Privacy Policy
Effective Date: March 1, 2026 | Last Updated: October 6, 2026
Welcome to
LinkScore ("we," "our," or "us"), operated at
https://linkscore.io. We provide domain trust analysis, backlink monitoring, backlink price comparison, and SEO analytics. This Privacy Policy comprehensively details how LinkScore collects, accesses, uses, stores, shares, and protects your personal data and information received from third-party services, including Google APIs.
1. Application Identity & Scope
This Privacy Policy applies to the web application LinkScore (accessible at https://linkscore.io) and all related tools, APIs, and services offered by LinkScore. By accessing or using LinkScore, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to the data collection and handling practices described in this policy.
2. Information We Collect
We may collect, or process on behalf of our customers, the following categories of personal data when you use or interact with our products and services:
A. Information You Provide Directly
- Account & Registration Information: When you register an account, sign up for a trial, or subscribe to a plan, we collect your email address, full name, and encrypted password credentials. If you authenticate using Google Sign-In, we receive your email address, display name, and unique Google ID directly from Google.
- SEO & Project Input Data: Target domains, URLs, backlink URLs, anchor texts, tier notes, frequency preferences, and project names that you submit for domain authority checks, historical crawling, or continuous backlink monitoring.
- Communications & Support Inquiries: Information you submit when contacting our support team, reporting an issue, or requesting feature assistance.
B. Information Collected Automatically
- Technical & Connection Logs: Your IP address, browser type, operating system version, device identifiers, referring URLs, and exact timestamps of requests. We use client IP addresses strictly for cybersecurity, abuse prevention, and enforcing daily check rate limits.
- Usage Metrics: Number of queries executed, check timestamps, credits consumed, tool preferences, and error diagnostics to ensure platform uptime and system health.
- Strictly Essential Session Cookies: We utilize essential first-party cookies solely to maintain your active authentication session and prevent Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF). We do not deploy third-party advertising cookies or cross-site tracking scripts.
C. Billing & Payment Information
All paid subscription transactions and credit card processing are handled directly by our third-party PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant payment processor, Stripe. LinkScore does not collect, process, or store credit card numbers, CVVs, or bank details on our servers. We only receive high-level billing metadata (such as subscription status, plan tier, transaction date, and last four digits of the payment method).
3. Google User Data & Google API Services Policy
LinkScore integrates with Google services to provide optional, user-requested features: Google Sign-In (for simplified authentication) and Export to Google Sheets (for exporting backlink monitoring and domain reports directly into your personal Google Drive). This section comprehensively details our access, use, storage, sharing, and protection of Google user data in strict adherence to Google policies.
Google OAuth Scopes Requested & Data Accessed
Our application requests only the minimum necessary OAuth scopes required to fulfill the features you explicitly initiate:
| OAuth Scope |
Data Accessed |
Purpose / Usage |
.../auth/userinfo.email
.../auth/userinfo.profile |
Your primary email address, display name, account ID, and profile picture avatar. |
Authenticates your session, verifies your identity, and creates your LinkScore account profile. |
.../auth/spreadsheets |
Permission to create and write data into Google Spreadsheets. |
Creates a new spreadsheet file and populates it with your exported backlink monitoring report when you click "Export to Google Sheets". |
.../auth/drive.file |
Permission to access only files created or opened by LinkScore. |
Allows LinkScore to save the newly created export spreadsheet into your Google Drive account. |
Crucial Limitation on Google Drive Access:
Under the drive.file scope, LinkScore only possesses permission to create new files and interact with the specific files created by LinkScore. LinkScore cannot and does not view, read, index, list, search, modify, or delete any of your other existing Google Drive files, personal folders, documents, or pre-existing spreadsheets.
How We Use Google User Data
- We use Google user data strictly to provide you with the user-facing services you explicitly requested: logging into LinkScore and generating your requested Google Sheets exports.
- We will not use your Google data for any other internal or external purpose. Our use of Google user data is strictly limited to providing and improving these specific user-facing features.
Prohibited Uses Disclosures (AI/ML, Advertising, Data Brokers)
In accordance with Google's API Services User Data Policy, LinkScore strictly prohibits the following uses of Google user data:
- No Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning Model Training: LinkScore does not use Google user data or Google Workspace APIs to develop, improve, or train non-personalized, generalized artificial intelligence (AI) and/or machine learning (ML) models.
- No Targeted or Personalized Advertising: Google user data is never used for serving advertisements, user advertisements, personalized advertisements, retargeted advertisements, or interest-based advertisements.
- No Data Brokers or Information Resellers: Google user data is never sold, rented, leased, or provided to data brokers, information resellers, or third-party marketing firms.
- No Credit-Worthiness or Lending Assessments: Google user data is never used to determine creditworthiness or for lending purposes.
- No Third-Party Database Creation: Google user data is never aggregated to create public or commercial directories.
With Whom We Share, Transfer, or Disclose Google User Data
- We do not sell, rent, trade, share, transfer, or disclose your Google user data to any third parties for purposes other than the ones provided.
- We do not transfer or disclose your information to third parties for purposes other than providing or improving our application's user-facing functionality.
- Your Google user data remains strictly confidential between your browser, our secure servers, and Google's official API endpoints.
