CityBridge & DoITT Update @LinkNYC Privacy Policy

Maddie Cotterill

CityBridge and New York City’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) announced this week the release of an updated LinkNYC privacy policy that outlines the superfast, free Wi-Fi network’s commitment to user privacy.

The policy is changing to better reflect and clarify LinkNYC’s day-to-day privacy practices and make clear that:

  • LinkNYC does not store your browsing history or track the websites you visit when you use LinkNYC’s Wi-Fi.
  • LinkNYC will never sell your personal information (including any data about your usage of the network), or share it with anyone else for their own use, including advertisers, the City of New York, and government agencies, except in response to a subpoena or court order.
  • LinkNYC asks for an e-mail address when you sign up to use the Wi-Fi network, and does not require other personal information like name, address, or phone number.
  • LinkNYC encrypts all user personal data using industry-leading security, and offers users with compatible devices access to a fully encrypted Private Wi-Fi network.

Jennifer Hensley, General Manager of CityBridge told us “CityBridge takes your privacy seriously, and we have updated our privacy policy to make clear our commitment to the City of New York and the more than one million people who have signed up to use the LinkNYC network,” said “LinkNYC will never sell your personal data, or track what you do on our Wi-Fi network.”

LinkNYC’s updated privacy policy also makes clear how security camera footage from Links can be used. Each Link kiosk has two security cameras, above each 55-inch side panel display, which will be turned on starting this week to monitor and maintain the Links and prevent vandalism.

CityBridge will not use or share data or footage collected by cameras except to detect or address illegal activity on or associated with a Link, in response to vandalism, or in response to a subpoena or similar lawful request. Footage from Link cameras will be stored for a maximum of 7 days, unless the footage is necessary to investigate an incident. There is no collection or storage of any audio.

Link tablets have a built-in, user-activated camera that could be used for video calling or other user-initiated applications in the future. These cameras will remain inactive until a future announcement on new LinkNYC features.

You can read the revised privacy policy here.


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