Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

SoundMeter ("we", "us", "our") operates the website onlinesoundmeter.com. We provide free browser-based audio measurement and analysis tools. Our contact email is hello@onlinesoundmeter.com.

2. Audio data & microphone access

When you use our measurement tools, your browser requests microphone access. Here's exactly what happens with your audio:

• Processing: Audio feeds into the browser's Web Audio API AnalyserNode, which runs entirely in your browser's local memory.
• Storage: None. Audio samples are analyzed frame-by-frame and immediately discarded. No buffers are retained beyond the current 2048-sample window.
• Transmission: Zero. There is no server endpoint, WebSocket, API call, or any mechanism to send audio data anywhere. Our site is static HTML files on a CDN — there is no backend to receive data.
• Recording: We do not use the MediaRecorder API. No audio recordings are created.
• Termination: When you stop measurement or close the tab, the AudioContext is destroyed and all audio buffers are released for garbage collection.

How to verify: Open your browser's DevTools (F12), go to the Network tab, and start a measurement. You will see zero outbound requests containing audio data. This is independently verifiable.

3. Data we collect

3.1 Information you provide

None. Our tools require no account creation, email address, name, or any personal information. You can use every feature anonymously.

3.2 Automatically collected data (analytics)

We use Google Analytics 4 (measurement ID: G-F0T6VPKHJ4) to understand how our site is used. Google Analytics collects:

• Pages visited and time on page
• General geographic region (country/city level, not precise location)
• Device type, browser, and operating system
• Referral source (how you found us)
• Session duration

Google Analytics does not collect: your name, email, microphone audio, or any personally identifiable information. IP addresses are anonymized by Google before storage.

Legal basis (GDPR): Legitimate interest in understanding site usage to improve our tools.

3.3 Local storage

We store one item in your browser's localStorage:

• theme — Your preference for light or dark mode ("light" or "dark")

This is not a cookie and is not transmitted to any server. You can clear it anytime via browser settings.

4. Cookies

4.1 Essential cookies

We do not set any first-party cookies.

4.2 Analytics cookies

Google Analytics may set cookies (e.g., _ga, _ga_*) to distinguish users and sessions. These are third-party cookies governed by Google's Privacy Policy.

4.3 Advertising cookies (future)

We intend to display advertisements through Google AdSense. Once active, AdSense may set cookies to:

• Serve ads based on your interests and browsing history
• Limit the number of times you see a particular ad
• Measure ad effectiveness

You can manage ad personalization at Google Ad Settings. You can also opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Your Ad Choices.

5. Third-party services

None of these services have access to your microphone audio. Audio processing is entirely local and isolated from all third-party scripts.

6. Data export

When you export measurement data as CSV or PNG, the file is generated entirely within your browser using JavaScript and downloaded directly to your device. No data passes through our servers or any third party during export.

7. Your rights (GDPR / EEA users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area, you have the following rights under the General Data Protection Regulation:

• Right to access — Request what data we hold about you (answer: none, beyond anonymous analytics)
• Right to erasure — Request deletion of your data (we don't store personal data to delete)
• Right to object — Object to analytics processing (opt out via browser settings or extensions)
• Right to portability — Not applicable (no personal data stored)
• Right to restrict processing — Disable JavaScript to prevent all analytics

To exercise any right, email hello@onlinesoundmeter.com.

8. California residents (CCPA)

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to know what personal information is collected and to request its deletion. We do not sell personal information. The analytics data collected by Google Analytics is anonymized and not linked to any individual identity.

9. Children's privacy

Our tools are used in educational settings (classroom noise meters). We do not knowingly collect any personal information from children or adults. The tools require no account, email, name, or any identifying information. Teachers can use the classroom tool on a projector without students interacting with the website directly.

10. Data security

We implement the following security measures:

• HTTPS encryption on all pages (HSTS with 1-year max-age)
• Content-Security-Policy header restricting script execution
• No user accounts or databases to breach
• Static site architecture (no server-side code to exploit)
• Regular dependency updates

11. Changes to this policy

If we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top. Significant changes (adding new data collection, changing third-party services) will be clearly noted. Given our static-site architecture and minimal data collection, substantial changes are unlikely.

12. Contact

For privacy-related questions or to exercise your data rights:

• Email: hello@onlinesoundmeter.com
• Response time: Within 30 days for formal data requests, 48 hours for general inquiries