Privacy Policy

1. The short version

• Files you open in the tool are processed locally in your browser. They are never uploaded to our servers.
• We do not require an account, and we do not ask for your name, email or payment details to use the tool.
• We collect limited, aggregated usage data to keep the Site reliable and to understand which pages are useful.
• We may show advertising served by third parties such as Google AdSense. Those partners may use cookies and similar technologies, described below and in our Cookie Policy.

2. Your files and their metadata

When you drop or select a file, it is read into your device’s memory by JavaScript running in your browser tab. Parsing, editing, cleaning and re-scanning all happen on your device. The file contents, the metadata inside them (including GPS coordinates, device identifiers, author names and timestamps), and the cleaned output are never transmitted to ExifTool.net or to any third party by the tool.

When you close or refresh the tab, the file data held in memory is discarded. We do not keep copies, history, thumbnails or logs of your files. You can verify this yourself by opening your browser’s network panel while using the tool and observing that no file data leaves your device.

3. Information we collect

Because the tool runs locally, the information we receive is limited to what any website normally receives when it is visited:

• Technical data sent automatically by your browser: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen size, language setting and referring page.
• Usage data: pages viewed, approximate time on page, and the country or region derived from your IP address. We use privacy-friendly analytics for this and do not build individual profiles from it.
• Server and security logs: request timestamps, status codes and error information, kept for a limited time to diagnose problems and prevent abuse.
• Messages you send us voluntarily, such as an email to our contact address, together with the details you choose to include.

4. How we use information

• To operate, secure and maintain the Site and fix errors.
• To understand aggregate usage so we can improve features, content and performance.
• To respond to your messages and support requests.
• To display and measure advertising, which helps keep the tool free (see sections 6 and 7).
• To comply with legal obligations and to enforce our Terms of Service.

5. Legal bases for processing (EEA, UK and Switzerland)

If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, we rely on the following legal bases under the GDPR and UK GDPR:

• Legitimate interests: operating, securing and improving the Site, and measuring aggregate usage in a way that has minimal impact on your privacy.
• Consent: for non-essential cookies and similar technologies, including personalised advertising. You can withdraw consent at any time (see our Cookie Policy).
• Legal obligation: where we must retain or disclose information to comply with the law.
• Contract: where processing is needed to provide the Site to you under our Terms of Service.

6. Advertising and third-party partners

We may display ads provided by Google AdSense and other advertising partners. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies and similar technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this Site and other websites on the internet.

Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to our Site and/or other sites on the internet. You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google’s Ads Settings (adssettings.google.com). Alternatively, you can opt out of some third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalised advertising by visiting www.aboutads.info or www.youronlinechoices.eu.

You can learn how Google uses information from sites that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites. For details on how we describe advertising, read our Advertising Disclosure.

7. Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We use a minimal set of cookies and similar technologies for functionality, measurement and advertising. A full description, including a table of categories and instructions to manage them, is available in our Cookie Policy.

8. Sharing of information

We do not sell your personal information for money. We share limited information only in these situations:

• Service providers that host the Site, deliver content, provide analytics, or help us prevent fraud and abuse, under contracts that restrict their use of the data.
• Advertising partners, as described in section 6, which may receive cookie identifiers, IP address and device information when ads are shown.
• Legal and safety: when required by law, subpoena or court order, or to protect the rights, property and safety of our users, the Site or the public.
• Business transfers: in connection with a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, in which case this policy will continue to apply to the transferred information until you are notified of changes.

9. International transfers

Our service providers and advertising partners may process information in countries other than your own, including the United States. Where required, we rely on recognised transfer mechanisms such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions.

10. Data retention

We keep analytics and log data only for as long as needed for the purposes in this policy, typically no more than 14 months, unless a longer period is required by law. Messages sent to our contact address are kept for as long as needed to handle your request and for a reasonable period afterwards.

11. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you and receive a copy.
• Correct inaccurate information and complete incomplete information.
• Delete your personal information.
• Restrict or object to certain processing, including processing based on legitimate interests and direct marketing.
• Port your data to another service in a structured, commonly used format.
• Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting processing that happened before withdrawal.
• Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

12. California, Virginia and other U.S. state rights

Residents of California and certain other U.S. states have additional rights. These are explained in detail on our CCPA / CPRA Privacy Rights page, including how to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information and how to submit a request.

13. Children’s privacy

The Site is not directed to children under 13 (or under 16 where applicable law sets a higher age), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us and we will delete it. We do not knowingly show personalised advertising to children.

14. Security

We use HTTPS across the Site and follow reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect the limited information we hold. Because your files never leave your device, they are not exposed to server-side breaches. No online service can guarantee absolute security.

15. Links to other websites

The Site may link to external websites. We are not responsible for their content or privacy practices, and we encourage you to read their policies.

16. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will change the “Last updated” date at the top of this page, and for material changes we will provide a more prominent notice where appropriate.

Contact us

If you have questions about this page or want to exercise any of the rights described here, email us at contact@exiftool.net. We aim to reply within 30 days, and sooner whenever the law requires it.