Plain-English explanation of what data Debt Clarity Tools collects, how it’s used, who we share it with, and the choices available to you.
Debt Clarity Tools (debtclaritytools.com) provides free educational debt calculators, articles, and downloadable guides to help individuals understand interest costs and repayment options. The site is owned and operated by Dr. James Frederick Smiling, Mathematics Education Professor at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and founder of Debt Clarity Tools.
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices available to you. By using this site, you agree to the practices described here. If you do not agree, please do not use the site.
You do not need to create an account to use any of our calculators. The numbers you enter — balances, interest rates, payment amounts — are processed entirely within your browser using JavaScript. We do not transmit, store, or log your calculator inputs on our servers. If you close the tab, the numbers are gone.
We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how visitors use the site. GA4 collects information including: anonymized IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, time spent on pages, referring website, approximate geographic location (city/region level), and basic interactions (clicks on links, scroll depth). This data is aggregated and used to improve the site. GA4 uses cookies and similar tracking technologies.
You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
We collect your email address when you voluntarily submit it to receive a free guide, mini-course, or other resource. By submitting your email, you agree to receive:
You may unsubscribe from our email list at any time using the unsubscribe link included in every email. We will not sell or rent your email address to unrelated third parties.
Paid products (mini-guides and the Debt Freedom Blueprint) are sold through SamCart (shop.debtclaritytools.com). Payment processing and order data are handled by SamCart and their payment processors (Stripe, PayPal). We do not see, store, or have access to your credit card number or full payment account details. We do receive the order email address, the product purchased, and the date of purchase for delivery and customer-support purposes. See SamCart’s Privacy Policy for details on payment data handling.
If you arrive at our site by clicking a Google Ads or Facebook/Instagram ad, your URL may contain a gclid or fbclid parameter. We store this identifier in your browser’s sessionStorage for the duration of your visit so that, if you proceed to checkout, the resulting purchase can be attributed back to the correct ad. The identifier is cleared when you close your browser tab and is not linked to your name, email, or any other personal information.
We use the information collected to:
If you are in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we rely on the following legal bases under the GDPR / UK GDPR:
Cookies are small text files stored in your browser. Similar technologies include pixels, beacons, local storage, and session storage. This site uses the following categories:
_fbp cookie, which track browsing behavior across websites to show relevant ads.sessionStorage for gclid and fbclid).You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies, accept them only from certain sites, or delete them after each session. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of some features.
This site participates in the Google AdSense program (Publisher ID ca-pub-6893607002193633). Google AdSense is a program run by Google LLC that displays ads served by Google and its advertising partners.
How Google uses data for advertising: Google and its partners may use cookies (including the DoubleClick cookie) and other tracking technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this site and other sites. This is sometimes called interest-based or personalized advertising.
Your choices regarding Google advertising:
More information: Google’s Privacy & Terms.
This site uses the Meta Pixel (also called the Facebook Pixel) to measure the performance of advertising on Facebook and Instagram. The Pixel collects information about your visit — including page URL, button clicks, conversion events such as “Lead” and “Purchase,” and a Facebook-assigned identifier — and transmits it to Meta Platforms, Inc. This data is matched to your Facebook account where applicable and used to deliver relevant ads and measure ad performance.
You can manage Facebook ad preferences and opt out of off-Facebook activity at facebook.com/settings?tab=ads.
We use the following third-party services. Each has its own privacy policy governing how they handle data:
We retain personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy:
We do not sell your personal information. We share data in the following limited circumstances:
If you are a California resident, you have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act and the California Privacy Rights Act, including:
To exercise any of these rights, email hello@debtclaritytools.com with “CCPA request” in the subject line.
If you are located in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have the following rights under the GDPR / UK GDPR:
To exercise any of these rights, email hello@debtclaritytools.com with “GDPR request” in the subject line. We will respond within 30 days.
This site is not directed at children under the age of 13, and the underlying topic (consumer debt) is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has submitted personal information to us, please contact us at hello@debtclaritytools.com and we will promptly delete it.
This site is operated from the United States. If you are visiting from outside the US, please be aware that your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country. By using this site, you consent to this transfer. We rely on Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent legal mechanisms with service providers where required.
This site contains links to external websites that we do not control. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any site you visit.
We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal information against loss, theft, and unauthorized access. This includes HTTPS encryption site-wide, hosting on a reputable provider (Netlify), and limiting access to subscriber and purchase records. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify subscribers by email. Continued use of the site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
Questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, or to exercise any of your rights described above:
Email: hello@debtclaritytools.com
Contact page: debtclaritytools.com/contact
Operated by: Dr. James Frederick Smiling, Debt Clarity Tools (United States)