1. Introduction
Welcome to FreeUtilityApps ("we," "us," or "our"), accessible at freeutilityapps.com. We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect information about you when you use our website and services. Please read this policy carefully. If you disagree with its terms, please discontinue use of our site.
This policy applies to all information collected through our website and any related services, sales, marketing, or events (collectively, the "Services").
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide
We collect information you voluntarily provide when using our services. This is minimal and context-dependent:
- Tool inputs: Text, URLs, or settings you enter into our browser-based tools (e.g., text for QR codes, passwords to hash). This data is processed locally and is not transmitted to our servers.
- Contact communications: If you contact us via email, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your message.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, certain information is automatically collected by our infrastructure and analytics tools:
- Log data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, and timestamps.
- Device information: Device type (desktop/mobile/tablet), screen resolution, and browser capabilities.
- Usage data: Pages viewed, time spent on pages, links clicked, and general navigation patterns (aggregated and anonymized).
2.3 Information We Do NOT Collect
We explicitly do not collect:
- Files you upload or process with our tools (they are processed in your browser)
- Passwords or cryptographic keys you generate
- PDF or image content from our conversion tools
- Account credentials (we have no user accounts)
- Payment information (all tools are free)
3. How We Use Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- Service delivery: To provide, operate, and maintain our website and tools.
- Performance monitoring: To monitor uptime, diagnose technical issues, and improve page performance.
- Analytics: To understand how visitors interact with our website in aggregate, so we can improve the user experience.
- Security: To detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, abuse, or security incidents.
- Communication: To respond to your inquiries if you contact us.
- Legal compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.
We use aggregated, non-personally identifiable data for business analytics. We do not sell, trade, rent, or otherwise transfer your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.
4. Browser-Side Processing
A core privacy principle of FreeUtilityApps is that the majority of our tools process data entirely within your web browser, using client-side JavaScript. This means:
- Files you upload (PDFs, images) are processed using Web APIs in your browser's sandbox
- Generated passwords, UUIDs, and hashes are created using your browser's built-in
cryptoAPI - JSON formatting, Base64 encoding/decoding, and URL encoding happen entirely in memory in your browser tab
- No file content is transmitted over the internet during tool use
Tools marked as "Coming Soon" that may require server-side processing in the future will clearly disclose this, including what data is transmitted and retained.
5. Cookies & Local Storage
5.1 What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files stored on your device by websites you visit. We use a minimal set of cookies and browser storage.
5.2 Cookies We Use
- Theme preference (localStorage): We store your light/dark mode preference using
localStorageunder the keyfua-theme. This keeps no personal information and never leaves your device. - Analytics cookies: We use privacy-respecting analytics (see Section 6). These may set minimal cookies or use cookie-less tracking methods.
5.3 No Tracking Cookies
We do not use advertising cookies, cross-site tracking cookies, or third-party cookies for profiling or retargeting purposes.
5.4 Managing Cookies
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse or delete cookies. Disabling cookies will not affect the functionality of our browser-based tools, though your theme preference will not persist.
Useful links for managing cookies:
6. Analytics
We use privacy-respecting analytics to understand how visitors use our site. Our analytics approach is designed to:
- Not collect personally identifiable information
- Not use cross-site tracking
- Comply with GDPR, CCPA, and other applicable privacy regulations
- Not share data with advertising networks
Analytics data is retained in aggregated form and is used solely to improve the website experience. We analyze metrics such as page views, session duration, popular tools, and geographic region (country-level, not precise location).
You can opt out of analytics tracking by using browser-based methods such as the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal, which our analytics implementation respects where supported.
7. Third-Party Services
Our website uses the following third-party services. Each has its own privacy policy:
- Google Fonts: We load Inter and JetBrains Mono fonts from Google Fonts. This may involve your browser making a request to Google's servers. See Google's Privacy Policy.
- QR Server API (goqr.me): Used by our QR Code Generator tool. Text/URL data is sent to their API for rendering. See their Privacy Policy.
We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any advertising network SDKs. We do not embed social media tracking widgets.
8. Data Retention
Since we collect minimal personal data, our retention practices are simple:
- Server logs: Retained for up to 30 days for security purposes, then deleted.
- Analytics data: Retained in aggregated, non-identifiable form for up to 24 months.
- Email communications: Retained for as long as necessary to resolve your inquiry, typically no longer than 12 months.
- Theme preference (localStorage): Stored locally on your device, not on our servers. You can clear it at any time via browser settings.
9. Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right to access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate personal data.
- Right to erasure: Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten").
- Right to data portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Right to object: Object to processing of your personal data for certain purposes.
- Right to restrict processing: Request that we limit how we use your personal data.
- Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time.
GDPR (EU/EEA users): You have all the rights listed above under the General Data Protection Regulation. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
CCPA (California residents): You have the right to know about personal information collected, the right to delete personal information, and the right to opt-out of sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@freeutilityapps.com. We will respond within 30 days.
10. Children's Privacy
Our Services are not directed at children under 13 years of age (or 16 in the EU/EEA). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we discover that a child under the applicable age has provided us with personal information, we will promptly delete it.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@freeutilityapps.com.
11. International Users
Our website is operated globally. By using our Services, you acknowledge that your information may be processed in countries other than your country of residence, which may have different data protection laws.
For users in the European Economic Area (EEA), UK, or Switzerland: We process your data on the basis of legitimate interests (providing and improving our service) or, where required, with your consent.
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by:
- Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
- Placing a prominent notice on our website for significant changes
We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of the Services after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
13. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 business days.