Privacy Policy

Data Collected

1. Standard & Technical Telemetry (Commonly Collected)

These are standard data points collected by almost all web servers and basic analytics tools. Users generally expect this level of tracking.
Network & Routing: IP Address (which can infer geographic location down to the city/zip code level, and internet service provider).
Device & Software (User-Agent): Operating System (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android), Browser type and exact version, Device type (Mobile, Desktop, Tablet).
Navigation & Acquisition: Referrer URL (the specific web page they were on before clicking a link to your site), UTM parameters (campaign tracking codes).
Basic Engagement: Pages viewed, Timestamp of visits, Total time spent on site, Entry and Exit pages, Bounce rate.
Localization: Browser language settings, Timezone offset.

2. Behavioral & Interaction Tracking (Moderate Depth)

This data focuses on exactly how the user interacts with the user interface.
Mouse/Pointer Tracking: X/Y coordinates of the cursor, hover times over specific elements, click coordinates (used to generate Heatmaps).
Scroll Tracking: Maximum scroll depth (how far down the page they went), scroll speed, time spent viewing specific vertical sections of the page.
Engagement States: Idle time (when the tab is open but the user is away) vs. Active time, Tab visibility (is the tab currently in focus or hidden behind another tab).
Text Selection & Clipboard: Tracking what specific text a user highlights, copies, or pastes onto the page.

3. Advanced Behavioral & Session Recording (High Depth / "Iffy")

These methods collect highly granular data.
Full Session Replay (DOM Recording): Tools (like Hotjar or LogRocket) can record the entire structure of the page as the user sees it, allowing you to literally watch a video playback of their screen, including mouse movements, clicks, scrolling, and dynamic content changes.
Form Interaction & Abandonment: Tracking which form fields they click into, the time spent on each field, and potentially capturing text as they type it, even if they abandon the page and never click the "Submit" button.
Keystroke Dynamics (Typing Biometrics): Measuring the exact timing between key presses (flight time) and how long a key is held down (dwell time). This can be used to uniquely identify individuals based on how they type.

4. Advanced Device Fingerprinting (Highly Intrusive / "Iffy")

Fingerprinting attempts to uniquely identify a user without using cookies, by looking at the unique combination of their hardware and software configurations. This is heavily scrutinized by privacy advocates because it is hard for users to block.
Canvas & WebGL Fingerprinting: Forcing the browser to invisibly draw a complex 2D or 3D graphic. Because different graphics cards (GPUs) and drivers render pixels slightly differently at the micro-level, the resulting image data can be hashed into a unique identifier.
Audio Fingerprinting: Using the Web Audio API to process sound waves and measuring the minute differences in how the device's audio hardware processes the signal.
Hardware Specs: Extracting the number of logical CPU cores, Device memory (RAM) approximations, Screen resolution, and Color depth.
System Configuration: Enumerating the exact list of installed system fonts (via CSS font-loading tricks) or browser plugins.
Battery Status: (Historically used, though browsers are restricting this) Checking battery level and charging status, which can sometimes correlate users across different tabs or browsers if the levels match exactly.

5. Cross-Site Tracking & Identity Stitching

Methods used to track users across the internet, linking their behavior on your site to their identity elsewhere.
Third-Party Tracking Pixels: Embedding code from Meta (Facebook), Google, TikTok, or data brokers. This allows those companies to link the user's visit on your site to their global profile on those platforms (e.g., matching a visitor to their Facebook account).
Supercookies (Local Storage/IndexedDB): Storing unique identifiers in browser storage mechanisms (Local Storage, Session Storage, IndexedDB) that are sometimes overlooked by users when they "clear cookies."
ETag Tracking: Exploiting the browser's caching mechanism to store a unique identifier. Even if cookies are cleared, if the cache remains, the user can be re-identified.
Link Decoration / Click IDs: Appending unique IDs to the end of URLs (e.g., ?fbclid=... or ?gclid=...) to track users moving between domains, circumventing some browser-level cookie blockers.

Policy

Section 1: Introduction & Scope

1.1. Purpose of This Policy This Privacy Policy ("Policy") governs the manner in which zlking.me ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, maintains, and discloses information collected from users (each, a "User," "you," or "your") of the zlking.me website ("Site"). This Policy applies to the Site and all products, services, and digital environments offered by us.

1.2. Explicit Acknowledgement of Advanced Tracking We utilize advanced analytics, session recording, and device fingerprinting technologies to monitor Site performance, understand user behavior, and optimize our digital environment. By accessing, browsing, or otherwise interacting with our Site, you explicitly acknowledge and consent to the extensive data collection practices described herein, including the real-time interception, recording, and analysis of your communications and interactions with the Site. If you do not agree to these terms, you must immediately cease using the Site.

1.3. Jurisdictional Scope While this Site is operated under the laws of the State of Ohio, we recognize that Users may access the Site globally. This Policy is designed to provide comprehensive disclosures regarding our data processing activities to satisfy varying international and state-level compliance standards.

