Privacy

What stays on your device

Everything you write here, and the choices you make before you start, are saved in this browser’s storage on this device only. They never reach our server, and we have no copy. If you clear everything, or clear this browser’s data, your answers are gone for good.

Anyone who uses this browser on this device can open your statement. On a shared device, use “Clear everything on this device” on your statement page when you have finished, and close the tab.

What we never ask for

We never ask for a case number, the name of the person who did this, or your address. You can sign your statement with your name if you want to; that name stays on this device too.

What our server counts

Our server counts a few events by name only, such as a page being opened, a first answer being typed, or the download button being pressed. Each count is a number for the day. It holds no words from your statement, no name and no IP address.

When someone presses the download button, we record the time, the country our hosting provider reports and whether an email was left, so we know whether to build the download.

If you leave your email

The download is not ready yet. If you leave your email in that window, we keep it apart from everything else, use it for one email when the download is ready, and then delete it. We don’t sell it, give it to anyone else to use, or use it for anything else.

To check that a person, not a program, left the email, Cloudflare Turnstile loads only after you start typing an email address. When you send the form, our server passes your IP address to Cloudflare for that check. We don’t keep your IP address, and Cloudflare’s own privacy policy covers what Cloudflare does with it.

Who else handles information

The site is hosted on Cloudflare, which handles the connection to your browser, as any website host does, and runs the email check above. There is no advertising and no tracking cookie. No other company collects information about what you do on this site or follows you to other sites, and we don’t sell your information or share it for advertising.

The writing tool isn’t offered in North Carolina or Missouri. To keep it out of those two states, Cloudflare tells our site which state a visit comes from. We use that only to decide which page to show, and we don’t keep it.

Do Not Track

We don’t track you from site to site, so this site works the same whether or not your browser sends a Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control signal.

Children and teenagers

This site is for adults, for teenagers writing about a crime that happened to them, and for parents and guardians writing for a child. When you write for a child, use their first name or an initial; nothing about them leaves this device. If you think a child under 13 left us an email address, tell us and we will delete it.

Health information

We don’t collect health information. What you write about your body, your health or your feelings stays on your device. Our consumer health data notice says the same in the form some state laws ask for.

Changes and questions

If this notice changes, we change the date at the bottom and say what changed at the top. To ask a question, or to have your email address deleted sooner, write to hello@victimimpactstatement.com. We reply within 45 days.

Help with your case

This site is a writing tool, not a victim support service. Your victim advocate at the prosecutor’s office can help you with your case.