GoLinks® Privacy Policy

Effective August 16, 2023

This Privacy Policy describes the policies and procedures of GoLinks® Enterprises, Inc. ("GoLinks", "we" or "us") on the collection, use and disclosure of information about you on https://golinks.io (the "Site") and the services, features, content or applications offered by GoLinks (collectively with the Site, the "Services"). GoLinks receives information about you when you register for our Site and the Services, through your user account with GoLinks® (your "Account"). The information you provide may be transferred, processed and/or accessed only by us in the United States or another country where we (or our service providers) operate.

What Does This Privacy Policy Cover?

This Privacy Policy does not apply to the practices of other businesses that GoLinks does not own or control, including other companies" websites, services and applications ("Third Party Services") that you can access through the Services, such as Facebook or Twitter, or to individuals that GoLinks does not manage or employ. While we attempt to partner with only those Third Party Services that share our respect for your privacy, we cannot take responsibility for the content or privacy policies of those Third Party Services. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any Third Party Services you access.

What Information Does GoLinks Collect and How is it Used?

The information we collect is primarily used to provide the Services, to process and complete any transactions, to respond to inquiries, to personalize and improve the Services, to monitor and analyze usage and trends of the Services, to provide you with related, relevant information, and for any other purpose for which the information was collected. In connection with certain aspects of the Services, we may request, collect and/or display some information about you. We collect the following types of information from our users.

User Information:

When you create an Account, we will collect personal information from you, such as your name and email address. If you create an Account using your login from another account, such as Okta or another single sign-on service, we will access and collect the personal information about you that the account provides (which is based on your privacy settings), so that you can create your Account with us. We use your contact information to send you login information and other information about our Services. You may unsubscribe from receiving certain types of these messages through your Account settings, although GoLinks reserves the right to contact you when we believe it is necessary, such as for administrative, support and/or account management purposes.

Your image associated with your account is automatically generated from Gravatar with the email used to create your account. You can change your image associated with your account by changing your linked image at gravatar.com. If you do not associate an image with your email a unique icon will be generated and used by default.

Note regarding children: We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we learn that we have collected personal information of a child under 13, we will take steps to delete such information from our files as soon as possible.

URL Information:

One feature of the Services is the ability to create shortened uniform resource locators (URLs) of websites ("GoLinks Links"). GoLinks collects and stores both the original URL and the shortened URL and we will associate that information with your Account. GoLinks also collects and stores the time and date on which you shortened the original URL and when you share the GoLinks Link, information on the channels through which the GoLinks Link was shared. Any user with an account in your organization can access GoLinks Links created within the same organization.

Metrics and Analytics:

GoLinks collects information about accesses (such as clicks) of every GoLinks Link created through the Services. This information includes, but is not limited to: (i) the IP address and physical location of the devices accessing the GoLinks Link; (ii) the referring websites or services; and (iii) the time and date of each access; These metrics and analytics are used by GoLinks to improve the websites and services by, for example, providing value-added features.

User Content:

Some features of the Services allow you to provide content to the Services, such as written descriptions of URLs, comments, and images.

Information Collected From Third Party Services:

Some features of the Services allow you to share your content and GoLinks Links through your accounts with other companies such as Facebook and Twitter. If you choose to connect GoLinks to such Third Party Services, we may collect information related to your use of those Third Party Services, such as authentication tokens that allow us to connect to your Third Party Service accounts or the contact information of your friends (if you choose to connect your friends, followers, or contacts from your account) so that you can contact these people when you use the Services. We may also collect information about how you are using the Services to interact with those connected Third Party Services. Note that Third Party Services may have the ability to restrict the information that is provided to us based on your privacy settings of that account.

Information Collected Automatically:

GoLinks automatically receives and records information from your web browser when you interact with the Services, such as your IP address, browser type, your general location and cookie information. This information may be used to help us understand how users transit a website, to fight spam/malware, to facilitate collection of data concerning your interaction with the Services (e.g., what GoLinks Links you have clicked on) and for other similar purposes.
GoLinks also automatically receives and records information that your mobile device transmits when you access the Services, like a device identifier, device settings, and operating system. This information is used to facilitate your access and use of the Services, and for other similar purposes.
Generally, the Services automatically collect usage information, such as the number and frequency of visitors to the Site. GoLinks may use this data in aggregate form, that is, as a statistical measure, or in individual form but not in a manner that would identify you personally. This type of aggregate data enables us to figure out how often individuals use parts of the Services so that we can analyze and improve them.
We will collect information about your general location (such as your city and state) when you visit the Site (which is derived from your IP address) and we may use various technologies to determine your location (if you enable this feature), when you access and use the Services through a mobile device.

