Last updated: January 2024
Overview
Countdown Solver is a free, tool-only website. We do not require you to create an account, log in, or submit any personal information to use the solver. The letters and numbers you enter are sent to our server solely to compute solver results and are not stored, logged, or shared.
This policy explains what limited data our web server may record by default, how third-party services (CDN libraries and advertising) may use cookies, and your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Data We Collect
Server Access Logs
Like most web servers, our server automatically records standard access log entries each time a page is requested. These logs may include:
- Your IP address (anonymised or in full, depending on server configuration)
- The date and time of the request
- The URL requested
- Your browser type and operating system (user-agent string)
- HTTP status code and response size
These logs are used solely for security monitoring, diagnosing technical issues, and understanding aggregate traffic levels. They are not used to identify individuals and are retained for a limited period in line with good practice.
Solver Input Data
When you click Solve, the letters or numbers you have entered are submitted to our server via a standard HTTP POST request. The solver processes this data in memory and returns results. No input data is stored in a database or log file.
Cookies
Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your browser. This website may use cookies from the following sources:
Session and Functional Cookies
This website does not set any first-party cookies of its own. No user preferences, sessions, or tracking cookies are set by countdown-solver.co.uk.
Third-Party CDN Resources
This site loads resources from the following third-party CDN providers. These may set their own cookies or record your IP address for performance and security purposes:
- Bootstrap — loaded from
cdn.jsdelivr.net - Font Awesome — loaded from
cdnjs.cloudflare.com - jQuery — loaded from
code.jquery.com
Please refer to the respective privacy policies of jsDelivr, Cloudflare, and the jQuery Foundation for details of any data they collect.
Google AdSense (Advertising Cookies)
This website displays advertisements served by Google AdSense. Google uses cookies (including the DoubleClick cookie) to serve adverts based on your prior visits to this and other websites. You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google's Ads Settings, or by visiting aboutads.info. For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy.
Your Rights under UK GDPR
Under UK data protection law, you have the following rights:
- Right of access — to request a copy of any personal data we hold about you
- Right to rectification — to request correction of inaccurate personal data
- Right to erasure — to request deletion of personal data we hold (where applicable)
- Right to restrict processing — to request that we limit how we use your data
- Right to object — to object to our processing of your data
- Right to data portability — to request your data in a machine-readable format
As this website collects minimal personal data, most of these rights have limited practical application. However, you may contact us at any time to exercise them.
Links to Other Websites
This website contains links to external sites, including the official Channel 4 Countdown page. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal information to them.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated date at the top. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
Contact
If you have any questions about this privacy policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us via the contact details available on this website. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator.