Privacy Policy

ErrorCodeDoctor ("we", "us") is a free reference site for appliance error codes, run by an independent operator. This page explains what data we collect when you visit, why, how long we keep it, and your choices. Questions? Email [email protected] or use our contact page.

What we collect

You don't need an account to use ErrorCodeDoctor, and there's no public registration or login — accounts exist only for our own site administrators.

• Contact form. If you write to us, we collect the name, email, reason, and message you provide. It's emailed to us to answer your enquiry and isn't stored in our database.
• Page visits. For nearly every page you load, our server automatically logs the page path/URL, the referring page (if any), your IP address, your browser/device info, a session ID, and the time of the request.
• Searches. When you search the site, we log the search term, how many results it returned, your IP address, session ID, and the time.
• Session cookie. Set for every visitor so the site works correctly (see "Cookies" below).

To be precise: page-visit and search records are individual entries tied to an IP address and session ID, not just an aggregate count — we're telling you exactly what's kept, even though we don't use it to build a profile of you or identify you by name.

Why, and our legal basis

• To run, secure, and improve the site (spotting abuse, seeing what content is actually useful).
• To reply to messages sent through the contact form.
• To show ads, as described below.

Where GDPR applies, our legal basis for logging page visits and searches is legitimate interest (running and securing the site). For non-essential advertising cookies, our basis is your consent — see "Advertising" below for how that works and how to change your mind.

Advertising (Google AdSense)

We may show ads through Google AdSense. Ad cookies are only set after you click "Accept" on the cookie banner shown on your first visit — if you click "Reject," or don't respond, no ad cookies are set and no ad-personalization script loads. You can change your choice anytime via the "Cookie preferences" link in the site footer.

You can also opt out of personalized advertising more broadly via Google Ads Settings, www.aboutads.info (US), or www.youronlinechoices.eu (EU/UK). Google's own use of data from ads is described here.

California visitors: we don't sell personal information for money. Some state laws (like California's CPRA) treat ad cookies as a form of "sharing" — you can opt out of that using the links above or the cookie banner.

Cookies

• Essential — a session cookie that keeps the site working. Can't be turned off without breaking the site.
• Advertising — set by Google AdSense only after you accept them in the cookie banner.

You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The error-code content stays fully accessible either way.

Sharing, retention, and security

We don't sell your data. We share it only with the providers that help run the site — our hosting/database provider, our email-delivery provider (used to send us your contact form messages), and, if ads are active, Google AdSense — each bound by their own security and privacy obligations.

Contact form messages are kept only as long as needed to handle your enquiry, then deleted. Page-visit and search records are automatically deleted after 12 months. Our servers may be located outside your own country, including the US.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or get a copy of the data we hold about you, to object to certain processing, and to withdraw consent to ad cookies. EU/UK residents can also complain to their local data protection authority. California residents have the right to know, delete, and opt out of "sharing" as described above, without discrimination for exercising these rights.

To exercise any of these, email [email protected] or use our contact page. We'll respond within a reasonable time and may need to verify your request first.

Children

ErrorCodeDoctor is a general-audience site, not aimed at children, and we don't knowingly collect data from anyone under 13 (or the equivalent age where you live). If you think a child has given us personal information, let us know and we'll delete it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as our practices change. Material changes will be posted here with an updated date.