Privacy & Data Protection

Privacy Policy

At ToolTux, we believe transparency is paramount. This Privacy Policy details the exact types of information we process, how our client-side browser utilities process input locally, when server or third-party requests occur, and how third-party advertising partners like Google AdSense serve, measure, and personalize ads in accordance with Google Publisher Policies, GDPR, and CCPA/CPRA regulations.

Effective Date: October 2026 • Client-Side Architecture & Consent Mode v2 Integrated

Local Browser Processing

Direct browser utilities—such as JSON formatting, password generation, image compression, and text-to-PDF export—process inputs in your browser's memory.

Zero Personal Data Resale

We never sell, rent, or trade your personal information or browsing records to data brokers.

User Consent Sovereignty

Granular controls for functional, analytics, and advertising cookies with Google Consent Mode v2 compliance.

Security & Encryption

All network communication operates over strict HTTPS TLS encryption with modern security headers.

1. Overview & Architectural Privacy Commitment

ToolTux provides browser-based developer formatters, encoders, CSS and image design utilities, text and PDF tools, SEO tag generators, and cybersecurity learning utilities. We prioritize data minimization: you do not need to register an account, provide payment information, or upload documents to our servers in order to use our client-side utilities.

2. How Tools Process Your Data: Client-Side vs. Server-Side

Understanding where your inputs are evaluated is fundamental to your digital security:

A. Client-Side Browser Execution (Most Utilities)

Direct client-side utilities—including the JSON Formatter, Base64 Encoder & Decoder, QR Code Generator, Word Counter, Password Generator, Password Strength Checker, Image Compressor, PDF Tools, Text Diff Checker, Hash Generator, Hash Identifier, JWT Decoder, Regex Tester & Debugger, and CSS Gradient Generator—run inside your web browser using HTML5, Web APIs, and client-side JavaScript. The text, code snippets, passwords, tokens, or image files you process inside these client-side tools remain in your browser while you work and are not uploaded to ToolTux's backend servers.

B. Server Interactions

ToolTux communicates with our web server and Google Firebase / Cloud Firestore database for the following operations: loading site configuration and published content (tool listings, sandbox tool entries, blog articles, FAQs, and curated YouTube tutorial entries); saving contact form submissions (your name, email address, inquiry category, message text, and timestamp); reading and updating aggregate tool and blog post like and view counts; storing comments and reviews that visitors choose to submit (your chosen display name, comment or review text, star rating for reviews, optional email if entered on a blog comment, timestamp, and like count, along with a one-time generated guest tag such as guest_... attached only to submitted reviews and blog comments when no administrator account is signed in—browsing visitors are not assigned a persistent tracking user ID); and recording standard server access logs (IP address, HTTP user agent, requested URL, and timestamp) required to serve pages and maintain operational security.

C. Tools That Contact External Services

Hosted workspace embeds in our Sandbox Tools section—specifically HTML Sanitizer & Live Viewer (htmlviewer.tooltux.com), JSON Tree Viewer & Validator (jsonviewer.tooltux.com), Regex Pattern Tester (regextester.tooltux.com), SQL Query Formatter (sqlformatter.tooltux.com), and JWT Token Inspector (jwtinspector.tooltux.com) when opened in Live Embed mode—as well as any directory listing configured as an External Web Tool connect your browser directly to those hosted or external URLs. In addition, if you paste HTML or Markdown containing external image, stylesheet, or script URLs into HTML Sandbox & Viewer or Markdown Previewer, your browser requests those URLs directly from their external hosts. (Our built-in Browser & Network Info, HTTP Header Analyzer, and Security Headers Checker inspect local browser properties and pasted header text locally without calling third-party lookup APIs.) Because external hosts and embedded services receive standard network request data and any input submitted to them, you should not enter sensitive credentials, private keys, or confidential information into them.

