Privacy policy

Basic link analytics

When you open a MeTheAnswer link, our link pages record basic visit analytics for the business that created the link. This applies to every visitor, whether or not the business uses the Org Pixel, including visitors who are counted anonymously. We record:

• a daily visit code that is different for every business;
• your country;
• your first language;
• a general device and browser type; and
• the referring page address, without its query string.

These records are kept as part of the business's link reports for as long as the business keeps its account.

Measurement for businesses

Businesses use metheanswer.com ("MeTheAnswer", "we") to create links that open a conversation with an AI assistant. A business can also add our measurement script (the "Org Pixel") to its own website. When it does, we try to work out whether a visit to that website came from one of that business's MeTheAnswer links, so the business can see which links lead to visits and sales.

We do this only for the business that created the link and owns the website. We do not use this information for advertising, we do not sell it, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising. We do not combine what we learn for one business with what we learn for another.

Who this applies to. It applies only to visitors in the United States, and only when the business has installed the Org Pixel. We do not collect the information below if:

• you are outside the United States, based on your network location;
• your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal;
• you opted out on our opt-out page (see "Your choices" below);
• on the business's website, the site's own consent tool records that you declined; or
• your browser identifies itself as a known automated crawler.

In those cases we do not record the device and network characteristics below and do not set our measurement cookies. On the business's website we only add one to an anonymous count that has no information about you or your device; a known crawler is only counted. Our link pages still record the basic visit analytics that apply to every visitor (see Basic link analytics).

What we collect on our link pages. When you open a MeTheAnswer link of a business that uses the Org Pixel, we record:

• Device and network characteristics, turned into codes. From your connection: your IP address and its network range, your network operator's number, your approximate region, city and time zone as given by your network location, your browser's identification string, the platform and device-type hints your browser sends, and your language settings. From your browser: time zone, languages, screen size and pixel density, colour depth, number of processor cores, approximate device memory, touch support, platform name, light or dark mode preference, device model and platform version where your browser offers them, and short summaries of how your device draws graphics and plays audio. Each item is turned into a one-way code using a secret key that is different for every business. Without that key a code cannot be turned back into the original value, and our systems never try to. Your raw IP address and browser identification string are not stored in our databases. Our hosting provider's request logs may briefly contain them; we do not use those logs for measurement.
• General descriptions, not codes: operating system family, browser engine, whether the device is a phone, tablet or computer, IP version, and whether the network is a home or office network, a mobile carrier, or a hosting, cloud or VPN provider.
• What you did: which link you opened, which AI assistant you chose, the business's campaign, and the time.
• Ad and campaign tags in the link you followed: ad click IDs (such as gclid, gbraid, wbraid, fbclid, msclkid, ttclid, li_fat_id and twclid) and the utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign tags. Ad click IDs are stored as they appear in the link, not as codes.

What we collect on the business's website. When the Org Pixel runs on a business's website, it records the same kind of device and network codes and general descriptions, plus:

• the website address and page path you visited (without the part after ? or #);
• the name of the website that sent you there (the host name only) and the utm_source tag;
• whether this was a page view or a conversion (for example a purchase), and for a conversion the name, value and currency that the business's page reports;
• a random identifier that the Org Pixel keeps in your browser for that website only, used to connect a later purchase to the same visit. We store it only as a code.

Cookies and browser storage.

We do not set __Host-mta_m or __Secure-mta_lt for anyone who is counted anonymously (see "Who this applies to"). The Org Pixel also uses a short-lived security token that lives only in the page's memory: it is never written to a cookie or to browser storage, and it disappears when you leave the page.

How we match visits. Our servers compare the codes from the link page with the codes from the business's website, for the same business only, within a short time window. When the same browser cookie is present on both sides we label the visit "confirmed". Otherwise, when enough codes agree, we label it "probable", which is an estimate and may be wrong. The two labels are always reported separately.

How long we keep it.

• The device and network codes, and the other details recorded with each link-page visit or website visit (including the page path, the referring host name and the tags), are set to expire 48 hours after they are recorded and are then deleted by an automatic job that runs every few minutes. If our systems are backlogged, deletion can happen later than 48 hours, until the job catches up. Visits that were checked and not matched may be deleted sooner.
• When a visit is matched, we keep the business's result: which link, which AI assistant, which campaign, the label (confirmed or probable), the time, and for a conversion its name, value and currency. This result does not contain the device or network codes, your IP address or your browser string. It stays in the business's reports as a business record.
• With a matched visit we also keep the coded website identifier for up to 7 days, only so that a later purchase on the same website can be credited to the same visit. After that it is removed from the result.
• Ad click IDs of a matched visit are kept for 90 days from your visit to our link page, then deleted. Ad click IDs of visits that are not matched are deleted with the other details after 48 hours.
• A network number used to help the business review unusual traffic (for example "Network 2") is removed after 48 hours.
• Matches held for the business's review are marked expired if nobody reviews them within 90 days, and are deleted 400 days after the match. Like other matched results, they contain no device or network codes.
• Anonymous counts and activity counts contain no information about any visitor.

Your choices.

• Opt out: visit metheanswer.com/opt-out and choose "Opt out of measurement". This stores the mta_optout cookie and removes the __Host-mta_m cookie in that browser. The choice applies only to that browser, and clearing your cookies undoes it.
• Global Privacy Control: if your browser sends this signal, we treat you as opted out everywhere the signal reaches us, with no further action from you.
• Limit of the opt-out on business websites: some browsers do not send our cookies to other websites. In those browsers the Org Pixel on a business's website cannot see that you opted out. A visit there may then still be recorded as codes, which are deleted on the normal 48-hour schedule. Such a visit cannot be matched to any visit to our link pages that you make after opting out, because after you opt out we record nothing about those visits. Global Privacy Control is honoured on business websites in every browser that sends it.
• Visits recorded before you opted out are not deleted early. They expire on the normal 48-hour schedule.

Our role. For the Org Pixel we act as a service provider to the business that installed it. Each business is required by its agreement with us to tell its own visitors that it uses MeTheAnswer measurement.

Requests about your information. For this feature we do not keep information that lets us look you up by name or email address, and the device and network codes are deleted within about 48 hours (a coded website identifier on a matched visit is kept for up to 7 days). Email support@metheanswer.com with the subject 'Privacy request'. We will reply within 45 days.