Privacy Policy
SwapDoc ("we", "us", "the service") provides a free online tool to convert documents between Word and PDF formats. This policy explains what information is involved when you use the service, how it is handled, and the choices available to you. SwapDoc is run from the United Kingdom, and you can contact us at joe.bishop@swapdoc.co.uk.
Files you upload
When you convert a document, the file is uploaded over an encrypted connection to our server, converted, and returned to you for download. Both the original and the converted file are deleted as soon as the download completes, and a background process removes any residual files within about ten minutes. We do not read, copy, keep, share or analyse the contents of your documents.
Information we collect
SwapDoc does not require an account, and we do not ask for your name, email address or other personal details to use the converter. Like any website, our server processes some technical information when you visit:
- Your IP address, used briefly in memory to apply fair-use limits on conversions, which prevent abuse. It is not saved for this purpose.
- Basic request information, such as the page requested, the time, your browser type and whether a conversion succeeded, used to keep the service running and fix problems.
Visitor statistics
We measure how the site is used (for example, how many people visit, which pages they read, roughly which town or country they're in, and how long they spend on a page) using Microsoft Azure Application Insights. We've set it up to be as privacy-friendly as possible:
- No cookies, and nothing is stored on your device for statistics.
- Instead of tracking you, our server makes an anonymous ID that changes every day, created by scrambling your IP address and browser type with a secret key. It can't be turned back into your IP address, and it can't link your visits on different days.
- Microsoft uses your IP address to work out an approximate location (town and country) and then discards it; IP addresses are not stored in our statistics.
- We record the type of device and browser, the page, the website that linked you to us (if any), the time spent on the page, and whether a conversion worked. We never record file names or contents.
- Statistics are kept for up to 90 days, then deleted automatically.
Our lawful basis for this is our legitimate interest in understanding how the service is used, so we can improve it and keep it running. Microsoft processes this data for us as our processor.
Cookies and advertising
SwapDoc displays advertising provided by Google AdSense to keep the service free. Google and its partners may use cookies and similar technologies to show ads, measure them and, with your permission, personalise them.
- If you're in the UK, the EEA or Switzerland, Google's consent message asks you before any cookies are used for personalised advertising. You can change your choice at any time using Privacy settings at the bottom of every page.
- Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to SwapDoc and other sites on the internet.
- You can opt out of personalised advertising at Google Ads Settings, and from some other vendors at Your Online Choices or aboutads.info.
- For more on how Google uses data from sites that use its services, see How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services.
Our lawful basis for advertising cookies is your consent where the law requires it, and otherwise our legitimate interest in funding the service. Google acts as an independent controller for the data it collects through ads.
Who processes data for us
- Microsoft (Azure), which hosts the website in the UK and provides visitor statistics.
- Google (AdSense), which provides advertising.
We do not sell your information to anyone. Some of these providers may process data outside the UK; where they do, they use the safeguards required by UK data protection law, such as the International Data Transfer Addendum.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have rights to access, correct, delete or object to the processing of your personal data, and to withdraw consent at any time. Because we don't know who you are, we usually hold nothing we can link to you, but you can contact us at joe.bishop@swapdoc.co.uk with any request. If you're unhappy with how we've handled your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.
Children's privacy
SwapDoc is a general-purpose tool and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with a new "last updated" date.