Privacy & Cookie Policy

This Privacy and Cookie Policy covers the Turkish and English versions of the bridgeusa.com.tr website operated by Bridge USA Türkiye ([Company legal name]) and the requests you send us through the site. Details of how your personal data is processed, and your rights under Law No. 6698 (KVKK, Türkiye's Personal Data Protection Law), are set out in our Privacy Notice (KVKK); this policy supplements that notice.

• Information you give us: the full name, phone number, email address, program of interest, current status and message you share in our application, callback and newsletter forms, along with your KVKK acknowledgment and your optional preference regarding commercial electronic messages.
• Information added when you submit a form: the page you submitted the form from, the campaign source that brought you to the site (UTM parameters), the referring site, browser information and a hashed (one-way encrypted) form of your IP address to prevent misuse.
• Server logs: The servers hosting the site keep standard access logs (IP address, date and time, requested page, browser information) for security and troubleshooting. These logs are used only to keep the site secure and resolve technical issues.
• Analytics data, if you allow it: when you consent to analytics cookies, usage statistics such as the pages you visit and your device and browser type.

We don't sell your information, and we don't share it with third parties for advertising purposes.

Cookies are small text files saved to your browser when you visit a website. They help the site work, remember your preferences and measure visits. Our site also uses browser storage (local storage and session storage), which works in a similar way to cookies. In this policy, we use the word "cookies" for all of these technologies.

• Strictly necessary cookies: Required for the site to work securely and correctly, to remember your cookie choice and for admin panel sessions. No consent is requested for these cookies.
• Functional cookies: Keep the "We'll call you" window from appearing again and again, and show which campaign your request came from when you submit a form. They are first-party cookies and are not shared with third parties.
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how the site is used. They only run when Google Analytics is enabled and you select "Accept" in the cookie notice.
• Marketing cookies: Our site does not currently use any advertising or retargeting cookies. If this changes, they will only run with your explicit consent, and this policy will be updated.

When you first visit our site, the cookie notice gives you two options: "Accept" allows analytics cookies, while "Necessary only" means only strictly necessary cookies are used. Whichever you choose, your access to the site is not restricted.

You can change your mind at any time: use the "Cookie preferences" link at the bottom of the page to reopen the notice. You can also delete or block cookies and site data in the settings of your browser, such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge. If you block strictly necessary cookies, some parts of the site may not work as expected.

• Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics 4: Loaded only when enabled and only with your consent. In that case, usage data may be processed on Google's servers abroad. These tools don't run unless you consent.
• WhatsApp: When you tap the WhatsApp button, you're taken to the WhatsApp app or its web version. These conversations are also subject to WhatsApp's (Meta's) own privacy terms.
• Google Maps: The map link for our address opens Google Maps in a separate page; no map is embedded on our site.
• Unsplash images: The photos on the site are loaded from Unsplash's servers (images.unsplash.com). To display them, your browser connects to these servers, and in the process your IP address and browser information are technically transmitted to Unsplash.
• Social media links: Links to Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and TikTok take you to the relevant platform; none of these platforms' plugins run on our site.

The data practices of these services are governed by their own privacy policies.

Communication between you and the site is protected by HTTPS (SSL/TLS) encryption. Form data is stored in closed areas that only our authorized staff can access, and access to the admin panel is restricted by personal usernames and strong passwords. Automated protections block unwanted form submissions, and IP addresses are never stored in plain form in form records. Form data is deleted or anonymized at the end of the retention periods set out in our Privacy Notice (KVKK). No data transmission over the internet is completely risk-free; we take reasonable technical and administrative measures to keep that risk to a minimum.

We ask that forms about the J-1 High School Exchange program be filled in by a parent or legal guardian. If we become aware that a user under 18 has shared information without parental consent, we will contact the parent or delete the information.

We update this policy when we add a new service to our site or when the legislation changes. The current version is always published on this page, and the date of the last update is shown at the top of the page. In the case of significant changes, we may ask for your cookie preference again.

For any questions about this policy, you can write to [email protected] or contact our office at Geriş Mah. Dalyan Cd. No:3/10, 48400 Yalıkavak, Bodrum / Muğla. The methods for submitting requests under the KVKK are explained in our Privacy Notice.