Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to The Tool Verge ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and providing transparency about how we handle your information.

This Privacy Policy explains how The Tool Verge (accessible at https://thetoolverge.com) collects, uses, and protects your information when you use our website and free online tools.

By using our website, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, do not use our services.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

When you use our tools or contact us, we may collect:

• Contact Information: If you contact us via email or contact form, we collect your name and email address
• Tool Usage Data: Our tools process data entirely in your browser. We do not receive, store, or have access to any passwords, QR codes, images, text, or other content you generate using our tools

2.2 Information Automatically Collected

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain information through cookies and similar technologies:

• Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, device type
• Usage Information: Pages visited, time spent on pages, links clicked, referring website
• Location Information: General geographic location based on IP address (country/city level)
• Analytics Data: Google Analytics collects data about your interactions with our website

2.3 Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track activity on our website and store certain information. Types of cookies we use:

• Essential Cookies: Required for the website to function properly
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website (Google Analytics)
• Advertising Cookies: Used by Google AdSense to serve relevant advertisements based on your interests

You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our website.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• Provide and Maintain Our Services: To deliver the tools and functionality you request
• Improve Our Website: To understand how users interact with our tools and make improvements
• Analytics and Research: To analyze usage patterns and optimize user experience
• Communicate With You: To respond to your inquiries and send important updates
• Display Advertisements: To show relevant ads through Google AdSense
• Prevent Fraud and Abuse: To detect and prevent malicious activity
• Comply With Legal Obligations: To meet legal and regulatory requirements

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may collect information about you:

4.1 Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC, to collect information about how visitors use our website.

• Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information such as how often users visit our site, what pages they visit, and what other sites they used prior to coming to our site
• Google Analytics collects the IP address assigned to you, but not your name or other personally identifying information
• We use the information from Google Analytics to improve our website and services
• You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on
• Learn more: Google Privacy Policy

4.2 Google AdSense

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements on our website. Google AdSense uses cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our website and other websites.

• Advertising Cookies: Google and its partners use cookies to serve ads based on your visits to this site and other sites on the internet
• Personalized Advertising: You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings
• Third-Party Opt-Out: You can also opt out of third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting aboutads.info
• Learn more: How Google uses information from sites that use our services

4.3 Cloudflare

Our website is hosted and delivered through Cloudflare, which may collect certain information for security and performance purposes. Review Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.

5. Data Security and Privacy

5.1 Client-Side Processing

5.2 Security Measures

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including:

• HTTPS encryption for all data transmission
• Secure hosting through Cloudflare
• Regular security updates and monitoring
• Access controls and authentication

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Data Retention

We retain your information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy:

• Analytics Data: Google Analytics retains data for 26 months by default
• Contact Information: Retained for as long as necessary to respond to your inquiry
• Tool-Generated Data: Not stored - all processing happens locally in your browser

7. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

7.1 General Rights

• Access: Request access to the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information
• Object: Object to processing of your personal information
• Restrict: Request restriction of processing your personal information
• Data Portability: Request transfer of your information to another service
• Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time (where processing is based on consent)

7.2 European Union (GDPR) Rights

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have specific rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including all rights listed above.

7.3 California (CCPA/CPRA) Rights

If you are a California resident, you have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including:

• Right to know what personal information is collected
• Right to know whether personal information is sold or disclosed
• Right to say no to the sale of personal information
• Right to delete personal information
• Right to equal service and price

7.4 How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in the "Contact Us" section below. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

8. Do Not Sell My Personal Information

We do not sell your personal information. We do not and will not sell your personal data to third parties.

However, we use Google AdSense which may use cookies and collect information for targeted advertising. If you wish to opt out of personalized advertising:

• Visit Google Ads Settings
• Visit Digital Advertising Alliance Opt-Out
• Use browser settings to block third-party cookies

9. Children's Privacy

Our website and services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe 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.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and maintained on servers located outside of your country, state, or jurisdiction where data protection laws may differ.

If you are located outside the United States and choose to provide information to us, please note that we transfer the data to the United States and process it there. By using our services, you consent to this transfer.

11. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites that are not operated by us. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

We strongly advise you to review the privacy policy of every site you visit.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by:

• Posting the new Privacy Policy on this page
• Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy
• Sending an email notification for significant changes (if we have your email)

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.

13. Cookie Management

You can manage cookies through your browser settings:

• Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data
• Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
• Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Cookies and website data
• Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions

Note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website and many other websites you visit.

14. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are from the European Economic Area (EEA), our legal basis for collecting and using your personal information depends on the information concerned and the context:

• Consent: You have given us permission to process your information for specific purposes
• Legitimate Interests: Processing is necessary for our legitimate interests (improving our services, analytics)
• Contract: Processing is necessary to fulfill a contract with you
• Legal Obligation: We need to comply with legal requirements

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us: