Privacy Policy

Last updated: 9 October 2026

This policy explains which personal data is processed when you use worldmap.tech, why, and how. The site is run from Türkiye, so it is primarily governed by the Turkish Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 (KVKK). This page is also our KVKK privacy notice (aydınlatma metni). It includes extra information for visitors in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom and US states with privacy laws.

This page is for information only. You do not have to accept it. Consent for advertising cookies is asked for separately, in the cookie banner.

In short

No accounts. We never ask for your name or email address.
The countries you tap are stored only in your own browser.
Share images and QR codes are created on your device and are not sent to us.
The restore code is optional. We store only the code, the country list and two timestamps.
Visitor statistics use no cookies and build no personal profiles.
Outside the US, cookies that personalise ads are used only if you agree.
We do not sell your data for money.

Who is responsible

Data controller: Kemal Ersun Gülbaş (a private individual), Ankara, Türkiye.

Contact: iletisim@worldmap.tech

What we process, why, and on what legal basis

Data	How it is collected	Purpose	Legal basis	How long
Your selected countries and site preferences	Saved in your browser's storage (localStorage) while you use the site.	To remember your map and preferences on this device.	This data is not sent to our servers and we do not process it. Storing it on your device is strictly necessary for the feature you use.	Until you delete it (by clearing browser data or resetting in the app).
Share link, share image and QR code	Created in your browser, on your device.	So you can share your map.	The country list sits after the "#" in the link. Browsers never send that part to the server, so it does not reach us.	Up to you, depending on where you share it.
Restore record: a random 8-character code, your selected countries, and creation, last-update and last-use dates	Only when you tap the restore-code button.	So you can restore your map on another device.	KVKK Art. 5(2)(c), and for GDPR Art. 6(1)(b): necessary to provide the service you request.	Until you delete it. Records unused for 24 months are deleted automatically. Deleted records may remain in the provider's automatic backups for up to 30 days.
Connection data: IP address, browser and device information, requested page, date and time	Automatically, by our hosting provider Cloudflare, whenever you connect.	To deliver the site, keep it secure, and prevent attacks and abuse.	Legitimate interests (KVKK Art. 5(2)(f); GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)).	We do not store IP addresses ourselves. Cloudflare keeps this data for its own operational and security periods.
Country code (estimated from your IP address)	Automatically, when the page loads.	To decide which cookie consent banner to show.	Legitimate interests (KVKK Art. 5(2)(f); GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)).	Not stored. Used only at that moment.
Visitor statistics: page viewed, referring site, country, browser and device type	Cloudflare Web Analytics, without cookies.	To see how the site is used and improve it.	Legitimate interests (KVKK Art. 5(2)(f); GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)).	Kept only as totals. No individual profiles.
Advertising data: cookie identifiers, IP address, browser information, page viewed, ad interactions	By Google, through advertising cookies and similar technologies.	To keep the site free by showing ads, and to measure and personalise those ads.	Your consent (KVKK Art. 5(1); GDPR Art. 6(1)(a)). In US states, see the US section below.	Until you withdraw consent. Cookie lifetimes are in the table below.
Correspondence: your email address, your message, and details you give for a request	When you email us.	To answer your questions and handle your data protection requests.	Legal obligation to answer requests (KVKK Art. 5(2)(ç); GDPR Art. 6(1)(c)). Establishing or defending legal claims (KVKK Art. 5(2)(e)). Legitimate interests (Art. 5(2)(f); GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)).	Up to 2 years after the conversation ends.

When you share your link or image, anyone who sees it can see the countries you selected. You decide what to share and with whom.

We do not ask for or process special categories of data, such as health, religion or ethnic origin. Please do not include them in emails.

We do not use your data for decisions that are made solely by automated means and have legal or similarly significant effects on you.

