Information Sent Directly
A name, phone number, or address entered into a search form is sent to the third-party provider that supplies the result. The site’s own servers do not keep a copy of those searches. If you email the operators, the message and any details included in it are visible to the recipient and are used to respond.
Routine Technical Logs
The hosting service may record ordinary technical details such as IP address, browser type, pages requested, and timestamps. These logs are reviewed in aggregate for site health and broad readership patterns. Cookies or similar tools may support basic analytics and, when present, advertising measurement.
How Limited Data Is Used
Technical data is used to operate the reference, diagnose faults, understand aggregate traffic, and improve pages. Visitor lists are not sold, and individual user profiles are not built from the site’s ordinary logs.
External Portals and Links
Pages link to San Mateo County and California records portals, library collections, archives, and third-party search tools. Each outside service sets its own privacy practices and terms. That separate policy controls information submitted there, including the sponsored results supplied by another company.
Who May Receive Technical Data
Hosting and site-support providers may process server logs to keep the service running. Analytics or advertising partners may receive the automatic data described above where those tools are enabled. Disclosure also occurs when valid legal process requires it; there is no routine sale of visitor information.
Security and Retention
The site uses an encrypted connection, and technical logs are retained only for the purposes described above. There are no visitor accounts, passwords, or personal profiles stored here. No security measure can promise absolute protection, but the collection is intentionally narrow.
Visitors Under 18
The reference is intended for adults and is not directed to children. Personal information from anyone under 18 is not knowingly collected. If a parent or guardian believes a minor sent information, the contact channel can be used to request deletion of what was received.
California Privacy Choices
California’s Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, appears in Civil Code §1798.100 et seq. Qualifying consumers may have rights to know, delete, correct, limit certain sensitive information uses, and opt out of sale or sharing, subject to exceptions. The Delete Act, Senate Bill 362, also created the California Privacy Protection Agency’s DROP mechanism and additional broker-deletion duties. Because the reference keeps little direct visitor data, a request usually concerns the contact mailbox or server logs. Use the Contact page to ask. Public records held by California, San Mateo County, or a city remain under the custodian’s control and are governed by the California Public Records Act in Government Code Division 10, §§7920.000-7931.000; a removal request for those records belongs with that office.
Policy Changes
A revised policy takes effect when it is posted here. Continued use after an update indicates acceptance of the new wording.