GDPR and CCPA Privacy Notice

This page explains the specific privacy rights available to users under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — which applies to users in the European Union and European Economic Area — and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), which applies to residents of California, United States.

If you are not based in the EU or California, your general privacy rights are covered in the Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

About OnlineViolinTuner.com and Data Processing

OnlineViolinTuner.com is a free educational website providing a browser-based violin tuner and supporting content about violin tuning and technique. The website is operated by Mason (contact available via the Contact page).

What data this site processes:

Microphone audio. The microphone-based tuning mode uses your device microphone to detect violin string pitch in real time. All audio processing occurs locally within your browser using the Web Audio API. Audio is never recorded, stored, transmitted to any server, or accessible to this website after your session ends. Because audio never leaves your device, it does not constitute personal data held by OnlineViolinTuner.com.

Reference tone mode. The reference tone mode produces audio output — it does not capture any audio from your device. No data handling applies to this mode.

Usage data. Standard analytics data is collected through Google Analytics — pages visited, time on site, browser type, device category, and approximate geographic region. This data is aggregated and does not identify individual users.

Contact data. If you contact us via the Contact page, we receive your email address and message content. Used only to respond to your inquiry.

Cookies and advertising. This site uses Google Analytics for traffic measurement and Google AdSense for advertising. Both services may set cookies on your device. Neither has access to your microphone or tuning session data.

Part 1 — GDPR Rights (EU and EEA Users)

Your Rights Under GDPR

Right of access. You have the right to request confirmation of whether OnlineViolinTuner.com holds any personal data about you, and if so, to receive a copy. Because this site does not require registration, the only personal data that may exist is information voluntarily submitted through the Contact page.

Right to rectification. If any personal data held about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you have the right to request correction.

Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”). You have the right to request deletion of personal data held about you where it is no longer necessary for the purpose it was collected, or where you withdraw consent and no other legal basis exists.

Right to restriction of processing. You have the right to request that processing of your personal data be restricted in certain circumstances — for example, while a dispute about accuracy is resolved.

Right to data portability. Where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means, you have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.

Right to object. You have the right to object to processing of your personal data based on legitimate interests. You also have the right to object to direct marketing at any time.

Rights related to automated decision-making. You have the right not to be subject to decisions made solely by automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. OnlineViolinTuner.com does not engage in this type of automated decision-making.

Legal Basis for Processing

Where OnlineViolinTuner.com processes personal data, the legal basis is one of the following:

Consent — for analytics and advertising cookies where consent is required under applicable law
Legitimate interests — for basic website analytics used to understand and improve site performance
Contractual necessity — where processing is needed to respond to a contact inquiry you initiated

Data Retention

Contact data is retained only as long as necessary to resolve the inquiry. Analytics data is aggregated and not personally identifiable. Audio data is never retained — it exists only within your browser during active tuning and is cleared when you leave the page.

International Data Transfers

Third-party services used by this site — including Google Analytics and Google AdSense — may process data outside the European Economic Area. Google operates under Standard Contractual Clauses and other transfer mechanisms approved by the European Commission. Details are available in Google’s privacy documentation at policies.google.com/privacy.

How to Exercise Your GDPR Rights

Submit a data request via the Contact page with the subject line “GDPR Data Request.” Describe the right you wish to exercise and provide enough information for us to identify any data we may hold relating to you. We will respond within 30 days as required by GDPR.

If you believe your rights have not been respected, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your national data protection supervisory authority. A full list of EU supervisory authorities is available at edpb.europa.eu.

Part 2 — CCPA Rights (California Residents)

Your Rights Under CCPA/CPRA

Right to know. You have the right to request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information OnlineViolinTuner.com has collected about you, the purposes for which it was collected, and whether it has been shared or sold.

Right to delete. You have the right to request deletion of personal information collected from you, subject to certain exceptions.

Right to correct. You have the right to request correction of inaccurate personal information held about you.

Right to opt out of sale or sharing. OnlineViolinTuner.com does not sell personal information. However, the use of Google AdSense may constitute “sharing” of data for cross-context behavioural advertising purposes under CCPA. You can opt out of this by visiting Google’s Ads Settings at adssettings.google.com or by enabling a Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal in your browser.

Right to limit use of sensitive personal information. OnlineViolinTuner.com does not collect sensitive personal information as defined under CPRA — such as government ID, financial data, or precise geolocation.

Right to non-discrimination. Exercising your CCPA rights will not result in a different level of service or any penalty.

A Note on Microphone Audio Under CCPA

Audio processed through the microphone tuning mode is handled entirely within your browser and is never transmitted to or stored by OnlineViolinTuner.com. Because the site never receives or retains audio data, it does not constitute personal information held by OnlineViolinTuner.com for CCPA purposes. You retain full control of your audio at all times. The Data Security page explains this technically.

How to Exercise Your CCPA Rights

Submit a request via the Contact page with the subject line “CCPA Privacy Request.” We will verify your identity and respond within 45 days, with the option to extend by a further 45 days where necessary.

Cookies and Consent Management

EU and California users have the right to manage cookie consent. You can accept, reject, or customise cookie categories through any cookie consent banner displayed when you visit the site. You can also manage or withdraw consent at any time through your browser settings.

For Google advertising cookies specifically, manage preferences at adssettings.google.com or opt out at:

optout.aboutads.info — Digital Advertising Alliance (US)
youronlinechoices.eu — EU users
optout.networkadvertising.org — Network Advertising Initiative

Contact for Privacy Matters

All privacy-related requests — whether under GDPR, CCPA, or general inquiry — should be submitted through the Contact page. We are committed to responding promptly and transparently to all legitimate privacy requests.