Privacy policy

Visitors

You can read everything on RockLists without an account. If you use the contribute form or suggest a correction, we keep what you type (an optional name and email address plus the list or correction) to review it, credit you if you wish, and reply if you asked us to. To limit abuse, forms store a one-way hash of your IP address that changes daily; the address itself is not stored.

Members

If you create an account we store your username, email address, a salted hash of your password (never the password itself), the profile details you choose to add, the lists you make, your likes and poll ballots, and when you last signed in. Your email address is never shown publicly and is used only for account messages (confirmation, password resets, security notices) and, if you opt in, occasional countdown-season and poll announcements. Public lists and your profile are visible to everyone; unlisted lists are visible to anyone with the link; private lists and ballots are visible only to you.

You can download everything we hold about you from your account page, and delete your account at any time. Deleting an account removes your profile and lists; countdowns you contributed to the archive stay, credited to a former member.

Comments

Comments you post on song and artist pages are public once published, shown with your display name and username. We keep a one-way hash of your IP address with each comment for 90 days to fight spam, and earlier versions of edited comments so moderators can review them. If you delete a comment its wording is removed after 30 days (sooner if you delete your account). Replies to your comments and moderators’ decisions appear under Account → Notifications; reply emails can be turned off under Account → Profile.

Server logs

Like every website, our web server records requests (the page requested, time, IP address, browser type and referring page) in log files used for security and troubleshooting. Logs are rotated and deleted automatically.

Visit statistics

To learn which pages are useful, each page tells our own server that it was viewed: the page, the site or search engine you came from, your country (from your IP address), the type of device and browser, how long the page was on screen, how far down you scrolled and whether its ads appeared. Nothing is stored on your device for this, and no outside analytics service is involved. To tell visits apart, your IP address and browser are combined into a code with a secret that is replaced every day, so the code can’t be traced back to you or linked to your visits on other days; the address itself is not stored. The details are deleted after 90 days; only daily totals are kept.

Cookies and advertising

RockLists sets cookies only when you use a form or sign in: a session cookie that keeps you signed in, a cookie holding your username so pages can show your menu, and a security token for forms. None of them track you across other sites. The site is supported by Google AdSense, which may use cookies and similar technologies to show ads based on your visits to this and other sites. You can opt out of personalized advertising at Google Ads Settings, and learn more in Google’s partner sites policy. Some pages contain affiliate links to Amazon; if you buy something after following one, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Amazon may set its own cookies when you arrive there.

Your privacy choices

Visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are asked for consent before advertising cookies are used; until you answer, ads are limited to non-personalized ones. You can change your answer at any time with the Privacy choices link at the bottom of every page. Everywhere else you can opt out of personalized advertising through Google Ads Settings or your browser’s privacy controls.

Deleting your data

To delete your RockLists account and everything connected to it, go to Account → Delete account while signed in. Your profile, lists, likes, follows and connected sign-in accounts are removed at once. If you can no longer sign in, email [email protected] from the address on your account and we will delete it within 30 days.

Following members

When you follow another member, that member’s follower count goes up by one. Who follows whom is not shown publicly.

Third-party links

Links to station websites, Wikipedia and other external sites are provided for reference. Their privacy practices are their own.

Children

The site is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect information from them.

Contact

Questions about this policy can be sent to [email protected]. This policy was last updated in September 2026.