Legal
Privacy policy
Last updated 29 August 2026.
This policy explains what data calculatesteps.com collects, why, and what your choices are. It applies to this website only.
Who is responsible
This site is operated by Michael Sally. For any privacy question, including a request to access or delete data, use the contact page.
What we collect directly
We do not ask you to create an account, and we do not collect names, email addresses or payment details through this site unless you choose to send them to us by email.
The step calculator processes the place names you enter in order to look them up. Those queries are sent to the Nominatim geocoding service, operated by the OpenStreetMap Foundation, and are subject to that organisation's own privacy practices. We do not store your queries on our servers.
Cookies and advertising
This site displays advertising through Google AdSense. We do not set our own advertising or tracking cookies; the cookies described below are set by Google and its advertising partners.
- Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites.
- Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this and other sites on the internet.
- You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings.
- You may opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies for personalised advertising at aboutads.info or, in Europe, at youronlinechoices.eu.
Google's own description of how it uses data from sites that use its services is at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
Analytics
We use standard web analytics to understand which pages are read and how people arrive at the site. This produces aggregate figures — page views, referring sources, approximate country — not profiles of individual readers.
Server logs
Our hosting provider records standard access logs, including IP address, browser type, referring page and timestamp. These are used for security and troubleshooting and are retained for a limited period.
Your rights
If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, the GDPR gives you rights to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to processing of your personal data, and to data portability. Where we rely on consent — principally for personalised advertising cookies — you may withdraw it at any time through the consent control on this site or through your browser settings.
If you are a California resident, the CCPA and CPRA give you rights to know what personal information is collected, to request deletion, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. We do not sell personal information. To exercise any of these rights, use the contact page.
Consent in Europe
Where the law requires it — principally the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland — consent for non-essential cookies, including those used for personalised advertising, is collected through a consent management platform before those cookies are set. This is done in line with Google's EU user consent policy.
Your choices are recorded and can be changed or withdrawn at any time through the consent control on this site, or by clearing cookies in your browser. Withdrawing consent does not remove advertising from the site; it means the advertising you see is not personalised.
Children
This site is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and it will be deleted.
External links
This site links to external sources, including academic journals and reference sites. We are not responsible for their content or their privacy practices, and we encourage you to read their policies.
Changes
If this policy changes materially, the revised version will be posted here with an updated date at the top.