Storage, Retention & Data Protection for Google Data
- Security procedures are in place to protect the confidentiality of your data: We use encryption in transit (TLS 1.2/1.3 / HTTPS) and encryption at rest (AES-256) to protect your OAuth tokens and session data.
- No Permanent Storage of Spreadsheet Contents: We do not store, retain, or index the contents of your exported Google Spreadsheets on our servers. The generated spreadsheet file resides entirely in your personal Google Drive under your ownership.
- OAuth Token Lifespan: Google OAuth authorization tokens are stored encrypted and retained only as long as necessary to maintain your connected session or facilitate requested exports. Tokens are immediately deleted when you log out, disconnect Google Sheets, or delete your account.
How to Revoke Google Account Access
You can revoke LinkScore's access to your Google account at any time. When you revoke access, LinkScore immediately loses all ability to interact with your Google account:
- Go to your Google Account security permissions page at https://myaccount.google.com/permissions.
- Under the Third-party apps with account access section, select LinkScore.
- Click Remove Access (or Delete all connections you have with LinkScore) and confirm.
Google API Limited Use Disclosure:
LinkScore's use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the
Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
4. How We Use Non-Google Information
We use the data we collect solely for legitimate business purposes and to fulfill our contractual obligations to you, including:
- Providing, operating, maintaining, and updating the LinkScore platform.
- Executing domain authority checks, backlink price comparisons, and automatic recurring backlink monitoring checks.
- Sending essential transactional messages, including account confirmation emails, security notifications, monitoring alerts, and payment invoices.
- Preventing fraud, bot attacks, automated scraping, and unauthorized abuse of our services.
- Complying with statutory accounting, tax, and legal obligations.
5. Data Sharing and Third-Party Disclosures
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We will not sell your data to third parties, but we may share it with trusted service partners who help us provide our services under strict contractual data protection agreements:
- Payment Processing: Stripe processes payments and billing securely under PCI-DSS compliance.
- Cloud Hosting & Infrastructure: Enterprise-grade cloud hosting and database infrastructure located within secured, certified data centers operating with automated firewalls, encrypted backups, and physical security.
- Transactional Email Providers: To deliver system alerts, password reset links, and verification messages to your email address.
- Legal Compliance: We may disclose information if required to do so by applicable law, lawful court order, or governmental regulation.
6. Data Protection & Security Mechanisms
Security procedures are in place to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your data. We use encryption and multi-layered defenses to protect your information:
- Encryption in Transit: All web traffic and API communications are encrypted using modern Transport Layer Security (TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3) with HTTPS enforcement.
- Encryption at Rest: Sensitive authentication credentials, API keys, and OAuth tokens are encrypted at rest using strong AES-256 encryption.
- Access Control: Administrative access to production databases and servers is restricted to authorized personnel using multi-factor authentication (MFA) and least-privilege principles.
- Password Protection: User passwords are encrypted using secure cryptographic hashing algorithms (bcrypt with random salt) and are never stored or visible in plaintext.
- Continuous Monitoring: Automated monitoring and web application firewalls protect against unauthorized intrusion, SQL injection, and DDoS threats.
7. Data Retention and Deletion
We store your personal information for a period of time that is consistent with our business purposes. We will retain your personal information for the length of time needed to fulfill the purposes outlined in this privacy policy unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law:
- Active Account Data: Account credentials, project URLs, and historical report logs are retained for as long as your account remains active.
- Automated Deletion Upon Expiration: When the data retention period expires for a given type of data, we will delete or destroy it securely.
- Security & Access Logs: Web server and IP access logs are retained for up to 90 days for cybersecurity and rate-limiting analysis, after which they are automatically rotated and deleted.
- User-Initiated Data Deletion: You may request for your data to be deleted by emailing us at info@linkscore.io with the subject line "Data Deletion Request". Upon receiving your verified request, we will permanently delete your account, project data, historical results, and associated records within 30 days, except where retention is legally mandated for tax or accounting audits.
8. Your Rights (GDPR & International Privacy Laws)
Depending on your location, you possess comprehensive statutory rights regarding your personal data:
- Right of Access: The right to request copies of your personal data held by LinkScore.
- Right to Rectification: The right to request correction of inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated data.
- Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): The right to request the permanent deletion of your personal data.
- Right to Data Portability: The right to obtain your submitted data and reports in a structured, commonly used format (such as CSV or XLSX).
- Right to Restriction & Objection: The right to restrict or object to our processing of your personal information.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time without affecting prior lawful processing.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us directly at info@linkscore.io. We do not charge a fee for standard requests and will respond to your verified request within 30 days.
9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use only strictly essential first-party cookies necessary for platform operation, such as maintaining user authentication and CSRF security tokens. We do not deploy third-party advertising cookies, behavioral trackers, fingerprinting tools, or invasive session recording scripts. You can configure your browser to reject cookies, though doing so will prevent you from signing in to your account.
10. Children's Privacy
LinkScore is a professional business service and is not intended for or directed to individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect, solicit, or store personal data from children. If we become aware that a child under 16 has provided us with personal data, we will immediately take steps to delete that information from our systems.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We will notify users if we change how our app uses Google user data or personal information. We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect modifications to our platform, Google API policies, or legal requirements. When updates occur, we will revise the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. For significant changes, we will provide additional notice (such as an in-dashboard notification or an email announcement).
12. Contact Information
If you have questions, feedback, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or our data protection practices, please contact us: