Privacy policy
Hitstory (hitstory.app) is run by Gareth Busson in the United Kingdom. This page explains what information the site handles when you use it. In short: Hitstory has no accounts, no sign-in, no advertising and no analytics, and it sets no cookies of its own.
Hitstory uses YouTube API Services
Hitstory uses YouTube API Services to find and play music videos. When a video plays, it is shown by YouTube's embedded player in privacy-enhanced mode (youtube-nocookie.com). YouTube and Google may collect information about your viewing through that player under their own policies. Please read the Google Privacy Policy. By using Hitstory you also agree to the YouTube Terms of Service.
What Hitstory stores on your device, and how to delete it
Your browser's local storage keeps a few settings so the site remembers them next time: your colourway, chosen country, Top 40 or Top 100, countdown or count-up order, preferred streaming service, the last chart week you viewed, and which YouTube videos have already been found for songs you played. This information never leaves your device and Hitstory cannot read it from elsewhere. To delete it, clear this site's data in your browser settings (for example in Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → View permissions and data stored across sites → hitstory.app → Delete data). Uninstalling the home-screen app removes it too. Hitstory keeps no other information about you, so there is nothing else to delete. If you install Hitstory to your home screen, your device also keeps copies of the page and the chart years you opened, so it opens quickly.
What reaches Hitstory's server
When you press play, your browser asks Hitstory's server for the video of that chart entry, giving the country, chart date and position. The server looks the song up on YouTube (if it hasn't already) and saves the match so it can be reused for everyone. No information about you is saved with it. Hitstory is hosted by Netlify, which, like any web host, processes your IP address and basic request details to serve the site and protect it from abuse; see Netlify's privacy policy.
Other services the page contacts directly
- Deezer, for album covers and, when no video is found, a 30-second preview (Deezer privacy policy).
- Wikipedia, for the short notes about artists and songs (Wikimedia privacy policy).
- Amazon, only if you click a “Buy” link. Hitstory is a member of the Amazon Associates programme: the link carries Hitstory’s affiliate tag, and Amazon may set its own cookies on its site to record that you came from Hitstory (Amazon privacy notice).
- Google Fonts, for the typefaces (Google Privacy Policy).
Each of these receives your IP address and the request your browser makes, as any website does. Hitstory sends them nothing else about you.
What Hitstory does not do
Hitstory does not ask for your name, email or any account details; does not access your YouTube, Google or streaming accounts; does not use tracking or advertising cookies; and does not sell or share personal information. The “Buy on Amazon” links open a search on amazon.co.uk in a new tab.
Your rights
Because Hitstory keeps no personal information about you, there is nothing on its server to access, correct or delete. Under UK data protection law (UK GDPR) you can still contact us with any question, and you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
Contact
Questions about this policy: gareth.busson@gmail.com.
If this policy changes, the new version will be posted here with a new date.