Privacy Policy

Thamizh Koodam (thamizh-koodam.com) is a family website. We have built it to collect as little about you as possible. This page explains what that means in practice.

What we collect

Nothing that identifies you, unless you choose to create an account or write to us. The site itself sets no cookies and uses no third-party analytics. The only third party on the site is Google, which serves the advertisements described below. You can read and play everything without signing up.

Advertising

The site shows advertisements served by Google AdSense, in the framed spaces beside or below the page. Google uses cookies and similar technologies to show ads and to measure them; depending on your settings, those ads may be personalised using your earlier visits to this and other websites. You can read how Google uses information from sites that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites, and manage personalised advertising at adssettings.google.com. Visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are asked for their consent before any such cookies are set, and can change their choice at any time. We do not pass Google your name, your email address or anything you have saved on the site. Members who subscribe to Pro see no advertisements.

Anonymous visit statistics

To learn what is useful and what isn't working, the site records how it is used: which pages are opened, how long each stays on screen and how far down it is scrolled, which links and buttons are clicked (and in which part of the page), repeated clicks on something that didn't respond, clicks on pictures that aren't links, what is typed into the site's own search box and how many results it found, and error messages if a page goes wrong. For the games, it records when a game starts, ends or is left, how it was played (against the computer, together on one device or online), the settings chosen, the result and how often each dice value came up (to check the dice are fair) — never the names typed in. With these come the website that sent you here, your device type (phone, tablet or computer), screen size, browser language and time zone.

All of this is tied only to a random number kept in your browser — not to your name, email or IP address, and not to your account — and is stored in our own database, never shared. If your browser sends "Do Not Track", nothing is recorded. Clearing this site's data in your browser starts a new random number.

Messages you send

When you use the form on the contact page, we keep what you write, the name and email you give (both optional) and the page you came from, so we can read and answer it.

Recipes and comments you share

Recipes and comments you post are public, shown with your account name. Recipes are translated between English and Tamil by Amazon Translate when you post them, and both versions are stored. We may hide anything that breaks our terms, and anyone can report a post to us.

Accounts

An account is optional. You can create one with your email address and a password, or by continuing with Google. Accounts and sign-ins are handled by Amazon Cognito, and our database runs on Amazon Web Services in the United States.

With email and a password, we keep your email address, the name you enter and a securely hashed password — we never see or store the password itself.

With Google, Google asks your permission and then shares only your name, your email address, whether Google has confirmed that email, and an account number Google uses for our site. We do not receive your Google password and we cannot see your contacts, files, photos or anything else in your Google account. If you already have an account here with the same email, the two are joined so you keep one account. Our use of information received from Google follows the Google API Services User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements.

However you sign in, we use your email only to sign you in and for account emails such as confirming your address or resetting your password — never for marketing, and we never sell or share it. Your name is shown on the recipes and comments you share. While you are signed in, your browser keeps a sign-in token so you stay signed in; signing out removes it.

On your account page you can change your name and password, and close your account at any time, which deletes your sign-in details and your saved favourites for good. Recipes and comments you shared stay on the site under your name unless you ask us to remove them. You can also remove our access from your Google account settings, under "Third-party apps & services".

Favourite baby names and recipes

You can tap the heart on a baby name, or "Save recipe" on a recipe, to keep it as a favourite. If you are not signed in, your favourites are kept only in your browser and are not sent to us.

If you are signed in, your favourites are also saved with your account in our database (the name or the recipe's title and address, and when you saved it), so they follow you to any device and are listed on your account page. When you sign in, favourites you saved in that browser beforehand are added to your account. When you sign out, they are removed from that browser, so the next person using it doesn't see them. You can remove any favourite at any time by tapping its heart again.

The site owner can see which names and recipes members have saved, together with the member's account name and email, to learn what people find useful. Favourites are never shown to other visitors, shared or sold.

Game records

Every Dhayam game you play is recorded with a game ID: the names entered for the players, the settings, each roll and move, how long the game took and how it ended, and technical details of the device it was played on (browser type, screen size, language and time zone). This record is kept in your browser. When accounts are available, the record is also stored in our database: under your account if you are signed in, or with a random browser ID only if you are not, and signing in later attaches those games to your account. Game records are used only by the site owner, to understand how the game is played and to improve it.

What stays in your browser

A few tools remember your choices using your browser's own storage, so they're ready next time: the text you typed in the Tamil typing tool, the city you picked on the calendar, the dice sound setting, the language you chose for recipes, your favourite baby names and recipes, and your game records. Apart from the game records and a signed-in member's favourites described above, none of this is sent to us. You can clear it at any time by clearing this site's data in your browser.

Dhayam and Paramapadam, the dice roller and the Wishes & Card Maker all run in your browser. Greeting cards you download are created on your device.

Hosting

The site is hosted on GitHub Pages. Like any web host, GitHub may record technical information such as your IP address when you visit, to keep the service secure and working. See GitHub's privacy statement for details. Our fonts are served from our own site, not from a third party.

Sharing to other apps

When you use a WhatsApp share button, you leave our site and WhatsApp's own privacy policy applies to whatever you choose to send.

Children

Thamizh Koodam is made for families, including children. Nothing on the site needs an account, and we ask that accounts be created by adults or with a parent's help.

Changes to this policy

If we add anything that changes what we collect, we will update this policy before it goes live and change the date at the top of this page.

Questions? See our contact page.