Last updated: 2025
This page explains what information Demos Lab collects when you visit the-demos.com, why, and what you can do about it. We are a small, independent site about creative coding and interactive media art, and we try to collect as little as possible.
The short version
- We do not ask you to create an account to read anything here.
- Our web server keeps standard technical logs, like almost every website.
- Some cookies are set by this site, and others may be set by analytics or advertising partners if we use them.
- Embedded videos, code sandboxes and social posts come from other companies, who have their own privacy rules.
- Interactive tools and demos marked as running in your browser process your input on your own device.
- We do not sell your personal data.
Information collected automatically
When you load a page, your browser sends certain information to our web server. This happens on every website and is needed to deliver pages to you. The server log may record:
- Your IP address
- The date and time of the request
- The page or file requested
- The referring page, if your browser shares it
- Your browser type, operating system and device type
We use this to keep the site running, fix errors, understand which pages are popular and protect the site against abuse such as spam or automated attacks. We do not use server logs to build profiles of individual readers.
Cookies and similar technologies
Cookies are small text files stored by your browser. Local storage and similar browser features work in a comparable way.
Cookies set by this site
This site may use a small number of cookies or local storage entries to make things work. Examples include remembering a display preference or saving your progress or settings in an interactive demo. These stay on your device.
Analytics cookies
We may use an analytics service to understand how visitors find and use the site, such as which articles get read and which demos people spend time with. Analytics providers typically set cookies and collect information like pages viewed, time on page, approximate location (usually at the country or city level) and device details. We look at this information in aggregate, not to identify you.
Advertising cookies
If we run advertising to support the site, our advertising partners may use cookies and similar technologies to show ads, limit how often you see the same ad and measure performance. Some of these may show ads based on your interests, using information collected across other websites. Where the law requires it, we will ask for your consent before these cookies are set.
Managing cookies
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Most browsers also let you block third-party cookies only. If a consent banner is shown on this site, you can use it to accept or decline non-essential cookies, and you can change your choice later. Blocking cookies will not stop you reading the site, though some interactive features may forget your settings between visits.
Embedded content from other sites
Articles here sometimes include content hosted elsewhere. For a creative coding site, that often means videos, live code sandboxes, music players or social media posts.
Embedded content behaves as if you had visited the other site directly. The company hosting it may:
- Set its own cookies
- Collect data about you, including your IP address
- Track your interaction with the embed, especially if you are logged into an account with that service
We do not control what these services collect. Their own privacy policies apply. If you prefer to avoid this, you can use browser privacy settings or extensions that block third-party embeds.
Tools and demos that run in your browser
Many of the interactive pieces on this site are built with browser technologies such as JavaScript, Canvas and WebGL. Where we state that a tool or demo runs in your browser, the processing happens on your device and the data you enter or create is not sent to our server.
Some demos may ask for permission to use your camera, microphone or motion sensors, for example to drive generative visuals from sound or movement. Your browser will always ask before granting access, and you can say no. For demos marked as browser-only, that input is processed locally and is not recorded or uploaded by us. If a specific tool ever needs to send data to a server, we will say so on that tool’s page.
If you contact us
If you get in touch with us through the site, we will receive whatever you choose to send, such as your name, your email address and your message. We use this only to reply and to keep a record of the conversation. We will not add you to a mailing list unless you ask us to.
How long we keep data
- Server logs: kept for a limited period for security and troubleshooting, then deleted or rotated out.
- Analytics data: kept according to the retention settings of the analytics service, and viewed by us in aggregate.
- Messages you send us: kept only as long as needed to deal with your enquiry and any follow-up.
- Cookies and local storage: stay on your device until they expire or you delete them.
Third-party services, including advertising partners and embedded content providers, set their own retention periods.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, privacy laws such as the EU and UK GDPR or California’s CCPA may give you specific legal rights. Regardless of where you are, we are happy to help you with any of the following:
- Ask what we hold: request a copy of any personal data we have about you.
- Correct it: ask us to fix information that is inaccurate.
- Delete it: ask us to erase your personal data.
- Object or withdraw consent: stop us using your data for a particular purpose, including withdrawing consent you gave for cookies.
- Complain: contact your local data protection authority if you are unhappy with how your data has been handled.
To make a request, use the contact options on this site. Because we collect very little that identifies individuals, we may need some details from you, such as the date of your visit or the email address you wrote from, to find the relevant records. We will not charge you for a reasonable request.
We do not sell your data
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information. If we work with analytics or advertising partners, they process data to provide their services under their own policies, and we do not hand over contact details or messages you send us.
Children
This site is written for a general audience interested in code, art and interactive media. It is not directed at young children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
Security
We take reasonable steps to protect the site and the limited data we hold, including serving pages over an encrypted HTTPS connection. No website can promise perfect security, but we keep what we collect to a minimum, which limits what could ever be exposed.
Changes to this policy
As the site grows, the tools and services we use may change. When that happens, we will update this page and change the “Last updated” date at the top. If a change significantly affects how your data is used, we will make it clear on the site.
Questions
If anything on this page is unclear, or you want to know more about how a particular tool or demo handles your data, reach out through the contact options on this site and we will answer as plainly as we can.