Privacy notice
Boundsmap, invite beta. Last updated 24 September 2026.
This notice says what personal data Boundsmap handles while it is invite-only, why, who else sees it, and what you can do about it. It is short because Boundsmap holds very little.
Who we are
Boundsmap is made by Iain Barclay, who trades as Circial. Circial is not a company, so Iain is the controller of the personal data described here: the person responsible for it. You can contact him at iain@circial.com, or by post at Vauxhall Cottage, Vauxhall Road, Chepstow, NP16 5PX.
The short version
- Your maps stay in your browser. Boundsmap has no accounts and keeps no copy of your maps.
- Your description goes to Anthropic. When you press map, the description you wrote is sent to Claude, Anthropic’s AI model, which reads it and works out who is involved. Anthropic processes it in the United States, and may run the model elsewhere.
- We know who you are from your invite. Your invite link carries a name, and our logs record it when you open the link and each time a description is read.
- One cookie, needed for the site to work. No analytics, no advertising, no tracking.
What we handle, and why
Your invite name
Each invite link is made for one person and carries a name, usually yours. When you open the link, your browser keeps it in a cookie, and our hosting logs record the name, with the time. They record it again each time you press map.
Why: to run an invite-only beta. It tells us which invite each request came from, so that we can see which invites are in use, switch off one that is shared or misused, and keep the cost of the AI model under control.
Lawful basis: our legitimate interests in running and protecting the service (UK GDPR Article 6(1)(f)).
The description you write
The description goes from your browser to our server and straight on to Anthropic’s API. We do not store it. The AI’s reading of it comes back to your browser and is saved there, not with us. If a reading fails, our logs record that it failed and why in technical terms, never any of your words.
Descriptions may mention people. A description of a system can name staff, customers or suppliers. Boundsmap does not need personal details about anyone to map a system: please describe roles (“our HR team”, “the model supplier”) rather than naming individuals.
If someone has mentioned you in a description, what this notice says about descriptions applies to you too: we do not keep it. We have no way to find out who was mentioned, so we cannot tell you directly.
Why: to do what you asked, which is to read your description and turn it into a map.
Lawful basis: our legitimate interests in providing the service you asked for, and yours in getting it (Article 6(1)(f)). We use the same basis whether you are here for yourself or for your employer, and for anyone your description mentions.
Your maps
Your maps, your answers to Boundsmap’s questions, and a record of how long recent reads took are saved in your browser’s local storage, on your device. They are not sent to us and we cannot see them. Clearing your browser’s site data for Boundsmap deletes them. The summary you can save or copy is made in your browser too.
Hosting logs
Boundsmap is hosted by Vercel. Like any web host, Vercel records technical details of each request, which include your IP address and browser type. Why: to deliver the site, and to keep it secure and working.
Lawful basis: legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)).
If you email us
If you write to ask for an invite or anything else, we keep your email and our reply for three months after the conversation ends.
Lawful basis: legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)).
You do not have to give us any of this. Without an invite Boundsmap will not open, and without a description it has nothing to map.
Cookies and storage on your device
Boundsmap sets one cookie, boundsmap_invite. It holds your invite, lasts 90 days, is only sent to Boundsmap, and cannot be read by scripts on the page. Without it the site will not open, so it is strictly necessary and does not need your consent. There are no other cookies: no analytics and no advertising.
Boundsmap also keeps your maps and your answers in your browser’s local storage, because saving them is what you asked it to do, and a record of how long your recent reads took, so that it can show a realistic progress bar. Clearing your browser’s site data for Boundsmap removes all of it.
The timing record is the one thing here Boundsmap could work without, so you can switch it off. That deletes what it has kept and keeps nothing more in this browser; the progress bar then shows time passing, without an estimate.
The fonts are served by Boundsmap itself, so loading a page does not contact Google or any other font service.
Who else sees your data
- Anthropic, which runs the Claude model that reads your description. Which of Anthropic’s terms apply, how long it keeps what it is sent, and whether it may use it to train its models (being confirmed).
- Vercel, which hosts Boundsmap and keeps the logs described above. Vercel also keeps some information about visits to the sites it hosts, such as IP addresses, for its own purposes; its own privacy notice covers that. The terms Vercel hosts Boundsmap on (being confirmed).
We do not sell your data, share it with advertisers, or use it to train any AI model ourselves.
Transfers outside the UK
Anthropic and Vercel are based in the United States, so your description, and the details in hosting logs, are processed there. The legal safeguard that covers each transfer (being confirmed).
How long we keep it
| What | How long |
|---|---|
| Your description | Not kept by us. How long Anthropic holds it (being confirmed) |
| Your invite name in our logs | Our hosting logs’ retention period (being confirmed) |
| The invite cookie | 90 days, or until you clear it |
| Your maps | In your browser until you delete them. Never held by us |
| Emails | Three months after the conversation ends |
Your rights
You can ask us for a copy of the personal data we hold about you, ask us to correct or delete it, object to our using it, or ask us to restrict how we use it. Write to iain@circial.com. We will reply within one month.
Because we rely on legitimate interests, you can object at any time, on grounds relating to your situation, to our using your data. We will then stop, unless we have compelling grounds that override yours or we need the data for a legal claim.
If you think we have got something wrong with your personal data, you can complain to us at iain@circial.com. We will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days, look into it, and tell you the outcome. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk, 0303 123 1113.
Changes
When Boundsmap changes what it collects, this notice changes first. The biggest change coming is accounts: once they exist, your maps will be kept on our servers, and this notice will be rewritten to say so before that happens.