Ankr Privacy Policy
Last modified: March 03, 2023
1. Introduction
This Ankr Privacy Policy ( “Privacy Policy”) describes how we collect, utilize, disclose, share and protect your Personal Information when you visit the website https://www.ankr.com/ (the "Website"), the applications, products and/or services provided by Ankr Inc. as further described below (e.g., the Public Services and/or the Premium Services), or any other sites or services where this Privacy Policy is linked or referenced (together, the “Services” and, together with the Website, the “Platform”). We refer to Ankr Inc., its subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, officers, and agents collectively as (“Ankr” or "Company" or "we" or “us”). This Privacy Policy forms a part of our Terms of Use Agreement, which governs your use of the Platform.
At Ankr we respect our visitors’, users’ and clients’ (also referred to as “you” or “your”) privacy. We understand that keeping your information secure and confidential is critical to earning and keeping your trust. Let us be clear – we do not rent, sell or trade any Personal Information.
For purposes of this Privacy Policy, “Personal Information” means information that identifies, relates to, or describes, directly or indirectly, an individual or household. This Privacy Policy applies to Personal Information we collect:
- On the Platform.
- In email, text and/or other electronic messages between you and us.
- Through mobile and/or desktop applications that you download from the Platform, which provide dedicated non-browser-based interaction between you and the Platform.
It does not apply to Personal Information collected by:
- Us offline or through any other means, including on any other website operated by Company or any third party (including our affiliates and subsidiaries) that is not a part of the Platform; or
- Any third party (including our affiliates and subsidiaries), including through any application or content (including advertising) that may link to or be accessible from or on the Platform. For example, if you access a third-party application or service using the Platform and choose to provide Personal Information to such third party, we do not control and are not responsible for what such third party does with such Personal Information. In many cases, we not even be aware of the information you have transmitted.
Please read this Privacy Policy carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding your Personal Information and how we will treat it. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, you should not use the Platform. By accessing or using the Platform, you agree to this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy may change from time to time (see the “Changes to Our Privacy Policy” section below). Your continued use of the Platform after we make changes is deemed to be acceptance of those changes, so please check this Privacy Policy periodically for updates.
2. Public and Premium Services
The Services include both public services (“Public Service(s)”) and paid, premium services (“Premium Service(s)”). The Personal Information collected from you and the way that such information is used by us varies somewhat based on which type of service you are using:
- Public Services consist of publicly available web3 infrastructure that is usable on a freeto-access, “permissionless” basis, without registration with us or on the Platform (e.g., our public Remote Procedure Call (RPC) services, etc.). Because no registration is required and no payment is collected, less information is collected from or about you.
- Premium Services like our premium RPC services, Ankr Node subscriptions, etc. are accessible on a permissioned basis. Your subscription to any Premium Services will be subject to a separate written agreement, which requires us to collect certain information in order to facilitate payment, communication about your Premium Service(s), fulfill our contract with you, and to otherwise support our provision of the paid-for Premium Service(s).
3. Non-Technical Information You May Choose to Provide to Us
Depending on whether you are purchasing a Premium Service (e.g., an Ankr Node subscription, etc.) or using a non-paid Public Service offering, you may choose to provide some or all of the following types of Personal Information from and about yourself or any Authorized User(s) who registers an account to use the Platform:
- Identifiers like an email address and/or organizational name;
- Information that you provide by filling in forms on the Platform. This includes any information provided at the time of registering to use the Platform or subscribing to our service. We may also ask you for information when you report a problem with the Platform;
- Records and copies of correspondence and other communications you choose to direct to us; and
- Payment information you use to pay for a Premium Service.
4. Technical Information Collected from All Users (Premium Service Users and Public Service Users)
The following technical information, some of which may be capable of association with individual users or devices (herein, “Ephemeral Activity Data”) may be collected from any user:
- IP address (which is used to infer general location (city or zip code) on an anonymous basis), and other unique identifiers associated with your device(s) or browser(s);
- Device and system information, such as your operating system version and network information;
- Information about transactions you conduct through or on the Platform (e.g., associated API key information, etc.); and
- Usage activity about how you view and interact with the Platform.
5. How We Use Your Information
We use information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any Personal Information:
- To present the Platform and our products or services to you;
- In the case of Ephemeral Activity Data, solely to facilitate improvement and/or optimization of the provision of the Platform (e.g., to optimize latency and quality-ofservice, to anonymously monitor web traffic patterns and generate related, nonidentifiable data used to improve quality-of-service, to prevent DDoS or other malicious attacks on the Platform, to respond to customer-service requests by applicable Premium Service customers, etc.);
- To carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising from any contracts entered into between you and us (including for billing and collection);
- To notify you about changes to the Platform our Website or any products or services we offer or provide though it; and
- For any other purpose with your express consent.
