Privacy Policy
Your privacy is fundamental to our architecture. Learn how GroundCalculator handles data, browser storage, Google Analytics 4 (GA4), and Google AdSense with zero logging of your calculation inputs.
Privacy at a Glance
- No Accounts Required: We never ask for your name, email, phone number, or password to use any of our 26 calculators.
- 100% Client-Side Computations: Your dimensional inputs, material selections, and takeoff numbers are computed in your browser and never sent to our servers.
- Local Storage Only: We store your UI preferences (Imperial/Metric units and Day/Night theme) strictly inside your browser's
localStorage. - Privacy-Preserving Telemetry: We use Google Analytics 4 with automatic IP anonymization to understand aggregate site performance without collecting personally identifiable information (PII).
- Transparent Advertising: Free access to all 26 tools is supported by Google AdSense advertisements adhering to global privacy standards and opt-out mechanisms.
1. Overview & Core Principles
GroundCalculator ("we", "our", or "us") operates the website groundcalculator.com. We believe online utility tools should be lightning fast, transparent, and respectful of user privacy.
We operate on a zero-knowledge computational model: all mathematical formulas, volume calculations, bulk density conversions, and takeoff bills are executed directly on your client device using native browser JavaScript. Your project numbers and takeoff inputs never touch a server database.
2. Information Stored Locally on Your Device
To provide a persistent, personalized experience across page visits without requiring user registration, we use standard browser localStorage to remember two basic display preferences:
| Storage Key | Purpose | Stored Values | Storage Location |
|---|---|---|---|
gc-units | Remembers your preference for Imperial (cubic yards, tons) or Metric (cubic meters, tonnes) units | imperial, metric | Client Browser (localStorage) |
gc-theme | Remembers your preference for Light (Day), Night, or System color theme | day, night, system | Client Browser (localStorage) |
gc-circuit-saved, gc-circuit-repeat | Remembers the homepage track layout you saved, and whether the homepage should reopen on it | A layout number; 1 or 0 | Client Browser (localStorage) |
gc-circuit | Keeps the homepage on the same track layout while you move around the site in one visit | A layout number | Client Browser (sessionStorage, cleared when the tab closes) |
Reset Local Preferences
Instantly delete all stored theme and unit preferences from your browser.
Edge Network & Server Logs
When you load pages from GroundCalculator, standard edge delivery infrastructure (Cloudflare Workers) automatically processes standard HTTP request headers, including IP address, browser user-agent, operating system, and request timestamps. This data is processed temporarily and strictly for security monitoring, DDoS mitigation, bot protection, and routing optimization.
3. Web Analytics — Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
GroundCalculator uses Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a web analytics service provided by Google LLC ("Google"), to help us understand aggregate traffic trends, identify broken links or performance bottlenecks, and improve calculator functionality.
What GA4 Collects
- Aggregate Interaction Metrics: Page views, session duration, scroll depth, engagement rate, outbound link clicks, and referrer URLs.
- Device & Network Information: Browser type, operating system, device model/category (mobile, tablet, desktop), screen resolution, language setting, and approximate geographic location (city and country level derived from IP).
Privacy Guarantees in Our Analytics Setup
- Automatic IP Masking / Anonymization: In Google Analytics 4, IP addresses are used solely for real-time geolocation derivation and are automatically dropped without being logged or stored on Google servers.
- No Personal Identifiers (Zero PII): We do not transmit names, email addresses, phone numbers, or account credentials to Google Analytics.
- No Calculation Data Sent: Your dimensions, area values, and takeoff outputs remain 100% on your device and are never forwarded to GA4.
Opting Out of Google Analytics
You can prevent Google Analytics from recognizing you on return visits or collecting interaction data by installing the official Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. You may also disable or block cookies in your web browser settings.
For more information on how Google processes analytics data, please review How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services and the Google Privacy Policy.
4. Advertising & Cookies — Google AdSense
To keep GroundCalculator's 26 specialized calculation tools free, open, and accessible to homeowners, contractors, and landscapers without paid subscription walls, we display advertisements served by Google AdSense (Google LLC) and its certified advertising partners.
