This privacy policy applies to the website character-count.net (the "Site," "Service," "we," "us," or "our"). We are committed to protecting the privacy of our users ("user," "you") and ensuring the responsible collection, use, and disclosure of your information when you use our character counting tools and related services.
Information We Collect
We collect information to provide and improve our Service to you. The types of information we collect are as follows:
Information You Provide Directly
- Text for Analysis: When you use character-count.net, you may input text into the provided fields for character, word, sentence, or paragraph counting. This text is processed by your browser or our servers solely for the purpose of providing you with the counting results. We do not store the content of the text you analyze beyond the immediate processing required to deliver the service during your active session.
- Contact Information: If you choose to contact us via a contact form (if available) or email, we may collect your name, email address, and any information you provide in your message to respond to your inquiry.
Information Collected Automatically (Usage Data)
We may automatically collect information about your interaction with our Service. This information includes:
- Log and Usage Data: Information such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type, browser version, the pages of our Service that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, and other diagnostic data.
- Device Information: Information about the device you use to access our Service, including hardware model, operating system and version, unique device identifiers, and mobile network information (if applicable).
This information is primarily collected through third-party analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics) and helps us understand user behavior, maintain and improve the Service, and ensure its security.
Third-Party Services
We utilize third-party services to provide and improve certain functionalities within the Site. These services may collect information used to identify you or information about your use of our Service.
Analytics Services
We use analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, to understand how users interact with the Service. These tools collect information such as your device type, Browse activity on our Site, and approximate location. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to collect and analyze information about your use of the Service (e.g., frequency of your visits, pages viewed). The information generated by these technologies about your use of the Service, including your IP address, may be transmitted to and stored by Google.
You can learn more about how Google Analytics collects and uses data by referring to their privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en-US. You can also opt-out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
The character-count.net website itself may use minimal cookies essential for basic site functionality or user preferences (e.g., remembering a setting). However, our third-party service providers, such as analytics and advertising partners (including Google AdSense), use cookies and similar tracking technologies (e.g., web beacons, pixels) to collect information, improve their services, and deliver targeted advertising.
These technologies may collect information such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed on our Site, and time spent on pages. This helps us understand how our Service is used and allows our partners to serve ads they believe are relevant to your interests.
You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies. Please note that disabling cookies may limit some functionalities of the Service.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:
- To provide, operate, and maintain our Service (e.g., processing the text you input for counting).
- To improve, personalize, and expand our Service.
- To understand and analyze how you use our Service.
- To develop new features and functionality.
- To communicate with you for customer service or to respond to your inquiries.
- To serve advertisements, including personalized ads, through partners like Google AdSense.
- To detect and prevent fraud, security breaches, and abuse.
- For compliance purposes, including enforcing our Terms of Service (if any), or other legal rights, or as may be required by applicable laws and regulations or requested by any judicial process or governmental agency.
Data Rights and Legal Compliance
We are committed to complying with all applicable data privacy regulations, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), where applicable.
For Users in the European Union (EU) / European Economic Area (EEA)
If you are located in the EU/EEA, you have certain data protection rights under the GDPR, including:
- The right to access, update, or delete the information we have on you.
- The right of rectification.
- The right to object to processing.
- The right of restriction.
- The right to data portability.
- The right to withdraw consent.
For Users in California
If you are a California resident, you have certain rights under the CCPA, including:
- The right to know what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell (if applicable).
- The right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
- The right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information (Note: character-count.net does not currently "sell" personal information in the traditional sense, but data collected by advertising partners may be considered a "sale" under CCPA. See Google AdSense section for opt-out).
- The right to non-discrimination for exercising your CCPA rights.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in the "Contact Us" section below.
Google AdSense & Advertising
We use Google AdSense to display advertisements on character-count.net. Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on our Service. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to our users based on their visit to our Service and/or other sites on the Internet.
These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technologies like cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons that are used in their respective advertisements and links that appear on character-count.net, which are sent directly to users' browser. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. These technologies are used to measure the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns and/or to personalize the advertising content that you see.
We adhere to Google AdSense program policies regarding data collection and user consent for personalized advertising. This may include collecting non-personally identifiable information such as your browser type, operating system, language preference, and non-identifiable Browse activity data linked to your device.
You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google's Ads Settings page: https://www.google.com/settings/ads. For more information about how Google uses data when you use our partners' sites or apps, visit: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
Security
We take reasonable steps to protect the information you provide us from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. We implement administrative, technical, and physical security measures designed to safeguard your information. However, please be aware that no internet transmission or electronic storage method is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
Links to Other Sites
Our Service may contain links to other websites that are not operated by us. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party's site. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.
Children's Privacy
Our Service does not address anyone under the age of 13 (or a higher age threshold where applicable by local law, such as 16 in some EU countries). We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from children without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to remove that information from our servers.
Browser Extensions and Add-ons
This privacy policy also governs the use of our official browser extensions and add-ons, including those available for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Our extensions are designed to provide the core functionality of our Service directly within your browser. We affirm that our Google Chrome extension is developed to be fully compliant with the policies and requirements set forth by the Chrome Web Store.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new privacy policy on this page and updating the "Effective Date" at the top. You are advised to review this privacy policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this privacy policy are effective when they are posted on this page.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or if you wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us through our dedicated contact page: https://www.character-count.net/contact.