1. Who is responsible
Responsible for the processing of personal data on symbol.army (the web application at www.symbol.army, these information pages and the documentation under /doc) is:
gs-soft AG
Delfterstrasse 10
5000 Aarau, Switzerland
E-mail: mss@gs-soft.com
This policy is based on the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP / revDSG) and, where applicable, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
2. Summary
- You can use symbol.army without an account. We do not ask for your name or e-mail address.
- To draw a symbol, your browser sends the symbol data to our MSS Web Service. Do not enter classified or personal information into text modifiers.
- Your settings are stored in your own browser. symbol.army itself sets no cookies.
- On the production site we use Google Analytics 4 to understand how the application is used. Google sets cookies for this.
3. Visiting the website
Every time you open a page or the application, your browser sends technical data to the web server that delivers symbol.army. The server records it in log files:
- IP address, date and time of the request
- requested address (URL) including its parameters - when you open a share link or a link with a SIDC, this includes the symbol it contains -, referring page, HTTP status, amount of data transferred and processing time
- browser type and version, operating system (user agent)
- for requests to the symbol service, the three technical identifiers described in section 4
We use this data to deliver the website, to keep it secure and stable, to recognise and limit abusive or excessive use, to analyse errors and to compile usage statistics of the service. The servers are operated by gs-soft AG and located in Switzerland.
4. Creating symbols
symbol.army does not draw symbols in your browser. To display, preview, search and export a symbol, the application sends a request to the MSS Web Service of gs-soft AG at www.symbol.army. A request can contain:
- the symbol: its code (SIDC) and the modifiers and attributes you set, including free text you enter in text modifiers, and for tactical graphics the coordinates of their points
- the text you enter in the symbol search
- format and size of the image to produce
- three technical identifiers: the version of the application, a random session identifier that is newly created every time the application is opened, and a random identifier of your browser installation that is stored in your browser (see section 5). The identifiers do not contain your name or any other information about you.
We use this data to construct and return the symbol. The identifiers are recorded in the server log files (section 3) and used to analyse errors, to recognise and limit abusive or excessive use, and for usage statistics of the service (number of sessions, installations and application versions). If a request fails with an error, the service writes the request - including the symbol content and the identifiers - to an error trace file, which we use to analyse the error.
Treat symbol.army like any other internet service: do not enter classified information or personal data of others into text modifiers or the search.
5. Data stored on your device
symbol.army stores data in your browser so that it remembers your choices. This data stays on your device; it is not sent to us, except for the identifier mentioned in section 4.
| Storage | Content | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|
| Local storage | language, colour theme, symbol format, display and export settings, messages you chose not to see again, the last application version you were informed about, the random identifier of your browser installation | until you delete it |
| Session storage | the symbol you are currently editing | until the browser tab is closed |
| Service worker cache | the files of the application itself, so that it starts quickly and can be installed as an app; no personal data | until the next update or until you delete it |
symbol.army itself sets no cookies. Cookies of Google Analytics are described in section 7. You can delete all of this data at any time in your browser settings (site data for www.symbol.army).
6. Share links
The Share function copies a link to your clipboard. The link contains the complete symbol, including the free text of its modifiers, so that the person who opens it sees the same symbol. Whoever receives or sees the link can read this content. The link is processed by the services you use to send it (for example your e-mail or messenger).
7. Google Analytics
On the production site www.symbol.army - the application, these information pages and the documentation - we use Google Analytics 4, a web analytics service of Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, and Google LLC, USA ("Google"). The test installation of symbol.army does not use it.
Google Analytics records how symbol.army is used:
- pages viewed, referring page, device type, browser, operating system, screen size, language and approximate location (country or region, derived from the IP address)
- use of functions in the application, for example opening the search, editor or settings, saving a symbol (with the image format), sharing, resetting or changing the language
- how long the application stays open and visible
- errors of the symbol service, including the address of the failed request, and problems with application updates
- clicks on e-mail links on these information pages
We do not send your name, e-mail address or the content of your symbols to Google, and we do not use a user ID.
Google sets the cookies _ga and _ga_<ID>, which distinguish visitors and are stored for up to two years.
Google states that Google Analytics 4 does not store IP addresses.
Data may be transferred to and processed by Google in the USA. Google LLC is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, which the European Commission and the Swiss Federal Council recognise as ensuring an adequate level of data protection for certified companies. Google keeps the analytics data of symbol.army for 14 months.
You can prevent the collection by Google Analytics by blocking or deleting cookies in your browser, by using a content blocker, or with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. More information: Google Privacy Policy.
8. Contact by e-mail
If you write to us, for example at mss@gs-soft.com, we process your e-mail address and the content of your message to answer your request.
9. External links
symbol.army links to other websites, for example the user forum on Google Groups, gs-soft.com and map.army. When you follow such a link, the privacy policy of that website applies.
10. Legal bases
Under the GDPR we process personal data on the following bases:
- delivering the website, creating symbols and answering e-mails: provision of the service you request and our legitimate interest in operating a secure and working service (Art. 6(1)(b) and (f) GDPR)
- Google Analytics: our legitimate interest in understanding how symbol.army is used, so that we can improve it (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). You can object at any time as described in section 7.
Under the Swiss revFADP the processing described here is lawful without consent; you can object to it at any time.
11. Retention
- server log files and error trace files, including the symbol service requests and identifiers recorded in them: 90 days, then deleted
- Google Analytics: 14 months
- e-mails: as long as needed to handle your request and as required by law
- data in your browser: until you delete it (see section 5)
12. Your rights
Within the limits of the applicable law you have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, to have it corrected or deleted, to restrict or object to its processing, to receive it in a common format, and to withdraw a consent you have given. To exercise these rights, write to mss@gs-soft.com; we may ask you to prove your identity.
You can also lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority: in Switzerland the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC), in the EU the data protection authority of your country.
13. Changes
We adapt this policy when symbol.army or the law changes. The version published on this page applies; the date at the top shows the last change.