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Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 5, 2026 (Added Photo Metadata Section)

1. Introduction

Car Valuation AI ("we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you use our service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

• Account Information: Email address, password, name, phone number, ZIP code
• Payment Information: Billing details processed through Stripe (we don't store card numbers)
• Vehicle Images: Photos you upload for valuation
• Vehicle Data: Make, model, year, mileage, condition, and other details you provide
• Communications: Messages you send us for support

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, time spent on service
• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, IP address
• Cookies: Session cookies for authentication and preferences
• Analytics: Google Analytics data (when enabled)

2.3 Photo Metadata (EXIF Data)

This metadata may include:

• 📍 GPS Location: Latitude, longitude, and altitude (if enabled on your device)
• 📅 Timestamp: When the photo was originally taken
• 📱 Device Info: Camera/phone make and model (e.g., iPhone 14 Pro, Canon EOS R5)
• 📷 Camera Settings: ISO, aperture, shutter speed, focal length, flash usage
• 🖼️ Image Details: Resolution, orientation, color space
• 💻 Software: Apps used to capture or edit the photo
• ☀️ Lighting Conditions: Automatically inferred from camera settings

Why We Collect Photo Metadata:

• AI Accuracy: Improve car identification based on lighting and photo quality
• Fraud Prevention: Detect stock photos, edited images, or suspicious patterns
• Service Quality: Provide better valuations based on photo characteristics
• Analytics: Understand geographic trends and user behavior

How to Disable Location Data:

You can prevent GPS data collection by:

• iPhone: Settings → Privacy → Location Services → Camera → "Never"
• Android: Camera Settings → Location Tags → OFF
• Using metadata removal tools before uploading

For more details, see our Photo Metadata Privacy section below.

2.4 AI Learning Data

We collect and store:

• Vehicle photos and our AI's identifications
• Corrections you make to improve accuracy
• Valuation results and feedback

3. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information to:

• Provide Service: Process valuations, VIN decoding, damage detection
• Account Management: Maintain your account, process payments, manage subscriptions
• Improve AI: Train our machine learning models to improve accuracy
• Customer Support: Respond to inquiries and resolve issues
• Analytics: Understand usage patterns and improve our service
• Communications: Send account notifications, updates, and marketing (with consent)
• Security: Detect fraud, abuse, and security threats
• Legal Compliance: Comply with legal obligations

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

4.1 We Do NOT Sell Your Data

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

4.2 Service Providers

We share information with trusted service providers:

• Stripe: Payment processing
• Cloud Hosting: Data storage and infrastructure
• Email Services: Transactional and notification emails
• Analytics: Google Analytics (anonymous usage data)

4.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information when required by law or to protect our rights and safety.

4.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale, user information may be transferred.

5. Data Security

We implement security measures to protect your information:

• Passwords are hashed using bcrypt
• HTTPS encryption for data transmission
• Secure database storage
• Regular security updates
• Access controls and authentication

Note: No method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We strive to protect your data but cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Data Retention

We retain your information:

• Account Data: While your account is active and for a reasonable period after deletion
• Valuation History: Stored for your records and AI improvement
• Payment Records: Retained for tax and accounting purposes (typically 7 years)
• AI Training Data: Anonymized photos may be retained indefinitely for model improvement

7. Your Rights and Choices

7.1 Access and Update

You can access and update your account information through your dashboard.

7.2 Account Deletion

You may request account deletion by contacting support. Some data may be retained for legal or legitimate business purposes.

7.3 Marketing Communications

You can opt out of marketing emails by clicking "unsubscribe" or contacting us.

7.4 Cookies

You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though this may affect functionality.

7.5 Data Portability

You may request a copy of your data in a portable format.

8. Third-Party Services

Our service uses:

• Stripe: See Stripe Privacy Policy
• Google Analytics: See Google Privacy Policy
• VinAudit (when used): Third-party vehicle history reports

9. Children's Privacy

Our service is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

10. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

California residents have additional rights:

• Right to know what data we collect
• Right to request deletion
• Right to opt-out of sale (we don't sell data)
• Right to non-discrimination

11. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)

If you're in the EU, you have rights including:

• Right to access your data
• Right to rectification
• Right to erasure
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to object

12. Photo Metadata Privacy Details

What Metadata We Collect:

1. Location Data
   • GPS coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude)
   • Geographic location (city, state, country - derived from coordinates)
2. Timestamp Information
   • Original photo capture date and time
   • Upload date and time to our service
3. Device Information
   • Camera/phone manufacturer and model
   • Device type (phone, camera, tablet)
4. Camera Technical Data
   • ISO speed, aperture (f-stop), shutter speed
   • Focal length and flash usage
   • Image resolution, orientation, color space
5. Software Information
   • Apps used to capture or edit photos
   • Editing detection (Photoshop, Lightroom, etc.)
6. Environmental Data (Inferred)
   • Lighting conditions (daylight, indoor, low-light, flash)
   • Weather conditions (future enhancement)

How We Use Photo Metadata:

• AI Training: Improve car identification accuracy based on lighting, quality, and device type
• Fraud Prevention: Detect stock photos, heavily edited images, or suspicious upload patterns
• Service Quality: Provide more accurate valuations based on photo characteristics
• Geographic Analytics: Understand regional trends in vehicle types and valuations
• Device Insights: Optimize our service for different camera types and quality levels

Your Privacy Rights Regarding Photo Metadata:

• View Metadata: Request to see all metadata collected from your photos
• Delete Metadata: Request deletion of specific photos and their metadata
• Opt-Out: Disable location services on your device before taking photos
• Download Data: Request a copy of all your data including metadata (JSON/CSV format)

How to Prevent Location Data Collection:

Third-Party Processing of Photo Metadata:

Your photos and metadata may be processed by:

• Google Cloud Vision API: For vehicle identification (metadata included in processing)
• Amazon S3 / Cloud Storage: For secure photo storage
• Analytics Platforms: Anonymized and aggregated metadata for service improvement

All third parties are contractually bound to protect your data and may not use it for their own purposes.

Data Retention for Photo Metadata:

• Active Accounts: Metadata retained while your account is active
• After Account Deletion: All metadata deleted within 30 days
• Anonymized Analytics: Aggregated, anonymized metadata may be retained indefinitely for research

GDPR & CCPA Compliance:

Legal Basis for Processing:

• Consent: You consent by uploading photos with metadata intact
• Legitimate Interest: Service improvement and fraud prevention
• Contract Performance: Necessary to provide accurate valuation services

Your Rights:

• Request metadata deletion (GDPR Article 17, CCPA deletion rights)
• Access all collected metadata (GDPR Article 15, CCPA access rights)
• Object to metadata processing (GDPR Article 21)
• Data portability (GDPR Article 20)

To Exercise These Rights: Email info@techempiresolutions.com with subject "Photo Metadata Request"

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. We will notify you of significant changes via email or service notification.

Last Updated: January 5, 2026 (Added Photo Metadata Section)

14. Contact Us

For privacy questions or to exercise your rights, contact us:

Email: info@techempiresolutions.com
Support: info@techempiresolutions.com
Website: Car Valuation AI

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This Privacy Policy is effective as of December 26, 2025. By using Car Valuation AI, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.