Who we are
This policy explains how HotSymbol (https://www.hotsymbol.com, “HotSymbol”, “we”, “us”) handles information about the people who use the site. We are responsible for the information described in it.
What we collect
- No account information. You can use every part of HotSymbol without signing up or giving us your name or email address.
- Usage measurements. When analytics is enabled, we measure page views and interactions such as copying a symbol, choosing a code format, and running a search. For searches we record only the length of the query and the number of results, never the words you typed or the text you copied.
- Technical data. Like every website, our hosting and content-delivery providers receive your IP address, browser type, and the pages you request so they can deliver and protect the site.
- Your cookie choice. Our own code stores one item in your browser’s local storage: whether you accepted or declined non-essential cookies, and when. It never leaves your device.
- Messages you send us. If you use our contact form, we receive the name, email address, topic, and message you enter, together with the page language and your browser type. The form is delivered to us by email.
Cookies and advertising
HotSymbol is free because it shows advertising through Google AdSense. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website or other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to HotSymbol and other sites on the internet.
You can opt out of personalized advertising in Google’s My Ad Center, and learn more in how Google uses information from sites that use its services. You can also opt out of some third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalized advertising at aboutads.info.
We ask for your consent before non-essential cookies are used. Until you accept, and if you decline, Google Analytics and Google AdSense run without cookies: they may receive basic measurements that cannot identify you across visits, and ads are not personalized. Text you type into search or table filters is never sent to Google Analytics. You can change your choice at any time:
How we use information
- to deliver pages and keep the site secure and available;
- to understand which symbols, formats, and pages are useful, so we can improve them;
- to show advertising that pays for the service, in line with your cookie choice;
- to reply to messages you send us and to act on corrections and requests.
Where European or UK data protection law applies, we rely on our legitimate interests to run and secure the site and to answer your messages, and on your consent for non-essential cookies and personalized advertising.
Who we share it with
We share information only with service providers that help us run HotSymbol: our hosting and content-delivery providers, our email provider for contact-form messages, Google Analytics for measurement, and Google AdSense and its partners for advertising. They may process data in other countries under their own safeguards. We do not sell your personal information for money. Advertising cookies may count as “sharing” under some US state privacy laws; declining non-essential cookies and using the opt-outs above limits it.
How long we keep it
Your cookie choice stays in your browser until you change it or clear your site data. Analytics data is kept for 14 months and server logs for 30 days. Contact-form messages are kept for up to 12 months after our last reply, unless we need them longer to resolve a legal claim.
Your choices and rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or receive a copy of personal information about you, to object to or restrict its use, and to withdraw consent at any time. To make a request, use our contact form and choose “Privacy request”. We may ask for information to confirm your request before acting on it. You may also complain to your local data protection authority.
Children
HotSymbol is a general reference site and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
When we change this policy, we update the effective date at the top of this page. For significant changes we will make the update clear on the site.
Contact
Send questions about privacy through our contact form, choosing “Privacy request” as the topic.