Cookie Policy:

Cookies are pieces of text that may be provided to your computer through your web browser when you access a website. Your browser stores cookies in a manner associated with each website you visit. We use cookies to enable our servers to recognize your web browser and tell us how and when you visit our Site and use the Services through the web.
GoLinks cookies also allow GoLinks to track when you have clicked on a GoLinks Link. Each click of a GoLinks Link is tracked using a unique identifier assigned to you in one or more cookies stored by your web browser and associated with GoLinks.
GoLinks cookies do not, by themselves, contain any personal information about you, and we do not combine the general information collected through cookies with your personal information to tell us who you are. We do, however, use cookies to identify that your web browser has accessed a GoLinks Link and may associate that information with your Account if you have one.
Most browsers have an option for turning off the cookie feature, which will prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, as well as (depending on the sophistication of your browser software) allowing you to decide on acceptance of each new cookie in a variety of ways. If you disable cookies, you will not be able to use most features of the Services. GoLinks cookies are set to automatically expire after 6 months from when they are set.
This Privacy Policy covers the use of cookies by GoLinks only and does not cover the use of cookies by any Third Party Services. GoLinks does not control when or how third parties place cookies on your computer, such as when you visit the website from a GoLinks Link.

EU-US Privacy Shield Framework.

GoLinks complies with both the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework and the Swiss-US Privacy Shield Framework, as set forth by the US Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of personal information from European Union member countries and Switzerland to the United States. GoLinks has certified that it adheres to the Privacy Shield Principles. If there is any conflict between the policies in this Privacy Policy and the Privacy Shield Principles, the Privacy Shield Principles will govern. To learn more about the Privacy Shield program, and to view our certification page, please visit https://www.privacyshield.gov.

GoLinks has further committed to refer unresolved privacy complaints under the Privacy Shield Principles, to the BBB EU PRIVACY SHIELD, a non-profit alternative dispute resolution provider located in the United States and operated by the Council of Better Business Bureaus. If you do not receive timely acknowledgment of your complaint, or if your complaint is not satisfactorily addressed, please visit https://www.bbb.org/EU-privacy-shield/file-a-complaint for more information and to file a complaint.

Under certain limited conditions, if your complaint is not resolved through these channels, it may be possible for individuals to invoke binding arbitration before the Privacy Shield Panel to be created by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the European Commission.

Right to Access, Edit, and Remove Your Information.

You have a right to access personal information we hold about you. Whenever you use GoLinks Services, we strive to make sure that the Personal Information is correct. If that information is wrong, we give you ways to update it quickly or to delete it – unless we have to keep that information for legitimate business or legal purposes. When updating your Personal Information, we may ask you to verify your identity before making any changes. We may reject requests that are unreasonably repetitive, require disproportionate technical effort (for example, developing a new system or fundamentally changing an existing practice), risk the privacy of others, or would be extremely impractical (for instance, requests concerning information residing on backup systems). Where we can provide information access and correction, we will do so for free, except where it would require a disproportionate effort. Because we protect information from accidental or malicious destruction, even after information is deleted from the GoLinks Services, it may not be immediately deleted from GoLinks servers.

To request removal of your Personal Information from our Site, Services, blog or social media, contact us at privacy@golinks.io. In some cases, we may not be able to remove your Personal Information, in which case we will let you know if we are unable to do so and why.

What Information Is Shared?

The Services are designed to help you share information with other users in your organization. As a result, the information generated through the Services is only shared with users in your organization. Information shared to third party services such as Inspectlet and Google Analytics is not shared outside to third parties, and is only shared to help improve the experience of the Services.

GoLinks Links and Usage Information:

Much of your activity on and through the Services is private by default, and is only public within your organization. This includes, but is not limited to:

The original URLs you have shortened, their corresponding GoLinks Links, the time and date those URLs were shortened, and metrics and analytics information for your GoLinks Links, as described above;
Aggregate non-personal information about what GoLinks Links you have clicked on and associated metrics and analytics information, as described above; and
Any tags you have created, or were created automatically, along with content added to those tags.

Registered users may have some of this information associated with their Accounts. Unregistered users will not have access to any information within any organization.

Registered users, cannot elect to make non-public information public.

Please also remember that if you choose to provide information about you using certain features of the Services, then that information is governed by the privacy settings of those particular features.

