Privacy Policy

The Short Version First

HtmlColor.Codes is a free color tool website built and run by Jon DeCosta. We offer tools including a color picker, image color picker, color chart, color library, and more — all free, all browser-based.

Here's the honest summary before you read the full policy: we don't sell your data, we don't build profiles about you, and we don't ask you to create an account. We use Google Analytics to understand general traffic patterns, and Google AdSense to display ads that help keep the site free. Both of these services use cookies and are governed by Google's own privacy policies.

This policy applies to all pages and tools at htmlcolor.codes and any of its subdomains. It does not apply to third-party websites that we link to.

Information We Do Collect

We collect a limited amount of non-personal, aggregate information through standard web analytics. Here's what that means in plain terms:

Usage and analytics data

When you visit HtmlColor.Codes, Google Analytics records standard web metrics including your approximate geographic region (country or city level — not your street address), the pages you visited, how long you stayed, which device and browser you used, and how you found the site (direct, search, social, etc.). This data is aggregated — it tells us "500 people visited the color picker from the UK this week" not "Sarah from London visited at 3pm."

Server logs

Our web hosting automatically logs basic server information when you make a request: your IP address, the page requested, the time of the request, and the referrer. This data is used for security monitoring and technical troubleshooting. Server logs are retained for a short period and then automatically purged. We do not use server logs to track individual users across sessions.

Information you voluntarily provide

If you use our contact form to send us a message, we receive your email address and whatever you type in the message. We use this only to respond to your enquiry. We don't add contact form submissions to any mailing list without your explicit consent.

Information We Don't Collect

Being clear about what we don't collect is just as important as what we do. Here's what we have no access to and no interest in:

• Your name or email address — unless you contact us directly via the contact form
• Your images — when you use the Image Color Picker, your photo or file is processed entirely within your browser using the HTML5 Canvas API. It is never transmitted to our server, never stored anywhere, and we never see it
• Payment information — we don't sell anything and don't handle payments of any kind
• Precise location — we see city or region-level data from Google Analytics, not your GPS coordinates or street address
• Account credentials — there are no accounts on this site, so there are no passwords or login details to collect
• Color values you pick or copy — the tools run entirely in your browser; we have no record of which colors you selected
• Cross-site tracking — we do not build profiles of your browsing habits across other websites

Cookies and Local Storage

A cookie is a small text file stored on your device by your browser when you visit a website. They're used for a wide range of purposes — from keeping you logged into sites (we don't have logins) to remembering your preferences to enabling advertising.

Our own cookies

HtmlColor.Codes uses a single piece of browser local storage to remember your dark/light mode preference. This stays on your device and is never sent to our server. It's simply so the site remembers whether you prefer dark mode between visits. You can clear this at any time by clearing your browser's local storage for our domain.

Third-party cookies

Our third-party services — Google Analytics and Google AdSense — place their own cookies on your device when you visit. These are described in more detail in sections 05 and 06 below. A summary:

How to control cookies

You have full control over cookies. Every modern browser allows you to view, block, or delete cookies. You can also use browser extensions like uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger, or similar tools to block third-party tracking cookies entirely. If you block Google Analytics cookies, we simply won't be able to count your visit in our traffic statistics — the site will work exactly the same.

For detailed instructions on managing cookies in your specific browser, visit your browser's help documentation or allaboutcookies.org.

Google AdSense and Advertising

HtmlColor.Codes displays advertisements through Google AdSense. Advertising is how we cover the costs of running the site and keep all the tools free for everyone. We want to be completely transparent about how it works.

What Google AdSense does

Google AdSense uses cookies and similar technologies to display ads that are relevant to you based on your previous browsing activity across the web. This is called "interest-based advertising" or "personalised advertising." Google does this by tracking the sites you visit (not just ours) and building an interest profile that determines which ads to show you.

The key point is that Google manages this tracking, not us. We don't have access to the data Google collects for ad targeting purposes. We receive payment based on aggregate ad performance statistics, not individual user data.

Our relationship with ads

We have no control over which specific ads appear on this site beyond setting broad category exclusions. We do not accept direct advertising deals, sponsored content, or paid product placements. Every page on this site reflects our honest opinions and information — advertising revenue does not influence the content we write or the tools we build.

