At fasttest.org, we handle digital information every day. We help millions of people understand their internet connection, a cornerstone of modern life. Because of the nature of our work, we believe that your privacy isn’t just a policy to be written; it’s a promise to be kept. This document is our commitment to you. We’ve written it to be as clear and straightforward as possible, without the confusing legal jargon, so you can understand exactly what happens with your information when you use our internet speed check tool.
We built Fasttest.org to be a simple, powerful, and trustworthy resource. A huge part of that trust comes from being completely transparent about your data. You have a right to know what information is gathered, why it’s necessary, and how we protect it. Our entire philosophy is built on the idea of user empowerment, and that extends to your privacy. We want you to feel confident and secure every time you visit our site to run a network speed test. This policy is our way of showing you that we respect your data as much as we value your visit.
Our Core Principle: Minimal Data for Maximum Functionality
Our approach to data is simple: we only collect the absolute minimum information required to make our service work accurately and to improve it for everyone. We have no interest in your personal life, your browsing habits, or who you are. Our sole focus is on measuring the performance of an internet connection and presenting that data back to you in a clear way.
Think of it like this: when you go to a doctor for a blood pressure test, they need to use a cuff on your arm to get a reading. They are only measuring that specific metric for that specific purpose. They aren’t interested in what you had for breakfast or where you went on vacation. We operate on the same principle. We use the necessary technical “cuffs” to get an accurate bandwidth test reading, and that’s where our interest ends. We are fundamentally a tool, and we only gather the data needed to function as a highly effective one.
What Information We Actually Collect (and Why It’s Necessary)
Transparency is key, so let’s break down exactly what data is collected when you click that “GO” button. We’ve separated it into two categories: the results of your test and the technical information needed to perform it.
1. Your Internet Speed Check Results
This is the core purpose of your visit. When you run a test, we generate several key metrics about your connection at that specific moment. This data includes:
- Download Speed (Mbps): How quickly data can travel from the internet to your device.
- Upload Speed (Mbps): How quickly data can travel from your device to the internet.
- Ping (Latency in ms): The reaction time of your connection.
- Jitter (ms): The consistency of that reaction time.
Why we collect this: This is the service we provide! We collect these results to display them to you. Without this information, our tool would have no function. This data is also aggregated anonymously to help us understand broad internet performance trends, which we will explain further down.
2. Essential Technical Information
To ensure your speed test is accurate, our system needs to know a few technical details about the connection it’s testing. This is non-personal, diagnostic information.
- Your IP Address (Internet Protocol Address): Think of your IP address as a temporary digital mailing address for your network. When you request to use our tool, our servers need to know where to send the data packets for the test and where to send the results back. Your IP address is also used to determine your approximate geographical location (like your city and country) and your Internet Service Provider (ISP). This is crucial for selecting the closest and fastest test server to you, which is the key to getting an accurate result.
- Your Internet Service Provider (ISP): We identify your ISP (like Comcast, AT&T, or Spectrum) from your IP address.
- Your User Agent: This is a string of text your web browser (like Chrome, Firefox, or Safari) sends that identifies the browser and your device’s operating system (like Windows 11 or macOS).
Why we collect this: This technical data is vital for two reasons. First, for accuracy. As mentioned, knowing your location and ISP allows us to connect you to the optimal server for your network speed test. Testing against a server on the other side of the world would give you a slow and inaccurate result. Second, for context and improvement. By understanding which ISPs, browsers, and locations are using our service, we can better troubleshoot issues and optimize our platform for a global audience. For example, if we see many users from a specific ISP getting strange results, it could indicate a network issue we need to investigate.
What We Absolutely, Positively DO NOT Collect
This section is just as important as the last one. Here is a clear list of things we never collect, track, or store.
- Your Name, Email, or Physical Address: We are an anonymous service. We don’t ask you to create an account, so we have no way of knowing who you are. The only time we’d ever have your email address is if you voluntarily choose to send it to us by contacting our support team.
- Your Browsing History: We have no idea what other websites you visit, what you search for, or what you do online. Our tool is confined to its own function and does not monitor your activity elsewhere.
- Specific Location Data: While we know the city and country associated with your IP address, we do not and cannot know your street address or pinpoint your exact location.
- Data from Your Computer: Our tool runs within your browser and does not have access to the personal files, documents, or photos on your device.
How We Use The Information: A Summary of Our Practices
Here is a simple table that summarizes what we collect, why we collect it, and what it means for you.
| Data Point We Collect | Why We Collect It | What This Means For You |
| Test Results (Download, Upload, Ping) | To provide you with your internet speed check results. This is the core function of our website. | You get an instant, accurate measurement of your current internet performance. |
| IP Address | To identify the best test server near you and to determine your ISP. | You receive the most accurate speed test results possible by connecting to an optimal server. |
| ISP Name & General Location | To provide context to your results and to analyze broad performance trends anonymously. | Helps us improve our service and allows for the creation of helpful aggregate data (e.g., “average speed in New York”). |
| Browser & Operating System | To ensure our website functions correctly on all platforms and to troubleshoot technical bugs. | You get a smooth, reliable user experience whether you’re on a phone, tablet, or desktop computer. |
The Power of Anonymized, Aggregated Data
This is where the information we collect becomes powerful for the entire internet community. We take the test results from thousands of users and strip them of any potentially identifying information, like the full IP address. We then combine this anonymized data into large datasets.
This allows us to do things like:
- Identify regions where internet performance is struggling.
- Track the performance of different ISPs over time.
- Publish interesting reports and insights about the state of global internet connectivity.
Your individual test contributes to a larger pool of knowledge that can help journalists, researchers, and consumers understand the digital landscape better. However, your personal identity is never, ever part of this picture. Your test might show up as “one of 10,000 tests from Chicago on the Comcast network in May,” but it will never be traceable back to you.
Our Stance on Cookies
Cookies are small text files that websites place on your device to remember information. They often get a bad reputation, but they can be very useful. Our philosophy on cookies is the same as our philosophy on data: we use them minima