3. Google AdSense & Third-Party Advertising Disclosures

ToolTux uses Google AdSense to display advertisements that support our free service. In accordance with Google's publisher policies, please note the following required disclosures:

  • Third-Party Vendor Cookies: Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve advertisements on ToolTux.
  • Advertising Identifiers: Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to users based on their visits to ToolTux and/or other websites across the Internet.
  • Personalized vs. Non-Personalized Ads: Depending on your geographic region and your explicit consent choices, ads served may be personalized (tailored to previous browsing activity) or non-personalized (contextual ads based on current page content).
  • Opting Out of Personalized Advertising: You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google's official Ads Settings at adssettings.google.com. Alternatively, you can opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting www.aboutads.info/choices or your regional equivalent (e.g., European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance at youronlinechoices.eu).

To learn more about how Google processes information when you visit sites that utilize its services, please read Google's official documentation: Google Advertising Technologies Policy · Google Privacy Policy.

4. Cookies, Local Storage & Google Consent Mode v2

We use browser cookies and modern local storage mechanisms to deliver core functionality and measure performance:

  • Strictly Necessary: Maintains session security, anti-tampering verification, and basic page state.
  • Functional / Local Storage: Stores your Dark/Light theme mode (tooltux_theme_pref) and recent search queries.
  • Analytics & Advertising: Google AdSense cookies and identifiers, which operate subject to your consent choices.

Manage Your Cookie & Advertising Preferences: Adjust your consent signals for analytics and advertising at any time via Cookie Preferences or Clear Local Cache.

5. Your Rights under GDPR, UK-GDPR & California CCPA/CPRA

Under global privacy frameworks, you have specific guaranteed rights regarding your data:

  • Right to Access & Know: You may request information regarding any personal data we hold.
  • Right to Deletion: You may request the deletion of any messages or communication records you submit.
  • Right to Rectification: You may request correction of inaccurate records.
  • Right to Opt-Out: You may opt out of the sale or sharing of personal data and personalized advertising at any time.
  • Right to Non-Discrimination: We do not deny services or degrade features based on your exercise of privacy rights.

6. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

ToolTux is a general-audience developer and productivity utility site not directed at children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in the European Economic Area). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has submitted personal details through our Contact form, please notify us immediately so we can expunge the record.

7. External Links & Third-Party Services

ToolTux uses the following third-party services to host site data, optimize media assets, embed video tutorials, and serve advertisements. When your browser interacts with these services, they process standard technical metadata (such as IP address, user agent, and cookies where consented) under their own privacy policies:

  • Google AdSense: Displays advertisements and measures ad performance subject to your Cookie Preferences and Google Consent Mode v2 settings (Google Privacy Policy · Google Advertising Policy).
  • Google Firebase / Google Cloud (Cloud Firestore & Firebase Authentication): Stores public site configuration, published tools and blog posts, aggregate tool and blog view/like counts, contact form messages, visitor-submitted comments and reviews, and administrator sign-in credentials (Firebase Privacy & Security · Google Privacy Policy).
  • Cloudinary: Supported by our image optimization helper whenever a tool thumbnail, banner, or blog cover image is configured with a Cloudinary CDN URL (res.cloudinary.com) to deliver responsive image formats (Cloudinary Privacy Policy).
  • Unsplash: Serves default stock thumbnail and social preview images (images.unsplash.com) referenced on Sandbox Tools and fallback tool metadata when a custom local image is not configured (Unsplash Privacy Policy).
  • YouTube (Google): Used to embed official tutorial and walkthrough videos (www.youtube.com/embed) on our YouTube video guides page when videos are published (Google Privacy Policy).

Our built-in browser utilities do not call third-party lookup APIs, and ToolTux does not load external font stylesheets from Google Fonts. Some directory or Sandbox listings provide links to or embeds of external web tools or developer documentation; we do not control and are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or cookie policies of external websites and encourage you to review their policies upon visiting.

8. Privacy Questions & Data Officer Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your GDPR/CCPA rights, or require data deletion, reach out to our designated compliance contact:

tooltux1@gmail.com