Privacy Policy
Last updated: Draft — not yet published
This policy describes what information The VIN Lookup collects and how it's used. The VIN Lookup does not require an account to request or purchase a report — you never create a password with us. VIN Beacon does not sell personal information, and restricts access to any personal owner information that a connected data source might otherwise expose.
What we collect
- The VIN you look up, to generate a report. (License-plate lookup is disabled by default and, when it is enabled, is subject to this same policy.)
- The email address you provide, so we can send your report and secure access link. We store a one-way hash of your email alongside the plain address for internal lookups — the hash is never exposed publicly.
- Payment and order metadata (via Paddle, our payment processor) needed to generate a purchased report — The VIN Lookup never sees or stores your card number.
- Basic technical data (a hashed IP address, browser type) for security and abuse prevention — we do not store your raw IP address.
What we don't collect or show
Report results never include a vehicle's current or past owner's name or personal contact information. We do not ask you to create a password, and we do not build a saved-report or account dashboard tied to your email address.
How your report is delivered and accessed
Your report is generated and emailed to the address you provided, along with a secure, single-use access link. That link uses a long, random, non-sequential token — only a one-way hash of the token is stored in our database, so the working link exists solely in the email we send you. The link expires after a limited period and can be revoked by an administrator. We never place your email address in a URL, in page source, or in analytics events.
How we use your email address
Your email address is used only to deliver the report and transaction-related messages (receipts, support responses, and delivery-status notices) you've requested. We do not use a report-request email for marketing, and we do not sell or share it with third parties for unrelated purposes.
Do Not Sell or Share My Information
The VIN Lookup does not sell or share personal information with third parties for cross-context behavioral advertising. If a jurisdiction-specific opt-out mechanism is required, it will be added here before launch.
Contact
Questions about this policy, or requests to delete your information, can be sent to the address on our Contact page.