1. Introduction
CarSnipe ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use CarSnipe, how we use it, who we share it with, and your rights regarding your data.
By using CarSnipe, you agree to the collection and use of your information as described in this Policy.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide
- Telegram Account Information: Your Telegram user ID and username are collected when you start using the CarSnipe bot. This is used to identify your account and deliver alerts.
- Payment Information: Billing is handled entirely by Stripe. We do not receive or store your credit card number or payment details. We do receive a Stripe customer ID and subscription status.
- Search Preferences: Vehicle search criteria you configure through the bot (make, model, price range, mileage, location, search radius) are stored on our servers to power your monitoring.
- Location Data: City/state, ZIP code, or coordinates you set as your search location. This is used solely to determine the search area for Facebook Marketplace.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
- Agent Status & Heartbeat: The desktop Agent sends periodic heartbeat signals to our servers so we can detect outages and notify you if monitoring stops. These signals include the Agent version and connection status — no browsing data.
- Alert Logs: Records of alerts we have delivered to you (listing ID, timestamp, alert type) for deduplication and troubleshooting. These records do not include the full content of Facebook listings.
- Website Analytics: We use Google Analytics 4 to collect anonymized data about how visitors use carsnipe.com, including pages visited, time on site, traffic sources, and approximate geographic location (country/region). This data is aggregated and does not identify individual visitors. You can opt out using the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
2.3 Information We Do NOT Collect
- Facebook Credentials: Your Facebook username, password, and session cookies are stored locally on your computer only in encrypted form. They are never transmitted to our servers. We have no access to your Facebook login.
- Facebook Browsing Activity: We do not receive or store any data about what you view on Facebook beyond the listing details contained in alerts we deliver.
- Vehicle Listing Content: Our servers receive only the minimal listing metadata needed to compose and deliver your alerts. We do not build databases of Facebook Marketplace listings.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Identify your account and authenticate Agent connections
- Deliver Telegram alerts for listings matching your search criteria
- Process and manage your subscription through Stripe
- Detect Agent outages and send you offline notifications
- Provide customer support when you contact us
- Send important service announcements (e.g., required Agent updates)
- Improve our website and service through aggregated analytics
We do not sell your personal data. We do not use your data for advertising targeting.
4. Data Sharing & Third-Party Services
We share your data only as necessary to operate the Service:
- Stripe: Payment processing. Your payment data is governed by Stripe's Privacy Policy.
- Telegram: Alert delivery via Telegram Bot API. Your interactions with the bot are subject to Telegram's Privacy Policy.
- Google Analytics: Anonymized website usage analytics. Data is processed under Google's Privacy Policy. We use IP anonymization and do not share personally identifiable information with Google.
- Hetzner Cloud: Our backend infrastructure is hosted on Hetzner servers in the European Union. Data is processed in accordance with GDPR-compliant data processing agreements.
We do not share your personal data with advertisers, data brokers, or other third parties for marketing purposes.
5. Data Storage & Security
Your account information and search preferences are stored on encrypted servers. All data transmission between your Agent, our servers, and your Telegram app uses industry-standard TLS encryption.
Your Facebook session data is stored locally on your computer using encryption. It is never transmitted to our servers. You can delete this local data by uninstalling the Agent.
While we implement strong security measures, no system is completely secure. We cannot guarantee that unauthorized third parties will never defeat our security measures.
6. Data Retention
- Active accounts: We retain your account data for as long as your subscription is active or as needed to provide the Service.
- Cancelled accounts: After cancellation, we retain your data for up to 90 days before deletion, in case you reactivate.
- Alert logs: Delivered alert records are retained for 30 days for deduplication purposes, then deleted.
- Deletion requests: Upon a verified deletion request, we will remove your personal data within 30 days, except where legally required to retain it.
7. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
- Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
- Portability: Request your data in a portable, machine-readable format
- Objection: Object to processing of your data for specific purposes
- Restriction: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.
8. Cookies & Tracking
Our website uses Google Analytics cookies to understand traffic and usage patterns. These are analytics cookies only — we do not use advertising or tracking cookies. You can control cookies through your browser settings or use the Google Analytics opt-out add-on.
9. Children's Privacy
CarSnipe is not intended for use by individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us to have it removed.
10. International Transfers
Your data may be processed in the United States or the European Union, where our infrastructure providers operate. By using the Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to these jurisdictions, which may have different data protection rules than your country.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes via the Telegram Bot. The "last updated" date at the top of this page reflects when the policy was last revised. Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
12. Contact Us
For any privacy questions or to exercise your rights, please contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Telegram: @CarSnipeBot