TrustCertified.org ("we", "us", or "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. It applies to the TrustCertified.org website and related Services.
1. Our Privacy Promise
We built TrustCertified.org as a public-interest tool. We do not require accounts. We do not run advertising. We do not sell your data. We collect the minimum information needed to deliver the Services and to defend them from abuse.
2. Information You Provide
- Search inputs. The name, phone, email, social handle, group name, or photo you enter into the search bar. We use these to run the requested check.
- Fraud reports. Information you submit when reporting a scam, including names, contact details of the alleged scammer, evidence URLs, and your contact email.
- Dispute submissions. Text and optional email you submit when you believe an assessment result is incorrect.
- Optional contact information. If you write to us, we keep the contact details necessary to respond.
3. Information Collected Automatically
- Hashed IP address. We hash your IP address with SHA-256 to enforce rate limits and detect abuse. The original IP is never stored.
- Anonymous usage metrics. Aggregate counters such as search counts, verdict distribution, and response times. These metrics contain no personal data.
- Cookies and similar technologies. See our Cookie Policy.
4. How We Use Information
- To run your Trust Assessment and return results.
- To review and publish community fraud reports after moderation.
- To improve search relevance, education content, and the user experience.
- To protect the Services from abuse, fraud, and unlawful activity.
- To comply with legal obligations and lawful requests from public authorities.
5. Third-Party Services
To run a Trust Assessment, we send relevant inputs to a limited set of trusted third-party providers, including:
- SerpAPI, Google, and Bing for public-web search.
- Have I Been Pwned for breach lookups.
- VirusTotal and URLScan for URL safety checks.
- Image reverse-search providers, only when you upload a photo.
- Supabase and Upstash as our database and cache providers.
- Anthropic for the optional Trust Advisor summary.
Each provider operates under its own privacy policy. We do not authorize them to use your data for advertising.
6. Photo Uploads
When you upload a photo for reverse-image search, the image is sent to our image-search providers, analyzed, and then deleted from our servers as soon as the search completes. We do not publish uploaded photos, do not display them on profile pages, and do not use them to train machine-learning models.
7. Your Choices and Rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights under the GDPR, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the Canadian PIPEDA, or similar laws. These typically include the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you.
- Request correction or deletion.
- Object to or restrict certain processing.
- Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
Because we do not require accounts, most search activity cannot be linked back to you. To exercise rights regarding a specific submission, contact us at privacy@trustcertified.org.
8. Children's Privacy
The Services are not directed to children under 13 (or under 16 in the European Economic Area). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.
9. Data Retention
Search inputs are kept only for the duration of the active search session. Aggregate metrics are kept indefinitely because they contain no personal identifiers. Community fraud reports are retained for as long as they are useful for warning other users, subject to removal requests and moderation review.
10. Security
We use HTTPS, hashed identifiers, encrypted storage, and least-privilege access controls. No system is perfectly secure. If you believe your information has been improperly accessed, please contact us immediately.
11. International Transfers
We may process information in countries outside your country of residence, including the United States and the European Union. We take steps to ensure those transfers are protected by appropriate safeguards.
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Effective" date at the top reflects the latest version. Continued use of the Services after an update constitutes acceptance.
13. Contact
Privacy questions or requests? Email privacy@trustcertified.org.
See also: Terms of Service, Cookie Policy, and Disclaimer.