Effective April 30, 2026
The Tomball Times is a community website and business directory for Old Town Tomball, Texas. This page explains what information we collect and how it is used.
What we collect
- Analytics. We use Google Analytics to understand which pages visitors read and how they reach the site. Google Analytics sets cookies in your browser and records information such as your IP address, the pages you view, your general location (typically at the city level), your device type, and how you arrived at the site. This data is processed by Google and is governed by Google's Privacy Policy.
- Location, only if you ask. On our map, you can tap "Walk Here" to get walking directions. If you do, your browser will ask whether to share your current location. If you allow it, your coordinates are sent to the OSRM routing service to calculate a route. We do not store your location, and we do not have access to it unless you explicitly grant permission.
- Address lookup, only if you enter one. On the voter guide, you can type an address to check whether it's inside Tomball city limits. If you do, the address is sent to the OpenStreetMap Nominatim geocoding service to convert it to coordinates so the map can show the location. We do not store the address or the result.
What we don't collect
- We have no sign-ups, accounts, newsletters, or contact forms.
- We do not ask for your name, email, phone number, or any other personal details.
- We do not set our own cookies beyond what Google Analytics uses.
- We do not run ads or share data with advertisers or data brokers.
Third parties
In addition to Google Analytics, OSRM, and Nominatim mentioned above, the site loads map tiles from OpenStreetMap and weather data from Open-Meteo. These services receive standard request information (such as your IP address) whenever your browser loads a resource from them, which is normal for any linked web content.
Opting out of analytics
You can block Google Analytics by using a browser or extension that blocks tracking scripts, by enabling "Do Not Track" in your browser settings, or by installing Google's official opt-out add-on. We do not currently respond to Do Not Track signals automatically, because the standard was never finalized and most browsers removed it.
Children
This site is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will update the effective date at the top of this page.
Contact
Questions about privacy? Reach out via direct message on X: @tomballtimes.