Urban Self Storage Privacy Policy

Last Updated: March 2024

Your privacy is important to us. Urban Self Storage operates storage facilities and provides storage services in the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, and Arizona. This privacy statement explains our collection, use, and disclosure of personal data when you visit our website or use our services (collectively, our “services”).

PERSONAL DATA WE COLLECT

The personal data we collect depends on how you interact with us, the services you use, and the choices you make.

We collect information about you from different sources and in various ways when you use our services, including information you provide directly, information collected automatically, third-party data sources, and data we infer or generate from other data.

Information you provide directly. We collect personal data you provide to us. For example:

• Contact information. We collect name, username, email address, postal address, phone number, fax number.
• Demographic data. In some cases, such as when you register or participate in surveys, we request that you provide age, gender, marital status, and similar demographic details.
• Identification information. We ID documents, including as drivers license numbers or other government-issued ID numbers.
• Payment and insurance information. We collect information about your insurance coverage; and when you make a purchase or other financial transaction, we collect credit card numbers, financial account information, and other payment details.
• Content and files. We collect the photos, documents, or other files you upload to our services; and if you send us email messages or other communications, we collect and retain those communications.

Information we collect automatically. When you use our services, we collect some information automatically. For example:

• Identifiers and device information. When you visit our website, our web servers automatically log your Internet Protocol (IP) address and information about your device, including device identifiers (such as MAC address); device type; and your device’s operating system, browser, and other software including type, version, language, settings, and configuration. As further described in the Cookies and Similar Technologies section below, our website and online services store and retrieve cookie identifiers, mobile IDs, and other data.
• Geolocation data. Depending on your device and app settings, we collect geolocation data when you use our apps or online services.
• Usage data. We automatically log your activity on our website including the URL of the website from which you came to our sites, pages you viewed, how long you spent on a page, access times, and other details about your use of and actions on our website. When you enter your unique access code at a storage location, that information is also logged.
• Audio recordings. If you call our customer support number, your call may be recorded to ensure quality service.
• Video images. At your storage locations, we use video cameras that may capture your image for security purposes.

Information we create or generate. We infer new information from other data we collect, including using automated means to generate information about your likely preferences or other characteristics (“inferences”). For example, we infer your general geographic location (such as city, state, and country) based on your IP address.

Information we obtain from third-party sources. We also obtain information from third parties. These third-party sources include, for example:

• Data brokers. Data brokers and aggregators from which we obtain data to supplement the data we collect.
• Third party partners. Third party applications and services, including social networks you choose to connect with or interact with through our services.
• Co-branding/marketing partners. Partners with which we offer co-branded services or engage in joint marketing activities.
• Service providers. Third parties that collect or provide data in connection with work they do on our behalf.
• Publicly available sources. Public sources of information such as open government databases.

When you are asked to provide personal data, you may decline. And you may use web browser or operating system controls to prevent certain types of automatic data collection. But if you choose not to provide or allow information that is necessary for certain services or features, those services or features may not be available or fully functional.

COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES

We use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to operate our website and online services and to help collect data, including usage data, identifiers, and device information.

What are cookies and similar technologies?

Cookies are small text files placed by a website and stored by your browser on your device. A cookie can later be read when your browser connects to a web server in the same domain that placed the cookie. The text in a cookie contains a string of numbers and letters that may uniquely identify your device and can contain other information as well. This allows the web server to recognize your browser over time, each time it connects to that web server.

Web beacons are electronic images (also called single-pixel or clear GIFs) that are contained within a website or email. When your browser opens a webpage or email that contains a web beacon, it automatically connects to the web server that hosts the image (typically operated by a third party). This allows that web server to log information about your device and to set and read its own cookies. In the same way, third-party content on our website (such as plug-ins or ads) results in your browser connecting to the third-party web server that hosts that content. We may also include web beacons in our email messages or newsletters to tell us if you open and act on them.

How do we and our partners use cookies and similar technologies?

We, and our service providers and partners, use these technologies in our website to collect personal information (such as the pages you visit, the links you click on, and similar usage information, identifiers, and device information) when you use our services. This information is used to store your preferences and settings, enable you to sign-in, analyze how our website performs, track your interaction with the site or app, develop inferences, deliver and tailor interest-based advertising, combat fraud, and fulfill other legitimate purposes.

