Data Policy
Effective Date: September 13th, 2023

CrowdTangle, Inc. (“CrowdTangle,” “we” or “us”) is a social analytic platform that helps publishers and media companies surface stories that matter, measure their social performance and identify influencers on social media platforms (also known as our “Platform Partners”). This Data Policy describes how CrowdTangle processes personal information of users of the CrowdTangle platform (“CrowdTangle Users”), in particular information obtained from CrowdTangle Users on the CrowdTangle website and any other website, online service, or mobile application that we operate and that links to this Data Policy (the “Services”). This Data Policy also describes our practices for handling personal information of individuals who visit, use, or interact with our Platform Partners’ websites and apps who integrate our services. We refer to CrowdTangle Users and Platform Partner users separately throughout this Data Policy, but collectively we refer to each as “you” or “your”.


Much of the personal information that CrowdTangle processes are publicly available online information, including information that Platform Partner users choose to make public on social media websites. Such information includes users' name, username, profile picture, content shared publicly, publicly posted content (such as photos and videos) which do not have a restricted audience (collectively, the “Publicly Available Content”) as well as available metrics in connection with such Publicly Available Content (such as “Like” count, comment count, timing of likes and comments, and post views) (collectively, the “Metrics”).


We are part of the Meta Companies. Our Platform Partners include companies such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Reddit. For a full list of current Platform Partners, please see link.

Information We Collect Directly From CrowdTangle Users

When CrowdTangle Users interact directly with us through our Services, we may collect or receive the following types of information:

  • Information CrowdTangle Users provide directly to us: When CrowdTangle Users interact directly with us through our Services, we may collect or receive the following types of information:
    • For certain activities, such as when CrowdTangle Users create an account, we ask for some or all of the following types of information:
    • Information provided during account registration: When CrowdTangle Users create an account, we may receive information, such as first and last name, company name, and email. Where CrowdTangle Users register their account using their Facebook or Twitter Login, we also receive such CrowdTangle User’s name, email address and profile picture associated with their Facebook or Twitter account.
    • Information CrowdTangle Users provide us to create lists: Through our Batch Upload feature and other similar features, CrowdTangle Users provide us with information such as page URLs and account names to add to your lists.
    • Communications with us: We collect information CrowdTangle Users provide us when they send us correspondence, such as when they contact our support team.
  • Information we collect automatically. Depending on the CrowdTangle Users’ actions, we will also collect information automatically when they interact with the Services, such as:
    • Network Information: We collect information about CrowdTangle Users’ network connection, such as IP address, time zone, and language when they use the Services.
    • Device Information: We collect device information such as operating system, hardware and software systems, and browser type.
    • Cookie Data: We collect information from first-party cookies stored on CrowdTangle Users’ devices. To learn more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Policy.
  • Information we obtain from other sources. We receive information about CrowdTangle Users from other sources, which we combine with other information we receive about them. This information may include:
    • Platform Partners: When CrowdTangle Users connect their CrowdTangle account with their account with Platform Partners, CrowdTangle Users permit us to connect to the Platform Partner account and receive information from Platform Partners about those CrowdTangle Users. In this case, we receive CrowdTangle Users’ Facebook ID, Twitter ID, or other Platform Partner identification when they connect their CrowdTangle account, and depending on the information they have publicly shared, we also receive their email, username, profile picture and first and last name. We also collect Metrics such as aggregated statistics and insights about how people use and interact with content on Platform Partners’ websites to help people and businesses understand how people are engaging with content.
    • Meta Companies: We receive information from other Meta Companies that help us provide CrowdTangle Users with an innovative, relevant, consistent, and safe experience across all Meta Company Products used. We also process information about CrowdTangle Users across the Meta Companies for these purposes, as permitted by applicable law, and in accordance with their terms and policies.

Information We Collect From Platform Partner Users

We collect Publicly Available Content and Metrics about Platform Partner users from our Platform Partners’ websites. This information includes personal information that users of our Platform Partners choose to make publicly available, such as information Platform Partners users shared publicly on Platform Partner websites, information provided in public profiles on Platform Partner websites, and any other content they choose to make publically available and not to a restricted audience through such Platform Partners. Metrics may also include information about the user’s interaction with posts on the Platform Partner’s website, such as post views. Such information may include name, location, and published content, together with any associated “Like” counts, upvotes, comment counts, and any other information or metadata which may be associated to content that have been published by such users.


We process Publicly Available Content and Metrics to measure the performance of content, monitor trends, and to perform third-party fact-checking and misinformation. We obtain personal information about Platform Partner users primarily through our use of APIs provided by Platform Partners. An API is an application-programming interface that allows our services to communicate and integrate with products and services from third party integration partners, including our Platform Partners. You can learn more about how our Platform Partners disclose information to us and how to control the disclosure of information in their privacy policies. For example, for more information about how Facebook collects, uses, and shares information and how to control it, please see the Facebook Privacy Policy. Likewise, for more information about how Instagram collects, uses, and shares information and how to control it, please see the Instagram Privacy Policy.

How We Use Information

We use the CrowdTangle Users and Platform Partner Users’ information we collect for the following purposes:

  • Provide CrowdTangle Users with Services: CrowdTangle processes information to operate, maintain, provide, and improve our Services. For example, we use information collected to provide CrowdTangle Users with analytics and reports related to our Services.
  • Analyze use of our Services: We collect usage information to better understand how our Services are used, to develop new products or features, and to improve the Services.
  • Safety & Integrity We use information we have to understand how people use and interact with Meta Company Products, promote safety and security on our Services and across Meta Companies, and to investigate the use of our Services, including any suspicious activity or possible violations of our terms and policies.

