Google AdSense advertising — our only source of revenue. We do not have paid plans, subscriptions, or sponsors.

What AdSense does: Google AdSense uses cookies and similar technologies to serve ads. Google may build interest profiles based on your browsing activity across websites and apps to show you personalised ads (interest-based advertising). This happens across millions of websites, not just this one.

How your consent controls this:

• If you accept cookies (GDPR regions) or have not opted out (US/other): Google may serve personalised ads based on your interests and browsing history across sites.
• If you reject cookies (GDPR) or opt out (US): Google serves contextual ads only — based on the content of the current page, not your history. Some non-identifying data (such as ad impression counts) may still be processed by Google for billing and fraud prevention.

To manage or opt out of Google interest-based advertising, visit Google's Ad Settings (myaccount.google.com/data-and-privacy). You can also opt out via the Network Advertising Initiative (optout.networkadvertising.org) or the Digital Advertising Alliance (optout.aboutads.info).

Cookies are small files stored by your browser. Local storage is a similar browser mechanism that persists data across sessions. Here is what we use and why.

Strictly necessary (no consent required)

• Auth session tokens (AWS Cognito) — kept while you are signed in; expire on sign-out
• Consent choice (local storage key: fmtly_consent) — stores your preference so we do not show the banner on every visit

Analytics (requires consent in GDPR/UK regions)

• Google Analytics cookies (_ga, _ga_*) — expire after 2 years; used to count sessions and understand site usage patterns

Advertising (requires consent in GDPR/UK regions)

• Google AdSense / DoubleClick cookies — set and managed by Google; used to serve ads and measure their effectiveness; typically up to 13 months

Preferences (local only — never transmitted to any server)

• Theme, indentation settings, and tool session data stored in browser local storage. These never leave your device. Cleared via your browser's storage settings or by using Clear All in any tool.

Country detection (first visit only)

On your first visit, your browser makes a single request to cloudflare.com/cdn-cgi/trace to detect your country code. This determines which consent banner to show you. The result is cached in local storage (fmtly_geo) for 24 hours. We do not log or retain the detected country on our servers.

You can change or withdraw your cookie consent at any time.

To reset your cookie preferences: Clear the item fmtly_consent from your browser's local storage, or clear all site data for syntaxmaster.dev in your browser settings. The consent banner will reappear on your next page load.

To withdraw consent entirely: Clear all cookies and site data for syntaxmaster.dev. Google Analytics and AdSense will not be able to link future visits to any prior stored identifiers.

To manage Google advertising preferences specifically: Visit Google's Ad Settings at myaccount.google.com/data-and-privacy. This opt-out applies to all sites using Google advertising, not just SyntaxMaster.

Browser-level controls: Most browsers let you block or delete cookies through settings. Blocking all cookies may affect sign-in functionality but will not affect your ability to use any tool.

Data is stored on AWS in the us-east-1 (N. Virginia, United States) region. We apply industry-standard security practices including bot protection, encryption at rest for all stored data, and continuous threat monitoring.

Snippet content is accessible only via a private share link — it is not indexed or searchable by anyone who does not have the link.

International data transfers: If you are in the EU, UK, EEA, or Switzerland, your data (server logs, account information, and saved snippets) may be transferred to and processed in the United States. We rely on AWS's Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and their participation in the EU–US Data Privacy Framework as the legal basis for these transfers.

Anonymous snippets are deleted automatically after 7 days. Authenticated snippets are kept until you delete them or close your account. Server logs are retained for 30 days. Deleting your account permanently removes your snippets and personal information within 30 days.

All users:

• Use all tools without creating an account
• Delete any snippet you saved via the share link
• Request deletion of your account and all associated data by emailing privacy@syntaxmaster.dev
• Opt out of personalised ads via Google's Ad Settings or the consent banner on this site

EU / UK / EEA / Switzerland (GDPR / UK GDPR):

You have the right to access, rectify, erase, or export your personal data; restrict or object to processing; and withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing. To exercise these rights, email privacy@syntaxmaster.dev. We will respond within 30 days.

California residents: See the California section below.

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) give you the following rights:

• Right to know — request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information collected about you in the past 12 months
• Right to delete — request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions
• Right to opt out of sharing — SyntaxMaster does not sell personal information. However, sharing identifiers and browsing data with Google for advertising via AdSense may qualify as "sharing" for cross-context behavioural advertising under the CPRA. To opt out, use the Opt Out button in the consent banner, or visit Google's Ad Settings.
• Right to non-discrimination — we will not treat you differently for exercising any of these rights

To submit a request, email privacy@syntaxmaster.dev. We will respond within 45 days.

SyntaxMaster is not directed at children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in EU/EEA countries). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has submitted personal information to us, please email privacy@syntaxmaster.dev and we will promptly delete it.

SyntaxMaster uses the following third-party services:

• Google AdSense — advertising; sets cookies and may personalise ads based on your browsing history
• Google Analytics (GA4) — anonymised usage analytics; only loaded with your consent in regulated regions
• AWS — hosting, storage, authentication, and security infrastructure
• Google OAuth / GitHub OAuth — optional sign-in; no password stored by us
• Cloudflare — used once on first visit to detect your country code for consent banner purposes; we do not retain any data from this call

We do not embed social media widgets, tracking pixels, or any other third-party scripts beyond those listed above.

We may update this policy as the service evolves. Material changes will be noted at the top of this page with a revised date. Continued use of SyntaxMaster after a material change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

This policy is written in English. Where a translation is provided, it is for convenience only. In the event of any inconsistency or conflict between the English version and any translation, the English version shall prevail.

For privacy questions, data access or deletion requests, or consent withdrawal: email privacy@syntaxmaster.dev.

This policy is governed by the laws of Australia.