Section 2: Definitions

To ensure clarity and transparency, the following terms are used throughout this Policy:

"Personal Information" (or "Personal Data"): Any information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or household.
"Session Replay Technologies": Software or scripts that record real-time user interactions on a website or mobile app. This includes tracking mouse movements, clicks, scrolls, keystrokes, and page views to create a visual log of a user's journey.
"Device Fingerprinting": The practice of collecting a unique set of characteristics from a User's device hardware, software, and browser configuration (such as Canvas/WebGL rendering, audio processing, and system fonts) to create a persistent identifier, distinct from standard HTTP cookies.
"Keystroke Dynamics": The measurement of typing patterns, including the timing between key presses and key hold duration, which may be utilized as a biometric identifier.
"De-identified Data": Information that cannot reasonably identify, relate to, describe, be capable of being associated with, or be linked, directly or indirectly, to a particular User.

Section 3: Information We Collect and Process

We employ automated systems, scripts, and third-party tools to continuously collect and process data when you access the Site. This collection happens in real-time and includes, but is not limited to, the following categories:

3.1. Standard Network and Device Telemetry To facilitate your connection and monitor baseline performance, we automatically log:

Routing Information: Your IP address, which we may use to derive geographical data (down to the city or postal code level) and identify your Internet Service Provider.
System Specifications: Your User-Agent string, detailing your operating system, exact browser version, and device classification.
Acquisition Metrics: Referrer URLs (the exact web address you visited prior to our Site) and UTM campaign tracking codes.
Session Telemetry: Time and date stamps of your visit, total duration, entry and exit pages, bounce rates, browser language settings, and timezone offsets.

3.2. Behavioral and Interface Interaction Tracking We actively monitor and record how you physically interact with our digital infrastructure:

Pointer Kinetics: The X and Y coordinates of your cursor, hover durations over specific interface elements, and click coordinates, which we utilize to generate engagement heatmaps.
Navigation Mechanics: Your maximum scroll depth, scrolling velocity, and the precise duration spent viewing specific vertical segments of our pages.
Engagement State: The visibility status of your browser tab (e.g., in focus or hidden) and your active versus idle time.
Content Interaction: The specific text strings you highlight, copy to your clipboard, or paste within our Site environment.

3.3. Advanced Session Recording and Behavioral Biometrics We utilize highly advanced monitoring technologies to capture a comprehensive record of your user journey:

Document Object Model (DOM) Recording: We deploy full session replay scripts to capture a video-like playback of your screen as you experience the Site. This includes dynamic content changes, mouse movements, clicks, and scrolling.
Form Interaction: We track the specific fields you engage with and the time spent on each. We may capture text inputs in real-time, including data entered into forms that are subsequently abandoned without submission.
Typing Biometrics: We measure keystroke dynamics, including the temporal intervals between key presses (flight time) and the duration keys are held (dwell time), which may serve as unique biometric identifiers.

3.4. Device Fingerprinting and Persistent Identification To maintain identification persistence independent of traditional cookie storage, we extract unique hardware and software configurations:

Graphics and Audio Signatures: We utilize Canvas and WebGL rendering APIs to force the drawing of invisible graphics, and Web Audio APIs to process sound signals. The unique micro-variations in how your specific hardware processes these tasks are hashed into a persistent identifier.
Hardware and System Profiling: We collect data regarding your device memory, logical CPU cores, screen resolution, color depth, battery status, installed system fonts, and active browser extensions.

3.5. Cross-Site Tracking and Identity Resolution We employ mechanisms designed to track your digital footprint beyond our Site:

Tracking Pixels and Supercookies: We embed third-party tracking codes and utilize persistent browser storage (such as Local Storage and IndexedDB) to track your activity.
Cache Exploitation and Link Decoration: We may utilize ETag tracking through your browser's caching mechanism and append unique click IDs to URLs to re-identify you and circumvent standard cookie blocking.

Section 4: Purposes and Lawful Basis for Processing

We do not collect this data arbitrarily. The granular information detailed in Section 3 is strictly utilized for the following business and operational purposes:

4.1. Security, Fraud Prevention, and Infrastructure Integrity We utilize standard telemetry and advanced device fingerprinting to detect anomalous traffic, mitigate Denial of Service attacks, identify malicious bot activity, and ensure the overall security of our digital environment.

4.2. Site Optimization and Usability Analysis DOM recordings, pointer tracking, and scroll tracking are utilized to identify user interface friction, resolve rendering errors, and optimize the layout and content matrix of our Site.

4.3. Advanced Profiling and Identity Resolution We utilize cross-site tracking, keystroke dynamics, and third-party pixels to build persistent user profiles. This allows us to map user journeys across multiple devices, maintain session continuity, and contribute to aggregated demographic and behavioral databases.

Section 5: Third-Party Data Sharing and Disclosures

Because we utilize advanced analytics and cross-site identity stitching, your data is not stored exclusively within our internal infrastructure. We may share or disclose your information to the following categories of third parties:

5.1. Service Providers and Processors We share data with trusted third-party vendors who provide essential infrastructure, security, and analytics services. This includes hosting providers, content delivery networks (CDNs), and specialized session-recording platforms. These providers are bound by strict confidentiality obligations and are authorized to process your data solely for the provision of their services to us.

