Privacy Policy

Effective date: March 3, 2026

Direct Link Generator ("us", "we", or "our") operates the https://www.directlinkgenerator.com/ website (the "Service").

This page informs you of our policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of data when you use our Service.

Summary

Direct Link Generator is a simple tool that does not require accounts, logins, or any personal information. We do not collect your name, email address, or any personally identifiable information. The only data we collect is basic usage analytics, advertising data, and technical session data necessary to operate the Service.

Information We Collect

Usage Data (Analytics)

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to collect anonymous usage data, including:

• Pages visited and time spent on pages
• Browser type and version
• Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
• General geographic region (country/city level, derived from IP address)
• Referral source (how you arrived at the site)
• Custom events such as the number of links generated per session

Google Analytics uses cookies to distinguish unique visitors. IP addresses are anonymized by Google Analytics 4 by default. For more information on Google's data practices, visit Google's Privacy Policy.

You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Advertising

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements on the Service. Google AdSense uses cookies and similar technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this site and other websites. This may include:

• Cookies to track ad impressions and clicks
• Data used to personalize ads based on your browsing activity (if you have consented)
• Device and browser information for ad targeting

Users in the European Economic Area (EEA), UK, and Switzerland will be shown a consent banner before personalized ads are served. You may choose to decline personalized advertising, in which case only non-personalized ads will be shown.

You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. For more information, see How Google uses information from sites that use its services.

Session Data

We use a server-side PHP session to enforce rate limiting (preventing abuse of the Service). This session stores:

• A session identifier cookie (PHPSESSID)
• Timestamps of your recent API requests (used only to count requests within a time window)

Session data is temporary and is automatically deleted when your browser session ends or after a short period of server-side inactivity. No personal information is stored in the session.

Information We Do Not Collect

We want to be clear about what we do not collect:

• We do not collect your name, email address, or any account information (no accounts exist).
• We do not store the Google Drive links you paste into the tool.
• We do not access, download, or store the contents of any files.
• We do not use tracking pixels beyond Google Analytics and Google AdSense.

Cookies

The Service uses the following cookies:

• Session Cookie (PHPSESSID) — A temporary cookie used for rate limiting. It contains no personal information and expires when you close your browser.
• Google Analytics Cookies (_ga, _ga_*) — Used by Google Analytics 4 to distinguish unique visitors and track sessions. These cookies expire after 2 years (_ga) or at the end of the session (_ga_*). You can opt out as described above.
• Google AdSense Cookies — Used to serve and personalize advertisements. These cookies may track your browsing activity across websites to show relevant ads. You can manage your ad personalization settings at Google Ads Settings.

You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, refusing the session cookie may result in rate limiting not functioning correctly.

How We Use Data

We use the collected data solely for the following purposes:

• To operate and maintain the Service
• To prevent abuse through rate limiting
• To understand how the Service is used so we can improve it
• To monitor for technical issues

Data Sharing

We do not sell, trade, or rent any data to third parties. Data is shared only with:

• Google Analytics — Anonymous usage data as described above, subject to Google's Privacy Policy.
• Google Drive API — When you submit a link, the file ID is sent to Google's API to retrieve the direct download link. This is subject to Google's Privacy Policy.
• Google AdSense — Ad serving and personalization data as described above, subject to Google's Privacy Policy.

Data Retention

Session data is temporary and not retained beyond your browser session. Google Analytics retains anonymized usage data for 14 months by default, after which it is automatically deleted.

Data Security

We use HTTPS encryption for all connections to the Service. API keys are stored server-side and are not exposed to users. We implement security headers including Content Security Policy, X-Frame-Options, and other protections. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Rights under GDPR (European Users)

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain data protection rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Right to access — You can request information about what data we hold about you.
• Right to erasure — You can request deletion of your data.
• Right to rectification — You can request correction of inaccurate data.
• Right to restrict processing — You can request that we limit how we use your data.
• Right to object — You can object to our processing of your data.
• Right to data portability — You can request a copy of your data in a machine-readable format.

In practice, because we collect only anonymous analytics and temporary session data, there is very little personal data associated with any individual user. You can opt out of Google Analytics at any time using the browser add-on linked above, and you can clear your cookies to remove session data.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

Your Rights under CCPA (California Users)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) provides you with additional rights:

• Right to know — You can request that we disclose what personal information we collect, use, and share.
• Right to delete — You can request deletion of your personal information.
• Right to opt out of sale — We do not sell personal information to third parties.
• Right to non-discrimination — We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

As noted above, the Service does not collect personally identifiable information. We do not sell any data. If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the email below.

Children's Privacy

Our Service does not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect any personal information from children under 13. Since the Service does not require accounts or personal information, this risk is minimal. If you believe a child has somehow provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will take steps to remove it.

Links to Other Sites

The Service generates links to Google Drive. When you click a generated link, you are directed to Google's servers. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of Google or any other third-party sites.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Effective date" at the top.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes are effective when they are posted on this page.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us at support@xeromedia.com.