1. Who We Are

Shimokitan ("we", "us", "our") operates an independently run platform (the "Service") based in Indonesia. The Service serves as a curated archival index for Japanese creative culture, including anime, music, games, and related media. Shimokitan is operated by an individual, not a registered company.

2. What We Collect

We are committed to collecting as little personal data as possible. Shimokitan does not offer user accounts, sign-up, or sign-in functionality. We do not track, profile, or fingerprint visitors.

• Contact Form: We receive your name, email, and message via email (Resend). This data is not stored in a database and is deleted after resolution.
• Artist Registry Form: We collect artist names, professional titles, social links, creative samples, and contact emails. To prevent spam and maintain the integrity of our curation queue, we also record the IP address of the sender. This data is stored securely in our database (Neon) for manual review by the architects.

We process personal data through two voluntary submission points:

2.5 Artist and Rights Holder Communications

When artists, creators, or rights holders grant us permission to feature their work, we retain copies of permission correspondence (emails, messages, and related documentation) in a private, secure archive. This documentation is stored for verification, legal compliance, and record-keeping purposes.

This data includes:

• Name and contact information
• Permission grants and any specified conditions
• Date and scope of permission

This information is not shared publicly, sold, or used for any purpose other than verifying authorized use of their work on Shimokitan. Permission documentation is retained indefinitely unless the artist or rights holder requests deletion of their information. To request removal of your permission documentation, contact us at legal@shimokitan.live.

3. Cookies and Tracking

We do not use analytics cookies or tracking scripts. The cookies that may be present on our site are:

• Essential infrastructure cookies set by Cloudflare (our hosting provider) for security and performance purposes, such as bot detection.
• Third-party cookies set by YouTube when embedded video content is loaded on artifact pages. These cookies are governed by Google's Privacy Policy.

For more details, see our Cookie Policy.

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may process data in connection with your visit:

• Cloudflare (United States) - Hosting, CDN, and DDoS protection.
• Resend (United States) - Email delivery for contact form submissions.
• Google (United States) - Embedded video playback (YouTube) and operational email forwarding (Gmail).
• Hostinger (International) - Email hosting for contact form submissions.

Our database infrastructure is provided by Neon (United States); no personal visitor data is stored in our database. We plan to integrate affiliate programs (Crunchyroll, Apple Music) that will use tracking parameters. See our [Affiliate Disclosure](/affiliate-disclosure) for details.

5. International Data Transfers

Our infrastructure partners (Cloudflare, Resend) are based in the United States. By using our Service, data relating to your requests may be processed outside of your home country. We rely on the privacy safeguards provided by these service providers, including their data processing agreements and, where applicable, Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent transfer mechanisms recognized under applicable data protection law.

6. Data Retention

Contact form submissions are processed in real-time via email and are not stored in any database. Emails received through the contact form are retained in our mailbox only until the inquiry is resolved, after which they are deleted. Infrastructure logs are retained by Cloudflare in accordance with their data retention practices and our account configuration.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

• Request access to any personal data we hold about you.
• Request correction or deletion of your personal data.
• Object to or restrict our processing of your data.
• Lodge a complaint with a data protection authority in your jurisdiction.

Since we do not maintain user accounts or databases of personal data at this time, most of these rights have limited practical applicability.

8. Children

Shimokitan is not directed at individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will make reasonable efforts to provide notice, such as displaying a prominent announcement on the Service. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of the Service after changes have been posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact

For privacy-related inquiries, contact us at privacy@shimokitan.live.