Privacy Policy

What PhoneticAlphabet.org collects, why, and the choices you have.

Last reviewed on 2 May 2026.

Summary

PhoneticAlphabet.org is a free reference site supported by display advertising. We do not require accounts, do not sell email lists, and do not run intrusive tracking ourselves. We do use Google Analytics to understand which pages are read, and Google AdSense to show ads. Both involve cookies and limited data sharing with Google, described below.

You can opt out of ad personalization, block analytics cookies in your browser, and exercise GDPR or CCPA rights at any time. The text you type into the on-site converter is processed in your browser and is not sent to our servers.

Who runs this site

This privacy policy applies to the website at phoneticalphabet.org ("the site", "we", "our"). The site is operated as an independent reference and is not affiliated with ICAO, NATO, the FAA, the ITU, or the International Phonetic Association.

Data we collect

Information you give us

The site has no login, no comments, and no contact form. The only direct data you can send us is an email if you choose to write to the address listed on the contact page. If you do, we keep your message and reply, and delete the thread when it is no longer needed for follow-up.

Information collected automatically

When you visit any page, our hosting provider's web server logs the standard request information that any web server receives:

  • Your IP address.
  • The page you requested and the time of the request.
  • HTTP status, response size, and your browser's user-agent string.
  • The HTTP referrer, where your browser sends one.

These access logs are used for security and operational troubleshooting and are rotated and discarded on a short cycle.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 (measurement ID G-H8R1KEH9LS) to understand aggregate usage — which pages people read, what device categories they use, and where the traffic comes from. Google Analytics sets cookies and may process IP addresses on Google's behalf. Google's handling of this data is described in the Google Privacy Policy and the Google Analytics data practices page.

Advertising

We use Google AdSense to show ads. Google and its advertising partners may use cookies and similar technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this site or other sites. As described in the Google advertising policies:

  • Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this site and other sites on the internet.
  • You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings.
  • You can also opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting aboutads.info or, in the EU, YourOnlineChoices.

Our ads.txt file authorizes Google as our direct advertising vendor; we do not run header-bidding networks or sell first-party data to advertisers.

Cookies

Cookies and similar storage are used in three categories:

  • Strictly necessary: none — the site does not require login or session state.
  • Analytics: Google Analytics sets cookies (typically _ga, _ga_*) to distinguish unique users for aggregate reporting.
  • Advertising: Google AdSense and its partners may set cookies (such as IDE, NID, and others described in Google's cookie types page) to measure ads and, where you have not opted out, personalize them.

You can block, clear, or limit cookies in your browser settings. See our cookie policy for category-by-category detail and direct opt-out links.

The on-site converter

The text-to-phonetic converter on the site is implemented in client-side JavaScript. Whatever you type into it is processed in your own browser and is not transmitted to our servers or any third party. We do not store, log, or analyze converter input. Closing or reloading the page clears it.

Third-party services we use

  • Google Fonts — serves typeface files. Your browser may request fonts from Google's CDN; the request includes your IP and user-agent and is described in Google's privacy policy.
  • Google Analytics — analytics, as described above.
  • Google AdSense — advertising, as described above.
  • Our hosting provider — required to serve the site; receives the standard access-log data described earlier.

We do not embed third-party comment widgets, social-media share buttons that load remote scripts, video embeds, or chat tools.

Where the GDPR applies, we rely on the following legal bases:

  • Legitimate interest for keeping access logs and for aggregate analytics that help us run and improve the site.
  • Consent for personalized advertising cookies, as collected through Google's consent mechanisms in supported regions. You can withdraw consent at any time via Google Ads Settings.
  • Contract / pre-contract when you email us with a question — we process the email to reply.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

  • Request access to the personal data we hold about you.
  • Request correction or deletion of that data.
  • Object to or restrict certain processing.
  • Withdraw consent for advertising cookies.
  • Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

California residents have additional rights under the CCPA / CPRA, including the right to know what categories of personal information we have collected and the right to opt out of "sale" or "sharing" of personal information. We do not sell personal information in the ordinary sense; the use of advertising cookies described above may be considered "sharing" under California law and can be limited via the opt-out links above.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us via the contact page.

Retention

  • Web-server access logs: rotated and deleted on a short cycle (kept only as long as needed for security and troubleshooting).
  • Google Analytics data: retained according to the property's configured retention period in line with Google's controls.
  • Email correspondence: kept while the inquiry is being handled, then deleted unless retention is required for a specific legal reason.

Children

The site is suitable for general audiences and does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or under 16, where local law applies). If you believe a child has sent us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

Security

The site is served over HTTPS. There are no user accounts and no application-level database, which limits the surface area for compromise. We rely on the security practices of our hosting provider and on Google's controls for the third-party services described above.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when site practices, third-party services, or legal requirements change. Material changes will be reflected in the "Last reviewed" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the site after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

For privacy questions, data subject requests, or corrections, please use the contact page. We aim to respond within a reasonable period, and in any case within the timeframe required by applicable law.