Cookie Policy of Bitly Europe GmbH

Last updated and effective date: March 2023

We use cookies and similar technologies on our website (https://qrcode.studio// and any subsites) and our services, features, content, and applications offered through the website (collectively the "Services"), or when you view or interact with QR code generated by Services ("QR Code"). This Cookie Policy explains why and how we use cookies and describes your rights to control our use of cookies on our Services. Please see the cookie banner on the website for details of cookies in each category referred below.

The Services are part of Bitly Connections Platform including various tools and services for building brand connections, managing Bitly links and QR Codes, and connecting with audiences everywhere. For more information on how we at Bitly jointly process the personal data collected by cookies across group companies, please see our Privacy Policy.

The data controller responsible for setting the cookies and processing the retrieved data to maintain the website is Bitly Europe GmbH, c/o BK Wirtschaftstreuhand GmbH, Spichernstraße 1, 10777 Berlin, Germany.

To the extent that the data retrieved by the cookies are processed for the development, marketing, customer service, or other purposes related to Bitly Connections Platform, Bitly Europe GmbH acts as a as a joint controller together with our group company Bitly, Inc., DPT 5006, 601 W. 26th Street, Suite 357 (3rd Floor), New York, NY 10001, the United States) (Bitly Inc. and Bitly Europe collectively "Bitly").

If you have any questions or concerns regarding privacy on our website or other Services, please send us a detailed message to: privacy-eu@bit.ly. We will make every effort to resolve your concerns.

What cookies are

Cookies are pieces of text or small text files placed to your device (e.g., laptop, tablet, smartphone or similar) through your web browser when you access a website. Your browser stores cookies in a manner associated with each website you visit, and cookies are used as identifiers.

You may prevent cookies from being stored on your device by having appropriate settings in your browser or by using tools referred below. Please note, however, that this may limit the functionality of our website (or other Services) or prevent you from accessing it.

For the details of specific cookies that we use, please see our Cookie List.

How we use cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to allow our Services to work, understand website traffic and help us to analyze how and when you visit and use the Services through the web, improve our products and services, and to tailor our communications to you. There are different types of cookies used for different purposes. Also the types of collected personal data and lawful basis vary, depending on the category of used cookies.

Essential cookies

Essential cookies are necessary for our website and other Services to function properly and provide you with some of the features. The use of these cookies does not require your consent and they are automatically installed on your devices each time you access our Services. This type of automatic collection and storage of information is done through so-called server log files, which your browser automatically transmits when you visit websites or website based services.

We install personal data collected by the essential cookies based on our legitimate interests to ensure functionality and security of our Services.

Marketing cookies

These cookies are used to collect information about how you use our Services to be able to tailor and target advertising and communications based on your interests and behavior on our Services, to determine commissions for our online marketing partners, to learn about efficiency of online marketing measures, for lead generation, to optimize our online reach and track online marketing campaigns. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less tailored advertising.

These types of cookies identify your browser and internet device. Marketing cookies connect our Services to Bitly Connections Platform and third-party platforms of our online marketing partners enabling us to track the success of our online marketing activities, link a page visit, signup or decision for a paid plan to an affiliate marketing activity, and to personalize advertising displayed on third-party platforms. More information on third party cookies may be found below under the headline 'Third party cookies'.

We install marketing cookies only based on your consent. Please see below how to review and manage your consents.

Statistics/Performance cookies

Statistics/Performance cookies (“Statistics Cookies”) collect data regarding how the Services are used, for example, which pages have been visited, which keywords have been used and which links have been clicked. The purpose of this processing is to provide, improve and optimize Bitly products and services. Statistics Cookies connect our Services to Bitly Connections Platform and third-party platforms to help us to track the usage across Bitly products and services and in connection with third-party platforms. More information about third party cookies may be found below under the headline 'Third party cookies'.

We install the statistics cookies only based on your consent. Please see below how to review and manage your consents.

Other cookies associated to Bitly QR code

We also use cookies to track when you have clicked on a Bitly QR code. Each click of a Bitly QR code is tracked using a unique identifier assigned to you in one or more cookies stored by your web browser and associated with Bitly.

We process personal data collected by the cookies associated with Bitly QR Codes based on our legitimate interests to provide our Services, including to ensure their functionality and security.

Third party cookies

Subject to your consent we use cookie based third-party technologies to track the use of our services and for marketing efforts.

Please note that our policies, including this policy and our Privacy Policy only provide for use of cookies for purposes of Bitly and does thus not cover third party usage.

Our third-party partners (such as Meta Platforms and Google) may also use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags or similar technologies to collect or receive information from websites, including our website, and elsewhere on the Internet and use that information to provide measurement services and target advertising (for example based upon your browsing activities and interests) for their own purposes. Our website allows, subject to your consent, tracking by the following third parties:

  • Google LLC (Google Ads, Google Maps, Google Webfonts, Google Tag Manager, Google Ads Conversion Tracking, Google Enhanced Conversions, Google Analytics, and Google Optimize)
  • Quora, Inc.
  • Reddit, Inc.
  • Centro, Inc.
  • Pinterest, Inc.
  • Twitter, Inc.
  • Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook Ads)
  • Bidtheatre AB
  • Aktyvus sektorius UAB (Eskimi)
  • Yahoo
  • AWIN Ltd.
  • FlexOffers.com, LLC
  • Outbrain Inc.
  • Taboola
  • MGID, Inc.
  • LinkedIn Corporation
  • Microsoft Advertising
  • Tradedoubler

You can manage third parties' cookies used for online advertising by visiting the Digital Advertising Alliance's Consumer Choice Page, or opt out of interest-based advertising click here if located in the European Union.

Payment Services

If you elect to purchase a paid account, then payment is processed using Stripe. Cookies are essential to this payment process and more details can be found in Stripe's Cookie Policy.

Duration of storage

Cookies can be stored for different periods of time on your browser or device. Session cookies are temporary cookies which are deleted from your computer or device when you close your browser. Persistent cookies will be saved on your device until the cookie expires according to its expiration date or is removed by you before that date. We use both session cookies and persistent cookies. Please see our cookie banner for specific storage periods of cookies we use.

We process the data received via cookies for different purposes as described in our Privacy Policy.

Managing your cookie settings

When entering our website, you can choose through the cookie banner which cookies you want to enable in addition to essential cookies. You can withdraw your consent and change your cookie preferences anytime.

You may ask Bitly not to associate your web browser or IP address with visits to Bitly's website or using QR Codes by clicking on the appropriate links below. This will install a cookie on your browser that instructs our servers not to associate your IP address and browser. If you clear your cookies in your browser, you will need to click on the opt- out choice again after each time you clear your cookies. To be clear, these cookie-based opt-outs must be performed on each device and browser that you wish to have opted-out. Cookie-based opt-outs are not effective on mobile applications. However, on many mobile devices, application users may limit tracking via their device settings. Please note that if you use these opt-out mechanisms, we will still automatically collect the IP addresses of devices that visit a website through Bitly QR code.

Most browsers have an option for turning off the cookie feature, which will prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, as well as (depending on the sophistication of your browser software) allowing you to decide on acceptance of each new cookie in a variety of ways. If you disable cookies, you will not be able to use some features of the Services. We do not currently recognize do-not-track signals. The following links provide information on changing your cookie preferences in some of the most used browsers:

Updates to this policy

We may change and update this cookie policy from time to time. Any changes to this policy will be posted on this page. You can see the last date updated at the top of this policy.

If we introduce new cookies or other changes, we will inform you and request your consent accordingly, as required by applicable data protection laws.