Privacy Policy

1. Overview

Trace ("we", "our", or "us") operates the Trace OSINT platform at this domain. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our service. By using Trace, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

Important: Trace aggregates only publicly available data. We do not facilitate unauthorized access to private systems, hacking, doxxing, or any activity that violates applicable laws. All searches are logged for abuse prevention.

2. Information We Collect

• Account data: Name, email address, and OAuth provider identifier when you register.
• Search data: Queries you submit (username, email, phone, name) and results returned, stored to power your search history and saved searches.
• Payment data: Stripe processes all card payments. We store only your Stripe Customer ID and subscription status — never raw card numbers.
• Usage data: IP address, browser type, pages visited, and timestamps, collected automatically for security and analytics.
• Cookies: Session cookies for authentication and preference cookies. Third-party cookies may be set by Google AdSense (see Section 6).

3. How We Use Your Information

• To provide, operate, and maintain the Trace platform.
• To process payments and manage subscriptions.
• To send transactional emails (receipts, breach alerts for Pro monitors).
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and violations of our Terms of Service.
• To improve our service through aggregated, anonymized analytics.
• To display relevant advertisements to free-tier users (see Section 6).

4. Data Retention

Search history is retained for 90 days for free users and 1 year for Pro/Lifetime users. Account data is retained until you request deletion. You may delete your account and all associated data at any time by contacting us at [email protected].

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with:

• Stripe: For payment processing. Subject to Stripe's Privacy Policy.
• Google AdSense: For advertising on free-tier pages (see Section 6).
• Public OSINT APIs: Queries are forwarded to third-party breach databases (XposedOrNot, etc.) to retrieve public data. No personal account data is shared with these services.
• Law enforcement: When required by applicable law or valid legal process.

6. Google AdSense & Advertising

Trace uses Google AdSense to display advertisements to free-tier users. Pro and Lifetime subscribers see no advertisements.

Google AdSense uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website and other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to our site and/or other sites on the Internet.

You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings or aboutads.info. You can also opt out via the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

For more information on how Google uses data when you use our site, see: How Google uses data from sites that use Google services.

7. GDPR Rights (EEA/UK Users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectify inaccurate personal data.
• Request erasure of your personal data ("right to be forgotten").
• Object to or restrict processing of your personal data.
• Data portability — receive your data in a machine-readable format.
• Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

Our legal basis for processing personal data is: (a) contract performance for account and payment data; (b) legitimate interests for security and fraud prevention; (c) consent for marketing communications; and (d) legal obligation where required by law.

8. CCPA Rights (California Residents)

California residents have the right to:

• Know what personal information is collected, used, shared, or sold.
• Delete personal information held by us.
• Opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information.
• Non-discrimination for exercising your CCPA rights.

To submit a verifiable consumer request, contact [email protected].

9. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including TLS encryption in transit, hashed passwords, and access controls. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Children's Privacy

Trace is not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us immediately at [email protected].

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of Trace after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

For privacy-related questions, data requests, or to report a concern: