Privacy and terms
The short version: we do not know who you are, we keep no account of you, and the only thing we measure is how many people visited which page. Searches pass through our server to a search provider and are cached for a week without anything that identifies you.
Searches
When you search, the name and place you typed are sent to our server, which asks a web search provider (Google Programmable Search) for matching pages and returns the links to you. The provider receives the words of your query, not your IP address or anything about your browser, under Google's privacy policy. Our server caches the results of each distinct query for up to 7 days so a repeat of the same search does not cost another provider call; the cache holds the query text and the results, never who searched. To keep the service free we also count searches per connection for one hour and per day in total; those counters hold a number, not a history.
Every result is a link to another website. We do not copy, host, edit or remove obituaries, and we are not responsible for the content, accuracy or availability of the pages we link to. Contact the publishing site about anything on it.
What we collect
Aggregate page views, and nothing else. We use Plausible Analytics, which is cookieless: it sets no cookies, stores nothing on your device, collects no personal data, and never follows you across sites. It tells us that a page was viewed, roughly where in the world from, and which link led there. One event records that a search ran, whether a place was given, and how many results came back as a band (none, a few, many); the name you searched for is never sent to analytics. It is the one third-party request the site makes, and it is EU-hosted. You can switch it off: turn Analytics off in the cookie preferences and the Plausible script is not loaded, so your visits are not counted.
There are no accounts, no tracking pixels, no fingerprinting, and no ad networks.
Cookies and storage
The site sets one first-party cookie, ol_consent, which records the choice you make in the cookie notice so we do not ask again. It lasts 180 days, is mirrored in your browser's local storage under ol-consent, and holds nothing about you beyond that choice. If you allow Functional storage, two more local-storage entries remember your preferences: ol-theme, whether you chose the dark or the light look, and ol-lang, the language you last picked (so a page in another language can offer yours back; we never redirect). Decline Functional and neither is stored. Your privacy choices in the footer of every page reopens your preferences at any time.
Hosting
The site runs on Cloudflare's network. Like any content delivery network, Cloudflare may keep short-lived operational logs (such as IP address and requested URL) for security and abuse prevention; those are governed by Cloudflare's privacy policy. We keep a small sample of our own request logs for a few days to fix errors; they are not used to profile anyone.
Terms of use
ObitLookup is provided free of charge and as is, without warranty of any kind. Results come from third-party websites and a third-party search provider; they may be incomplete, out of date or wrong, and we make no promise that a notice exists or can be found. Use the search for personal, family-history and research purposes; do not use it to harass anyone, to build a database of people, or to send automated queries. We may limit, suspend or change the service at any time. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for any loss arising from use of the site or of the sites it links to. These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, United States, and any dispute will be heard in the courts of Palm Beach County, Florida, except where consumer law in your country gives you rights that cannot be waived.
Children
The site is not directed at children under 13 and we knowingly collect no personal data from anyone, children included.
Questions
Email hello@obitlookup.com. We read everything.