Data collection:
(legal uses of data collection)
Data collection from users is legal in certain respects. These include: Data subject consent (the general rule, requiring the affected individual to unequivocally authorize data collection after being informed of the purpose); contractual or pre-contractual relationships (consent was not required when data was necessary for the execution, fulfillment, or monitoring of a sales contract, service provision, or employment relationship); compliance with a legal obligation (allowing the collection of data required by tax, labor, or social security regulations without explicit consent); publicly accessible sources (collection without consent was authorized if the data appeared in censuses, official gazettes, telephone directories, or media outlets, provided the purpose was legitimate); and protection of vital interests (applicable in medical or emergency situations where a citizen's health was at risk and they were unable to provide consent). Advertising use is also permitted—specifically, recommending products that might satisfy or appeal to the user. These practices are fully legal under Spain's Organic Law 15/1999 (LOPD); while other regulations exist, this is the most significant one.
Does LinkyBuddy collect data?
Yes, it collects information; the specific data collected depends on the version. Here are the versions and what they generally collect: February 18, 1998: This version collects user information in the following ways: ad recommendations (sending data to browsers to display ads tailored to individual preferences) and service-related data collection (sharing data with services that pay for it—though it may seem risky, the shared data helps virtual assistants, advertising companies, software development, and more). February 26, 1998 (Premium version): The premium version collects less data... it only gathers data for ads and certain third-party software services, shares conversations with the assistant to help improve it, and a few other items. January 1, 1999: Moving into 1999, data collection practices vary (see Article 21, page 132). In most cases, it collects data for service and ad recommendations, assistant conversations, text files created by the assistant to learn your preferences, and internet searches (to help the assistant get to know you better). It also involves database collection (rarely done; this is technically unauthorized, though accidental collection has occurred—such data is deleted and not shared), purchase information (unauthorized, resulting from assistant errors), user data collection (unauthorized, occurring due to errors or other issues), and collection of files from the downloads page (unauthorized). Regarding downloaded applications: this is legal provided only general program information is shared (though in some instances of this version, app account details were collected), as well as credit card information (due to a specific issue). Premium version, January 1, 1999: Minimal data collection.
How do I prevent my data from being collected?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to do that legally; the only way would be by modifying the application (which is not permitted and could lead to a fine or even jail time, depending on the circumstances). If you don't want the risky elements collected, buy the premium version—it's error-free! We haven't included the older version because it is no longer available...