This notice explains what personal data Before It Rugs collects, why, and what rights you have. We've tried to keep it short and plain. We collect as little as we can.
You can use the whole site without giving us your name or email, and without connecting a wallet. We never ask for wallet connections, private keys or seed phrases.
Who we are
Before It Rugs (beforeitrugs.com) is run by one individual in the UK, who is the data controller for the personal data described here.
- Controller: Michael Reynolds, trading as Before It Rugs
- Address for data protection requests: [Owner to add: postal address or registered office]
- Email: hello@beforeitrugs.com (please use "Privacy" in the subject line)
- ICO registration number: [Owner to add]
What we collect and why
When you visit the site
Server and security logs. Like almost every website, our server (hosted by Hetzner in Germany) records technical details when you load a page or use "check any coin": your IP address, browser type, the page requested and the time. We use these to keep the site running, stop abuse and fix faults. The web server's access logs keep IP addresses for up to 30 days, then they are deleted.
- Lawful basis: legitimate interests (running a secure, working website).
Coin checks. When you check a coin, we record the coin address and the time, so we can show recent checks and keep the coin's data fresh. We don't link these checks to your name or email.
- Lawful basis: legitimate interests.
Visit counts, without cookies. Our own server counts page views, which site referred you, whether you're on a phone or computer, your country (only when our network provider supplies it) and actions such as opening a chart or checking a coin. To count each visitor once a day, it makes a one-way code from your IP address, your browser and a random value that is replaced every day. Your IP address itself is never stored, nothing is saved on your device, and the daily codes can't be linked across days or turned back into who you are. Only daily totals are kept. We publish them at /stats/.
- Lawful basis: legitimate interests (understanding how the site is used, with counts that can't identify you).
Advertising cookies, only if you agree. We show ads through Google AdSense. In the UK, EEA and Switzerland, Google's certified consent tool asks for your choice first. If you agree, Google and its partners may use cookies and similar technology to personalise and measure ads. If you don't, Google may still show ads that aren't personalised, using limited data.
- Lawful basis: consent.
See our cookie policy for details and how to change your choice.
If you sign up for alerts
Email alerts. If you sign up, we hold your email address and which alerts you chose, and send them through Brevo. Brevo also records whether emails are delivered and opened, so we can keep the list healthy. Every email has an unsubscribe link.
Browser push notifications. If you allow notifications, your browser gives us a push subscription: a unique address and keys that let us send alerts to that browser. It doesn't contain your name or email. The messages are delivered through your browser maker's push service (for example Google, Mozilla or Apple). You can turn them off at any time in your browser settings.
- Lawful basis for both: consent. You can withdraw it at any time.
If you buy a guide
Our guides are sold through a third-party checkout provider, Payhip, which handles UK and EU VAT on our behalf. It takes your payment (including PayPal), handles VAT, sends receipts and delivers the download. It collects your payment and billing details as its own controller under its own privacy notice. We never see your full card or PayPal details.
The provider shares with us what we need to run the shop and help with problems: usually your name, email address, what you bought, the price, your country and the order date.
- Lawful basis: contract (supplying what you bought and helping with problems) and legal obligation (keeping business records for tax).
If you email us
We keep your email and our replies so we can deal with your message and any follow-up, such as a correction, a privacy request or a sponsorship enquiry.
- Lawful basis: legitimate interests (answering you and keeping a record of what we agreed or changed).
If you send a tip
Tips in SOL go to a public wallet on the Solana blockchain. Every transaction on Solana is public and permanent, so your wallet address and the amount are visible to anyone, not just us. We don't try to identify people who tip, and we can't delete anything from the blockchain.
Who we share data with
We don't sell your personal data. We share it only with service providers who help us run the site:
| Provider | What they do | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Hetzner Online GmbH (Germany) | Server hosting and logs: runs the website, live data and "check any coin" | Processor |
| Cloudflare | DNS and email forwarding (hello@, sponsors@) | Processor |
| Google (Gmail) | The inbox our email addresses forward to | Processor |
| Google (AdSense) | Ads and ad consent tool | Independent controller for its own ad purposes |
| Brevo | Sending email alerts | Processor |
| Payhip (and the Stripe or PayPal account it uses to take payment) | Payments, VAT, receipts and downloads. On shop pages, Payhip's script loads and may set its own cookies for the checkout | Independent controller |
| DexScreener and Jupiter | Coin images on the live board load from DexScreener's servers or from the image hosts Jupiter's token list points to, so your browser sends them your IP address | Independent controllers |
| Google Fonts | Serves one font weight (JetBrains Mono 500). All our other fonts are hosted on our own server. Your browser sends Google your IP address when it loads the font | Independent controller |
We may also share information if the law requires it, or to protect the site or its users from fraud or abuse.
International transfers
Some of these providers store or access data outside the UK. Hetzner and Brevo are based in the EU, which the UK recognises as giving adequate protection. Google and Cloudflare are based in the US. Where data goes to the US or elsewhere, we rely on the UK's adequacy regulations (including the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework where the provider is certified) or on the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum. Ask us if you'd like more detail.
How long we keep it
| Data | How long |
|---|---|
| Server access logs (including IP addresses) | Up to 30 days, unless needed to investigate abuse |
| Coin check records | Not linked to you. Kept as part of the coin's history |
| Daily visit totals (no personal data) | Kept indefinitely. The daily one-way codes are deleted after one day |
| Email alert sign-up | Until you unsubscribe, then deleted within 30 days (we keep a suppression record so we don't email you again) |
| Push subscription | Until you turn notifications off or the subscription expires |
| Purchase records we receive | 6 years after the end of the tax year, for HMRC |
| Emails with us | Up to 2 years after the matter is closed |
Google sets its own retention periods for advertising data. See Google's privacy policy for details.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- ask for a copy of your personal data
- ask us to correct data that's wrong
- ask us to delete your data
- ask us to restrict how we use it
- object to us using it, where we rely on legitimate interests
- ask for your data in a portable format, where that applies
- withdraw consent at any time, without affecting what we did before
To use any of these rights, email us with "Privacy" in the subject line. We'll respond within one month. We may need to confirm who you are first. It's free in almost all cases.
Children
Before It Rugs is not for anyone under 18. We don't knowingly collect data from children.
Complaints
If you're unhappy with how we've handled your data, please tell us first so we can try to put it right. We'll acknowledge your complaint within 30 days.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator:
- Website: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
- Phone: 0303 123 1113
Changes to this notice
If we change how we use personal data, we'll update this page and the date at the top. If a change is significant, such as starting email alerts or a new kind of tracking, we'll make that clear on the site before it starts.