Headline Cleaner - Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 15, 2024

1. General

This privacy policy applies to the Headline Cleaner browser extension, developed by Dugongi Oy. Headline Cleaner is designed to transform clickbait headlines into factual and informative ones.

2. Collected Information

Headline Cleaner collects certain information from users, particularly for those using our Pro features. This includes:

  • Personal information such as name and email address
  • Payment details for Pro subscriptions
  • Authentication data when using third-party login services

The extension also operates locally in the user's browser and processes news headline data. It will be used to transform to a new headline.

3. Website Analytics and Tracking

Headline Cleaner uses various analytics and tracking tools on our website (headlinecleaner.com) to help us understand how visitors use our site and to improve our service. These tools may include, but are not limited to:

  • Google Analytics
  • Facebook Pixel
  • Other similar analytics and tracking technologies

These tools collect information such as:

  • IP addresses
  • Browser type and version
  • Device type and screen size
  • Operating system
  • Referring website
  • Pages visited on our website
  • Time and date of visits
  • Time spent on pages
  • Links clicked
  • Conversion information

This information is used to:

  • Analyze user behavior and trends
  • Improve our website and services
  • Optimize our marketing efforts
  • Provide personalized content and advertisements

You can opt out of tracking through your browser settings or by using tools such as the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

4. Information Sharing

Headline Cleaner is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data with care. We do not sell your personal information to third parties. However, in certain circumstances, we may share some information with third parties:

  • For Pro users, we share necessary information with payment processors to facilitate transactions (see section 7 for details).
  • We use third-party services for analytics, authentication, and other functions, which may collect and process data according to their own privacy policies (see section 12 for more information).

In all cases, we strive to share only the minimum amount of information necessary for the specific purpose. We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law.

5. Data Security

Headline Cleaner is committed to protecting user data and adheres to the following security practices:

  • All data transfer occurs through secure HTTPS connections.
  • Our servers are protected and regularly updated.
  • Access to collected data is restricted to authorized personnel only.
  • We retain data only as long as necessary for the operation and development of the service.
  • User authentication data is securely stored and encrypted.
  • Payment information is processed through secure, PCI-compliant payment processors.

6. Extension User Activity Tracking and Data Collection

The Headline Cleaner extension collects anonymized information about user activities to improve the quality and functionality of the service. We collect the following information:

  • A unique, randomly generated identifier (UUID) for each extension installation
  • Event type (e.g., "transform", "auto_transform", "click_transformed", "click_original")
  • Event timestamp
  • Clicked headline text and its web address (URL)

We do not collect personal information such as names, email addresses, or precise locations. The collected data cannot be directly linked to an individual person.

The data is used for the following purposes:

  • Analyzing and compiling statistics on extension usage
  • Improving functionality
  • Identifying and fixing potential errors
  • Enhancing the quality of headline transformations

Data is sent to the server using the browser's sendBeacon API and a separate API call for clicked headlines. The data is stored in a database protected by appropriate security measures.

Users can easily opt out of anonymous usage data collection from the extension's settings, or disable tracking entirely by disabling the extension.

Note: For Pro users, additional personal information is collected as described in section 7.

7. User Authentication and Pro Features

Headline Cleaner offers user authentication through various third-party services, including Google and Facebook, as well as other potential providers in the future. This authentication is used to access Pro features of the extension.

When you choose to authenticate and use Pro features, we collect and store:

  • Your name and email address
  • A unique identifier associated with your authentication method
  • Payment details for processing Pro subscriptions

This information is used solely for the purpose of providing and managing your Pro account and features. We do not share this information with third parties except as necessary to provide the service (e.g., payment processing).

We do not store any payment information. All payment processing is securely handled by Stripe, which complies with industry-standard PCI-DSS security measures.

8. User Rights

You can request access to, correction, or deletion of your data by contacting us at support@dugongi.com. We aim to respond to such requests within 30 days.

Users have the following rights regarding their data:

  • The right to access their personal data
  • The right to rectify inaccurate personal data
  • The right to request deletion of their personal data
  • The right to restrict processing of their personal data
  • The right to data portability
  • The right to object to processing of their personal data
  • The right to withdraw consent at any time

Users can exercise these rights by contacting us at support@dugongi.com. Users also have the right to remove the Headline Cleaner extension from their browser at any time.

9. Changes to the Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to modify this privacy policy. Any changes will be announced on this page, and the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy will be revised accordingly.

10. Contact Information

For any questions regarding your privacy or this policy, please contact us at support@dugongi.com. We typically respond within 2 business days.

11. Third-Party Services

We carefully select third-party services that comply with strict privacy regulations and aim to protect your data. While these services have their own privacy policies, we take care to ensure that they share our commitment to security and minimal data collection.

We strive to work with third-party services that adhere to similar privacy standards as our own. However, we are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party services.

12. Data Retention

We retain personal data for as long as necessary to provide the service, or until a user requests deletion. In some cases, we may retain data for legal or security purposes, even after a deletion request. All data is securely deleted from our systems when it is no longer needed.