Privacy Policy

About this policy

ClearTrace AU is a data removal and privacy monitoring service operated by ClearTrace AU as a sole trader (ABN 44 770 175 476), based in New South Wales, Australia.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, hold, and disclose personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

By using our website or subscribing to our service, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy.

What personal information we collect

We collect the following categories of personal information:

Account information

• Full name
• Email address
• State or territory of residence
• Subscription tier and payment status

Service delivery information

• Information you provide to help us locate your records on data broker websites (e.g. aliases, previous addresses, phone numbers)
• Records of removal requests made on your behalf, including broker name, outcome, and timestamp
• Monitoring data — where your information was found and its status

Technical information

• Browser type and device type (collected anonymously via server logs)
• Pages visited on our website
• Referring URL

We do not collect sensitive information such as health, financial account, or biometric data.

How we collect your information

We collect personal information:

• Directly from you — when you sign up, use our free exposure scanner, or contact us
• Automatically — through server logs and basic analytics when you visit our website
• From data broker websites — as part of our service, we search for and retrieve records about you from third-party data aggregator sites in order to request their removal. This information is used solely to perform that removal and is not retained beyond what is needed for reporting and audit purposes.

We will only collect personal information by lawful and fair means, and only information that is reasonably necessary to provide our service.

How we use your information

We use your personal information to:

• Deliver the ClearTrace AU data removal and monitoring service
• Generate your personalised exposure reports
• Communicate with you about your account, removals, and service updates
• Process subscription payments (via our payment processor)
• Maintain an audit log of removal actions taken on your behalf
• Improve our service and identify new data brokers to cover
• Comply with legal obligations

We will not use your information for direct marketing to third parties, profiling for advertising, or any purpose that is inconsistent with why it was collected.

Disclosure of your information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share it only in the following circumstances:

• Payment processors — to process subscription payments. We use a third-party payment provider (e.g. Stripe) who is bound by their own privacy policy and PCI-DSS obligations. We do not store your card details.
• Data broker websites — we submit opt-out requests on your behalf. This necessarily involves sharing your name and contact details with those websites for the purpose of removal.
• Legal requirements — if required by law, court order, or a regulatory authority (such as the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner).
• Business succession — if the business is sold or transferred, your information may be transferred to the successor, who will be bound by this policy.

Overseas disclosure

Some data broker websites we interact with on your behalf are operated by companies based overseas, including in the United States. Submitting opt-out requests to these sites involves disclosing your information to those overseas operators.

By using our service, you consent to this disclosure for the specific and limited purpose of requesting removal of your information from those sites.

Our payment processor (Stripe) stores payment data on servers located in the United States. Stripe is certified under applicable data protection frameworks.

Aside from the above, we do not routinely transfer your personal information outside Australia.

How long we keep your information

• Active subscribers: We retain your personal information for as long as your subscription is active.
• After cancellation: We retain your account information and removal audit logs for 12 months after your subscription ends, then securely delete it. This retention period exists so we can respond to any queries or disputes regarding work completed.
• Free scanner users: The name you enter is sent to SerpApi — a third-party search API — which queries publicly accessible data broker websites on our behalf. We do not store your name, your search queries, or the results server-side. Results are returned to your browser in real time and are not retained by ClearTrace AU. SerpApi's own privacy policy applies to queries processed through their service.

When information is no longer required, we delete or de-identify it securely.

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Our security measures include:

• All client data stored in a local encrypted SQLite database, not in cloud-accessible storage
• Access to client data restricted to the operator
• Logs and reports excluded from version control and public repositories
• HTTPS enforced on all web pages
• Payment processing handled entirely by PCI-DSS compliant provider — we do not handle card data directly

No method of data transmission or storage is 100% secure. If you believe your information has been compromised, please contact us immediately at hello@cleartrace.au.

Your rights

Under the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction — ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, out of date, or incomplete
• Deletion — request deletion of your account and personal information (subject to retention obligations above)
• Complaint — lodge a complaint if you believe we have mishandled your information

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@cleartrace.au. We will respond within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au.

Cookies and analytics

Our website uses no third-party analytics platforms (such as Google Analytics) at this time. Basic server logs may record your IP address and browser type for security and diagnostic purposes. These logs are not used to track individual users across sessions.

We do not use advertising cookies or tracking pixels.

If we introduce analytics or cookies in the future, this policy will be updated and you will be notified.

Children

Our service is intended for individuals aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Notify active subscribers by email

Continued use of the service after changes are notified constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact us

For any privacy-related queries, access requests, or complaints, please contact:

We aim to respond to all privacy enquiries within 30 days. For complaints that cannot be resolved directly, you may contact the OAIC at oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.