Privacy Policy
A clear, plain-English explanation of what data ScanMyIPAddress.com collects, how we use it, and your rights regarding that data.
The short version
We don't log your IP address. We use Google Analytics to count visits anonymously. We may show ads from Google AdSense (when active), which uses cookies. We may earn commissions from affiliate links to products we recommend. You can opt out of analytics and ad tracking using the methods described below.
1. Who we are
ScanMyIPAddress.com ("we," "us," "our," "the Service," or "the Site") is operated by Black Bean Media. This privacy policy describes how we handle data collected through our website at scanmyipaddress.com and any associated subdomains.
For questions about this policy, please use our contact page.
2. Data we collect
We collect the minimum data necessary to operate the Service and improve it. Here's the complete list:
Data displayed to you, not stored by us
When you visit our homepage, we display your public IP address and basic information your browser reveals (location, ISP, browser type, operating system, etc.). This data is detected at the edge and returned to your browser. We do not store, log, or retain your IP address in any database.
Aggregate analytics data (via Google Analytics)
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use our site. This service may collect:
- Pages you visit and time spent on each
- Referring website (how you got here)
- Country, region, and city (derived from IP, then anonymized)
- Device type, browser, and operating system
- Approximate session duration
- Scroll depth and outbound link clicks (Enhanced Measurement)
Google Analytics processes this data on our behalf. We do not share individual visitor data with third parties beyond what Google Analytics requires to function.
Contact form submissions
If you submit our contact form, we collect the name, email address, and message you provide. This data is used solely to respond to your inquiry and is processed by our form provider (currently Formspree, Inc.). We retain contact submissions for as long as necessary to resolve your inquiry, typically 90 days, after which they are deleted.
Server logs
Like most websites, our hosting provider (Cloudflare) maintains short-term server logs that may include IP addresses for security and abuse-prevention purposes. These logs are retained by Cloudflare per their own policies and are not accessed by us in the normal course of operations. See Cloudflare's Privacy Policy for details.
3. How we use your data
We use the data we collect for the following purposes only:
- To operate the Service. Detecting your IP address and connection data is the core function of the Site.
- To understand site usage. Aggregate analytics help us improve content and identify technical issues.
- To respond to contact inquiries. When you email us or submit the contact form, we use your contact details to reply.
- To display advertising. If ads are active on the Site, ad networks may use cookies to show relevant ads (see Section 6).
- To prevent abuse. Server logs may be used to identify and block malicious traffic (DDoS attacks, scraping, etc.).
- To comply with legal obligations. If required by law or valid legal process, we may disclose information.
We do not sell your personal data to anyone, ever.
4. Third-party services we use
For transparency, here is the complete list of third-party services that may receive data when you use our Site:
Cloudflare (hosting and CDN)
All traffic to the Site is processed through Cloudflare's network. Cloudflare may have access to your IP address, browser type, and request data for security and performance purposes. Cloudflare Privacy Policy.
Google Analytics (analytics)
We use Google Analytics 4 to track aggregate usage statistics. Google may set cookies on your browser as part of this service. Google Privacy Policy. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Google AdSense (advertising, when active)
If we display ads, we may use Google AdSense or similar ad networks. These services use cookies to show relevant ads. See Google's Ads Policy. You can manage ad personalization at adssettings.google.com.
Formspree (contact form handling)
Contact form submissions are processed by Formspree, Inc. When you submit a form, your data is transmitted to and stored briefly by Formspree before being forwarded to us. Formspree Privacy Policy.
Affiliate partners (when applicable)
When you click an affiliate link on our Site, you may be redirected through a tracking URL operated by the affiliate network or merchant. These third parties may set cookies to attribute the referral. We never share your personal information with affiliate partners beyond what occurs naturally when you click their links.
Google Fonts (font hosting)
Our Site uses fonts hosted by Google Fonts. When the page loads, your browser requests these fonts from Google's servers. Google may receive your IP address as a result of these requests. Google Privacy Policy.
