Privacy policy
How local tool processing differs from Google Analytics, what page activity may be measured and the privacy choices available to you.
The short version
The diagnostic tools on this site run entirely in your browser. Your keystrokes, your microphone audio, your camera video, your controller input and your screen test results are processed on your own device and are never transmitted to us. We have no server that receives them, so there is nothing for us to store, sell or lose.
Local tool processing doesn’t mean the website makes no network requests. Page visits are measured with Google Analytics and the hosting service handles requests for pages and assets. The sections below explain that distinction.
What the tools do with your data
The diagnostic inputs are processed locally. Specifically:
- Keyboard test. Key events are read in your browser to light up the on-screen keyboard. They’re not logged, transmitted or retained. Closing the tab discards them.
- Mouse test. Click timings are measured in your browser to detect switch chatter. Nothing is sent anywhere.
- Microphone test. Audio is processed locally to draw the level meter and waveform. If you record a test clip, that recording is created in your browser’s memory and exists only until you close the page, unless you choose to download it.
- Webcam test. Video is displayed locally. Snapshots are generated on your device. No video frame is uploaded.
- Controller, screen and refresh rate tests. Read your hardware directly through standard browser interfaces. No transmission.
Your browser will ask permission before the microphone and camera tests can access those devices. That permission is granted to your browser, not to us and you can revoke it at any time through your browser’s site settings.
What we collect
Server logs. Our hosting provider records standard web server information when you request a page: IP address, browser user agent, the page requested, referring page and timestamp. This is ordinary infrastructure logging, used to keep the site running and to investigate abuse. We don’t use it to build profiles of individuals.
Local browser storage. Some pages remember small preferences on your own device, such as a collapsed section. This data stays in your browser, is never transmitted and you can clear it through your browser settings at any time.
We don’t ask you to create an account and we don’t run newsletters or contact forms that collect personal information beyond what you choose to send us by email.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand which pages people visit and how they find and use the site. This is separate from processing files or running device tests.
Google receives measurement requests from your browser. They can include page URLs and titles plus referral information, browser details, device information and cookie identifiers. Google says GA4 uses IP addresses during collection but doesn’t log or store them. We use Analytics reports to understand site usage and improve pages. See Google’s data safeguards.
Depending on the Analytics property settings, enhanced measurement may also record scrolling, outbound links, download-link interactions and site searches. Search terms appear in the search page’s URL and may be included in measurement. Don’t put passwords or sensitive personal details into site search. See Google’s enhanced measurement documentation.
Our tool code doesn’t deliberately attach file contents or diagnostic input to Analytics events. That doesn’t mean a page visit is unmeasured: page activity and tool processing are different things.
Analytics cookies and your choices
Google Analytics can set first-party cookies such as _ga and _ga_<identifier> to distinguish visitors and sessions. These aren’t required by the tools. Cookie expiry depends on Analytics settings and may be renewed by later visits.
The current site loads the Analytics tag when a page opens. It doesn’t currently provide a site-level consent banner or an Analytics opt-out toggle. This policy describes that behavior; reading it isn’t a request for consent.
You can use browser tracking protection or a content blocker to block Analytics requests. Google also offers an Analytics opt-out browser add-on for supported browsers. Clearing cookies removes stored identifiers but doesn’t by itself prevent future measurement requests or new cookies. Blocking Analytics doesn’t disable the tools.
Google explains its processing in its privacy policy and its information for visitors to partner sites.
Advertising and hosting cookies
This site loads the Google AdSense script. Your browser connects to Google when the script loads. Whether ads appear depends on approval and the settings in our AdSense account. The site’s reserved manual ad slots remain disabled; that setting doesn’t prevent the AdSense script from loading or control Auto ads.
Google and its partners may use cookies to serve ads based on visits to this site or other sites. You can manage personalised advertising through Google Ads Settings. See Google’s advertising policy for details. Advertising preferences are separate from the Analytics choices described above. The site doesn’t currently include an advertising consent banner.
Our hosting provider may use cookies or similar mechanisms for security. Those are separate from Analytics cookies. The tools don’t require Analytics or advertising cookies to function.
Your rights
If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, the GDPR gives you the right to access the personal data we hold about you, to have it corrected or erased, to restrict or object to its processing and to data portability. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.
If you are a California resident, the CCPA as amended by the CPRA gives you the right to know what personal information is collected and how it is used, to request deletion, to correct inaccurate information and to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. We don’t sell personal information for money. Advertising partners may process page-visit data as described above. Contact us to make a privacy request and see the Analytics choices above for ways to limit measurement.
We won’t discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.
To make a request, email us using the address on the contact page. We may need to ask for information that lets us locate the relevant records.
Children
This site isn’t directed at children under 13 and we don’t knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided personal information, contact us and we’ll delete it.
Data retention
We retain server logs only as long as needed for security and operational purposes. Advertising partners set their own retention periods, described in their own policies.
International transfers
Our hosting, analytics and advertising providers operate globally, so data may be processed in countries other than yours, including the United States. Where required, transfers rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses.
Changes
September 23, 2026: Added the Google AdSense script disclosure.
September 23, 2026: Added Google Analytics disclosures and clarified the current absence of site-level consent controls.
We’ll update this page when our practices change and we’ll move the effective date at the top. Material changes will be noted on the page rather than made quietly.
Contact
Questions about this page or requests under it, go to [email protected]. Idea Incubator, LLC operates Hardware Detective and these terms are governed by the laws of the State of Wyoming, United States.