How Vendors Use Your Data

Backup Retention Backup retention is how long copies of your data stay in a vendor's backups after the live version is deleted. Certificate of Deletion A certificate of deletion is a written statement from a vendor confirming that it has deleted your data, usually naming the data, the systems and the date. Cross-Context Behavioral Advertising Cross-context behavioral advertising is California's term for targeting ads to a person based on their activity across other companies' websites, apps or services. Data Deletion After Termination Data deletion after termination is what a vendor does with your data when your contract ends: usually a short window to export it, then deletion from live systems, with backups removed later. Data Export and Portability Data export and portability is your ability to download your data from a vendor in a usable format, such as CSV or JSON, so you can keep it or move it to another tool. Data Retention Data retention is how long a vendor keeps your data, including your content, account details, logs and backups, both while you use the service and after you leave. Data Sharing with Affiliates Data sharing with affiliates is a vendor's right to pass your data to other companies in its corporate group, such as its parent company or subsidiaries, including ones it acquires later. "Do Not Sell or Share" Link The "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link is the homepage opt-out link the CCPA requires from businesses that sell or share personal information. Do Not Track Do Not Track is an older browser setting that asked websites not to track you; websites were never required to obey it, and the standard was abandoned in 2019. Global Privacy Control (GPC) Global Privacy Control (GPC) is a browser setting that tells websites not to sell or share your personal information, and businesses covered by California's privacy law must honor it. Government Data Requests Government data requests are legal demands from police, courts or other authorities for data a vendor holds about its customers, such as subpoenas, court orders and search warrants. Sale of Personal Information Under California's privacy law, a sale of personal information is any transfer of personal data to another company for money or anything else of value, such as ad targeting or analytics. Server-Side Tracking Server-side tracking is tracking that sends your data from a company's own servers to ad or analytics partners, so it does not show up in your browser. Session Replay Session replay is a tool that records what a visitor does on a website or app, such as clicks, scrolling and typing, so the company can play the visit back like a video. Targeted Advertising Targeted advertising is showing ads to a person based on data about them, such as the sites they visit or what they click, often collected by a vendor's ad partners through cookies and pixels. Third-Party Cookies A third-party cookie is set by a company other than the website you are visiting, such as an ad network. Unlike a first-party cookie, it can follow you across many sites. Tracking Pixel A tracking pixel is a small, invisible piece of code on a web page or in an email that reports your visit, clicks or email opens to another company's server, often an ad network. Transition Assistance (Exit Period) Transition assistance, or the exit period, is the time after a contract ends when the vendor still lets you retrieve your data, sometimes with help moving to a new provider. "We Do Not Sell Your Data" Statement A "we do not sell your data" statement is a vendor's promise not to sell personal data, whose real reach depends on how the vendor defines "sell."