6. Advertising
When advertising is active on the Site, we may work with third-party ad networks including Google AdSense. These networks display ads based on factors such as:
- Content of the page you're viewing
- Your prior browsing behavior (if tracking cookies are enabled)
- Demographic information inferred by the ad network
- Your general geographic location
We do not directly track you across the web for advertising purposes. Our ad partners may do so via their own cookies and identifiers. You can opt out of personalized advertising as described in Section 5.
We do not knowingly serve ads for products or services we believe to be harmful, fraudulent, or that violate Google AdSense policies.
7. Affiliate links disclosure
Some links on our Site are affiliate links. This means if you click the link and purchase a product or service, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. We disclose affiliate relationships in the following ways:
- Affiliate links are clearly marked in our content.
- Articles that discuss products with affiliate relationships include a disclosure statement.
- We only recommend products we have evaluated and believe to be useful.
Earning a commission does not influence our editorial coverage. If a product is bad, we'll say so — even if we'd earn money by recommending it.
8. Your rights regarding your data
Depending on where you live, you may have specific rights regarding your personal data:
If you're in the European Union, UK, or another GDPR jurisdiction
Under the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data
- Erase your data ("right to be forgotten")
- Restrict how we process your data
- Object to certain processing activities
- Data portability — receive your data in a structured format
- Withdraw consent for any processing you previously consented to
- Lodge a complaint with your data protection authority
To exercise these rights, contact us via our contact page. We respond within 30 days.
If you're in California, USA
Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), you have the right to:
- Know what categories of personal information we collect, sell, or share
- Know the specific personal information we have collected about you
- Delete the personal information we have collected about you
- Correct inaccurate personal information
- Opt-out of the "sale" or "sharing" of your personal information
- Limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information
- Non-discrimination for exercising your rights
We do not sell your personal information in the traditional sense. However, the use of advertising and analytics cookies may technically be considered "sharing" under CCPA. You can opt out via the methods in Section 5.
If you're in Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, or other US states with privacy laws
You have similar rights to access, correct, delete, and opt out of certain data processing. Contact us via our contact page to exercise these rights.
Authorized agents
You may designate an authorized agent to make privacy requests on your behalf. We will require verification of the agent's authority before processing the request.
9. Data retention
We retain data only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy:
- IP addresses: Never stored by us.
- Analytics data: Retained by Google Analytics per its retention settings (currently set to the minimum: 2 months for user-level data).
- Contact form submissions: Retained for up to 90 days, then deleted.
- Server logs: Retained by Cloudflare per its policies (typically 7–30 days).
10. Security
We take reasonable measures to protect data, including:
- All traffic to the Site is encrypted via HTTPS (TLS).
- Cloudflare provides DDoS protection and Web Application Firewall services.
- We implement strict Content Security Policy and other security headers.
- Access to administrative interfaces is protected by two-factor authentication.
- We use the principle of "minimum data collection" — if we don't need it, we don't collect it.
However, no security measure is 100% effective. We cannot guarantee absolute security of data transmitted over the internet.
11. Children's privacy
The Site is not directed at children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the EU/UK). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child without verifiable parental consent, we will delete it as soon as possible.
If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us via our contact page.
12. International users and data transfers
Our Service is operated from the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, your data may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in the United States or other countries where our service providers are located.
For users in the European Economic Area or UK: We rely on appropriate safeguards for international data transfers, including the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses where applicable. Our third-party providers (Google, Cloudflare, Formspree) maintain their own compliance frameworks for international transfers.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will:
- Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
- Post a notice on the homepage for at least 30 days for significant changes
- Notify users via email if we have your email address and the change materially affects you
Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy. If you do not agree with the changes, please stop using the Service.
14. Contact us
For questions about this privacy policy, to exercise your rights, or to report a privacy concern:
- Contact form: scanmyipaddress.com/contact
- Operator: Black Bean Media
We respond to privacy inquiries within 30 days. For urgent matters, please use the subject line "URGENT — Privacy" when contacting us.