6. Disclosure of Your Information
We may disclose Personal Information that we collect, or that you provide, as described in this Privacy Policy:
- To fulfill the purpose for which you provide it;
- For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information; or
- With your consent.
We may also disclose such information:
- To comply with any court order, applicable law, or enforceable legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request;
- In connection with the sale or contemplated sale of the company, its assets, or a portion thereof; or
- If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of Ankr, our customers, or others.
7. Retention of Ephemeral Activity Data
Unless we otherwise specifically notify you of the need to retain or continue to use certain data, we will automatically delete any and all Ephemeral Activity Data within thirty (30) days of its collection. This practice reflects the fact that Ankr only uses Ephemeral Activity Data to facilitate and optimize users’ access to the Platform and to generate anonymized web traffic analysis that we use to improve the performance of the services we provide all users. Storage of such data for longer than its brief useful life would be prohibitively expensive and unnecessary. Once such data is no longer reasonably useful, it is removed from our records. Please note that anonymized web traffic data derived from users’ Ephemeral Activity Data may be retained beyond 30 days for the limited purpose of helping us understand long-term traffic patterns and improve quality-of-service. For example, it helps us improve the site over time to be able to notice patterns in when and where (city or zip code level) people are visiting from, but that information is not stored in a way that is capable of association with individual users. Please also note that we do not control how long third parties may retain data that passes over systems we do not control. For example, third-party internet service providers with whom you or we interact as you use the Platform may retain IP addresses for shorter or longer periods.
8. Children Under the Age of 13
The Platform is not intended for children under 13 years of age. No one under age 13 may access or provide any information to or on the Platform. We do not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under 13. If we learn we have collected or received Personal Information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information. If you are the parent or guardian of a child under 13 and believe we have inadvertently collected information about your child, please contact us immediately at: privacy@ankr.com.
9. California Residents
Under California Civil Code Section 1798.83, California residents have the right to obtain certain information about the types of personal information that companies with whom they have an established business relationship (and that are not otherwise exempt) have shared with third parties for direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year, including the names and addresses of those third parties, and examples of the types of services or products marketed by those third parties.. If you are a California resident and (1) you wish to opt out; or (2) you wish to request certain information regarding our disclosure of your Personal Information to third parties for the direct marketing purposes, please send an e-mail to privacy@ankr.com. However, please note that we do not currently sell data, nor do we share information with third parties in any way that would trigger the statute’s opt-out requirements.
10. Important Notices to Non-U.S. Residents
The servers used in connection with the operation and use of the Platform are operated in the United States and elsewhere. Please be aware that certain of your information may be transferred to, processed, maintained, and used on computers, servers, and systems located outside of your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where the privacy laws may not be as protective as those in your jurisdiction. If you are located outside the United States and choose to use the Platform, you hereby consent to such transfer, processing, and use in the United States and elsewhere.
11. Accessing and Correcting, Deleting or Updating Your Information
Where applicable, you can review and change your Personal Information by logging into the Website and visiting your account profile page.
You may also send us an email at privacy@ankr.com to request access to, correct, or delete any Personal Information that you have provided to us. We cannot delete your Personal Information except by also deleting your user account. We may not accommodate a request to change information if we believe the change would violate any law or legal requirement or cause the information to be incorrect.
12. Data Security
We have implemented measures designed to secure your Personal Information from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. All information you provide to us is stored on our secure servers behind firewalls.
The safety and security of your information also depends on you. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password or other private information (e.g., a cryptographic “private key”) for access to certain parts of the Platform, you are responsible for keeping this information confidential. It is in your best interest to not share any such information with anyone. We urge you to be careful about giving out any information in public fora, as such information so shared may be viewed by any other user of the Platform.
Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not without its risks. Although we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to the Platform. Any transmission of Personal Information is at your own risk. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Platform.
13. Changes to Our Privacy Policy
It is our policy to post any changes we make to this Privacy Policy on this page. If we make material changes to how we treat our users' Personal Information such that we are using Personal Information for purposes or sharing data with third parties that you have not consented to, we will notify you by email to the primary email address specified in your account. The date this Privacy Policy was last revised is identified at the top of the page. You are responsible for ensuring we have an up-to-date active and deliverable email address for you, and for periodically visiting the Platform and this Privacy Policy to check for any changes.
14. Contact Information
To ask questions or comment about this Privacy Policy and our privacy practices, contact us at: privacy@ankr.com.
If you have any complaints or concerns regarding our compliance with this Privacy Policy, please contact us first. We will investigate and attempt to resolve complaints and disputes regarding use and disclosure of Personal Information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and in accordance with applicable law.