Data Privacy & Compliance at Heatmap.com
At Heatmap.com, we prioritize data privacy because it’s the foundation of user trust.
By adhering to global data protection regulations and maintaining a strict policy of collecting zero personally identifiable information (PII), we demonstrate our commitment to providing actionable analytics while safeguarding user anonymity.
This document outlines the why behind our practices, alongside the specific how that ensures adherence to laws like GDPR, CCPA, and others.
These are Heatmap Inc.’s Privacy Policies, but this is not legal advice for laws you need to comply with in your unique business. Please consult a legal professional to make sure your website remains 100% compliant with your needs.
We Collect Zero Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Heatmap.com collects absolutely no personally identifiable information (PII) because we believe analytics can and should be achieved without compromising individual privacy. By designing our platform to operate entirely with anonymized and aggregated data, we ensure compliance with all major data protection laws while simplifying the process for our customers.
Why This Ensures Compliance:
Data protection laws such as GDPR, CCPA, and PIPEDA primarily regulate the collection, processing, and storage of personal data. By avoiding PII entirely, Heatmap.com minimizes the regulatory obligations imposed on our platform and our customers.
Without PII, data collected by Heatmap.com is excluded from many compliance requirements, such as those related to obtaining explicit consent, managing data subject rights (e.g., access, deletion, portability), or ensuring lawful cross-border transfers.
Collecting only anonymized and aggregated data ensures that Heatmap.com’s operations fall outside the most stringent categories of data protection oversight, reducing legal complexity and risk for our customers.
What We Collect:
Anonymous User_IDs: Random session identifiers ensure interactions are tracked without linking data across sessions or to individual users. These temporary IDs comply with privacy laws by being anonymized and non-persistent.
Behavioral Metrics: Metrics such as clicks, scrolls, and page views are collected at the session level and stripped of any identifiable context. These insights are aggregated to ensure no individual behavior can be traced back to a user.
Revenue Attribution: By associating revenue data with session-level interactions, Heatmap.com provides actionable analytics without requiring access to payment information or customer identities.
What We Do Not Collect:
Names, Emails, or Contact Information: Excluding these identifiers eliminates the risk of violating laws regulating the handling of sensitive personal data.
Payment or Financial Information: Heatmap.com’s avoidance of payment-related data ensures compliance with PCI DSS and other financial data regulations.
IP Addresses or Device IDs: By not collecting IP addresses, Heatmap.com avoids potential risks of indirect identification, a key concern under GDPR and similar laws.
By ensuring that no PII is collected, Heatmap.com simplifies compliance while providing a privacy-first analytics solution that meets the expectations of both customers and regulatory bodies.
GDPR Compliance
Heatmap.com is fully compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). GDPR’s primary focus is on the protection of personal data, and our strict policy of avoiding PII collection directly aligns with its principles.
Why This Ensures Compliance:
GDPR defines "personal data" broadly, including any information that can directly or indirectly identify an individual. By collecting no PII and operating solely with anonymized data, Heatmap.com ensures that its data falls outside the scope of GDPR’s most stringent requirements.
Anonymized data is explicitly excluded from GDPR’s regulatory framework, provided it cannot be re-identified. Heatmap.com’s design ensures that collected data meets this standard.
How We Comply:
Data Minimization: Collecting only anonymized behavioral metrics and excluding PII ensures that Heatmap.com adheres to GDPR’s principle of data minimization. This reduces regulatory exposure for both us and our customers.
User Consent: Our SDK enables GDPR-compliant consent management by providing tools for customers to obtain opt-ins before any tracking occurs. Since no PII is involved, consent requirements are simplified, focusing only on behavioral tracking.
Data Subject Rights: Without PII, Heatmap.com minimizes the need to handle requests for access, correction, or deletion. However, our platform supports anonymization and deletion of session data upon customer request, ensuring full compliance where required.
Cross-Border Data Transfers: Anonymized data is not subject to GDPR’s restrictions on international transfers, simplifying compliance with EU data localization requirements.
CCPA Compliance
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) emphasizes transparency, user control, and data protection for California residents. By collecting no PII, Heatmap.com avoids many of CCPA’s regulatory requirements.
Why This Ensures Compliance:
CCPA’s definition of "personal information" includes any data that identifies, relates to, or describes a particular consumer. Heatmap.com’s data collection practices exclude all such information, reducing the scope of compliance obligations.
By avoiding the "sale" of data and not collecting sensitive information, Heatmap.com eliminates the need for opt-out mechanisms or detailed data disclosures.
How We Comply:
Customers can use Heatmap.com without worrying about disclosing PII or providing opt-out links for "Do Not Sell My Personal Information."
Our anonymized and aggregated data ensures compliance with CCPA’s principles while delivering meaningful analytics.
PIPEDA Compliance
Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) governs the collection and use of personal data in commercial activities. Heatmap.com aligns seamlessly with its requirements by avoiding PII entirely.
Why This Ensures Compliance:
PIPEDA’s protections apply to data that can identify an individual. Anonymized data, such as the session-level metrics Heatmap.com collects, falls outside PIPEDA’s scope when it cannot be re-identified.
By excluding sensitive information, Heatmap.com eliminates the need for additional safeguards or compliance procedures.
How We Comply:
Heatmap.com supports customer efforts to provide transparent data practices by maintaining documentation and resources that clarify how our platform operates.
No PII means customers can more easily comply with PIPEDA’s accountability and consent requirements.
Vendor and Subprocessor Management
Heatmap.com’s strict controls over subprocessors reinforce our compliance with global privacy laws. By requiring subprocessors to adhere to the same standards we follow, we maintain consistent levels of protection.
Why This Ensures Compliance:
Subprocessors often handle critical elements of data processing, and their non-compliance can expose customers to regulatory risks. Ensuring subprocessors meet the highest standards is essential for maintaining trust and compliance.
How We Manage Subprocessors:
Transparency: We maintain a publicly available list of subprocessors, ensuring customers know where and how their data is processed.
Due Diligence: Each subprocessor undergoes a rigorous evaluation to verify compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and other laws.
Binding Agreements: Legally binding Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) outline strict requirements for secure data handling.
By avoiding the collection of PII, Heatmap.com inherently aligns with the principles and requirements of major privacy laws worldwide. This approach simplifies compliance for customers and ensures that user trust is never compromised.