Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to URLit. This Privacy Policy explains how URLit ("we," "our," or "us") collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal information when you use our URL shortening platform, website, and related services (collectively, the "Service").

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data with transparency. By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

📌 Quick summary: We collect only the data necessary to provide and improve our Service. We never sell your personal information to third parties.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information You Provide

When you create an account, contact us, or use certain features of the Service, we may collect:

Account Information: Name, email address, password (hashed), and profile details.
Billing Information: Payment method details (processed securely by our payment partners).
Communication Data: Messages you send us, feedback, or support requests.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use the Service, we automatically collect certain information about your device and usage:

Usage Data: IP address, browser type, operating system, pages visited, time spent, and referring URLs.
Link Analytics: Clicks on your shortened links, geographic location, device type, and referrer information.
Cookies: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience and analyze usage patterns.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To Provide the Service: Shorten URLs, manage your links, and deliver analytics.
To Improve and Develop: Analyze usage to enhance features, performance, and user experience.
To Communicate: Send service updates, security alerts, and promotional materials (with your consent).
To Ensure Security: Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorized access.
To Comply with Legal Obligations: Fulfill legal requirements and respond to lawful requests.

✅ Legal basis: We process your data based on legitimate interests, contractual necessity, and your consent where required.

4. Information Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share your data in the following circumstances:

Service Providers: We engage trusted third-party companies to perform services on our behalf (e.g., hosting, analytics, payment processing). These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data.
Legal Compliance: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or governmental regulation.
Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your data may be transferred as part of the transaction.
With Your Consent: We may share information with third parties if you give us explicit permission.

We anonymize or aggregate data whenever possible before sharing it for research or marketing purposes.

5. Data Security

We take data security seriously and implement industry-standard measures to protect your information:

Encryption: All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using SSL/TLS (256-bit).
Access Controls: Strict access controls limit who within our organization can access your data.
Monitoring: We continuously monitor our systems for vulnerabilities and potential breaches.
Regular Audits: We conduct security audits and compliance reviews to ensure your data is safe.

🔒 Remember: While we strive to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We encourage you to use strong passwords and keep your account credentials confidential.

6. Your Rights & Choices

We respect your privacy rights and provide you with control over your personal information. Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Correction: Request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete data.
Deletion: Request deletion of your account and personal data (subject to legal retention requirements).
Data Portability: Request a machine-readable copy of your data to transfer to another provider.
Opt-Out: Withdraw consent for marketing communications at any time.
Restriction: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to provide the Service and fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy.

Account Data: Retained for the duration of your account and for a reasonable period afterward to comply with legal obligations or resolve disputes.
Link Data: Shortened URLs and associated analytics are retained according to your plan (free accounts: 30 days; paid accounts: retained as long as your account is active).
Communication Data: Support tickets and emails are retained for up to 2 years for quality assurance and training purposes.

When data is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it.

8. Cookies & Tracking

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your experience and analyze how you use the Service.

Types of Cookies We Use

Essential Cookies: Required for core functionality (e.g., authentication, session management).
Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the Service (e.g., Google Analytics).
Preference Cookies: Remember your preferences and settings.

Managing Cookies

Most browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can block or delete cookies, but doing so may affect your experience with the Service.

🍪 Cookie notice: By continuing to use URLit, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this policy.

9. Third-Party Services

URLit integrates with third-party services to enhance functionality. These services have their own privacy policies, and we encourage you to review them:

Google Analytics: Used to analyze website traffic and usage patterns.
Firebase: Our backend infrastructure (authentication, database, analytics).
Payment Processors: Stripe, PayPal (for paid plans).

We do not control and are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party services.

10. Children's Privacy

URLit is not intended for children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16.

If you believe that a child under 16 has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete the information promptly.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will:

Post the updated policy on this page with a new "Last updated" date.
Notify you via email (if you have an account) or through a notice on the Service.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your privacy.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please reach out to us:

Email: devfella@hotmail.com
Contact form: Contact Us
Address: Chitungwiza, Harare, Zimbabwe