Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, and an encrypted password. If you sign up via Google OAuth, we collect your Google ID, name, and email address (automatically verified).

Uploaded Files

We store music files you upload (MP3, WAV, FLAC, ZIP, AIFF) on Cloudflare R2 cloud storage for distribution through your gates.

Analytics Data

For visitors to your gates, we collect IP addresses, country information (derived via Cloudflare headers), user agent strings, and referrer URLs to provide you with analytics insights.

Session Data

We use session IDs stored in localStorage to track gate interactions and prevent duplicate action completions.

Usage Data

We track page visits, file downloads, link clicks, and action completions to provide analytics dashboards to gate owners.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To provide and operate the BetterGate service
• To provide analytics and insights to gate owners about their audience
• To manage user accounts, authentication, and security
• To send account verification and password reset emails
• To enforce our Terms of Service and prevent abuse

3. Data Storage

Uploaded files are stored on Cloudflare R2 cloud storage. User data and analytics are stored in a PostgreSQL database. Authentication is handled via JWT (JSON Web Tokens) for session management.

4. Cookies & Local Storage

BetterGate uses localStorage to store JWT authentication tokens and session IDs for gate interactions.

Analytics Cookies

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to collect anonymized usage data about how visitors interact with our service. GA4 may place cookies on your device to track page views, session duration, and user interactions. This data helps us improve BetterGate. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Advertising Cookies

We use Google Ads for promotion and Google AdSense to display contextual and personalized advertisements on our website. These services, along with other third-party vendors including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to BetterGate and other websites. You can manage your ad preferences through Google's Ad Settings or visit Google's Advertising Policies for more information.

Cookie Consent

By using BetterGate, you consent to the use of cookies as described in this policy. You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of the service.

5. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

• Cloudflare R2 - for secure file storage and delivery
• Google OAuth - for optional social authentication
• Google Analytics 4 - for anonymized usage analytics and site improvement
• Google Ads - for advertising and remarketing
• Google AdSense - for displaying contextual and personalized advertisements on our website
• Google Tag Manager - for managing analytics and advertising tags
• SMTP Email Provider - for sending verification and password reset emails

6. Data Sharing

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We only share data with the third-party services listed above as necessary to operate the Service. We may disclose information if required by law or to protect our rights.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account remains active. Analytics data is retained to provide historical insights to gate owners. When you delete your account, all personal data is permanently removed.

8. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Modify your account information at any time via account settings
• Delete your account and all associated data
• Export your data upon request

9. GDPR Rights (European Users)

If you are located in the European Union, European Economic Area, or United Kingdom, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable local laws:

• Right to access - You may request a copy of all personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification - You may request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to erasure - You may request that we delete your personal data (“right to be forgotten”), subject to certain legal exceptions.
• Right to restrict processing - You may request that we limit how we use your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability - You may request a machine-readable copy of your personal data to transfer to another service provider.
• Right to object - You may object to the processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as our legal basis.
• Right to withdraw consent - Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of the rights above, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days. We may ask you to verify your identity before fulfilling your request.

Advertising Consent (EU/EEA/UK)

For users in the EU, EEA, and UK, BetterGate uses Google's Consent Management Platform (CMP) to obtain and manage your consent for personalized advertising in compliance with GDPR and the IAB Europe Transparency & Consent Framework. You can review or update your advertising consent preferences at any time via the consent banner or by contacting us.

10. Account Deletion

When you delete your account, all associated data is permanently removed, including your gates, uploaded files from Cloudflare R2 storage, analytics data, and personal information. This action is irreversible.

11. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data:

• Passwords are hashed using bcrypt encryption
• Authentication is handled via secure JWT tokens
• All communications are encrypted via HTTPS
• File storage is secured through Cloudflare R2

12. Children's Privacy

BetterGate is not intended for use by children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we discover that a child under 13 has created an account, we will promptly delete the account and all associated data.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Your continued use of BetterGate after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

14. Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at [email protected].