How We Share Information

We share CrowdTangle Users’ information with certain third-parties without further notice, as set forth below:

  • Shared Dashboards: Where a CrowdTangle User enables a shared dashboard, such person enables others with access to the shared dashboard to see information such as CrowdTangle Users’ name, email address, or other information associated with their account.
  • Meta Companies: Depending on which services are used, we share information with Meta Companies. For a list of our related companies, please see https://www.facebook.com/help/111814505650678.
  • Authorized third-party vendors and service providers: We share information with third-party vendors and service-providers that help us with specialized services, including email deployment, business analytics, marketing, and data processing.
  • Legal purposes: We may disclose information to respond to subpoenas, court orders, legal process, law enforcement requests, legal claims or government inquiries, detect fraud, and to protect and defend the rights, interests, safety, and security of CrowdTangle, our affiliates, users, or the public.
  • Business transfers: We may share information in connection with a substantial corporate transaction, such as the sale of a website, a merger, consolidation, asset sale, or in the unlikely event of bankruptcy.
  • With your consent: We may share information for any other purposes disclosed to CrowdTangle Users at the time we collect the information or pursuant to CrowdTangle Users’ consent.

In addition to those third-parties listed above, we share Platform Partner users’ information with the following third parties:

  • CrowdTangle Users: Publicly Available Content that users of Platform Partner choose to make publicly available to everyone, and Metrics about that content such as Facebook comments and/or likes, will be shared with CrowdTangle Users, for the purposes of showing the performance of the CrowdTangle Users’ content on various social media platforms. We also provide our CrowdTangle Users with aggregated information based on how Platform Partner users make use of our Platform Partners’ websites and respond to certain content, such as total number of likes and/or comments on particular content.

Please note that the services provided by our Platform Partners are beyond our control. These third party services may be able to collect, process and use information that they collect about you, in accordance with their own privacy policies. If you would like to learn more about their data practices, please review their respective privacy policies.

How We Protect Information

We take measures to help protect information from loss, theft, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. However, no data storage system or transmission of data over the Internet or any other public network is impenetrable.

Accordingly, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted electronically and we cannot promise that your use of our Website will be completely safe. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password for access to certain parts of our Website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential and not sharing it with anyone. Please note that information collected by third parties may not have the same security protections as information you submit to us, and we are not responsible for protecting the security of such information.

Privacy Notice for United States Residents

You can learn more about the consumer privacy rights that may be available to you by reviewing the United States Regional Privacy Notice.

We do not share personal information with third parties for their own direct marketing purposes.

Children’s Information

CrowdTangle does not knowingly collect or store information from children under the age of 13, unless permitted by law. We will delete any information we may have inadvertently received from a child under 18 upon notice. If you believe that we might have collected any personal information from a child under 18, please contact us at support@crowdtangle.com.

Changes to this Policy

We may update this Data Policy from time to time. If we modify our Data Policy, we will post the revised version here, with an updated revision date. We recommend that you visit these pages periodically to be aware of and review any such revisions. If we make material changes to our Data Policy, we may also notify you by other means prior to the changes taking effect, such as by posting a notice on our Website or sending you a notification.

Questions

If you have any questions about this Data Policy or our practices, please contact us at support@crowdtangle.com.

If you are in the European Region

Our Legal Bases For Processing Information
We rely on a variety of legal bases to process personal data, including:

  • as necessary for the performance of a contract, for example to provide our Services;
  • consistent with your consent, which you can revoke at any time;
  • as necessary to comply with our legal obligations; and
  • 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 of freedoms that require protection of personal data.

Where we rely on your consent to process your personal data, you may withdraw consent at any time. Such withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.


How You Exercise Your Rights

Under applicable laws, you have the right to access, rectify, port, and erase your information, as well as the right to restrict and object to certain processing of your information. You also have the right to object to and restrict certain processing of your personal 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,
  • 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, and
  • the right to delete information you have provided us.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.


Data Retention

We generally retain information until it is no longer necessary to serve the purposes for which it was collected. 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.


Data Transfers

CrowdTangle is a corporation based in the United States and our customers are based throughout the world.

Where we transfer personal information from the European Economic Area or Switzerland ("EEA") to a country outside the EEA without an adequacy determination by the EU Commission (a “Restricted Country”, such as the United States), we do so in accordance with the standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission.

Where we transfer personal information from the United Kingdom to a Restricted Country, we do so in accordance with the standard contractual clauses applicable in the United Kingdom.

When we enter into these arrangements, we ensure that your data subject rights are honoured and that you are able to raise concerns about these transfers (see How You Exercise Your Rights for more information). If you have any questions about these arrangements or wish to exercise any of your data subject rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer at privacy@crowdtangle.com.

Contact Information

The data controller responsible for your information is CrowdTangle, Inc., which you can contact online or by writing to:

1601 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025


If you are in the European Economic Area

If you have any questions about this Data Policy or our related practices, please contact our Data Protection Officer at privacy@crowdtangle.com.


Our Data Protection European Representative is FB Representative Services Designated Activity Company. You can contact them at Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland.