Privacy Policy

Upflat operates the website at https://upflat.online (the "Site"), where readers can find indoor plant care guides, plant profiles and troubleshooting advice. We respect your privacy, and this Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use the Site, how we use and share it, and the choices you have. By using the Site, you agree to the practices described here. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the Site.

This Policy is written for a general audience. Our operations are based in United Kingdom, and information collected through the Site may be processed there and in other countries where our service providers operate.

#1. Information We Collect

a. Information you provide to us. You do not need an account to read anything on Upflat. We only collect personal information you choose to give us, such as when you:

contact us by email or through our contact page (for example, your name, email address and the contents of your message);
send us a correction, a question about a plant, or a photograph of a plant you want help diagnosing;
subscribe to updates, if we offer them (your email address); or
submit a copyright or other legal notice.

b. Information collected automatically. Like most websites, we and our service providers automatically collect certain technical information when you visit. This may include your IP address, approximate location derived from that address, browser type and language, device type, operating system, referring and exit pages, the pages you view, the links you click, and the date and time of your visit. We use this to operate, secure, analyse and improve the Site. It is generally not used to identify you personally.

c. Cookies and similar technologies. We and our third-party partners use cookies, pixels, local storage and similar technologies to run the Site, remember preferences, measure traffic, understand how the Site is used and — through our advertising partner — display ads. See section 2 and our Cookie Policy for detail and controls.

#2. Cookies and How to Control Them

Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We use essential cookies that make the Site work and remember your preferences; analytics cookies that help us understand how visitors use the Site; and advertising cookies set by our advertising partners.

You can control cookies through your browser settings — most browsers let you block or delete cookies, and block third-party cookies specifically. Disabling some cookies may affect how the Site functions. You can also use the advertising and analytics opt-outs described in sections 3 to 5. Where non-essential cookies are used and the law requires it, we present a consent banner so you can accept or decline them before they are set, and you can change your choice at any time.

#3. Advertising

Upflat displays advertising through Google AdSense, which is what keeps the guides free to read. To serve those ads:

Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website or other websites.
Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this Site and/or other sites on the internet.
Third-party vendors and ad networks may set and read cookies in your browser, or use pixels or your IP address, to collect information as a result of ad serving on the Site. Some ads may be personalised to your interests; others are contextual, based on the page content or general location.

Your advertising choices. You can opt out of personalised advertising from Google at My Ad Center. You can read how Google uses information from sites that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites. You can opt out of personalised advertising from many other vendors through the Digital Advertising Alliance at optout.aboutads.info, through Your Online Choices in the UK and EU, or through the DAA AppChoices tool for mobile apps.

#4. Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors find and use the Site so we can improve it. It uses cookies and similar identifiers to collect information such as pages viewed, session duration, traffic source, approximate city or region level location, device and browser. In Google Analytics 4, IP addresses are anonymised and are not logged or stored by default, and Google processes this data on our behalf as our service provider.

You can read how Google uses data at policies.google.com/privacy, and you can opt out of Google Analytics across all websites by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

#5. Session Analytics

We use Microsoft Clarity to see how visitors use and interact with the Site through behavioural metrics, heatmaps and session replay, so we can improve the guides and the layout. Usage data is captured using first- and third-party cookies and other tracking technologies. Clarity records interactions such as mouse movements, clicks, scrolling and pages visited, and automatically masks sensitive input fields; it is not intended to capture passwords or payment details. For more information, see the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

You can limit this collection by declining non-essential cookies in our consent banner, and through your browser's cookie and Global Privacy Control settings.

#6. How We Use Information

We use the information described above to operate, maintain and secure the Site; publish and improve our plant care guides; respond to your questions, corrections and legal notices; send updates you have asked for; measure and improve performance and user experience; display and measure advertising; detect and prevent fraud, abuse and technical problems; and comply with our legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information for money. We share limited information with service providers that help us operate the Site, each under its own privacy policy — currently Google (advertising and analytics), Microsoft (session analytics), our website host and content delivery network, and any email provider we use. We may also disclose information where required by law, to enforce our terms, or to protect the rights, safety and security of Upflat, our readers or the public, and in connection with a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, with notice where required.

Note that using advertising and analytics cookies may count as "sharing" personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising under some laws. See section 10.

#8. Third-Party Links

Our guides link to third-party websites, including the horticultural and scientific sources cited at the foot of each article. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites, and we encourage you to read their policies.

#9. Children's Privacy

The Site is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at hello@upflat.online and we will delete it.

#10. Your Privacy Rights

UK and EU (UK GDPR / GDPR). If you are in the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, you have the right to access the personal data we hold about you; to have inaccurate data corrected; to have data erased; to restrict or object to processing, including profiling for direct marketing; to data portability; and to withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent. Our lawful bases are consent (for non-essential cookies and any marketing email) and legitimate interests (for operating, securing and improving the Site). You also have the right to complain to your supervisory authority — in the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office.

California (CCPA/CPRA). If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect, its sources, purposes and the categories of third parties we share it with; to delete it; to correct it; to opt out of its "sale" or "sharing" (we do not sell personal information for money, but our advertising and analytics cookies may qualify as "sharing" for cross-context behavioural advertising); to limit the use of sensitive personal information (we do not use it in ways that trigger this right); and not to be discriminated against for exercising any of these rights.

How to exercise them. To opt out of sharing for targeted advertising, decline non-essential cookies in our banner and use the opt-outs in section 3. We honour Global Privacy Control signals: when we detect one from your browser, we treat it as an opt-out request for that browser. For any other request, email hello@upflat.online. We may need to verify your identity before we respond, and you may use an authorised agent where the law permits.

#11. Data Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical and organisational measures — including HTTPS encryption and access controls — to protect information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

#12. Data Retention

We keep personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes described here or as required by law: correspondence for as long as needed to deal with your enquiry and a reasonable period afterwards, any newsletter data until you unsubscribe, and log and analytics data for a limited period. Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity data are retained according to those providers' configurable retention settings.

#13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes we will post the updated policy on this page and revise the "Last updated" date at the top. Your continued use of the Site after changes take effect means you accept the updated policy.

#14. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, or you want to exercise your rights, contact us at hello@upflat.online. Our contact page lists everything else we can help with.

Questions about this document? Email hello@upflat.online.