Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Linkqe ("Linkqe", "we", "us") is a dynamic QR code service. The controller of your personal data within the meaning of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is:

We have not appointed a data protection officer. Send any privacy questions to the email address above.

2. Scope of this policy

This policy covers:

• this website, linkqe.com;
• the Linkqe app at app.linkqe.com and its mobile versions (the "App");
• the scan redirect: the short links encoded in every Linkqe QR code, on qrqr.it (for example qrqr.it/1a2b3c4) or on the alternative domain linkqe.com (for example linkqe.com/1a2b3c4).

A Linkqe QR code sends the person scanning it to a destination chosen by the code's owner, usually someone else's website or app store page. We don't control those destinations, and this policy doesn't cover them. Check the privacy policy of any site you land on.

3. If you have a Linkqe account

What we collect

• Account data: your email address, an internal user ID, the sign-in method you use, your plan (Free or Pro), and when your account was created and last used. If you sign up with email, your password is stored and checked by our authentication provider; we never see it.
• Sign-in with Google, Apple or Facebook: if you choose one of these, that provider shares with us your email address, your name and profile picture if available, and an account identifier. We use this only to create and sign you in to your account. With Apple, you can choose to hide your email address, and we then receive an Apple relay address. We don't get your password for these accounts, and we don't post anything or read your contacts. What the provider shares depends on your settings there. See the privacy policies of Google, Apple and Meta.
• QR code content: everything you put into your codes, including names, destination URLs (plus any separate Android and iOS destinations), design settings and active/inactive status.
• App and device information: the App version, platform and operating system version, device model and a device identifier, the store the App was installed from, language and theme settings, install and update times, your IP address and browser user agent, and a push-notification token if you allow notifications.
• Diagnostics: if the App crashes or hits an error, a technical report with the error, the device and App version, and the steps that led up to it.
• Correspondence: the content of any messages you send us, such as support requests.

Why, and on what legal basis

• To create and run your account, host your QR codes, redirect scans and show you statistics. This is necessary to perform our contract with you (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).
• To send you service messages, such as sign-in verification, important account notices and optional push notifications. Contract (Art. 6(1)(b)). For push notifications, also the permission you grant on your device.
• To keep the service secure, prevent abuse (for example, codes pointing to malware or phishing), fix bugs and understand which platforms and App versions to support. This is our legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)).
• To meet legal obligations, such as tax and accounting rules once paid plans are billed (Art. 6(1)(c)).

We don't use your data for advertising, and we don't send marketing emails.

4. If you scan a Linkqe QR code

You don't need an account to scan a Linkqe code. When your phone opens a Linkqe code, our server redirects you to the owner's destination and, at the same moment, records the scan. For each scan we store:

• which QR code was scanned, and the date and time;
• your IP address;
• your browser's user agent, and the device type, operating system and browser we derive from it (for example "iPhone, iOS 18, Safari");
• an approximate location, at most city level, estimated from your IP address: country, region and city, plus the approximate coordinates of that city or area (used to place it on a map). We never determine a more precise location than the city, and we never access your device's GPS or location services.

Why: Linkqe shows the code's owner statistics about their code: how many scans, how many unique scanners, when, on which devices and from which places. Owners see these only in aggregated form (counts, charts, lists of countries or cities). We also use scan records to detect and prevent abuse of the service.

Legal basis: our legitimate interest and that of the code's owner in measuring campaign performance and keeping the service secure (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). We've kept this processing narrow: no cookies, no tracking across other websites, no profiles of individual people, and no combining with other data sources.

You can object to this processing at any time (see Your rights). Because scanners don't have accounts, we can only find a particular scan by the code, the approximate time and your IP address. If you contact us, please include them.

5. This website

linkqe.com is a static website. It has no advertising trackers, and it sets analytics cookies only if you accept them.

• Google Analytics (through Firebase Analytics), only with your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). If you click "Accept" in the cookie banner, the website loads Google Analytics, which sets _ga cookies and records the pages you visit, the buttons you click (such as "Get started free"), your approximate location, device, browser and the page you came from. We use this only to see how the website is used and improve it. Google signals and ad personalisation are turned off, and we don't use it for advertising. Until you accept, Google Analytics isn't loaded at all. You can change your choice at any time with "Cookie settings" at the bottom of every page; declining deletes the cookies. See Google's privacy policy.
• Your cookie choice itself is saved in your browser's local storage, so we don't ask again on every page. This is strictly necessary.
• If you switch between the light and dark theme, that choice is saved in your browser's local storage too, so every page shows the theme you picked. It never leaves your browser.
• Our hosting provider (Google Firebase Hosting) keeps short-term technical logs of requests, such as IP address, time, requested page and user agent, so it can deliver the site and protect it from attacks. Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)).
• The website loads fonts from Google Fonts, so your browser connects to Google's servers and your IP address is visible to Google. See Google's privacy policy.

