This policy describes the information we process to support Whyzzer.
Last updated on October 13, 2023.
1. What kinds of information do we collect?
To provide the Whyzzer Product, we must process information about you. The types of information we collect depend on how you use our Product. You can learn how to access and delete information we collect by visiting the Whyzzer Settings.
Things you and others do and provide
Information and content you provide
We collect the content, communications and other information you provide when you use our Product, including when you sign up for an account, create or share content, and message or communicate with others. This can include information in or about the content you provide (like metadata), such as the location of a photo or the date a file was created. It can also include what you seethrough features we provide, such as our camera or give you tips on using portrait mode. Our systems automatically process content and communications you and others provide to analyze context and what's in them for the purposes described below. Learn more about how you can control who can see the things you share.
Data with special protections
You can choose to provide information in your Whyzzer profile fields or Life Events about your religious views, political views, who you are "interested in," or your health. This and other information (such as racial or ethnic origin, philosophical beliefs or trade union membership) is subject to special protections under EU law.
Networks and connections
We collect information about the people, pages, accounts, hashtags and groups you are connected to and how you interact with them across our Product, such as people you communicate with the most. We also collect contact information if you choose to upload, sync or import it from a device(such as an address book or call log or SMS log history), which we use for things like helping you and others find people you may know and for the other purposes listed below.
Your usage
We collect information about how you use our Product, such as the types of content you view or engage with; the features you use; the actions you take; the people or accounts you interact with; and the time, frequency and duration of your activities. For example, we log when you're using and have last used our Product, and what posts, videos and other content you view on our Product. We also collect information about how you use features like our camera.
Information about transactions made on our Product
If you use our Product for purchases or other financial transactions (such as when you make a purchase for a course or make a donation), we collect information about the purchase or transaction. This includes payment information, such as your credit or debit card number and other card information; other account and authentication information; and billing, shipping and contact details.
Things others do and information they provide about you
We also receive and analyze content, communications and information that other people provide when they use our Product. This can include information about you, such as when others share or comment on a photo of you, send a message to you, or upload, sync or import your contact information.
Device Information
As described below, we collect information from and about the computers, phones, connected TVs and other web-connected devices you use that integrate with our Product, and we combine this information across different devices you use. For example, we use information collected about your use of our Product on your phone to better personalize the content (including ads) or features you see when you use our Product on another device, such as your laptop or tablet, or to measure whether you took an action in response to an ad we showed you on your phone on a different device. Information we obtain from these devices includes:
Device attributes
information such as the operating system, hardware and software versions, battery level, signal strength, available storage space, browser type, app and file names and types, and plugins.
Device operations
information about operations and behaviors performed on the device, such as whether a window is foregrounded or backgrounded, or mouse movements (which can help distinguish humans from bots).
Identifiers
unique identifiers, device IDs, and other identifiers, such as from games, apps or accounts you use, and Family Device IDs (or other identifiers unique to Whyzzer Product associated with the same device or account).
Device signals
Bluetooth signals, and information about nearby Wi-Fi access points, beacons, and cell towers.
Data from device settings
information you allow us to receive through device settings you turn on, such as access to your GPS location, camera or photos.
Network and connections
information such as the name of your mobile operator or ISP, language, time zone, mobile phone number, IP address, connection speed and, in some cases, information about other devices that are nearby or on your network, so we can do things like help you stream a video from your phone to your TV.
Cookie data
data from cookies stored on your device, including cookie IDs and settings. Learn more about how we use cookies in the Whyzzer Cookies Policy.
2. How do we use this information?
We use the information we have (subject to choices you make) as described below and to provide and support the Whyzzer Product and related services described in the Whyzzer Terms. Here's how:
Provide, personalize and improve our Product
We use the information we have to deliver our Product, including to personalize features and content (including your News Feed, Detailed Content Feed, Whyzzer Discover and ads) and make suggestions for you (such as Accounts or Topics you may be interested in. To create personalized Product that are unique and relevant to you, we use your connections, preferences, interests and activities based on the data we collect and learn from you and others (including any data with special protections you choose to provide where you have given your explicit consent); how you use and interact with our Product; and the people, places, or things you're connected to and interested in on and off our Product. Learn more about how we use information about you to personalize your Whyzzer experience, including features, content and recommendations in Whyzzer Product; you can also learn more about how we choose the ads that you see.
