Privacy Policy

The following page outlines how WhatPulse uses and protects any information that you give WhatPulse when using this website or the WhatPulse software.

WhatPulse is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement. WhatPulse may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. By using any services of WhatPulse you agree to this privacy policy.

Information Collected

WhatPulse only collects information (be it via a website form or the software) that is relevant to the purpose of our website. When you register for a WhatPulse account, we will ask you for your name (as provided) and valid e-mail address.

The software collects statistics from your computer(s) as you direct it to. Our approach is activity tracking without content intrusion: we monitor usage patterns and application activity without capturing the actual content being typed or viewed. For example, we record keystroke counts but not what was typed. The types of statistics can vary and you have the ability to turn off each individual type of statistic. When you 'pulse' to our website, the software will only send the data you have allowed it to send.

For a detailed technical breakdown of all data types collected by the WhatPulse software, please see our Privacy and Data Collected FAQ.

The information collected with the WhatPulse software is only used for analytics as shown on the website. Information linked to your account will never be sold or handed over to a third party. Only aggregated, anonymized data may be used for global analytics by third parties, on-site advertisements or marketing purposes.

In summary,

We collect relevant information so you can participate in our website and application. You have complete control what statistics are gathered. We don't sell your personal information and stats.

Analytical Cookies & Usage Data

At WhatPulse, we utilize Plausible Analytics, routed through our stats subdomain, on our website to gain insights into visitor behavior and assess the efficacy of our marketing efforts. We have selected Plausible Analytics due to its privacy-centric approach, which prioritizes anonymized aggregate data over personally identifiable information. No cookies are used and no personal data—not even an IP address or browser user agent—is stored. For more information on how Plausible Analytics handles data, please refer to their Data Policy.

On the WhatPulse application, Plausible Analytics is used as the backend to process usage data. Similar to the website, we track aggregated behavior, such as what pages and sections you looked at, for how long, and so on. This data is completely anonymized by randomly generating a Client ID per installation, which is not linked to your account in any way. This information is important to us for improving the user experience and determining WhatPulse effectiveness and helps us prioritize features.

If you would like to stop the WhatPulse software from collecting and sending your usage data, please disable the option called Send bug and usage reports. Click here for more information about the content, process, and usage of the data described here.

In summary,

We collect anonymized and aggregated data on the website and WhatPulse software, to see which parts of our products are being used. This information is important to us for improving the user experience and helps us prioritize features. You can disable this.

Keeping Information Safe

Your WhatPulse account is protected by a password for your privacy and security. This password is stored encrypted. Protect against unauthorized access to your account by logging off the website once you have finished using a shared computer. We encourage you to use a 2-Factor Authentication (2FA) method for additional security.

Only WhatPulse staff who need personal information to perform a specific task (upon your request) are granted access to it. All of our employees & relations are kept up to date on our privacy and security policies.

In summary,
Your account is protected by a password. We encrypt it, you must also keep it secure. Our staff may access your account only to do a specific (requested) task.

Third-Party Services - Payment Providers

WhatPulse uses Paddle as its payment provider to handle transactions for premium memberships. Paddle is a third-party service that securely processes payments and stores data related to those transactions, including order details, billing information, and other relevant data necessary to process and manage payments. In addition to processing payments, Paddle also provides notification to WhatPulse about premium memberships, so we can activate premium features for our users.

Further reading: Paddle's Buyer Privacy Notice

Please note that we also previously used PayPal and Stripe as our legacy payment providers.

In summary,
We use third-party payment providers for Premium, which collect and process payment information.

Data Retention & Deletion

Your data will be available on the WhatPulse website and software as long as you have an account. You can delete your account at any time, which will delete all your data from our website. You can do this from your account management page. We will not keep any personal data when your account is deleted.

In summary,
You can delete your account at any time, deleting any personal information we have.

Policy Towards Children

You must be 13 or older to register a WhatPulse account. If you become aware that your child has provided WhatPulse with personal information without your consent, please contact us at privacy@whatpulse.org. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information without parental consent, we will take steps to remove such information.

In summary,

We allow 13 years and older. If you are younger than 18 years of age, please ask your parent for consent.

Web Insights Browser Extension

The Web Insights browser extension for WhatPulse tracks website usage to help you understand your browsing habits. This section explains how the extension collects, processes, and shares data.

What we collect

The extension collects domain names only (e.g., "example.com" or "mail.example.com") of websites you visit, along with the time spent on each domain. We do not collect:

  • Full URLs or page paths (e.g., we see "example.com", not "example.com/private/page")
  • Page content, form data, or any information displayed on websites
  • Browsing history or navigation patterns between pages
  • Passwords, cookies, or authentication tokens

Input activity tracking

The extension also tracks input activity within your browser, including:

  • Key count: The total number of keystrokes
  • Click count: The total number of mouse clicks
  • Scroll count: The total number of mouse scroll events
  • Mouse distance: The total distance your mouse cursor travels

We only store aggregate counts of these events, not the events themselves. This means:

  • We do not record what you type (no keylogging)
  • We do not track where you click or what you click on
  • We do not log mouse movements or cursor positions
  • There is no way to reconstruct your specific actions from the collected data

How it works

Domain usage and input activity data is collected by the browser extension and transmitted to the WhatPulse desktop application running on your computer. The desktop application then uploads this data to your WhatPulse account, where it is displayed as time-series statistics in your private dashboard.

Privacy controls

Your website usage data is private by default. Only you can see which specific domains you visit and for how long. You have full control over this data through your WhatPulse privacy settings, where you can choose what to share publicly or keep private.

Public statistics

WhatPulse may display aggregated, anonymized statistics about website popularity and average usage times. These global statistics are calculated across all users and cannot be traced back to any individual user. Your personal browsing patterns and the specific domains you visit are never publicly associated with your account unless you explicitly choose to share them.

Data storage and deletion

Website usage data is stored alongside your other WhatPulse statistics. You can disable the Web Insights extension at any time to stop future collection. When you delete your WhatPulse account, all website usage data is permanently removed.

In summary,

The browser extension tracks domain names (not full URLs) and counts of input events (keys, clicks, scrolls, mouse distance). We only store totals, not what you typed or where you clicked. This data is private to you. Public statistics are fully anonymized and cannot identify individual users.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
  • Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate personal data
  • Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data (available via account deletion)
  • Portability: Request your data in a portable format
  • Objection: Object to certain types of processing
  • Restriction: Request we limit how we use your data

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@whatpulse.org.

In summary,

You have rights over your data including access, correction, deletion, and portability. Contact us to exercise them.

Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

  • Contract: To provide the WhatPulse services you signed up for, including collecting and displaying your computer statistics
  • Consent: For optional features such as bug and usage reporting, marketing communications, and public sharing of statistics
  • Legitimate Interest: To improve our services, ensure security, prevent abuse, and generate anonymized aggregate statistics

You can withdraw consent for optional features at any time through your account settings or by contacting us.

In summary,

We process your data to provide services (contract), with your permission for optional features (consent), and to improve and secure our platform (legitimate interest).

Changes to & Effective Date of this Privacy Policy

This privacy policy is effective as of 14 January, 2026. WhatPulse may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.

In summary,
Effective as of January 14th, 2026. We can change this to keep up to date.