Privacy Policy

1c3d.com ("we," "us," "the site") is a maker/DIY knowledge base covering 3D printing, laser engraving, CNC, electronics, and related topics. This page explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. It's written to be genuinely readable, not just legally defensive — if anything here is unclear, the contact page is the fastest way to ask.

Information We Collect

Account information

If you create an account, we store your username, email address, and a securely hashed password (we never store your actual password in readable form). If you enable two-factor authentication, we store the associated secret. You may optionally add a profile picture (via Gravatar, linked to your email — see below), a bio, and links to other sites.

Content you submit

Forum posts, replies, direct messages, and contact form submissions are stored so the features work — a forum post needs to be saved to be visible, a message needs to be saved to be delivered. Contact form submissions (name, email, subject, message) are used solely to respond to you.

Usage data

We log basic page-view analytics (which pages are visited, referring site, browser type) to understand what content is useful. IP addresses used for this are hashed, not stored in raw form. We also keep a security log of blocked malicious requests (scanners, brute-force login attempts) for site protection — this is retained separately from general analytics and is used only for security purposes.

Cookies & local storage

We use a session cookie to keep you logged in, and browser local storage for preferences like light/dark theme and (if you're logged in) your auth token. These are functional, not tracking — see the Advertising section below for the separate cookies used by our ad provider.

Advertising & Third-Party Cookies

This site uses Google AdSense to serve ads to visitors who are not logged in (logged-in accounts never see ads). Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to this website or other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to this site and/or other sites on the Internet.

You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. Alternatively, you can opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting www.aboutads.info. For more on how Google uses information from sites that use its services, see Google's Privacy & Terms page.

Other Third-Party Services

A few outside services support parts of the site, each with their own data practices:

• Cloudflare — provides security and content delivery for the site; processes visitor traffic as part of that service.
• Gravatar — if you set a profile picture, it's fetched from Gravatar using a hash of your email address; Gravatar's own privacy policy governs that lookup.
• Google Fonts — web fonts are loaded from Google's font service.
• Amazon Associates — some outbound links to products are affiliate links; we may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Amazon's own privacy policy applies once you leave this site.

How We Use Information

We use the information above to: operate and improve the site's features, respond to messages you send us, keep accounts secure, understand which content is useful, and detect and block abusive or malicious activity. We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

Data Retention & Security

We keep account and content data for as long as your account is active, or as needed to provide the service. Security logs and analytics are retained for a limited period and then aged out. Sensitive data like API keys are stored encrypted; passwords are stored using industry-standard hashing, never in plain text.

Your Choices

You can edit or delete your account content at any time while logged in. To request full account deletion, or to ask what data we hold about you, use the contact form. You can also control cookies generally through your browser settings, and opt out of ad personalization using the Google links above.

Children's Privacy

This site is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

Changes to This Policy

If this policy changes in a meaningful way, we'll update the date at the top of this page. Continued use of the site after changes means you accept the updated policy.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your data? Reach out via the contact page.

This policy is provided as a good-faith, plain-language description of our actual data practices. It is not a substitute for legal advice — if you have specific compliance requirements (GDPR, CCPA, etc.), consider having it reviewed by a professional familiar with your situation.