Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 16, 2026

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains what information fent ("we," "us," "the Service") collects when you use our URL shortening service, why we collect it, and how we handle it. We are committed to full transparency. We will never sell your data, share it for profit, or use it for any purpose beyond what is described here.

2. Information We Collect When You Create a Link

When you submit a URL to be shortened, we collect and store the following:

• IP address - Your public network IP address, collected from the incoming request. Used to enforce bans and prevent abuse.
• Device fingerprint hash - A one-way cryptographic hash derived from a browser fingerprint. The raw fingerprint is never stored. See Section 5.
• Destination URL - The long URL you wish to shorten.
• Timestamp - The date and time the link was created.
• Click count - The number of times your short link has been accessed. We do not collect information about who clicks your link.
• Expiry date - If you optionally set one, the date after which the link is automatically removed.

3. Information We Do Not Collect

We do not collect your name, email address, or any other identifying personal information. We do not track visitors who click short links beyond recording that a click occurred. We do not use third-party analytics services.

4. Why We Collect This Information

All information listed in Section 2 is collected exclusively to:

• Prevent abuse of the Service, including spam, phishing, and malicious content
• Enable moderation review of all newly created links
• Enforce bans against IP addresses and devices associated with policy violations
• Operate the core redirect functionality of the Service

We do not use this data for advertising, behavioral profiling, market research, or any commercial purpose whatsoever.

5. Device Fingerprinting

When you accept our cookie and consent notice, your browser loads an open-source device fingerprinting library (FingerprintJS, open-source edition). This library generates a stable identifier from publicly available technical characteristics of your browser and hardware. No external fingerprinting service is contacted. The library runs entirely within your browser.

The resulting fingerprint value is sent to our server at the time you create a link. On our server, the raw fingerprint is immediately processed through an irreversible cryptographic function (HMAC-SHA256 with a secret key known only to the server). The output hash is what gets stored in the database. The original fingerprint is discarded and never written to disk or any database.

Because the hash is irreversible, we cannot recover or view your original fingerprint. The hash allows us to determine whether a new submission comes from the same device as a previously banned one, without retaining the raw identifying data. A partial representation of this hash (the first 16 characters) is shown in our internal moderation system solely to identify repeat submissions from the same device.

6. Discord-Based Moderation

Every link created triggers an automated notification in a private Discord channel accessible only to the Service operator. This notification includes the short URL and destination URL, the creator's IP address, a partial device fingerprint hash identifier, and the expiry date if set. This information is used solely for moderation and is not shared with any third party.

7. We Will Never Sell Your Data

We will never sell, rent, license, or otherwise transfer any information we collect to any third party for any purpose. We will never use the data we collect for personal financial gain, advertising revenue derived from user data, or any purpose other than operating and protecting this Service. This is an unconditional commitment, not subject to exceptions.

8. Data Security

Device fingerprints are stored as irreversible HMAC-SHA256 hashes and cannot be reconstructed. IP addresses are stored in plaintext, as they must be compared against a ban list during new link creation. Our database is hosted on Railway's managed PostgreSQL service with TLS encryption in transit.

9. Data Retention

Link records, including associated IP addresses and device fingerprint hashes, are retained for as long as the link remains active. When a link expires or is deleted by a moderator, all associated data is deleted alongside it.

Banned IP records and banned device fingerprint hashes are retained indefinitely to prevent re-registration from banned sources.

10. Cookies and Local Storage

We use your browser's local storage (not cookies) to remember two things: your chosen visual theme (light or dark), and whether you have accepted this Privacy Policy. Neither value contains personal data and neither is transmitted to our servers.

Device fingerprinting begins only after you explicitly accept via the consent banner. The banner has no decline option: use of the link-shortening feature requires acceptance.

We serve advertisements through Google AdSense. Google AdSense may use cookies for ad personalization as described in Google's Privacy Policy. You may opt out via Google's Ad Settings.

11. Your Rights

You may request deletion of your link records by contacting us at the address below. Include the short URL or slug of the link you wish removed. We will process your request within a reasonable timeframe. Complete erasure of all associated data may not be possible if a ban is in effect on your IP or device.

12. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has used the Service, please contact us.

13. Changes

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes are reflected by the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.

Contact

For privacy inquiries, data deletion requests, or abuse reports, contact us at: [email protected]