What controls are available? 

There are a range of cookie and related controls available through browsers, mobile operating systems, and elsewhere. See the “Choice and Control of Personal Data” section below for details.

OUR USE OF PERSONAL DATA

We use the personal data we collect for purposes described in this privacy statement or otherwise disclosed to you. For example, we use each of the categories of personal data we collect for the following purposes:

• Service delivery. To provide and deliver our services, including troubleshooting, improving, and personalizing those services.
• Business operations. To operate our business, such as billing, accounting, improving our internal operations, securing our systems, detecting fraudulent or illegal activity, and meeting our legal obligations.
• Product improvement, development, and research. To develop new services or features, and conduct research.
• Personalization. To understand you and your preferences to enhance your experience and enjoyment using our services.
• Customer support. To provide customer support and respond to your questions.
• Communications. To send you information, including confirmations, invoices, technical notices, updates, security alerts, and support and administrative messages.
• Marketing. To communicate with you about services, offers, promotions, rewards, contests, upcoming events, and other information about our services and those of our selected partners (see the Choice and Control section of this privacy statement for how to change your preferences for promotional communications).
• Advertising. To display advertising to you (see the Cookies section of this privacy statement for information about personalized advertising and your advertising choices).

We combine data we collect from different sources for these purposes and to give you a more seamless, consistent, and personalized experience.

OUR DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL DATA

We disclose personal data with your consent or as necessary to complete your transactions or provide the services you have requested or authorized. In addition, we disclose each of the categories of personal data described above, to the types of third parties described below, for the following business purposes:

• Service providers. We provide personal data to vendors or agents working on our behalf for the purposes described in this statement. For example, companies we’ve hired to provide customer service support or assist in protecting and securing our systems and services may need access to personal data to provide those functions.
• Financial services & payment processing. When you provide payment data, for example to make a purchase, we will disclose payment and transactional data to banks and other entities as necessary for payment processing, fraud prevention, credit risk reduction, or other related financial services.
• Affiliates. We enable access to personal data across our affiliated businesses, for example, where we share common data systems or where access is needed to provide our services and operate our business.
• Corporate transactions. We may disclose personal data as part of a corporate transaction or proceeding such as a merger, financing, acquisition, bankruptcy, dissolution, or a transfer, divestiture, or sale of all or a portion of our business or assets.
• Legal and law enforcement. We will access, disclose, and preserve personal data when we believe that doing so is necessary to comply with applicable law or respond to valid legal process, including from law enforcement or other government agencies.
• Security, safety, and protecting rights. We will disclose personal data if we believe it is necessary to:
  • protect our customers and others, for example to prevent spam or attempts to commit fraud, or to help prevent the loss of life or serious injury of anyone;
  • operate and maintain the security of our services, including to prevent or stop an attack on our computer systems or networks; or
  • protect the rights or property or ourselves or others, including enforcing our agreements, terms, and policies.

Third party analytics and advertising companies also collect personal data through our website and apps including, transaction details, account information, marketing and communications data, demographic data, content and files, geolocation data, usage data, and inferences associated with identifiers and device information (such as cookie IDs, device IDs, and IP address) as described in the Cookies section of this statement. For example, we use Google Analytics on our website to help us understand how users interact with our website; you can learn how Google collects and uses information at www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners. 

Please note that our services may include integrations, references, or links to services provided by third parties whose privacy practices differ from ours. If you provide personal data to any of those third parties, or allow us to disclose personal data with them, that data is governed by their privacy statements.

Finally, we may share de-identified information in accordance with applicable law.

CHOICE AND CONTROL OF PERSONAL DATA

We provide a variety of ways for you to control the personal data we hold about you, including choices about how we use that data. In some jurisdictions, these controls and choices may be enforceable as rights under applicable law.

Access, portability, correction, and deletion. If you have created an online account, you may be able to access, copy, correct, or delete some account details logging into your account. If you are unable to access certain personal data we have via your online account, you can request access by contacting us as described at the bottom of this privacy statement. 

Communications preferences. You can choose whether to receive promotional communications from us by email, SMS, and telephone. If you receive promotional email or SMS messages from us and would like to stop, you can do so by following the directions in that message or by contacting us as described in the Contact Us section below. If you receive a sales call from us, you can ask to be placed on our do-not-call list. These choices do not apply to certain informational messages including mandatory service communications or surveys.

