Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

BigWatermark (“BigWatermark”, “we”, “us” or “our”) operates the website https://bigwatermark.com and the watermarking tool available on it (together, the “Service”). We are responsible for the processing of personal information described in this policy. You can contact us at support@bigwatermark.com.

2. Files you watermark

PDFs, images and ZIP archives

When you add PDF files, JPG/PNG/WebP images or ZIP archives, they are opened, watermarked and saved by your own web browser on your own device. These files and their contents are not transmitted to our servers, and we have no access to them. They remain in your browser’s memory only until you clear the queue, close the tab or reload the page.

Word documents

Browsers cannot reliably lay out Word documents, so when you add a .docx or .doc file it is sent over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection to our conversion server. There it is written to an isolated temporary folder, converted to PDF and returned to your browser. The temporary folder and everything in it — your document and the generated PDF — is deleted as soon as the conversion finishes or fails, normally within seconds. We do not read, copy, analyze, log the contents of, or share these documents, and we do not use them to train any model. Only the file extension is used to choose the correct converter.

3. Information collected automatically

Like most websites, our servers and hosting provider receive technical information when your browser requests a page: your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, the page requested, the referring page, and the date and time of the request. We use this information to deliver the website, keep it secure, prevent abuse (for example, by temporarily limiting how many Word conversions a single IP address can request) and diagnose errors. IP addresses used for rate limiting are held in memory only and discarded within about 15 minutes. Server logs kept by our hosting provider are retained for a limited period (typically no longer than 30 days) unless needed to investigate a security incident.

4. Cookies, local storage and advertising

The watermarking tool itself does not need cookies. We store a small preference in your browser’s local storage when you dismiss the cookie notice so we do not show it again.

To keep BigWatermark free, we may display advertising provided by third parties such as Google AdSense (and, where applicable, other networks such as Media.net). These providers may use cookies, web beacons and similar technologies to serve and measure ads:

• Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website or other websites.
• Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this site and/or other sites on the Internet.
• You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can also opt out of some third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalized advertising at www.aboutads.info/choices or, in Europe, at www.youronlinechoices.eu.
• Learn how Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.

Visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are asked for consent through a consent management platform before personalized ads are shown. See our Cookie Policy for more detail and how to manage cookies in your browser.

We do not currently use third-party analytics services. If that changes, we will update this policy first.

5. Information you send us

If you email us, we receive your email address, name (if provided) and the content of your message. We use it only to respond to you and keep a record of the conversation, and we delete it when it is no longer needed for that purpose.

6. Legal bases for processing (EEA and UK)

• Performance of a service you request — converting Word documents you choose to convert.
• Legitimate interests — operating, securing and improving the website and preventing abuse.
• Consent — personalized advertising and non-essential cookies, where required by law. You can withdraw consent at any time.
• Legal obligations — where we must keep or disclose information by law.

7. Sharing of information

We do not sell your personal information. We share limited information only with:

• Hosting and infrastructure providers that run our servers on our behalf and under confidentiality obligations.
• Advertising partners as described in section 4, which collect information directly through their own cookies under their own privacy policies.
• Authorities when required by law, or to protect the rights, safety and security of our users, the public or the Service.

8. International transfers

Our hosting and advertising partners may process information in countries other than yours, including the United States. Where required, such transfers are protected by appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses.

9. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete or receive a copy of your personal information, to object to or restrict certain processing, and to withdraw consent. Residents of California and other US states with privacy laws may have the right to know what personal information is collected, to request deletion or correction, and to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. We do not sell personal information; you can opt out of personalized ads through Google Ads Settings, the industry opt-out pages listed above, or by enabling Global Privacy Control in your browser where supported.

Because we do not have accounts or store your files, we usually hold very little information that can be linked to you. To exercise your rights, email support@bigwatermark.com. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

10. Children’s privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13 (or under 16 in the EEA and UK), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

11. Security

We protect the Service with HTTPS, strict security headers including a Content Security Policy, isolated and time-limited Word conversion with macros disabled, rate limiting, and by not storing your files at all. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect the information we process.

12. Third-party links

The website contains links to other websites, including those of advertisers. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to read their privacy policies.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top shows when it was last revised. Significant changes will be highlighted on this page.

14. Contact

Questions or requests about this policy: support@bigwatermark.com.