Who receives data

Cloudflare, Inc. (USA) and its group companies: hosting, content delivery (CDN), security, database and statistics. Cloudflare processes this data on our behalf, as our processor. Privacy policy: cloudflare.com/privacypolicy
Google (Google LLC, USA, and Google Ireland Limited, Ireland): advertising. Google is an independent controller of the data it collects through its advertising cookies. In the EEA, UK and Switzerland, the advertising partners listed in Google's consent banner may also receive this data. Privacy policy: policies.google.com/privacy
Public authorities and courts: only where the law requires it or where it is needed to protect a legal right.

We do not sell or rent your data for money, and we do not give it to others for their marketing. For the special meaning of "sale" and "sharing" under some US state laws, see the US section.

International transfers

Cloudflare runs servers in many countries. Connection data and restore records may be processed and stored outside Türkiye, for example in the USA or EU countries. The purpose is to deliver the site and provide the restore feature.

We keep transferred data to a minimum. We do not store IP addresses ourselves, and a restore record contains no name, email or IP address.

If you accept advertising cookies, Google collects data directly from your browser and may process it on servers outside your country, including in the USA. Google is responsible for that processing.

Under Turkish law: as of the date of this policy, the Turkish Personal Data Protection Board has not issued an adequacy decision for these countries.

Under the GDPR and UK GDPR: Cloudflare, Inc. and Google LLC participate in the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, including the UK Extension and the Swiss-U.S. Framework. Cloudflare's data processing addendum also includes the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses.

Cookies and browser storage

Cookies and browser storage (localStorage) let a site keep small pieces of information on your device. The storage worldmap.tech itself uses is needed for the site to work and never leaves your device. Advertising cookies are handled by region:

Türkiye and all countries not listed below: our own banner offers equal "Accept" and "Reject" buttons. Ads load only after you choose "Accept". If you reject, no ads load and the site works the same.
EEA, UK and Switzerland: Here we request non-personalised ads only, so ads are not chosen based on your interests. Google's certified consent platform (IAB TCF) asks for your choices about cookies and device access. If you do not consent, Google may show "limited ads" that do not use personal data for personalisation. Your IP address is still used to deliver these ads, and some cookies may be used only to detect invalid traffic and abuse.
United States: ads are shown by default. In states with privacy laws, Google's message offers a "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link to opt out of personalised advertising.

You can change your choice or withdraw consent at any time with the "Cookie preferences" link at the bottom of every page. Withdrawing does not affect processing that took place before, but it stops new advertising cookies from being used. You can also delete cookies in your browser settings.

Name	Type and provider	Purpose	Lifetime	Consent needed?
Selected countries	localStorage, worldmap.tech	Remembers the countries you tapped on this device.	Until you delete it	No, strictly necessary for the feature you use.
Image format	localStorage, worldmap.tech	Remembers your chosen share-image format.	Until you delete it	No, strictly necessary for the feature you use.
Dismissed notices	localStorage, worldmap.tech	Stops notices you closed from showing again.	Until you delete it	No, interface preference.
Cookie choice	localStorage, worldmap.tech	Remembers your decision about advertising cookies.	Until you change or delete it	No, needed to record consent.
__cf_bm, cf_clearance and similar	Cookie, Cloudflare	Tells bots and attacks apart from people. Set only when needed.	For example, __cf_bm expires after 30 minutes of inactivity	No, strictly necessary for security.
FCCDCF, FCNEC	Cookie, Google consent platform (EEA, UK and Switzerland only)	Stores your consent choice and measures the consent message.	13 months / 365 days	Managed by Google's consent banner.
__gads, __gpi	Cookie, Google (on worldmap.tech)	Serves ads, limits how often you see them, security.	13 months	Yes
__eoi	Cookie, Google (on worldmap.tech)	Security and ad-fraud prevention.	6 months	Yes
IDE, id, DSID, test_cookie	Cookie, Google (doubleclick.net)	Serves and personalises ads, remembers your settings, tests cookie support.	IDE and id: 13 months in the EEA, UK and Switzerland, 24 months elsewhere. DSID: 2 weeks. test_cookie: 15 minutes.	Yes

Google may change the names and lifetimes of its cookies. Current list: business.safety.google/adscookies

About Google ads

Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website and other websites.
Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to this site and other sites on the internet.
Third parties may use cookies, web beacons or IP addresses when serving ads.
You can opt out of personalised advertising in Google Ads Settings.
You can opt out of other vendors' personalised-advertising cookies at aboutads.info/choices or, in Europe, at youronlinechoices.eu.
How Google uses this data: policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites

Ads never appear on the map or in the exported image. Ad slots are labelled "Advertisement".

