Privacy Policy
The short version — your documents never leave your device. An account is optional and only needed for Pro. We use analytics to understand how the site is used, and you can opt out.
Last updated
This policy explains how Gloath Limited (“we”, “us”) handles personal information when you use Markdown Viewer Online at markdownviewer.gloath.com (the “Service”). We follow the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020.
Your documents
- Files you open and documents you write are processed entirely in your web browser. Their contents are not uploaded to, stored on, or seen by our servers, whether or not you are signed in and whether or not you have Pro.
- Your documents, and the list of documents you have open in tabs, are saved in your browser’s local storage on your device so you can return to them. They stay there until you delete them from My documents or clear your browser’s site data.
- Share links contain your document, compressed, in the part of the link after the
#. Browsers do not send this part to our servers. Anyone you give the link to can read the document. - Open from URL: when you open a file from a link, your browser fetches it directly from that website (for example GitHub). That website sees the request as it would for any visit.
- Images in documents are loaded by your browser from wherever they are hosted, so that website can see that the image was loaded.
We do not collect the names or contents of your files in analytics or anywhere else.
Your Gloath account (optional)
You don’t need an account to use Markdown Viewer Online. If you sign in (for example to use Pro), you use your Gloath account, which is run by Gloath Limited at accounts.gloath.com and works across all Gloath apps. Signing in, your email address and your plan are handled there, under the Gloath account privacy policy.
When you are signed in, Markdown Viewer Online receives from your Gloath account: an account ID, your email address, and which plan you have here (for example Free or Pro, and when it renews or ends). We use this only to show your account page and to decide how many tabs you can keep open. Markdown Viewer Online has no database: it does not store this information on its servers. It is kept only in the cookies described below, in your browser.
Buying Pro
Payments are handled by Stripe through your Gloath account. Stripe receives your email address and payment details; we never see your card number. Your subscription, invoices and receipts are kept by your Gloath account and Stripe (see the Gloath account privacy policy).
Information we collect
| What | Why | Where it is processed |
|---|---|---|
| Usage analytics (pages viewed, approximate location, device and browser type, and feature use such as “opened a file”, “exported to PDF” or “started checkout”) | To understand how the Service is used and improve it | Google Analytics (Google LLC), only as described under Cookies |
| Anonymous counts of events (for example “a file was opened” or “the free tab limit was reached”) with no identifier, no file names and no content | To show us how the Service is used, in the Gloath admin area | Gloath (our own platform) |
| Basic request logs (IP address, browser, time) | To deliver the site securely and protect it from abuse | Cloudflare, Inc. (our hosting provider) |
| Your account ID, email address and plan, when you sign in | To show your account and plan | Your browser (cookies); your Gloath account |
| Emails you send us | To reply to you | Our email provider |
Cookies and similar technologies
Cookies set by Markdown Viewer Online (only after you sign in, buy Pro or start signing in; none for anonymous visitors):
| Cookie | What it does | How long |
|---|---|---|
mdvo_session |
Keeps you signed in (signed, not readable by scripts) | 30 days, or until you sign out |
mdvo_hint |
Tells the page you have signed in before, so anonymous visits make no account requests | 30 days, or until you sign out |
mdvo_access |
A signed copy of your plan, so we don’t ask your Gloath account on every visit | 60 seconds |
mdvo_oauth |
Protects the sign-in step against forgery | 10 minutes, during sign-in |
mdvo_billing |
After you open the billing portal, makes sure your plan is read fresh | 10 minutes |
These are necessary for signing in and are not used for advertising.
Google Analytics sets cookies (such as _ga) to distinguish visitors. If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, these cookies are only used if you accept them. You can change your choice at any time with Cookie settings in the site footer.
Local storage on your device holds your documents, the documents open in tabs, your preferences (theme, view mode, cookie choice), whether you dismissed an announcement, and a note that you have signed in on this device before. It stays on your device and is not sent to us.
Overseas processing
Our service providers (Google, Cloudflare and Stripe) may store and process information outside New Zealand, including in the United States. We use providers that protect information in a way that, overall, provides comparable safeguards to those in the Privacy Act 2020.
How long we keep information
- Google Analytics data is kept for up to 14 months, then deleted automatically.
- Hosting logs are kept by Cloudflare for a short period for security purposes.
- The anonymous event counts are kept as totals and contain nothing about you.
- Markdown Viewer Online keeps nothing about you on its servers. The cookies above expire as shown, and are removed when you sign out.
- Your Gloath account and purchase records are kept as described in the Gloath account privacy policy.
- Emails are kept for as long as needed to deal with your enquiry.
Deleting your information
- Documents: delete them from My documents, or clear this site’s data in your browser. They are removed at once.
- Signing out removes the cookies above from your browser.
- Your Gloath account: delete it on your Gloath account page. Because Markdown Viewer Online stores nothing about you on its servers, there is nothing more to delete here; a session left open in a browser stops working within a minute. If you have a Pro subscription, cancel it first in Your account → Manage billing.
Your rights
You have the right to ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you and to ask us to correct it. Your Gloath account page lets you download your account data. To make a request, email support@gloath.com.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
If you are in the EEA or UK, you also have rights under the GDPR, including to object to processing and to withdraw consent at any time.
Children
The Service is not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information.
Changes
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it was last changed.
Contact
Gloath Limited, New Zealand — support@gloath.com