Privacy Policy

How We Protect Your Data

1. Introduction

Welcome to Smoling. This Privacy Policy explains how Smoling ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, and protects your information when you use our platform to shorten links and share files.

By using Smoling, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. We are committed to ensuring your privacy is protected and that we are transparent about how we handle your data.

2. Information We Collect

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, and profile picture — either directly or via Google OAuth. This is necessary to manage your links and files, handle billing, and provide support.

Link and File Data

We store the short links and files you create, including slugs, destination URLs, file content, titles and any settings you apply such as passwords and expiry dates.

Click and Download Analytics

When someone clicks a short link or downloads a file, we collect:

  • Country and city (from Cloudflare headers)
  • Device type, browser, and operating system
  • Referrer — where the click came from
  • Timestamp
  • A hashed, non-reversible version of the visitor's IP address for unique visitor counting

    • We do not store raw IP addresses.

    3. Third-Party Services

    We use a few trusted third-party services to operate Smoling safely and efficiently:

    • 1

      Cloudflare: DNS, DDoS protection, and geo headers for analytics

    • 2

      Cloudflare R2: file storage. Files are private and only accessible via your short link

    • 3

      Polar: payment processing. We do not store your credit card details on our servers

    • 4

      PostHog: anonymised product analytics to help us improve the product

    • 5

      Better Auth: authentication and session management

    Each service operates under their own privacy policy.

    4. What We Don't Do

  • We don't sell your data
  • We don't show ads
  • We don't share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes

    • 5. File Storage

    Uploaded files are stored on Cloudflare R2. Files are private by default — never publicly accessible via a direct storage URL. Access is only possible through your Smoling short link, subject to any password or expiry settings you have applied.

    When you delete a file link, the file is permanently and immediately removed from storage.

    6. Cookies & Tracking

    We use session cookies solely to keep you logged in. We do not use cookies for advertising or third-party tracking. Clearing cookies in your browser will log you out of your account.

    7. Data Retention & Deletion

    We store your links, files, and analytics while your account is active so you can always access your data.

    How to Delete Your Data

    You can delete individual links and files at any time from your dashboard. To delete your entire account, go to Settings → Account → Danger Zone. Upon confirmation, Smoling will permanently erase your account details, all links and files you have created, and all associated analytics data.

    8. Security

    We use industry-standard encryption and security practices to protect your information from unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure.

    9. Children's Privacy

    Smoling is a general-purpose tool not specifically directed at children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data without appropriate consent, please contact us at [email protected] and we will promptly remove it.

    10. Changes to This Policy

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

    11. Contact Us

    If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, please reach out to us at [email protected].

    By using Smoling, you agree to the terms outlined in this Privacy Policy.

    Version 1.0 • August 5, 2026