5.2. Advertising Networks and Data Brokers As detailed in Section 3, we embed third-party tracking pixels (e.g., Meta, Google, TikTok). Consequently, your behavioral data, device fingerprint, and session telemetry are automatically transmitted to these entities. These third parties may combine the data collected on our Site with their own global databases to serve targeted advertising, track you across the internet, and build comprehensive consumer profiles. Their use of your data is governed by their respective privacy policies, not ours.

5.3. Legal and Regulatory Disclosures We reserve the right to disclose any collected data—including comprehensive session replays and hardware fingerprints—if required to do so by law, court order, subpoena, or administrative request. We may also disclose data to law enforcement or legal counsel to protect our rights, defend against legal claims, or investigate suspected fraud, security breaches, or violations of our Terms of Service.

5.4. Business Transfers In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, bankruptcy, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, the comprehensive data profiles and telemetry logs we have collected may be transferred to the acquiring entity as a business asset.

Section 6: User Choices, Opt-Outs, and Limitations

We believe in transparency regarding your ability to control this data collection. Due to the advanced nature of our tracking, standard privacy controls may be insufficient.

6.1. Cookie Blocking and Storage Clearing You may configure your browser to reject standard HTTP cookies or clear your Local Storage and IndexedDB. However, doing so will not prevent us from tracking your session via server-side logs, ETag exploitation, or URL link decoration.

6.2. Device Fingerprinting Unavoidability Because device fingerprinting relies on the inherent hardware and software configuration of your device (e.g., Canvas/WebGL rendering, system fonts), standard ad-blockers, incognito modes, and cookie-clearing do not reliably prevent this form of tracking. We do not offer a direct opt-out mechanism for hardware fingerprinting, as it is integrated into our core security and analytics infrastructure.

6.3. "Do Not Track" (DNT) and Global Privacy Control (GPC) While some web browsers transmit "Do Not Track" (DNT) signals, there is currently no universally accepted standard for how sites should respond. At this time, our Site does not recognize or alter its advanced data collection practices in response to standard DNT signals.

6.4. Third-Party Opt-Outs To manage how third-party advertising networks use your data, you must interact directly with their respective consumer choice portals (e.g., the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) or the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA)).

Section 7: Data Retention and Storage

We retain your data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the operational purposes outlined in this Policy, or as required by law.

7.1. Live Telemetry and Session Data Our live operational telemetry feeds (including exact IP tracking and immediate session IDs) are actively tracked and isolated on a rolling 7-day basis.

7.2. Session Recordings and Biometric Data Full Document Object Model (DOM) recordings, keystroke dynamics, and granular behavioral logs are retained for a period of [Insert Number] days/months to facilitate UX analysis and security auditing, after which they are automatically purged or irreversibly de-identified.

7.3. Aggregated and Fingerprint Data Persistent device fingerprints, hashed identifiers, and aggregated, anonymized performance metrics (e.g., Core Web Vitals, demographic summaries) may be retained indefinitely to analyze long-term historical trends, system health, and threat intelligence.

Section 8: Security of Your Information

We implement commercially reasonable physical, technical, and administrative security measures designed to protect the highly granular data we collect from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no data transmission over the internet or decentralized network can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. By using our Site, you acknowledge that you transmit your personal data and behavioral biometrics at your own risk.

Section 9: Children’s Privacy

Our Site and the advanced tracking technologies deployed herein are intended for a general adult audience and are not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect, maintain, or process Personal Information, behavioral biometrics, or device fingerprints from individuals under the age of 13 (or under the age of 16 in certain jurisdictions, such as California or the European Economic Area).
If we obtain actual knowledge that we have collected data from a child under the applicable age of consent without legally valid parental authorization, we will take immediate steps to purge that data and any associated persistent identifiers from our active databases and telemetry logs. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately using the information in Section 12.

Section 10: International Data Transfers

Our Site, internal servers, and primary telemetry infrastructure are located and operated within the United States. If you are accessing the Site from outside the United States—including from the European Union, the United Kingdom, or other regions with laws governing data collection and use that may differ from U.S. law—please be advised that your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States.
By continuing to use the Site and explicitly acknowledging this Policy, you consent to the transfer of your standard telemetry, behavioral tracking data, biometric keystroke dynamics, and device fingerprint profiles to the United States and to the third parties detailed in Section 5, acknowledging that U.S. data protection laws may not be as comprehensive as those in your jurisdiction of residence.

Section 11: Changes and Modifications to This Policy

Because digital tracking methodologies, browser storage mechanisms, and privacy legislations are constantly evolving, we reserve the right to amend, update, or entirely revise this Privacy Policy at our sole discretion and at any time.
When we make material changes to how we collect or process your data (e.g., deploying new fingerprinting algorithms or cross-site identity stitching tools), we will update the "Effective Date" at the top of this document. It is your responsibility to review this Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Site following the posting of any changes constitutes your binding acceptance of those modifications.

Section 12: Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or legal inquiries regarding this Privacy Policy, our data retention schedules, or our advanced tracking methodologies, you may contact via the contact section.