Privacy policy
Last updated 14 October 2026
In short: you can use EmDash Starters without an account. What you type in the builder is sent to an AI model to write your copy and make your photo, and is not stored by us. Your work stays in your own browser. Google Analytics only sets cookies if you allow it.
Who we are
EmDash Starters (emdashstarters.com) is run by Red Factory, Binckhorstlaan 36, 2516 BE Den Haag, the Netherlands. Red Factory is the controller for the personal data described here. Questions or requests: info@redfactory.nl or +31 70 22 11 489.
EmDash Starters is an independent tool and is not affiliated with the EmDash project.
What we process and why
| What | Why | How long |
|---|---|---|
| What you enter in the builder: business name, what you do, location, services, colours, chat messages and photo wishes | To write your copy and generate your photo. We send it to an AI model and send the result back to your browser. | Not stored by us. Short fragments of generated copy can appear in technical logs (see below). |
| Your IP address, combined with the date | To cap AI use per visitor per day, so the free service stays available and costs stay under control. | Deleted automatically after 25 hours. |
| Generated photos | The starter you download links to its hero photo on our server. EmDash downloads it from there when you set up your site, which can be weeks later. | Kept without an end date. The address is a random, unguessable code and the photo contains no data about you. Ask us to remove a photo and we will. |
| Contact email and domain on the download step | Written into the files of your starter. | Not stored: the zip is built on the spot and sent straight to you. |
| Technical logs: request details such as IP address, browser and the page or action, plus messages our code writes | To keep the service running and fix errors. | At most 7 days, in Cloudflare. |
| Your email address, if you tick the newsletter box | To send you a confirmation email and, once you confirm, the EmDash Starters newsletter. Based on your consent. | The confirmation email is not stored by us. After you confirm, your address stays on the list until you unsubscribe; we then keep it marked as unsubscribed so we never email you again. |
| Usage statistics (Google Analytics) | To see how people find the site and use the builder, for example which themes are picked and how many starters are downloaded. We do not send your business details or anything you type to Google Analytics. | See the section on analytics. |
The legal basis for running the builder, the daily caps and the logs is our legitimate interest in offering a free, working and affordable service (article 6(1)(f) GDPR). The legal basis for analytics cookies and the newsletter is your consent (article 6(1)(a) GDPR).
Newsletter
The newsletter box on the download step is unticked by default. If you tick it, we email you a link to confirm; you are only added to the list after you click it. Every newsletter has an unsubscribe link, and you can also email us to be removed.
Stored in your browser
The builder saves your work in your own browser's local storage under emdash-starter, so you can close the page and continue later. Your choice in the cookie banner is saved under emdash-consent. This data does not leave your device unless you use the builder. Clear your browser's site data to remove it.
Analytics and cookies
We use Google Analytics 4, loaded through Google Tag Manager, with Google Consent Mode.
- If you allow analytics, Google Analytics sets the cookies
_gaand_ga_*(up to 2 years) to recognise repeat visits, and measures page views and builder events. - If you decline or have not chosen yet, no analytics cookies are set. Google Analytics then only receives anonymous signals without cookies, such as that a page was viewed.
Google Analytics data is kept for at most 14 months. You can change your choice at any time with Cookie settings. We do not use advertising cookies and do not use your data for ads.
Services we use
- Cloudflare hosts the site and runs the AI models (Workers AI) that write your copy and make your photo, on Cloudflare's own infrastructure. Photos and the daily counters are stored at Cloudflare too. Cloudflare acts as our processor.
- Google provides Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager. Our web fonts are hosted on our own server, so loading them does not contact Google.
- Resend sends the confirmation email and the newsletter and stores the newsletter list, as our processor.
Cloudflare, Google and Resend are based in the United States and can process data there. Cloudflare and Google take part in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which the European Commission treats as offering an adequate level of protection.
We do not sell your data and do not share it with anyone else.
Your rights
You can ask us to see, correct or delete your personal data, to restrict or object to its processing, and to receive it in a portable form. You can withdraw consent for analytics at any time with Cookie settings. Email info@redfactory.nl; we reply within one month.
Note that we hold very little that can be linked to you: no accounts and no copy of what you build. If you think we handle your data wrongly, you can file a complaint with the Dutch data protection authority, the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens.
Your own EmDash site
This policy covers emdashstarters.com. The starter you download runs on your own Cloudflare account and is yours: you are responsible for the privacy policy of your own site.
Changes
When we change how we handle data, we update this page and the date at the top.