Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how linkTapes.com ("we", "us") collects, uses, and protects your information when you use LinkTapes.com (the "Service"). If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use the Service.

Information we collect

• Account data. If you create an account, your email address (used to send sign-in links) and any profile details you choose to add — display name, handle, avatar, bio, and music links.
• Guest data. You can use the Service without an account. Guest identity and tape history are stored locally in your browser; we store only hashed rejoin tokens server-side, never raw secrets.
• Content you create. Tapes, queued tracks, song notes, chat messages, and reactions.
• Technical data. IP address and browser user agent (used for rate limiting, abuse prevention and moderation, and stored with analytics records for a limited period — see “Product analytics” below), basic request metadata, presence/activity signals that power live features, and, when adding a song fails, the link you tried (with tracking and private-link parts removed) so we can fix what went wrong.
• Messages you send us. If you use the contact form or report a problem: your message, your email address (optional for problem reports) and your name if you give it. A problem report also carries the technical details shown to you before sending (what went wrong, the page, a link you tried to add, your browser type and language) and what you did on the Service in the last 30 minutes, never your IP address. Messages are delivered to our inbox by email so we can reply or fix the problem; the site itself keeps only a note that a report was sent.

How we use information

• To provide and operate the Service.
• To keep the Service safe — rate limiting, abuse prevention, and moderation.
• To send sign-in links and, if you opt in, turn notifications.

Cookies and local storage

We use strictly necessary cookies and browser storage for sessions, guest identity, and preferences. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

Product analytics

We run first-party, cookieless product analytics to understand how the Service is used — for example page visits, tape joins, and track adds — and to keep it reliable. This is separate from, and does not use, the cookies described above.

• No cookie, no device identifier. Analytics does not use a cookie or any persistent device identifier. Visits are grouped using a keyed hash of your IP address and a coarse device category, which lets us tell a returning visitor from a new one without storing an identifier on your device. When a visit is recorded we also look up the country of your IP address in a geolocation database kept on our own server (IP Geolocation by DB-IP, db-ip.com), so the address is not sent to anyone else; only the country is used in our statistics.
• IP address — for moderation only. We store the IP address and browser user agent of a visit so we can investigate abuse and moderate the Service. This data is used for that purpose alone: it is never shared with anyone, never used for advertising or profiling, never included in any report or statistic (only the country looked up from it, as described above), and never exported. Access is restricted to the site operator.
• Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control. If your browser sends a Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control signal, we still count the visit but store no IP address and no user agent for it. If the signal reaches us a moment after the page loads, anything already recorded for that visit is erased.
• Lawful basis. We rely on our legitimate interest in understanding and reliably operating the Service, and — for the IP address and user agent specifically — in keeping it safe from abuse. If you are signed in, some product actions (like joining a tape) are also linked to your account so we can measure how signed-in features are used; you can request that this account link be removed — see “Your rights” below.
• Retention. Individual analytics records, including the IP address and user agent, are kept for a limited window (90 days by default) and then deleted. Only aggregated daily summaries — which contain no personal data — are kept longer, to show trends over time.

Sharing

We do not sell your data. We share it only with service providers that host and operate the Service (for example database hosting, email delivery, and push notifications) under appropriate safeguards, or where required by law.

Data retention

We keep account and content data for as long as it is needed to operate the Service, keep it safe, resolve disputes, and meet legal obligations. Guest data stored in your browser remains there until you clear it. You may contact us to request deletion of personal data.

Your rights

Depending on where you live (including the EU/EEA under the GDPR), you may have rights to access, correct, export, or delete your data, and to object to or restrict certain processing. To exercise these rights, contact us at admin@linktapes.com.

Children

The Service is not directed to children under 13. If you are under 13, do not use the Service or provide personal information to us.

Security

We hash rejoin tokens, scope capability tokens, rate-limit sensitive endpoints, and enforce a content security policy. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your data.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted here with a new "Last updated" date.

Contact

linkTapes.com, admin@linktapes.com