Privacy Policy

1. Overview

Markdownly ("we", "us", "our") is a document-to-Markdown conversion service operated by an individual based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. We are committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights.

2. Data We Collect

Files & Documents

When you upload a file, paste content, or provide a URL for conversion, your data is temporarily stored on our servers to complete the conversion. Small files (under 3.5 MB) are sent directly to our processing worker. Larger files are temporarily stored in cloud storage during processing. Once the Markdown output is returned to your browser, both the original file and the conversion result are automatically deleted from our servers. We do not retain your files after conversion is complete.

Waitlist & Contact Information

If you join our waitlist for paid plans, we collect your email address, selected plan interest, intended use case, approximate country (derived from your IP address), and the page you came from (referrer URL). This information is stored in Google Sheets and used solely to notify you when paid plans launch and to understand where our users are.

Usage & Analytics Data

We collect anonymised usage data to improve the service, including:

• Page views, page interactions, and navigation patterns (via PostHog)
• Automatic capture of clicks, form interactions, and scroll behaviour (via PostHog)
• Heatmaps showing where users click and scroll (via PostHog)
• Conversion events: file type, success/failure, and processing time (no file contents)
• Web performance metrics such as page load speed (via Vercel Analytics)

This data is aggregated and does not include the contents of your files.

Feedback

If you choose to submit feedback after a conversion, we collect your sentiment (positive or negative), feedback category, and any optional comments you provide. We also collect basic device information (browser, operating system, and screen size) along with file metadata (file name, file type, and input mode) to help us reproduce and fix issues. Feedback submissions are sent to a private Discord channel for internal review and recorded in PostHog for analytics. Feedback is entirely voluntary and only collected when you explicitly submit the form.

Cookies

We use the following cookies:

• Session cookie (markdownly_session_id) — identifies your browser session to show your recent conversion history. Expires after 1 year. No login required.
• Theme preference — stores your light/dark mode choice.
• Analytics cookies — PostHog sets cookies to understand usage patterns. You can disable non-essential cookies in your browser settings.

3. How We Use Your Data

• To provide the document conversion service
• To show your recent conversion history within your session
• To notify you about waitlist updates and paid plan launches
• To improve service quality, reliability, and user experience
• To monitor and fix errors or performance issues
• To review and act on voluntarily submitted feedback

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for marketing or advertising purposes.

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate Markdownly:

• Vercel — hosting, serverless functions, temporary file storage (Blob), job state (KV), and web analytics
• Railway — backend processing worker for file conversions
• PostHog — product analytics, heatmaps, and event tracking
• Google Sheets — waitlist email storage
• Discord — internal notifications for feedback submissions and waitlist signups
• Stripe — payment processing for paid plans (when available)

Each provider has their own privacy policy governing their handling of data. Our infrastructure is primarily hosted in the United States (see Section 8 on cross-border transfers).

5. Data Retention

• Uploaded files & conversion results — deleted automatically immediately after conversion
• Session conversion history — last 10 conversions stored in KV, tied to your session cookie (no account required)
• Waitlist emails — retained until paid plans launch or until you request removal
• Analytics data — retained per PostHog and Vercel Analytics default retention policies

6. Data Security

All data transmitted to and from Markdownly is encrypted using TLS (HTTPS). Files are temporarily stored in isolated cloud environments during conversion and are automatically deleted once processing is complete. We do not retain your documents beyond what is necessary to deliver the conversion result.

7. Children's Privacy

Markdownly is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@markdownly.io and we will promptly delete it.

8. International Data Transfers

Our servers and third-party infrastructure providers are primarily located in the United States. If you are accessing Markdownly from outside the United States — including from the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or Australia — your data will be transferred to and processed in the United States. By using the Service, you consent to this transfer. We rely on our providers' data protection measures (including Standard Contractual Clauses where applicable) to safeguard your data.

9. Your Rights

All Users

You have the right to:

• Request deletion of any personal data we hold about you (e.g., waitlist email)
• Opt out of analytics tracking by disabling cookies in your browser or using a browser extension
• Contact us with any privacy-related questions

European Economic Area (GDPR)

If you are in the EEA or UK, you additionally have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Rectify inaccurate personal data
• Request data portability
• Withdraw consent for data processing at any time
• Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

Our legal basis for processing your data is: (a) legitimate interest for operating and improving the Service, (b) consent for analytics and waitlist communications, and (c) contractual necessity for providing the conversion service.

California (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect and how it is used
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Opt out of the sale of personal information — we do not sell your data
• Non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

Australia (Privacy Act 1988)

We comply with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Australian users have the right to access and correct their personal information. Complaints can be directed to us or to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

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 "Last updated" date. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact

For privacy-related inquiries, contact us at support@markdownly.io.