Core

Submission Identification

Chirp Form tracks form submitters in a privacy-friendly way without storing personally identifiable information. Each submitter is identified by a cryptographic hash rather than storing IP addresses or other sensitive data directly.

How It Works

When someone submits a form, Chirp Form creates a unique identifier by combining several factors and generating a SHA-256 hash:

  • Your site's unique embed key
  • The domain where the form is hosted
  • The submitter's IP address
  • The submitter's browser user agent

This hash serves as a fingerprint to identify repeat submitters without storing their actual information.

Privacy Benefits

No Personal Data Storage

IP addresses and user agents are never stored in our database. Only the resulting hash is saved, making it impossible to reverse-engineer the original data.

Domain-Specific Hashing

The hash includes your site's embed key and domain, meaning the same person will have different identifiers across different sites. This prevents cross-site tracking.

GDPR Compliance

Since no personally identifiable information is stored, this approach aligns with privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA.

Use Cases

Rate Limiting

The submitter hash helps prevent spam by identifying when the same user submits multiple forms in a short period.

Duplicate Detection

Identify potential duplicate submissions from the same source without compromising privacy.

Analytics

Track submission patterns and trends without collecting personal data.

Technical Details

The identifier is calculated using this formula:

SHA256(embed_key + domain + ip_address + user_agent)

Example: If the same person submits forms from different browsers or networks, they'll have different identifiers since the hash inputs change.

What This Means for You

  • No privacy concerns - you're not storing sensitive user data
  • Automatic spam protection - repeat submitters can be identified
  • Transparent tracking - users can't be identified across different sites

Limitations

Dynamic IP Addresses

Users with changing IP addresses (mobile networks, VPNs) will generate different hashes each time.

Shared Networks

Multiple users behind the same IP address and using similar browsers may generate similar patterns, though the exact hash will still differ based on user agent variations.

Browser Changes

Updating a browser or switching browsers will result in a different identifier for the same user.