Privacy
This site measures its own traffic. Here is exactly what that means, in plain language and without the usual hedging.
What is recorded
When you load a page, the server writes one row containing:
- the path you requested and the time;
- two random identifiers stored in cookies - one for the visit, one that persists so returning visits can be recognised;
- the referring website, if you arrived from a link;
- your browser, operating system and device class, derived from the user-agent string;
- your browser's language preference and time zone;
- your screen size;
- how long the page stayed open;
- a one-way cryptographic hash of your IP address.
If you are signed in, the row is also associated with your account so that your own saved patterns can be shown back to you.
What is not recorded
- Your IP address is never stored. It is combined with a secret salt, hashed with SHA-256, and only the first 24 hexadecimal characters of that hash are kept. The original address cannot be recovered from it.
- There are no third-party trackers. No Google Analytics, no advertising pixels, no social widgets, no session recorders. Nothing on this site talks to an analytics vendor, because there is no analytics vendor.
- Your data is not sold, shared or exported to anyone.
- Nothing you draw is uploaded unless you explicitly press Save. The simulation runs entirely in your browser.
Simulator activity
The site also records anonymous, aggregate facts about how the simulators are used: which rule was selected, which named pattern was loaded, how many generations were run, and how long a session lasted. This exists to answer questions like "does anybody actually use the WireWorld page" - it contains nothing about you personally.
Cookies
This site sets a small number of cookies, all of them first-party:
| Cookie | Purpose | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|
| cw_vid | Distinguishes returning visitors from new ones | 2 years |
| cw_sid | Groups page views into a single visit | 30 minutes |
| .AspNetCore.Identity.Application | Keeps you signed in, if you create an account | 30 days |
| .AspNetCore.Antiforgery | Protects forms against cross-site request forgery | Session |
None of these are advertising cookies and none of them are shared with a third party. Your theme preference is stored in your browser's local storage and never leaves your device.
Accounts
Creating an account is optional, and is only needed to save patterns to the gallery. It stores your email address and a hashed password - the password itself is never stored and cannot be recovered by anyone. Patterns you mark as public are visible to everyone alongside the name portion of your email address; patterns you keep private are visible only to you.
If you want your account and everything attached to it deleted, ask and it will be done.
Retention
Analytics rows are kept so that year-on-year comparisons remain possible. Since they contain no personal identifiers - only random cookie IDs and a salted hash - they cannot be traced back to an individual after the fact.
Questions
This site is operated by Antiot Internet Systems Development. Any question about what is held, or how it is used, will get a straight answer.