How Google AdSense Uses Cookies
- Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies (such as the Google advertising cookie) and web beacons to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to this website and other websites across the Internet.
- Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its certified ad partners to serve personalized or contextual advertisements to users based on browsing activity.
- Third-party ad networks or programmatic demand partners may also collect anonymous technical information (e.g., browser type, time of visit, interacting ad unit) to measure ad effectiveness and prevent click fraud.
Managing & Opting Out of Personalized Ads
You have full control over personalized advertising preferences. You can opt out of personalized ads or customize the types of ads you see across the web through the following portals:
- Google Ad Settings / My Ad Center: Manage your Google ad personalization preferences directly at Google My Ad Center or Google Ads Settings.
- Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) (US): Opt out of participating advertising networks at AboutAds.info Choices Portal.
- Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) (US): Opt out of interest-based ads via the NAI Consumer Opt-Out Tool.
- European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA) (EU/EEA): Manage online advertising preferences across European publishers at Your Online Choices.
6. Children's Online Privacy Protection (COPPA)
GroundCalculator is an open educational and computational resource intended for general adult audiences, DIY homeowners, and construction/landscaping trade professionals. We do not knowingly collect, solicit, or store personal information from children under the age of 13 (or under 16 where applicable by European law). If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided personal information to us, please contact us immediately at privacy@groundcalculator.com, and we will promptly delete any such data.
7. European Privacy Rights (GDPR & UK GDPR)
If you reside in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom (UK), or Switzerland, your personal data is protected under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK Data Protection Act:
Legal Bases for Processing
- Legitimate Interests: Operating, safeguarding, and maintaining high-performance calculator infrastructure, edge DDoS protection, and evaluating anonymous site telemetry via GA4.
- Consent: Serving personalized third-party advertisements and setting non-essential advertising cookies where required by local implementation of the ePrivacy Directive.
Your Statutory Rights
- Right to Access: You can request confirmation of whether personal data is processed and request copies of such data.
- Right to Rectification & Erasure: You may request correction of inaccurate data or deletion of personal data ("Right to be Forgotten").
- Right to Restrict or Object to Processing: You may object to data processing based on legitimate interests or request restrictions on processing.
- Right to Data Portability: You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Right to Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local Data Protection Authority (DPA) in your EU/EEA member state or the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in the UK.
Note: Because GroundCalculator does not maintain user account registries or customer databases, we do not hold personal dossiers. To exercise any statutory rights, please contact our privacy officer below.
8. California & US Multi-State Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)
This section provides additional disclosures for residents of California (under the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act - "CCPA/CPRA") and other US states with comprehensive privacy legislation (including Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas, and Oregon):
Notice at Collection & Categories of Information
- Identifiers & Network Telemetry: Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser cookies, device identifiers, and edge server logs (collected for security and analytics).
- Internet Activity: Interactions with website pages, engagement duration, referring URLs, and ad impressions.
- Commercial & Calculation Information: GroundCalculator does NOT collect, sell, or monetize customer financial records, physical addresses, or calculation takeoff inputs.
Sale or Sharing of Personal Information
Under the CCPA/CPRA, the use of third-party advertising cookies for cross-context behavioral advertising may be considered "sharing" or a "sale" of personal data. GroundCalculator does not sell personal information in exchange for monetary consideration.
You have the right to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising through the opt-out mechanisms detailed in Section 4 (Google AdSense & Cookies) or via browser-level Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals where supported.
We do not discriminate against any user for exercising their statutory privacy rights.
9. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may revise this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect technological advancements, updates to Google AdSense or GA4 services, newly introduced calculators, or evolving legal standards. Any revisions will be published directly on this page with an updated "Last Updated" timestamp at the top of the policy. We encourage users to review this page periodically to stay informed about our data practices.
10. Privacy Officer Contact & Inquiries
If you have questions, feedback, or statutory requests regarding this Privacy Policy, cookie preferences, or data practices, please contact our Privacy Team:
Privacy Officer Mailbox