IP Address Information:

While we collect and store IP address information, that information is not shared publicly. We do at times, however, share IP address information with Google Analytics and Inspectlet for tracking purposes.

Information You Elect to Share:

When creating a GoLinks Link, you can share that GoLinks Link through Third Party Services. Any information that you elect to distribute through Third Party Services is provided to them and may then become accessible to users of those services. GoLinks Link URLs cannot be accessed without an authenticated user account, however the name of the GoLinks Link may be public if shared through a third party service. We recommend that you review the terms of services and privacy policies of such Third Party Services that you access through the Services, since GoLinks does not control and is not responsible for the privacy practices of these Third Party Services.

User Profile Information:

User profile information including your username, Gravatar image, email, job title, and other information you enter may be displayed to other users within the same organization to facilitate user interaction within the Services.

Information Shared with Service Providers of GoLinks:

We may employ and contract with people and other entities to perform certain tasks on our behalf and under our direction (our "Service Providers"). We may need to share information about you with our Service Providers in order to provide products or services to you. Unless we tell you differently, our Service Providers do not have any right to use the information we share with them beyond what is necessary to assist us.

Information Disclosed Pursuant to Business Transfers:

We may transfer and/or provide information about our users in connection with an acquisition, sale of company assets, or other situation where user information would be transferred as one of our business assets. In such a case, the acquirer of GoLinks may continue to use your information as set forth in this policy.

Information Disclosed for the Protection of GoLinks and Others:

GoLinks also reserves the right to access, read, preserve, and disclose any information as it reasonably believes is necessary to (i) satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request, (ii) enforce these Terms of Service, including investigation of potential violations hereof, (iii) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues, (iv) respond to user support requests, or (v) protect the rights, property or safety of GoLinks, its users and the public. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for fraud protection and spam/malware prevention.

Information We Share With Your Consent:

We will share information about you when you instruct us to do so, such as when you share GoLinks Links or content with others through the Services or if we notify you that the information you provide will be shared in a particular manner and you provide such information (like sharing/posting it with a Third Party Service).

How Is My Information Protected?

Your Account information is protected by your email access for your privacy and security. No passwords are necessary for creating an account or accessing your account. By not storing passwords, GoLinks guarantees that passwords cannot be stolen by malicious users. You can prevent unauthorized access to your account by limiting access to your computer and browser by signing off after you have finished accessing your account.

GoLinks endeavors to protect the information it collects about its users using industry-standard security processes and controls, however, despite these efforts, no security measure is perfect or impenetrable and GoLinks does not guarantee or warrant that such measures will prevent unauthorized access to the information about you that is stored by GoLinks. In the event we experience a breach of security, we will promptly notify you if your personal information has been compromised, in accordance with applicable law.

What Choices Do I Have and What Information of Mine Can I Access?

You need to create an account with your organization's email to create GoLinks Links otherwise you cannot use any of the features of the Services. By having an account that is associated with your organization, your information is only shared to your organization thereby limiting the information to the public.

If you are a registered user, you can access information associated with your account by logging into the site. This information includes a history of the URLs you have shortened, and access to the metrics pages for those URLs. You can deactivate your account at any time by sending a request to support@golinks.io. If you deactivate your account, you will no longer be able to access or use the Services.

Please note that in the interest of ensuring that existing GoLinks Links continue to function for all of the users in your organization, the GoLinks Links that you have created and shared cannot be deleted or disabled (even if your Account is deactivated), and any shortening and sharing activity that has already occurred on your Account also cannot be deleted. If you have concerns about any unauthorized usage of your Account, please contact us at support@golinks.io and we will disable future shortening activity on your Account.

What Happens When There Are Changes to this Privacy Policy?

GoLinks may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time. Use of information we collect now is subject to the Privacy Policy in effect at the time such information is used. If we make material changes in the way we collect or use information, we will notify you by posting an announcement on the Services or sending you an email and we will indicate when those changes will become effective. You are agreeing to be bound by any changes to the Privacy Policy when you use the Services after those changes become effective.

Data Retention Policy

GoLinks will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes we collected it for, including to satisfy any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The time for which we store your personal data may depend on the type of data we hold or your account subscription tier. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data, and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements. For more information about our data retention policies, please contact us at support@golinks.io.

What If I Have Questions or Concerns?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding privacy using the Services, please send us a detailed message to: support@golinks.io. We will make every effort to resolve your concerns.