Privacy notice

1. Who we are

RegTail (regtail.com) is operated by Hashlock Dynamics Ltd, trading as OpenMake (registered in England & Wales, No. 15349288), which is the data controller for the personal data described here. Contact us about privacy at sunnier-larches25@icloud.com.

This notice explains what we collect when you use RegTail, why, who sees it, how long we keep it, and your rights under UK data protection law (the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018).

2. What we collect and why

We do not use advertising trackers, and we do not sell personal data. Our hosting provider counts page views and a few steps such as a check started, without cookies and only in aggregate, and never with the plates you check.

3. Lawful bases

• Contract: running your account, credits, unlocks and API keys, and supplying what you buy.
• Legitimate interests: running the free check, keeping the service secure and preventing abuse, improving our vehicle records, and answering your messages. We have weighed these interests against your rights and believe they are balanced.
• Legal obligation: keeping payment and tax records, and responding to lawful requests.

4. Who we share data with

We use a small number of service providers who process data on our instructions under contracts that require them to protect it. We describe them by role:

• Hosting provider for the website and API, including the server logs and page counts above.
• Database provider that stores our vehicle records, accounts, credits, photos and API key fingerprints.
• Sign-in provider that handles Google, Apple and email-link sign-in and gives us your email address and name.
• Payment provider that runs the checkout page and processes your card or wallet payment. Its own privacy notice applies to the payment itself.
• AI service provider that reads adverts, photos and the report's facts to find the plate and the seller's claims and to write the per-car guide. It receives the data needed for that request: the advert text and images, your photo, and the vehicle facts in the report. We do not send it your account details.

We also use public and licensed vehicle data sources to build reports; what we send them is the registration number or VIN being checked. We will disclose data if the law requires it, for example to a court or regulator, or to protect someone's safety.

5. International transfers

Our main servers and database are in the European Union, which the UK recognises as providing adequate protection. Some of our providers, including the sign-in, payment and AI providers, may process data in the United States or elsewhere. Where that happens we rely on the UK's adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum, or another safeguard recognised under UK law.

6. How long we keep data

• Vehicle records (plates, advert data, MOT history and the facts we derive) are kept as part of our vehicle database for as long as they are useful for checks.
• Photos are deleted automatically 90 days after upload. You can ask us to delete one sooner at any time.
• Account data is kept while your account is open, and deleted or anonymised within a reasonable time after you close it, except where we must keep it.
• Payment and credit records are kept for as long as tax and accounting law requires, normally six years.
• Server logs are kept by our hosting provider for a short period, typically days to a few weeks.

7. Your rights

Under UK data protection law you can ask us to: give you a copy of your personal data; correct it; delete it; restrict or object to how we use it; and give it to you in a portable form. Where we rely on legitimate interests you can object, and we will stop unless we have a compelling reason to continue.

To exercise a right, email sunnier-larches25@icloud.com from the address on your account, or describe the check you made so we can find the data. We reply within one month. We may ask you to confirm your identity first.

If you are unhappy with how we handle your data you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113. We would appreciate the chance to put things right first.

8. Cookies and browser storage

RegTail uses only essential cookies. When you sign in, the sign-in provider sets session cookies so you stay signed in; they are not used for advertising or tracking. The free check sets no cookies at all. We run no advertising scripts, and our page counts use no cookies or browser storage.

Your browser's local storage holds your recent checks and your theme choice. This stays on your device; clearing your browser data removes it.

9. Children

RegTail is for people buying vehicles. It is not aimed at children, and we do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. If you believe a child has given us data, contact us and we will delete it.

10. Changes

We will update this notice when our processing changes, and post the new version here with its date. For significant changes we will tell signed-in users by email or on the site.