Opting out of personalised ads

You can opt out of interest-based advertising from Google in a few ways:

• Visit Google Ads Settings to review and control your ad personalisation preferences
• Visit Your Online Choices (EU) or About Ads (US) to opt out of interest-based advertising from participating companies
• Install browser extensions that block advertising trackers

For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy and Google's advertising policies.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics (GA4) to understand how people use HtmlColor.Codes. This helps us make the site better — knowing which tools people use most, where they get stuck, and what content is genuinely useful guides every improvement we make.

What Google Analytics tracks on this site

• Which pages were visited and in what order
• How long sessions last
• Approximate geographic location (country/region/city level)
• Device type, operating system, and browser
• Whether visitors are new or returning
• Traffic source (search engine, direct, referral, social)

IP anonymisation

We have IP anonymisation enabled. This means the last portion of your IP address is masked before it reaches Google's servers, so your precise location is not stored. Google Analytics reports city-level location data, not your home or office address.

Data sharing with Google

Google Analytics data is processed by Google in accordance with their own privacy policy. We use the data only in aggregate form — looking at trends and patterns, not individual user journeys. We do not share Google Analytics data with any other party.

Opting out of Google Analytics

You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking across all websites by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. You can also block the analytics scripts using an ad blocker or your browser's privacy settings.

Image Color Picker — A Special Note on Privacy

Because the Image Color Picker involves uploading files, we want to be exceptionally clear about how it works.

You can verify this yourself using your browser's network tab in Developer Tools (press F12, go to Network, upload an image, and you'll see no upload request is made). This design is intentional. We built it this way because it's the right approach — image files can be personal, confidential, or commercially sensitive, and they should stay on your device.

This means you can safely use the Image Color Picker with:

• Client photos and brand assets under NDA
• Personal family photos
• Medical images or sensitive business documents that happen to be images
• Confidential design files and mockups
• Any image you wouldn't want to upload to a public service

Third-Party Services We Use

We use a small number of third-party services to run this site. Each has its own privacy policy and practices:

We do not use social media widgets, embedded videos, or any other third-party embeds beyond what is listed above. We don't share your data with advertisers, data brokers, or any commercial third parties.

Links to external websites

Some pages on this site contain links to external websites — for example, links to browser documentation, accessibility guides, or tool resources. Once you click a link and leave HtmlColor.Codes, this privacy policy no longer applies. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any external site you visit.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you are in the world, you have various legal rights regarding your personal data. We want to make these easy to exercise.

If you're in the European Union (GDPR)

Under the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of any personal data we hold about you
• Rectification — request correction of inaccurate personal data
• Erasure — request deletion of your personal data (the "right to be forgotten")
• Restriction — request that we limit how we process your data
• Portability — receive your data in a machine-readable format
• Object — object to certain types of processing, including marketing
• Withdraw consent — where processing is based on your consent, withdraw it at any time

In practice, since we collect very limited personal data (mostly only if you contact us), most of these rights are easy to exercise. Contact us and we'll handle any request promptly.

If you're in California (CCPA/CPRA)

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information is collected about you
• Know whether your personal information is sold or disclosed (we don't sell it)
• Say no to the sale of personal information
• Access your personal information
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Not be discriminated against for exercising these rights

For everyone

Regardless of where you are, if you've sent us a message via the contact form and want us to delete it, just ask. If you want to know exactly what information we hold about you, ask us and we'll tell you plainly.

Children's Privacy

HtmlColor.Codes is a general-purpose color tool website. It is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

Since our site does not require account registration and does not collect personal information during normal use (i.e. using the color tools), children can use the tools themselves without providing us any personal data. The only personal data we would collect from any user is if they voluntarily submit a contact form.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at the address below and we will delete it promptly.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. When we do, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. If we make any significant changes — for example, if we add a new third-party service that handles personal data — we'll make that change visible, not just bury it in a date update.

The current version of this policy is always available at htmlcolor.codes/privacy. Continuing to use the site after a policy update means you accept the updated terms.

We don't send newsletters or policy update emails because we don't have your email address unless you've contacted us directly. If you want to stay up to date, simply bookmark this page and check back occasionally.

Questions? Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, want to exercise any of your privacy rights, or just want to understand something more clearly — please reach out. I read and respond to every message.

If you feel your privacy concern has not been addressed and you are located in the EU, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. In the UK, that is the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). In the EU, contact your national supervisory authority.