Information across Whyzzer Product and devices
We connect information about your activities on different devices to provide a more tailored and consistent experience on Whyzzer you use, wherever you use it. For example, we can suggest that you join a Topic on Whyzzer that includes people you follow on Whyzzer.
Product research and development
We use the information we have to develop, test and improve our Product, including by conducting surveys and research, and testing and troubleshooting new Product and features.
Ads and other sponsored content
We use the information we have about you-including information about your interests, actions and connections-to select and personalize ads, offers and other sponsored content that we show you. Learn more about how we select and personalize ads, and your choices over the data we use to select ads and other sponsored content for you in the Whyzzer Settings.
Promote safety, integrity and security
We use the information we have to verify accounts and activity, combat harmful conduct, detect and prevent spam and other bad experiences, maintain the integrity of our Product, and promote safety and security on and off of Whyzzer Product. For example, we use data we have to investigate suspicious activity or violations of our terms or policies, or to detect when someone needs help. To learn more, visit the Whyzzer Security Help Center and Whyzzer Security Tips.
Communicate with you
We use the information we have to send you marketing communications, communicate with you about our Product, and let you know about our policies and terms. We also use your information to respond to you when you contact us.
Research and innovate for social good
We use the information we have (including from research partners we collaborate with) to conduct and support research and innovation on topics of general social welfare, technological advancement, public interest, health and well-being. For example, we analyze information we have about migration patterns during crises to aid relief efforts. Learn more about our research programs.
3. How is this information shared?
Your information is shared with others in the following ways:
Sharing on Whyzzer Product
People and accounts you share and communicate with
When you share and communicate using our Product, you choose the audience for what you share. For example, when you post or repost on Whyzzer, you select the audience for the post, such as a group, all of your friends, the public, or a customized list of people. Your network can also see actions you have taken on our Product, including engagement with ads and sponsored content. We also let other accounts see who has viewed their Whyzzer library. Public information can be seen by anyone, on or off our Product, including if they don't have an account. This includes your Whyzzer username; any information you share with a public audience; information in your public profile on Whyzzer; and content you share on a Whyzzer Page, public Whyzzer account or any other public forum. You, other people using Whyzzer and we can provide access to or send public information to anyone on or off our Product in search results, or through tools and APIs. Public information can also be seen, accessed or reshared through third-party services such as search engines, APIs, and offline media such as TV, and by apps, websites and other services that integrate with our Product. Learn more about what information is public and how to control your visibility on Whyzzer.
Content others share or reshare about you
You should consider who you choose to share with, because people who can see your activity on our Product can choose to share it with others on and off our Product, including people and businesses outside the audience you shared with. For example, when you share a post or send a message to specific friends or accounts, they can screenshot or reshare that content to others across or off our Product, in person or in virtual reality experiences such as Whyzzer Spaces. Also, when you comment on someone else's post or react to their content, your comment or reaction is visible to anyone who can see the other person's content, and that person can change the audience later. People can also use our Product to create and share content about you with the audience they choose. For example, people can share a photo of you in a post, mention or share information about you in their posts or messages. If you are uncomfortable with what others have shared about you on our Product, you can learn how to report the content.
New owner
If the ownership or control of all or part of our Product or their assets changes, we may transfer your information to the new owner.
Sharing with Third-Party Partners
We work with third-party partners who help us provide and improve our Product or who use Whyzzer Business Tools to grow their businesses, which makes it possible to operate our companies and provide free services to people around the world. We don't sell any of your information to anyone, and we never will. We also impose strict restrictions on how our partners can use and disclose the data we provide. Here are the types of third parties we share information with:
Partners who use our analytics services
We provide aggregated statistics and insights that help people and businesses understand how people are engaging with their posts, listings, Pages, videos and other content on and off the Whyzzer Product. For example, Page admins and Whyzzer business profiles receive information about the number of people or accounts who viewed, reacted to, or commented on their posts, as well as aggregate demographic and other information that helps them understand interactions with their Page or account.
Advertisers
We provide advertisers with reports about the kinds of people seeing their ads and how their ads are performing, but we don't share information that personally identifies you (information such as your name or email address that by itself can be used to contact you or identifies who you are) unless you give us permission. For example, we provide general demographic and interest information to advertisers (for example, that an ad was seen by a woman between the ages of 25 and 34 who lives in Madrid and likes software engineering) to help them better understand their audience. We also confirm which Whyzzer ads led you to make a purchase or take an action with an advertiser.