Your rights

Under KVKK (Article 11), everyone may:

Find out whether and how your personal data is processed.
Learn the purpose of the processing and whether the data is used for that purpose.
Know who receives your data, in Türkiye or abroad.
Ask for incomplete or wrong data to be corrected, and, where the conditions are met, deleted or destroyed.
Ask that recipients be told about such corrections or deletions.
Object to an outcome against you that results solely from automated analysis.
Claim compensation if you suffer damage from unlawful processing.

If you are in the EEA or the UK, you also have these rights under the GDPR or UK GDPR:

Access, rectification and erasure.
Restriction of processing.
Data portability.
Objecting to processing based on legitimate interests.
Withdrawing consent at any time.
Complaining to your local data protection authority. The EEA list is at edpb.europa.eu; in the UK it is the ICO.

How to make a request

Email iletisim@worldmap.tech. Under Turkish rules you may also apply in writing, by registered electronic mail (KEP), or with a secure electronic or mobile signature. Ask us by email for a postal address.
For Turkish-law requests, include your full name, your Turkish ID number (or, for foreigners, your nationality and passport or ID number), a contact address and what you are asking for. Written requests must be signed.
For anything about a restore record, include the restore code. We cannot identify you any other way.
We may ask for extra information to confirm your identity, and we use it only to handle your request.
We reply free of charge within 30 days at the latest. Under the GDPR, the deadline is one month, which can be extended where the law allows.

Under KVKK, if you are not satisfied with our reply or receive none, you may complain to the Turkish Personal Data Protection Board (kvkk.gov.tr). You must do so within 30 days of learning of our reply, and in any case within 60 days of your request.

You can delete your restore record yourself, without any request, from inside the app. You can delete data stored in your browser from your browser settings.

Notes for US visitors

Categories collected: identifiers such as IP address and cookie IDs; internet activity such as pages viewed and ad interactions; approximate location (country) derived from your IP address. We collect no sensitive personal information.
Sources: your browser and device.
Purposes: as described in the table above.
"Sale" and "sharing": when Google ads run, personal information such as cookie IDs and IP address may be made available to Google and its partners for cross-context behavioural advertising. Some state laws call this a "sale" or "sharing". You can opt out with the "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link in Google's message, in Google Ads Settings, or by not accepting ads where our own banner is shown.
Minors: we do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of consumers under 16.
Do Not Track: there is no common standard for "Do Not Track" browser signals, and the site does not change its behaviour in response to them.
Equal treatment: you will not be treated differently for using your privacy rights.

Security

Connections are encrypted (HTTPS). We limit repeated attempts to guess restore codes, and we keep stored data to a minimum. No system is completely secure. If a data breach occurs, we will notify the Turkish Personal Data Protection Board and, where needed, inform you through a notice on the site.

Keep your restore code private. Anyone who has it can view, change or delete your map.

Children

worldmap.tech is for a general audience and is not designed for children. If you are under 13, or under the age of digital consent in your country (for example 16 in some EEA countries), please talk to a parent or guardian before accepting advertising cookies. If we learn that we hold a child's data, we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

We update this policy when the site or the law changes. The current version is always on this page, with the date at the top. We announce important changes on the site.

Contact

Kemal Ersun Gülbaş, Ankara, Türkiye

Email: iletisim@worldmap.tech

A Turkish version of this policy is available. If the two versions differ, the Turkish version prevails for users in Türkiye.