Targeted advertising. To opt-out from or otherwise control targeted advertising, you have several options. First, you can use the cookie controls described below to decline advertising related-cookies. Second, you can use the Global Privacy Control setting in a web browser or browser extension as described below. Third, you can use the opt-out controls offered by the organizations our advertising partners may participate in, which you can access at the following links: Network Advertising Initiative (http://optout.networkadvertising.org) and Digital Advertising Alliance (http://optout.aboutads.info/). Note that these choices are specific to the device or browser you are using. If you access our services from other devices or browsers, take these actions from those devices or browsers to ensure your choices apply to the data collected when you use them.

Data sales. Some privacy laws define “sale” broadly to include disclosures described in “Our Disclosure of Personal Data” section above. The only data disclosures we engage in that could constitute a “sale” of personal data is for targeted advertising. Therefore, to opt-out from such data “sales” please refer to the controls described above. 

Profiling and automated decision-making. Some privacy laws provide a right to opt-out from profiling and/or automated decision-making that produce a legal or similarly significant effect. We do not process personal data in this way. 

Browser or platform controls.

• Browser cookie controls. Most web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. If you prefer, you can go to your browser settings to learn how to delete or reject cookies. If you choose to delete or reject cookies, this could affect certain features or services of our website. If you choose to delete cookies, settings and preferences controlled by those cookies, including advertising preferences, may be deleted and may need to be recreated.
• Global Privacy Control. Some browsers and browser extensions support the “Global Privacy Control” (GPC) or similar controls that can send a signal to the websites you visit indicating your choice to opt-out from certain types of data processing, including data sales and/or targeted advertising, as specified by applicable law. When we detect such a signal, we will make reasonable efforts to respect your choices indicated by a GPC setting or similar control that is recognized by regulation or otherwise widely acknowledged as a valid opt-out preference signal.
• Do Not Track. Some browsers have incorporated “Do Not Track” (DNT) features that can send a signal to the websites you visit indicating you do not wish to be tracked. Because, unlike the GPC signal described above, there is not a common understanding of how to interpret the DNT signal, our website does not currently respond to browser DNT signals. Instead, you can use the range of other tools to control data collection and use, including the cookie controls and advertising controls described above.

Email web beacons. Most email clients have settings which allow you to prevent the automatic downloading of images, including web beacons, which prevents the automatic connection to the web servers that host those images.

Except for the automated controls described above, if you send us a request to exercise your rights or these choices, we may decline requests in certain cases. For example, to the extent permitted by applicable law, we may decline requests where granting the request would be prohibited by law, could adversely affect the privacy or other rights of another person, would reveal a trade secret or other confidential information, or would interfere with a legal or business obligation. Further, we may decline a request where we are unable to authenticate you as the person to whom the data relates, the request is unreasonable or excessive, or where otherwise permitted by applicable law. If you receive a response from us informing you that we have declined your request, in whole or in part, you may appeal that decision by submitting your appeal using the contact method described at the bottom of this privacy statement.

RETENTION OF PERSONAL DATA

We retain personal data for as long as necessary to provide the services and fulfill the transactions you have requested, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, and other legitimate and lawful business purposes.

LOCATION OF PERSONAL DATA

The personal data we collect is stored in the United States but may also be processed in other countries where our service providers operate. We take steps designed to ensure that the data we collect under this statement is processed and protected according to the provisions of this statement and applicable law wherever the data is located.

SECURITY OF PERSONAL DATA

We take reasonable and appropriate steps to help protect personal data from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. To help us protect personal data, we request that you use a strong password and never share your password with anyone or use the same password with other sites or accounts.

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY STATEMENT

We will update this privacy statement when necessary to reflect changes in our services, how we use personal data, or the applicable law. When we post changes to the statement, we will revise the “Last Updated” date at the top of the statement. If we make material changes to the statement, we will provide notice or obtain consent regarding such changes as may be required by law.

HOW TO CONTACT US

If you have a privacy concern, complaint, or a question for Urban Self Storage, please contact us at using the form available here. Our telephone number is 206-322-4868.