The short version
WordCountNow is a small Australian site run by Bill Ohaire. You don't need an account, and nothing you type or paste into our tools is sent to us — the counting happens right there in your browser, on your own device.
We do use Google Analytics to count visits, so we know which tools are actually helping people. That's about it, and the rest of this page spells it out.
What we collect
Your writing: nothing
Your text never leaves your browser. We don't upload it, store it or read it, and neither does anyone else through us.
Visit statistics (Google Analytics)
We use Google Analytics 4 to see things like which pages get used, roughly where visitors are (country or city, never a street address), what device and browser they use, and how they found us. Google Analytics sets cookies (named _ga and _ga_…) to tell one visit from the next. Google tells us that Google Analytics 4 doesn't log or store IP addresses. We can't see who you are from this, and we don't try to.
Your Writer's Dashboard
The Writer's Dashboard keeps your goals, streaks and session stats in your own browser (local storage) so they're there next time. They never leave your device, and you can wipe them at any time by clearing your browser's site data.
When you email us
If you email us, we get whatever you choose to include. We use it to reply to you and for nothing else — no mailing lists, no selling it on.
Server logs
Like every website, our host (Hostinger) keeps standard server logs — IP address, browser type, the page requested and the time. They're used to keep the site secure and running, and they're kept for a limited time.
Advertising
We don't show ads on WordCountNow today. We plan to, because ads are how a free site like this pays its way. When they're switched on, this is how they'll work:
- Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your previous visits to this site and other websites.
- Google's advertising cookies let Google and its partners serve ads to you based on your visits to this site and/or other sites on the internet.
- You can opt out of personalised advertising in Google's Ads Settings, or opt out of some other vendors' cookies at aboutads.info.
You can read more about how Google uses information from sites that use its services. If you're visiting from the UK, the European Economic Area or Switzerland, we'll ask for your consent before any advertising cookies are set. We'll update this page on the day ads start.
Your choices
- Block or clear cookies in your browser settings. Every tool on this site still works without them.
- Opt out of Google Analytics on every site with Google's opt-out browser add-on.
- Ask us what we hold about you, or ask us to correct or delete it. Email waupitoiuliano@gmail.com and we'll sort it out.
The fine print, kept short
Links to other sites
Our guides link to style guides, universities and other useful sites. Their privacy practices are their own, so it's worth a look at their policies too.
Children
Plenty of students use WordCountNow, and because we don't collect what anyone types, there's nothing of theirs for us to hold. The site isn't aimed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their information.
Australian privacy law
Small sites like ours are generally exempt from the Privacy Act 1988, but we treat the Australian Privacy Principles as our standard anyway. If you're unhappy with how we've handled your information, tell us first and we'll do our best to make it right. You can also contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
Changes to this page
If what we collect changes — when ads start, for example — we'll update this page and the date at the top.
Get in touch
Questions about any of this? Email waupitoiuliano@gmail.com. A real person reads every message.