1. Introduction
HitCounters ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our website analytics service.
By using HitCounters, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the collected information for:
- Providing and maintaining our service
- Generating analytics reports for website owners
- Improving and optimizing our service
- Communicating with you about your account
- Sending service-related notifications
- Detecting and preventing fraud or abuse
- Complying with legal obligations
4. Data Sharing
We do not sell your personal information. We may share data with:
- Service Providers: Third-party companies that help us operate our service (hosting, email delivery)
- Legal Requirements: When required by law or to protect our rights
- Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets
Website visitor data is only shared with the website owner who installed our tracking code.
5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies
On hitcounters.com (our dashboard)
We use first-party cookies to:
- Keep you logged into your account
- Remember your preferences (timezone, theme)
- Protect against CSRF attacks
On websites running our tracking script
Our visitor-tracking script does not set cookies on the websites where it is installed. Instead, it stores a first-party visitor identifier and session ID in the browser's localStorage (scoped to the site that installed the script). This data:
- Stays on a single site — no cross-site or cross-device tracking
- Is never used for advertising or sold to third parties
- Can be cleared by visitors at any time via their browser
Visitor opt-out: any visitor can opt out of being counted by appending ?hc_optout=1 to the URL of any page running our script. This sets a persistent flag in their browser and the script will skip on that device.
6. Data Retention
We retain your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services:
- Account Data: Retained until you delete your account
- Analytics Data: Retained according to your plan (30 days to unlimited)
- Backup Data: Retained for up to 90 days after deletion
7. Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:
- Access: Request a copy of your personal data
- Correction: Request correction of inaccurate data
- Deletion: Request deletion of your data
- Portability: Request a machine-readable copy of your data
- Objection: Object to certain processing activities
- Withdrawal: Withdraw consent at any time
To exercise these rights, please contact us at [email protected]
GDPR Compliance
For users in the European Economic Area (EEA), we comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Our legal basis for processing includes consent, contract performance, and legitimate interests.
CCPA Compliance
For California residents, we comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). You have the right to know what personal information we collect and to request deletion.
8. Security
We implement appropriate security measures to protect your information:
- SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmission
- Encrypted password storage using industry-standard hashing
- Regular security audits and updates
- Access controls and authentication
- Secure data centers with physical security
While we strive to protect your data, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure.
9. Children's Privacy
Our service is not directed to individuals under 16 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you become aware that a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by:
- Posting the new policy on this page
- Updating the "Last updated" date
- Sending an email notification for significant changes