Measurement partners
We share information about you with companies that aggregate it to provide analytics and measurement reports to our partners.
Partners offering goods and services in our Product
When you subscribe to receive premium content, or buy something from a seller in our Product, the content creator or seller can receive your public information and other information you share with them, as well as the information needed to complete the transaction, including shipping and contact details.
Vendors and service providers
We provide information and content to vendors and service providers who support our business, such as by providing technical infrastructure services, analyzing how our Product are used, providing customer service, facilitating payments or conducting surveys.
Researchers and academics
We also provide information and content to research partners and academics to conduct research that advances scholarship and innovation that support our business or mission, and enhances discovery and innovation on topics of general social welfare, technological advancement, public interest, health and well-being.
Law enforcement or legal requests
We share information with law enforcement or in response to legal requests in the circumstances outlined below.
Learn more about how you can control the information about you that you or others share with third-party partners in the Whyzzer settings.
4. What is our legal basis for processing data?
We collect, use and share the data that we have in the ways described above:
As necessary to fulfill our Whyzzer Terms of Service or Whyzzer Terms of Use;
Consistent with your consent, which you may revoke at any time through the Whyzzer Settings;
As necessary to comply with our legal obligations;
To protect your vital interests, or those of others;
As necessary in the public interest; and
As necessary for our (or others') legitimate interests, including our interests in providing an innovative, personalized, safe, and profitable service to our users and partners, unless those interests are overridden by your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms that require protection of personal data.
Learn more about these legal bases and how they relate to the ways in which we process data.
5. How can you exercise your rights provided under the GDPR?
Under the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to access, rectify, port and erase your data. Learn more about these rights, and find out how you can exercise your rights in the Whyzzer Settings. You also have the right to object to and restrict certain processing of your data. This includes:
The right to object to our processing of your data for direct marketing, which you can exercise by using the "unsubscribe" link in such marketing communications; and
The right to object to our processing of your data where we are performing a task in the public interest or pursuing our legitimate interests or those of a third party. You can exercise this right on Whyzzer.
6. Data retention, account deactivation and deletion.
We store data until it is no longer necessary to provide our services and Whyzzer Product, or until your account is deleted - whichever comes first. This is a case-by-case determination that depends on things like the nature of the data, why it is collected and processed, and relevant legal or operational retention needs. For example, when you search for something on Whyzzer, you can access and delete that query from within your search history at any time, but the log of that search is deleted after 6 months. If you submit a copy of your government-issued ID for account verification purposes, we delete that copy 30 days after review, unless otherwise stated. Learn more about deletion of content you have shared and cookie data obtained through social plugins. When you delete your account, we delete things you have posted, such as your photos and status updates, and you won't be able to recover that information later. Information that others have shared about you isn't part of your account and won't be deleted. If you don't want to delete your account but want to temporarily stop using the Product, you can deactivate your account instead. To delete your account at any time, please visit the Whyzzer Settings.
7. How do we respond to legal requests or prevent harm?
We access, preserve and share your information with regulators, law enforcement or others:
In response to a legal request, if we have a good-faith belief that the law requires us to do so. We can also respond to legal requests when we have a good-faith belief that the response is required by law in that jurisdiction, affects users in that jurisdiction, and is consistent with internationally recognized standards.
When we have a good-faith belief it is necessary to: detect, prevent and address fraud, unauthorized use of the Product, violations of our terms or policies, or other harmful or illegal activity; to protect ourselves (including our rights, property or Product), you or others, including as part of investigations or regulatory inquiries; or to prevent death or imminent bodily harm. For example, if relevant, we provide information to and receive information from third-party partners about the reliability of your account to prevent fraud, abuse and other harmful activity on and off our Product.
Information we receive about you (including financial transaction data related to purchases made with Whyzzer) can be accessed and preserved for an extended period when it is the subject of a legal request or obligation, governmental investigation, or investigations of possible violations of our terms or policies, or otherwise to prevent harm. We also retain information from accounts disabled for terms violations for at least a year to prevent repeat abuse or other term violations.
8. How will we notify you of changes to this policy?
We'll notify you before we make changes to this policy and give you the opportunity to review the revised policy before you choose to continue using our Product.
9. How to contact Whyzzer with questions?
You can learn more about how privacy works on Whyzzer. If you have questions about this policy, you can contact us as described below.
The data controller responsible for your information is Whyzzer UG, which you can via e-mail: contact@whyzzer.com