Privacy Policy
How Painless Programming collects and uses information, including Google Analytics, Search Console, Bing and our payment provider, and the choices you have.
Your privacy matters to us. This page explains in plain language what information this site collects, why, and the choices you have.
1Who we are
Painless Programming (painlessprogramming.com) is an independent educational website and small publisher run by Arj in Pakistan. We publish free Computer Science and programming notes and sell downloadable study guides for students.
This policy explains what personal information we collect, why, who it is shared with, and the choices you have. If you have any question about it, write to support@painlessprogramming.com.
2What information we collect
Automatically, when you visit the site
Like most websites, we use analytics tools to understand how the site is used so we can improve it. Through these tools we can see things such as the pages you view, how long you stay, the type of device and browser you use, the approximate area you are visiting from, and your IP address. We use this information in aggregated form to improve the notes. We do not try to identify individual readers.
When you buy a product
If you buy a study guide, the checkout collects the details needed to complete the order, normally your name, email address, country and the order details. Card and payment details are entered directly with the payment provider. We never see or store your card number.
When you contact us
If you email us, we receive your email address and whatever you choose to tell us in your message, and we keep that correspondence so we can answer you and handle refunds or support requests.
3Analytics, cookies and third-party services
We use the following third-party services. They may set cookies or similar technologies and process data about your visit under their own privacy policies.
| Service | What it does | Learn more |
|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics | Measures traffic and how readers use the site (pages viewed, device, approximate location). | How Google uses data |
| Google Search Console | Shows us how the site appears in Google Search. It reports aggregated search data. | Google Privacy Policy |
| Bing Webmaster Tools | Shows us how the site appears in Bing Search. It reports aggregated search data. | Microsoft Privacy Statement |
| Lemon Squeezy | Our payment provider and merchant of record for orders placed through its checkout. | Lemon Squeezy Privacy Policy |
Advertising
We do not currently show advertisements on this site. The site contains Google AdSense code that is not serving ads at the moment, but Google may still load scripts and set cookies when you visit. You can manage ad personalisation in your Google Ads Settings.
We are open to advertising and sponsorship enquiries (see the Contact page). If we ever show third party ads or sponsored content, we will update this policy to explain any cookies or data they use.
Your cookie choices
- You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The free notes still work without them.
- You can stop Google Analytics collecting data about your visits with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
- If we offer push notifications, they only start if you click Allow in your browser, and you can turn them off at any time in your browser settings.
4How we use your information
- To run the website and keep it secure.
- To understand which notes are useful and improve them.
- To process orders, deliver your download and send order-related messages.
- To answer your emails, handle refund requests and fix problems.
- To meet our accounting, tax and legal obligations.
We only use your information for these purposes. We do not use your email address for marketing unless you have clearly asked to hear from us.
5Who we share information with
We share information only where it is needed to run the site and the shop:
- Payment providers such as Lemon Squeezy, which process payments and, where they are the merchant of record, are responsible for taxes on those sales and for their own handling of your payment data.
- Analytics providers such as Google and Microsoft, as described above.
- Our website host and email provider, which store the site and our correspondence on our behalf.
- Authorities, if we are legally required to disclose information.
We do not sell personal information to anyone.
6International transfers
We are based in Pakistan, and the services above operate internationally, including in the United States and other countries. Your information may therefore be processed outside the country where you live. These providers describe the safeguards they use in their own privacy policies.
7How long we keep information
Analytics data is kept for the period set in our analytics account settings. Order records and support emails are kept for as long as we need them to deal with refunds and questions, and for accounting, tax and legal reasons. After that they are deleted or anonymised.
8Your rights and choices
You can ask us to tell you what personal information we hold about you, to correct it, or to delete it. You can also object to how we use it. To make a request, email support@painlessprogramming.com from the address you used when you contacted us or bought from us, and we will reply within a reasonable time, normally within 30 days.
If you live in the United Kingdom, the European Economic Area, California or another place with specific privacy laws, you may have additional rights under those laws. We will respect them as far as they apply to us. We may need to verify who you are before we act on a request, and we may not be able to delete records we are legally required to keep.
9Children
Our notes are written for students, many of whom are teenagers. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 18, please ask a parent or guardian before buying anything from us. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, email us and we will delete it.
10Security
We take reasonable steps to protect the information we hold, and we rely on established providers for payments and hosting. No method of transmission or storage on the internet is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
11Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of the page shows when it was last changed. If we make a significant change, we will say so on this page.
