Privacy

Effective date: October 8, 2026

ReelQuery is a search tool for archival film and video. It has no user accounts, and it collects very little: the words you search for, and the routine technical data a website records. This policy explains what that is and how it’s used.

1. What we collect

• Your searches. When you search, we keep a record of the search text you typed, the keywords our system extracted from it, any year range or excluded terms it found, how many results came back, and the time of the search. The search record does not include your name, an account, or your IP address.
• Technical data. Our web host automatically records standard server information, such as your IP address, browser type, device type, pages requested and the time of each request. We use it to run and secure the site.
• Analytics data. Google Analytics collects information about how visitors use the site (see section 3).
• Messages you send us. If you email us, we receive your name, email address and whatever you write.
• Donations. If you donate, the payment is handled entirely by PayPal (see section 5). We do not receive or store your card or bank details.

Please don’t put personal or sensitive information, such as your own contact or financial details, into the search box. Search text is stored as typed.

2. How search works, and who sees your query

ReelQuery does not host any video. It searches public archives and shows you titles, descriptions and thumbnails, then links you to the original item.

• Archives we search. When you search, our server sends your query to the Internet Archive, NASA, the Library of Congress, the U.S. National Archives (NARA), Smithsonian Open Access, Europeana and DVIDS. When you open an item’s details, we send that item’s address to the archive it came from.
• Your address stays with us. Those requests come from our server, so the archives see our server’s address, not yours.
• Direct connections from your browser. Thumbnails, and the video player for Internet Archive items, load straight from the archive’s own servers. When that happens, your browser connects to that archive, which can see your IP address and is covered by its own privacy policy. The same goes for any link you follow to an archive’s website.
• Natural-language search. If you type a question or sentence, we pick out the keywords, any years and any words to exclude using a built-in set of rules on our own server. Your search text is not sent to an AI provider or any other outside service for this step.
• Temporary storage of results. To keep search fast, our server briefly stores search results, along with the item details it fetches, so repeat searches don’t have to be re-requested from the archives.

We are not affiliated with any of these archives, and the use of an archive’s data does not imply that the archive endorses ReelQuery.

3. Cookies, browser storage and analytics

• Cookies. ReelQuery runs on WordPress. WordPress, our web host, our plugins and Google Analytics may set cookies on your device. Some are needed to run and secure the site; the Google Analytics cookies help us understand how the site is used. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; the site should still work.
• Browser storage. We don’t currently store anything about you in your browser beyond those cookies. If we add a feature that saves information on your device, such as a saved list, it will stay on your device and we’ll update this page.
• Analytics. We use Google Analytics to understand how people use the site, such as which pages are visited, roughly where visitors are located, and what device and browser they use. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies and processes information such as your IP address. We use it for site statistics, not to identify individual visitors. Google handles this data under Google’s Privacy Policy. To opt out, you can install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on or block cookies in your browser.

4. Sharing your information

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only in these cases:

• Service providers that help us run the site, such as our web host and Google (through Google Analytics, section 3).
• The archives, as described in section 2, which receive search queries and item requests.
• Legal and safety reasons, when the law requires it or when needed to protect the site, our users or others.
• A change of ownership, if ReelQuery is ever transferred to someone else.

5. Donations

If you choose to donate, a window opens on PayPal’s website. PayPal collects and processes your payment information under its own privacy policy. ReelQuery does not receive or store your card or bank details, though PayPal may tell us that a donation was made and how much it was.

6. How long we keep information

• Search records: kept for up to 12 months, then deleted.
• Google Analytics data: kept for the period set in our Google Analytics account settings.
• Server logs: kept by our web host according to its own schedule, typically for a short period.
• Emails and messages: kept as long as needed to respond and for our records, then deleted.
• Temporarily stored search results (section 2) expire automatically within a short time.

7. Security

We use reasonable measures to protect the site and the information we hold. No website can guarantee complete security, so please keep that in mind when deciding what to share.

8. Your choices and rights

You can ask us what information we hold about you, and ask us to correct or delete it. Depending on where you live, such as the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or California, you may also have the right to object to or restrict how your information is used, or to receive a copy of it.

Because search records don’t contain your name or IP address, we generally can’t tell which searches are yours. If you’d like one removed, send us the exact search text and the approximate date and time, and we’ll delete any matching records we can find. To make a request, use the contact details in section 12.

9. Children

ReelQuery is a general-audience search tool and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, contact us and we’ll delete it.

10. Links to other websites

Results link to archives and other sites we don’t control. This policy doesn’t cover them, and we’re not responsible for their content or privacy practices. Check each site’s own policy.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The new version will be posted here with a new effective date. Material changes, such as starting to use a new analytics or AI service, will be reflected here before they take effect.

12. Contact

For privacy questions, requests to access or delete information, or copyright concerns about an item in search results, email contact@reelquery.com.