Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Ruler Online (accessible at ruleronline.net, referred to as "we", "our", or "us"). We provide an interactive, browser-based digital measuring tool that allows users to accurately measure items in centimeters, millimeters, inches, and screen pixels.

We take your personal privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy outlines what information we collect, why we collect it, how it is processed, and the choices available to you regarding your personal data in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA), and other international data privacy laws.

2. Information We Do Not Collect

To maintain transparency, it is essential to understand what Ruler Online deliberately does not collect:

• No Personal Identifiers: We do not require names, postal addresses, phone numbers, or passwords.
• No Financial Data: When you calibrate your screen using the standard credit card calibration option, you simply align a physical card against your monitor. No card number, CVV, expiration date, or chip information is ever typed, scanned, photographed, or captured.
• No Measurement Telemetry: We do not record or transmit the lengths, coordinates, or objects you measure on your screen. All geometric calculations take place exclusively in your device's memory.

3. Information We Collect Automatically

When you access our website, certain technical information is processed automatically to serve pages reliably and securely:

3.1 Client-Side Device Characteristics (Local Only)

To display an accurate physical ruler, our client-side JavaScript reads hardware indicators provided by your web browser, such as window.devicePixelRatio, screen.width, and screen.height. This data is matched against our client-side database of known device profiles to calculate Pixels Per Inch (PPI).

3.2 Server Log Information

Like virtually all web hosts and Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), our servers automatically create log files when you request a page. These logs may include:

• Internet Protocol (IP) address (anonymized/truncated where feasible)
• Browser type, version, and operating system
• Referring URL and exit pages
• Date and time stamp of each HTTP request

Purpose & Legal Basis: This log data is used exclusively to maintain server stability, detect malicious automated traffic (DDoS mitigation), and debug server errors (Legitimate Interest pursuant to Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Server logs are automatically purged after 30 to 90 days.

4. Browser Local Storage & Preferences

Rather than placing invasive tracking cookies, Ruler Online uses HTML5 localStorage to store your functional settings directly on your machine. This information never leaves your browser:

You can clear these values at any time using your browser settings (Clear Site Data / Local Storage).

5. Third-Party Advertising & Cookies

To keep Ruler Online completely free and accessible without paywalls, we may display advertisements served by Google AdSense and its certified advertising partners.

5.1 Google AdSense & DoubleClick

• Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on our site.
• Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve relevant ads based on visits to Ruler Online and other websites on the Internet.
• Users in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, and Switzerland are presented with an IAB Europe Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF v2.2) compliant Consent Management Platform (CMP). Non-personalized or personalized ads are served strictly in accordance with your explicit consent preferences.
• You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google's Ad Settings or via the AboutAds Consumer Choice tool.

6. Your Rights Under GDPR (EEA & UK Users)

If you reside in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you possess specific data protection rights under the General Data Protection Regulation:

• Right of Access (Art. 15): You have the right to request a copy of any personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification (Art. 16): You may request the correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure / "To Be Forgotten" (Art. 17): You may request the deletion of your personal data.
• Right to Restriction of Processing (Art. 18): You can request that we restrict how we process your personal data.
• Right to Data Portability (Art. 20): You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
• Right to Object (Art. 21): You may object to the processing of personal data based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time via the "Privacy choices" link in our footer.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our privacy team at contact@onlineruler.net. We respond to all verified requests within 30 days.

7. California Consumer Privacy Statement (CCPA / CPRA)

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), California residents have particular rights:

• Right to Know: You may request information on the categories and specific pieces of personal information collected over the preceding 12 months.
• Right to Delete: You can request deletion of personal information collected from you.
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing: We do not sell your personal information for monetary payment. However, the use of third-party advertising cookies may be classified as "sharing" under California law. You may opt out of sharing at any time by clicking the "Privacy choices" link in our footer.
• Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you (e.g., denying access or charging different rates) for exercising your privacy rights.

8. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

Ruler Online is designed as a general-audience educational and practical utility. We do not knowingly solicit, collect, or retain personal identifiable information from children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in the European Union) in accordance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please notify us at contact@onlineruler.net so we can immediately delete such data.

9. Data Security

We employ standard administrative and technical safeguards to secure our infrastructure, including HTTPS encryption in transit with TLS 1.3, strict Content Security Policies, and DDoS protection via Cloudflare CDN. However, no method of digital transmission over the internet is 100% impenetrable.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or applicable legal mandates. When revisions are made, the "Last Updated" date at the top of this document will be refreshed. Continued use of our site after the posting of modifications indicates your acknowledgment of the updated terms.

11. Contact Information

If you have questions, comments, or data privacy requests concerning this Privacy Policy, please contact our Data Protection officer directly: