1. Information We Collect

We only collect information necessary to provide, secure, and improve our services:

a. Information You Provide Directly

• Account & Contact Data: When you register for an account, subscribe to a plan, or contact support, we collect your name, email address, company name (optional), and login credentials.
• Search & API Inputs: When using our search engine or REST API to trace public accounts (via username, email, or phone number), queries are processed in real time to return publicly available matching records. We do not sell, rent, or distribute your search queries.
• Support Communications: Inquiries, bug reports, and messages submitted via our contact forms or support channels.

b. Information Handled by Our Merchant of Record

• Billing & Transaction Information: All payment transactions and subscription purchases are processed directly by our authorized reseller and Merchant of Record, Paddle.com. Paddle securely handles your credit card details, payment methods, tax identification, and billing addresses. OSINT Trace does not store or process raw credit card numbers or banking credentials on our servers.

c. Automatically Collected Information

• Log & System Metadata: IP addresses, browser user-agents, operating systems, request timestamps, and referring URLs collected for security auditing, DDoS prevention, rate-limit enforcement, and platform diagnostics.
• Cookies & Local Storage: We use essential cookies to maintain user authentication sessions and security tokens (e.g., Cloudflare Turnstile bot verification). We also use privacy-focused analytics cookies (e.g., Microsoft Clarity) to understand aggregated user experience patterns. You can manage or disable cookies in your browser settings.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To provide, operate, and maintain the OSINT Trace platform and REST API endpoints.
• To manage your account, authenticate access, and monitor subscription quota usage.
• To facilitate order fulfillment, billing verification, and tax compliance in conjunction with Paddle.com.
• To detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent activity, security incidents, unauthorized scraping, or violations of our Terms of Service.
• To respond to technical inquiries, customer support tickets, and service updates.

3. Third-Party Service Providers

We work with trusted third-party providers who process data on our behalf under strict data protection agreements:

• Paddle.com (Merchant of Record & Payments): Payment processing, fraud screening, customer billing support, and sales tax/VAT compliance. Review Paddle's Privacy Policy.
• Security & Anti-Bot Protection (Cloudflare Turnstile): Used to prevent automated abuse and malicious bots without intrusive CAPTCHAs.
• Telemetry & Analytics (Microsoft Clarity): Used for aggregated visual heatmaps and performance monitoring to improve interface usability.
• Public Data Sources: OSINT Trace queries publicly available endpoints and open-source data from online platforms. We do not access private or password-protected user accounts.

4. Data Retention & Security

• Encryption & Storage: All data transmissions between your browser and our servers are protected using industry-standard TLS/HTTPS encryption. Sensitive access tokens are encrypted at rest.
• Retention Period: Account data is retained for the duration of your active subscription. Operational logs and security metadata are automatically pruned or anonymized after 30 days.

5. Your Privacy Rights (GDPR, UK GDPR & CCPA/CPRA)

Depending on your jurisdiction (such as the EU, UK, or California), you possess statutory data protection rights, including:

• The right to access, rectify, or request deletion of your personal account data.
• The right to object to or restrict processing of your personal data.
• The right to data portability.
• The right to withdraw consent at any time without affecting lawful prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our privacy team at [email protected] or submit a request via our Contact Page.

6. Children's Privacy

OSINT Trace is an enterprise and developer tool not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from individuals under the age of 16. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please notify us immediately.

7. Ethical Use Disclaimer

OSINT Trace is built strictly for legitimate cybersecurity threat analysis, digital brand protection, compliance verification, and lawful research. Users must comply with all applicable local, national, and international laws when utilizing data obtained through our services.

8. Contact Us

If you have questions regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please reach out:

• Email: [email protected]
• Contact Page: osinttrace.com/contact
• Billing Inquiries: paddle.net