Privacy Policy

Introduction

At Sound Meter ("we," "our," or "us"), we are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle information when you use our online sound measurement tool at realtimesoundmeter.org (the "Service").

Key Point: We do not collect, store, or transmit any audio data or personal information. All sound processing happens locally in your web browser.

Information We Do NOT Collect

Unlike many websites, Sound Meter does not collect:

• Audio recordings: We never record, store, or transmit audio from your microphone
• Personal information: We don't ask for names, email addresses, or other personal data
• User accounts: No registration or login is required
• Location data: We don't track your physical location
• Biometric data: No voice prints or audio fingerprints are created

How the Sound Meter Works

When you use Sound Meter, the tool accesses your device's microphone through your web browser using the Web Audio API. All audio processing happens entirely within your browser on your device:

1. Your browser requests microphone permission
2. Audio is analyzed in real-time by JavaScript code running in your browser
3. Only the calculated decibel level is displayed to you
4. No audio data leaves your device
5. No audio data is stored anywhere

Microphone Permission

To measure sound levels, Sound Meter requires access to your device's microphone. You must explicitly grant this permission through your web browser. You can:

• Deny permission - the tool will not function
• Grant permission temporarily - for the current session only
• Revoke permission at any time through your browser settings

Your browser manages this permission, not our website. We respect your browser's security settings.

Information We May Collect

We may collect limited, non-personal technical information for website operation and improvement:

• Anonymous Analytics: Page views, approximate location (country/region), browser/device information, and on-site interactions via Google Analytics
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: Used for analytics, ads measurement, and basic site functionality (see the Cookies section below)
• Infrastructure Logs: Our hosting/CDN providers may process standard technical logs (for example: IP address, request headers, access times) for security, abuse prevention, and performance

This information is aggregated and cannot be used to identify you personally.

Cookies

Sound Meter may use cookies and similar technologies for:

• Essential Cookies: Required for website functionality
• Analytics Cookies: To understand how visitors use our site (Google Analytics)
• Advertising Cookies: To deliver and measure ads (Google AdSense), which may include interest-based advertising depending on your region and settings

You can control cookie settings through your browser preferences. Disabling cookies may affect some website features. You can also manage Google's ad personalization settings at adssettings.google.com and opt out of some interest-based ads via optout.aboutads.info.

Third-Party Services

We may use third-party services that may collect information:

• Google Analytics: For website traffic analysis (subject to Google's privacy policy)
• Advertising: We display ads via Google AdSense, which may use cookies or similar identifiers for ad delivery and measurement
• Hosting/CDN: Our site may use a content delivery network and hosting infrastructure to serve pages quickly and protect against abuse

These services have their own privacy policies. We recommend reviewing them.

Affiliate Links (Amazon Associates)

Some pages may contain affiliate links (for example, Amazon short links). If you click an affiliate link, you will be redirected to the third-party website (such as Amazon). That third party may use cookies or similar technologies to track purchases and attribute commissions.

We do not receive your payment information. Any purchase is completed on the third-party website under their terms and privacy policy.

Data Security

Since we don't collect audio data or personal information, there is minimal risk to your privacy. We implement industry-standard security measures for our website infrastructure.

Children's Privacy

Sound Meter is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children. Parents and guardians should supervise children's internet use.

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights under GDPR, CCPA, or other privacy laws:

• Right to know what data we collect (minimal, as described above)
• Right to delete any data (contact us if needed)
• Right to opt-out of analytics cookies and limit ad personalization (via browser settings and the links above)
• Right to data portability (not applicable as we don't store personal data)

International Users

Sound Meter is accessible globally. If you access our Service from outside the United States, please note that information may be transferred to and processed in the United States or other countries.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Email: support@realtimesoundmeter.org
Or visit our Contact Page