Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Duck Timer ("we", "us", "our"). We operate the website at duck-timer.com. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, the cookies and third-party services we rely on, and the rights you have under applicable laws including the EU GDPR, the UK GDPR, and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA).

2. Who We Are

Duck Timer is a free, browser-based visual countdown timer. The data controller responsible for your personal data is the Duck Timer team. You can reach us at ducktimer7@gmail.com.

3. Information We Collect

Duck Timer is designed to work without any user account. We do not ask you to register, log in, or provide personal information to use the timer. Most of the information collected is collected automatically when you visit the site:

• Technical data: IP address (anonymized for analytics), browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen resolution, and language preferences.
• Usage data: pages you visit on the site, time spent on pages, referring website, and approximate location (country / region) derived from your IP address.
• Local preferences: your chosen character, theme, sound, and timer settings are stored only in your browser's local storage and never sent to our servers.
• Email content: if you contact us by email, we receive whatever information you choose to send us.

We do not collect any special categories of personal data (information about race, ethnicity, health, sexual orientation, religion, biometric data, etc.).

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Operate and maintain the Duck Timer website.
• Improve performance, fix bugs, and prevent abuse.
• Understand how visitors use the site so we can improve the experience.
• Display advertising via Google AdSense (see Section 7) so we can keep the site free.
• Respond to questions, feedback, and support requests.

5. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we process personal data based on the following legal grounds:

• Legitimate interests: for operating the site, security, and analytics in an anonymized form.
• Consent: for non-essential cookies, including cookies used by Google AdSense for personalized advertising. You can give or withdraw consent through our cookie banner at any time.
• Compliance with legal obligations: where we are required to retain or disclose information by law.

6. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. We and our partners use the following types of cookies:

• Essential cookies — required for basic site functionality and to remember your cookie preferences.
• Functionality cookies / local storage — used to remember your timer preferences (character, theme, sounds).
• Analytics cookies — anonymized data about how visitors use the site, helping us improve it.
• Advertising cookies — set by Google AdSense and its partners to deliver and measure ads. These are only set after you consent via the cookie banner.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers let you block or delete cookies and clear local storage. Please note that blocking essential cookies may affect site functionality.

7. Third-Party Advertising and Google AdSense

Duck Timer uses Google AdSense, a third-party advertising service provided by Google LLC. Google AdSense uses cookies and similar technologies (including the DoubleClick DART cookie) to serve ads to you based on your visits to our site and other websites on the internet.

Through Google AdSense and its partners, the following information may be collected and processed:

• Your IP address and approximate geographic location
• Browser type, version, and language
• Operating system and device identifiers
• Pages you visit on duck-timer.com and the time of visit
• Interactions with advertisements
• Demographic and interest information inferred from your browsing activity

For users in the EU, UK, and other regions that require it, Google's ads will respect your choices through Google's consent management framework. You may opt out of personalized advertising at any time:

• Google's Ads Settings: adssettings.google.com
• Network Advertising Initiative opt-out: optout.networkadvertising.org
• Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out: optout.aboutads.info
• European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance: youronlinechoices.eu

For more information on how Google uses data, please review How Google uses information from sites that use its services and the Google Privacy Policy.

8. Data Retention

We retain server logs for up to 90 days for security and performance purposes. Aggregated, anonymized analytics data may be retained longer. Email correspondence is kept for as long as necessary to handle your inquiry and any related follow-up. Data stored in your browser's local storage stays on your device until you clear it.

9. Children's Privacy

Duck Timer is suitable for general audiences and is often used by parents and educators with children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or under 16 in the EU) and the site does not require an account or personal data to be used. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us at ducktimer7@gmail.com so we can delete it.

10. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• The right to access the personal data we hold about you.
• The right to request correction of inaccurate data.
• The right to request deletion of your data.
• The right to restrict or object to processing.
• The right to data portability.
• The right to withdraw consent for cookies at any time.
• For California residents: the right to know, delete, and opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information under the CCPA. Duck Timer does not sell personal information for monetary consideration.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at ducktimer7@gmail.com.

11. International Data Transfers

Duck Timer is operated through services that may be hosted in the United States and other countries. By using the site, you understand that your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own, where data protection laws may differ.

12. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect information transmitted to and from our site, including HTTPS encryption. However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Significant changes will be highlighted on the site.