Privacy Policy

1. Data Controller

Martin Bohnenblust
Sulzerallee 80, 8404 Winterthur
Switzerland
Email: hello@sapling.ch

2. What data we collect

When you use SAPLING, we collect and process the following personal data:

• Account data: email address and password (hashed)
• Profile data: display name
• Usage data: orders, budgets, suppliers, and team information you create
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, and access timestamps (server logs)

3. Purpose of processing

We process your data for the following purposes:

• Providing and operating the SAPLING service
• User authentication and account management
• Enabling team collaboration features
• Technical operation and security of the platform

4. Legal basis

We process your data based on:

• Performance of contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR / Art. 31 nDSG): to provide the service you signed up for
• Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR / Art. 31 nDSG): for security, fraud prevention, and service improvement

5. Cookies, page statistics and referral links

SAPLING uses only essential cookies required for the service to function:

• sessionid — Keeps you logged in during your session
• csrftoken — Protects against cross-site request forgery attacks
• django_language — Stores your language preference (English/German)

We do not use tracking or advertising cookies. No data is shared with third-party advertisers.

Page statistics. On our public homepage and sign-up page we count visits without cookies and without storing anything on your device. For each page view we record the page, the website you came from (domain only), campaign tags contained in the link, how far you scroll, which sign-up button you click, the language the page is shown in, whether the screen is mobile-sized, the type of browser and operating system (for example “Chrome on Windows”, without version numbers), whether the device is a phone, tablet or computer, and the range the browser window’s width falls in (for example 1280–1439 pixels).

To tell visitors apart within one day, we compute a code from your IP address and browser identifier combined with a random key. Each day with visits gets a new key, and all older keys are deleted at that moment, after which earlier codes can no longer be traced back. We never store your IP address or browser identifier. If your browser sends a Do-Not-Track or Global Privacy Control signal, nothing is recorded. The statistics stay on our own servers (see section 6), are used only to improve this website and are deleted after 12 months. Legal basis: legitimate interest.

Inside the app. When you are logged in, we count page views in the app in the same way, to see which browsers and screen sizes the app has to work well on. We record only the type of page (without order, budget or other record numbers), the browser and operating system type, whether the device is a phone, tablet or computer, and the window-width range. These page views are not linked to your account, and the same daily code, deletion and Do-Not-Track rules apply as above.

Referral links. If you reach SAPLING through a partner's referral link, we store which partner referred your account and team so that we can pay the partner's commission. We also store your optional answer to “How did you hear about SAPLING?”. Legal basis: legitimate interest.

6. Data sharing and international transfers

Your data is hosted on servers operated by:

Railway Corp.
San Francisco, CA, USA

This means your data is transferred to the United States. Railway is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, which the European Commission and the Swiss Federal Council recognise as ensuring an adequate level of data protection. Where these frameworks do not apply, transfers are safeguarded by the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses.

We plan to migrate to EU-based hosting in the future.

Transactional e-mails (such as account verification and password reset messages) are sent through:

Resend (Plus Five Five, Inc.)
San Francisco, CA, USA

Resend processes the recipient address and the message content in the United States. Resend is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework; transfers from Switzerland are additionally safeguarded by the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses with the Swiss addendum. Resend processes it only on our behalf to deliver these messages.

All scripts, styles, and fonts used by SAPLING are served from our own servers — no third-party content delivery networks receive your IP address when you use the service.

We do not sell, rent, or otherwise share your personal data with third parties, except as required by law.

7. Data retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. You can request deletion of your account at any time by emailing us; your personal data will then be removed within 30 days. Anonymised, aggregated data may be retained for statistical purposes.

Server logs containing IP addresses and access timestamps are automatically deleted after 30 days at the latest.

Team data (orders, budgets, suppliers) belongs to the team and is retained as long as the team exists, regardless of individual account deletion.

8. Your rights

Under the Swiss Data Protection Act (nDSG) and, where applicable, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the following rights:

• Right of access: request a copy of your personal data
• Right to rectification: correct inaccurate data
• Right to deletion: request deletion of your data
• Right to data portability: receive your data in a structured format
• Right to object: object to processing based on legitimate interest

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@sapling.ch.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority: in Switzerland, the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC); if you are in the EU/EEA, the data protection authority of your country of residence.

9. Data security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including:

• Encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS)
• Hashed passwords (never stored in plain text)
• Secure session management
• Content Security Policy headers

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Continued use of the service after changes constitutes acceptance.

11. Contact

For questions about this privacy policy or your personal data, contact:

Martin Bohnenblust
hello@sapling.ch