If you report a QR code, we process what you send us (your email address, your name if you give it, and the report itself) to review the report and tell you the outcome. This is required by the EU Digital Services Act (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR). We don't tell the code's owner who reported it, unless the law requires it.

The App at app.linkqe.com uses your browser's local storage to keep you signed in and remember your settings. This is strictly necessary for the App to work.

6. Who we share data with

We do not sell personal data. We share it only with:

• Google Firebase (Google Ireland Ltd / Google LLC): authentication, website hosting, push notifications and, if you accept cookies, website analytics (Google Analytics).
• Google, Apple and Meta (Facebook): only if you choose to sign in with them. They learn that you've signed in to Linkqe, and they act as independent controllers of the data on their side.
• Sentry (Functional Software, Inc.): error and crash reporting for the App.
• Our server hosting provider in the EU/EEA, which runs our API and database, including scan records.
• QR code owners, who receive aggregated statistics about scans of their own codes (see section 4).
• Authorities, courts or professional advisers (such as accountants and lawyers), when the law requires it or when we need to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

These service providers process data on our behalf, under data processing agreements, and only as needed to provide their services. Location lookup uses a MaxMind GeoLite2 database that runs on our own servers, so no scan data is sent to MaxMind.

7. International transfers

Our API and database are hosted in the European Economic Area. Some of our providers, Google, Sentry and, if you use them for sign-in, Apple and Meta, may process data in the United States or other countries outside the EEA. When they do, the transfer relies on the EU–U.S. Data Privacy Framework, where the provider is certified, or on the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses. Contact us for more information about these safeguards.

8. How long we keep data

• Account data, QR code content and App/device information: for as long as your account exists. When you delete your account, we delete this data, except where the law requires us to keep it longer (for example, billing records).
• Scan records: 24 months from the scan, or less if the QR code or its owner's account is deleted first. After that, only anonymous totals that can't identify anyone may remain.
• Error reports: up to 90 days.
• Support correspondence and reports of QR codes: as long as needed to resolve the request or report, then up to 3 years in case of related claims.
• Hosting logs: short-term, according to our hosting provider's standard log retention.
• Website analytics: Google Analytics keeps event data for 2 months. Its cookies expire after up to 2 years, or when you decline in "Cookie settings".

9. Your rights

Under the GDPR, you have the right to:

• access your personal data and get a copy of it (Art. 15);
• rectify inaccurate data (Art. 16);
• erase your data, the "right to be forgotten" (Art. 17);
• restrict processing (Art. 18);
• data portability: receive the data you gave us in a machine-readable format (Art. 20);
• object to processing based on our legitimate interests, including scan logging (Art. 21);
• withdraw consent at any time where processing relies on it (such as push notifications or website analytics), without affecting processing that already happened;
• lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. In Poland, that's the President of the Personal Data Protection Office (Prezes Urzędu Ochrony Danych Osobowych), ul. Stawki 2, 00-193 Warszawa, uodo.gov.pl. You can also complain to the authority in your own EU country.

How to exercise them

Account holders can view and edit their QR codes in the App, and delete their account at any time from the account settings. This removes their codes and the related scan statistics. For anything else, email support@linkqe.com from the address linked to your account.

People who scanned a code can email us with the code's link (for example qrqr.it/1a2b3c4 or linkqe.com/1a2b3c4), the approximate date and time of the scan and, if possible, their IP address at the time.

We reply within one month. We may ask for information to verify your identity before acting on a request.

10. Children

Linkqe is a business tool and not directed at children. We don't knowingly create accounts for anyone under 16. If you think a child has given us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.

11. Security

All traffic to our website, App and API is encrypted with TLS. Access to production systems and databases is limited to the people who need it to run the service. Passwords are handled only by our authentication provider. No system is perfectly secure, but we'll notify you and the authorities of a data breach when the law requires it.

12. Data sources

Approximate scan locations (at most city level) are derived from IP addresses using MaxMind's GeoLite2 database. This product includes GeoLite2 data created by MaxMind, available from https://www.maxmind.com.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as Linkqe evolves, for example when we introduce paid billing. The "Last updated" date at the top shows when it last changed. If we make significant changes, we'll let account holders know by email or in the App before they take effect.

14. Contact

Questions about this policy or your data? Email us at support@linkqe.com.