Privacy

AlingePics is built to know as little about you as possible. That is the whole idea.

No cookies. No analytics. No ad networks. No tracking pixels. No social media widgets.

No tracking.

What the site knows

When you visit a website, your browser asks a server for a bunch of files: pages, images, text, cat videos, the usual stuff. A server then sends those files back to your browser. A website still has to serve you the website. Annoying, but difficult to improve on.

I do not care which photo you opened at 22:08 two days ago. I care that I put a photo out there.

Cookies

Did you notice a big cookie banner?

No, you did not. This website does not use cookies.

You heard me. No cookies.

Browser storage

AlingePics may save a few tiny values in your own browser so the site can behave properly.

For example, your browser may contain something like this:

{
  "localStorage": {},
  "sessionStorage": {
    "alinge:home-rotation-load-sequence": "1"
  }
}

It means the homepage showed collection 1 of pretty pictures. If you refresh the page, it may show collection 2 instead.

That is not tracking. That is just the least intrusive way I could come up with to make the website feel alive without stuffing it with bloat.

Terrifying stuff. You’ll get over it.

It stays in your browser. It is not sent to me as visitor data.

If you change settings, the browser may also remember how you want the site to behave by storing something like:

{
  "alingepics-theme": "dark",
  "alinge:media-preference": "detail",
  "alinge:preload-preference": "off",
  "alinge:nerd-mode": "on"
}

That means the site remembers what you asked it to remember.

Dark mode means dark mode. The opposite of light mode. Somehow.

Less preloading means less preloading. You may have to press “open” instead of having it start loading in advance.

Nerd mode means you flipped a switch called “nerd mode”.

I respect it.

I do not collect these values, sell them, analyze them, or put them in a dashboard. I am not completely dead inside.

Logs

There is one normal caveat: the internet is still made of servers, cables, logs, and disappointment.

The web server may process ordinary technical request information when it sends you files. That can include things like IP address, time of request, browser type, requested file, and error messages.

That is normally used for boring practical reasons: running the site, fixing broken things, spotting abuse, and keeping the server from catching fire. I do not spend my evenings reading it for fun.

I do not use logs to identify visitors, analyze behavior, or do anything scary.

The hosting provider may also keep normal server logs as part of operating the server. That is also how the internet works. That is infrastructure. If that bothers you, well that makes two of us. That is what VPNs are for.

Keeping it self-contained

The site is built to be self-contained. The images, maps, scripts, 3D viewers, and everything in between are served from AlingePics. This is harder than it should be.

If you want huge maps, 3D models, and big images without making the site load like its 1995 again, the quick and easy way is to load everything from third-party CDNs with big juicy data centers all over the world.

I do not do that. I trust no one.

You can find out more by pressing anything labeled “nerd”.

Email

If you email me, I receive your email address and whatever you wrote.

That is how email works. Primitive, but effective.

I will read it and maybe reply. You know, like email.

External links

If you click a link to another website, you leave AlingePics.

That other site has its own privacy rules, cookies, trackers, banners, popups, dark patterns, business model, and emotional damage.

I am not responsible for the rest of the internet. I have enough problems.

Drone photos and bureaucracy

Some material on AlingePics comes from drones, aerial photography, photogrammetry, maps, 3D reconstruction, point clouds, height data, and other suspiciously fun activities.

Transportstyrelsen handles drone regulations. Lantmäteriet handles publication permission for certain geographic material, including aerial images and similar data. In some maritime cases, Sjofartsverket may also be relevant.

So yes, I read Swedish regulations more than a normal person should. Not professionally, mind you. Not for fun either. But if you are going to fly around with a camera like a maniac, you should at least be a responsible maniac. It is more fun that way.

When publication permission is needed, which is more or less always, I seek it before putting it online. The poor souls at Lantmäteriet deserve a medal for their work reviewing all this nonsense.

Don’t be an irresponsible maniac and ruin the fun for the rest of us.

Basic principle

AlingePics is a way for me to publish pictures and its an excuse to do crazy digital experiments. It is a way for others to look at them, maybe even enjoy them.

I do not want to know who you are. I do not want to track you or follow you. I do not want to “analyze” you. That’s just creepy.

You do your thing. I do my thing.

That is the deal.

Sort of like proper Swedish neighbors.

Now go do something useful with your life. No one reads to the end.