Last updated: August 16, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains what information ToolDetective collects when you visit tooldetective.com, why we collect it, who else can see it, and what choices you have. It is written for a United States audience. If you disagree with anything here, please stop using the site.
The Short Version
- You can read this site without giving us your name, creating an account, or signing up for anything.
- We collect basic traffic measurements and standard server logs.
- If you email us or send a message through our contact form, we keep what you sent so we can reply.
- We do not sell your personal information for money.
- When you follow an affiliate link, you leave our site and the destination retailer’s privacy practices take over.
Information We Collect
Information You Give Us
If you use our contact form or write to us directly, we receive whatever you choose to include, typically your name, your email address, and the content of your message. Contact form submissions are stored in this site’s database as well as delivered by email, so that we do not lose a message. We use this only to read and answer your message, and to keep a record of the exchange.
Please do not send us sensitive personal information. There is no reason for a message to this site to contain a government identification number, financial account details, or health information.
Information Collected Automatically
Like nearly every website, our web server records standard technical information about requests it receives. This can include your IP address, the browser and operating system you are using, the page you requested, the page that referred you, and the date and time. These logs are used for security, abuse prevention, and diagnosing faults.
We also measure traffic so we know which pages people find useful. Our analytics records page views, referral sources, approximate location derived from an IP address at the country or region level, device type, and clicks on outbound links. A session cookie named ddc_sid is used to recognize a single browsing session so that repeated page views are not counted as separate visitors. Automated traffic and bots are filtered out of these numbers.
We do not use this measurement to build advertising profiles, and we do not attempt to identify you personally from it.
Security and Bot Protection
This site runs protective measures that examine request patterns to identify automated abuse, scraping and attacks. This processing uses technical data such as IP address, request headers and request frequency, and exists to keep the site available and intact.
Comments
Comments are turned off across this site. We do not collect comment text, commenter names, commenter email addresses, or commenter IP addresses, because there is nowhere to submit them.
How We Use Information
- To deliver the pages you request and keep the site working correctly.
- To answer messages you send us.
- To understand which content is read, so we can decide what to publish or correct.
- To detect, prevent and investigate security incidents, fraud and abuse.
- To measure whether outbound affiliate links are working, and to reconcile commission reporting.
- To comply with law and to enforce our Terms and Conditions.
Cookies
This site and some of the services it relies on use cookies and similar technologies. What they are, which ones are used here, and how to control them are described on our Cookie Policy page.
Affiliate Links and Third Parties
ToolDetective earns commissions through affiliate links, including the Amazon Associates program, as described on our Affiliate Disclosure page.
When you click an affiliate link you are taken to a retailer such as Amazon. That retailer will typically set its own cookies or identifiers in order to attribute a resulting purchase to us. From that point you are on their property, governed by their privacy policy, not this one. We receive commission reports from these programs that tell us a sale occurred and what category it was in. We do not receive your name, your address, your payment details, or an itemized record of what you personally bought.
We do not sell products directly and we do not process payments on this site, so we never see or store your payment card information.
Other parties that necessarily handle technical data on our behalf include our web hosting provider, which operates the servers this site runs on, and our analytics provider, which processes the traffic measurements described above. Share buttons, embedded media, and similar features may load resources from the relevant third party service when you use them, and those services can then see your IP address and set their own cookies.
Disclosure of Information
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information. We may disclose information in these situations:
- To service providers who operate the site for us, such as hosting, email delivery, and analytics, limited to what they need to perform that service.
- When required by law, subpoena, court order, or a lawful request from a government authority.
- To protect our rights, our property, the safety of users, or the public, including investigating suspected fraud or abuse.
- In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of the site, in which case the acquiring party is bound by this policy for information already collected.
Data Retention
Contact form submissions and email correspondence are kept while they remain useful for handling your query and keeping a record of it, and are deleted when they are no longer needed. Server logs are retained for a limited period for security and diagnostic purposes and are then rotated out. Traffic measurement data is retained in aggregate form.
Security
We use reasonable technical measures to protect the information we hold, including encrypted connections over HTTPS, access controls, and software updates. No website can promise perfect security, and we do not. If a breach affecting personal information occurs, we will act in line with applicable state breach notification law.
Your Privacy Rights
California Residents
Under the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, California residents have the right to know what personal information is collected about them and how it is used, to request deletion of that information, to request correction of inaccurate information, to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information, and not to receive discriminatory treatment for exercising those rights.
We do not sell personal information, and we do not share personal information for cross context behavioral advertising as those terms are defined by that law. To make a request, email [email protected] with the word Privacy in the subject line.
Other States
Residents of other states with comprehensive privacy laws, including Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas, Oregon and Montana among others, have comparable rights to access, correct, delete, and obtain a copy of personal information, and to opt out of targeted advertising. Use the same email address to exercise them. We apply these rights to any United States resident who asks, regardless of which state you live in.
Verifying and Answering Requests
We may need to ask you for information sufficient to confirm that the request is genuinely yours before we act on it. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law. An authorized agent may make a request on your behalf with written proof of authorization.
Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control
Because we do not perform cross site behavioral tracking or targeted advertising, there is little for a Do Not Track signal to switch off here. Where we receive a Global Privacy Control signal from your browser, we treat it as a valid opt out request under the state laws that recognize it.
Children
This site is intended for adults. It is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from a child under 13. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, contact us and we will delete it promptly.
Links to Other Sites
This site links to retailers, manufacturers, standards bodies and other third parties. We are not responsible for the content or the privacy practices of any site we link to. Read their policies before giving them information.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy as the site or the law changes. The revision date at the top will change when we do. Material changes will be reflected on this page, and continuing to use the site after an update means you accept the revised policy.
Contact Us
Questions about privacy, or a request regarding your information, go to [email protected]. You can also reach us through our contact page.