Big Tech Detective is a project of Economic Security Project (ESP). ESP is a fiscally sponsored project of Hopewell Fund. Big Tech Detective is committed to protecting your privacy online.
Your Privacy
This Privacy Policy sets forth the standards that Big Tech Detective will follow with regard to the information it collects when you use the Big Tech Detective tool (the “Tool”) and the Big Tech Detective website [https://bigtechdetective.net] (the “Website,” and together with the Tool, “Big Tech Detective”). When you use Big Tech Detective, you agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy. If you do not accept the terms of this Privacy Policy you should not use Big Tech Detective.
1. Information You Provide
If you use Big Tech Detective, we do not collect personal information from you.
2. Our Use of Information
When you use the Tool and access websites, Big Tech Detective does not store or retain any information about your browsing history on its servers. The IP addresses of a requested webpage and the content it loads — for example, Facebook pixels and Google Analytics scripts, fonts, and images — are encrypted with HTTPS and sent it to a Cloud Application Platform called Digital Ocean, which follows a different privacy policy that can be found here: https://www.digitalocean.com/legal/privacy-policy/ . We use these IP addresses to determine the companies behind the content you are seeing. We take precautions to send only the minimum amounts of data to our servers in order to identify a particular IP address. The browsing history information we analyze cannot be used to identify you. We do not use tracking cookies or advertising and analytics technology. Big Tech Detective also stores some nonpersonal information on your computer that is not shared with third parties, including a record of visited websites and the requested URLs. You may delete this information by using the “Clear History” button on the Tool. If you are concerned about accessing particularly sensitive websites, please disable the Tool or use another browser.
3. Our Policy on “Do Not Track” Signals Under the California Online Protection Act (CalOPPA)
California law requires certain websites to let you know how they respond to web browser Do Not Track (DNT) signals. Because there is no current industry or legal standard for recognizing or honoring DNT signal, we do not respond to DNT signals at this time.
4. Our Security Procedures
We have implemented security measures to protect your information from loss, misuse, and alteration. Before we send any data to our server, we try to establish domain ownership locally using a list of common IP addresses. If we cannot identify a particular IP address, we take precautions to send only minimal amounts of data to our server. The IP addresses are encrypted with HTTPS and sent to a Cloud Application Platform called Digital Ocean. You can find their privacy policy here: https://www.digitalocean.com/legal/privacy-policy/.
We use industry-standard practices to safeguard the confidentiality of your information. We are not, however, responsible for any information you share with third parties. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information.
5. Privacy Protection for Children
If you are under the age of 13, please do not use Big Tech Detective. In voluntary compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), we will not knowingly permit persons under the age of 13 to provide Personal Information to us through Big Tech Detective or otherwise. If we later learn that you are under the age of 13, we will take appropriate steps to remove your Personal Information from our database and otherwise to comply with COPPA’s requirements.
6. Third-Party Sites
This Privacy Policy applies only to activities operated by Big Tech Detective. Other sites, including those linked to or from our site, may have their own policies that we do not control and are not addressed or controlled by this Privacy Policy. Please note that if you provide any information directly to parties other than us, including sites linked to on the Website, different rules may apply to the use or disclosure of the Personal Information you disclose to them. We encourage you to investigate and ask questions before disclosing information to third parties.
If you download or receive the Big Tech Detective tool from another source, such as the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Add-Ons, your interaction with that site is governed by its privacy policy, which may differ from Big Tech Detective’s policy. Big Tech Detective cannot supervise or control the use of personal information by external software download sources.
Big Tech Detective also relies on external parties such as Digital Ocean that follow separate privacy policies.
7. How Long We Hold Data For
We keep your information for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it is gathered. These periods vary depending on the nature of the information and your interactions with us.
8. Changes and Notice
We believe strongly in respecting your privacy. We will update and amend this Privacy Policy if and when it is necessary. Please check back often to read our most updated and amended version. Upon posting the amended version, we will take reasonable measures to notify you of the amended terms, but your continued use of Big Tech Detective means that you consent to our updates and amendments.
9. Contact Information
You may contact Big Tech Detective through any of the following ways:
By email: [email protected]
By mail: Big Tech Detective c/o Economic Security Project 51 East 12th Street, 2nd Floor New York, NY 10003