SearchScout — Privacy Policy
Last Modified: May 26, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains in detail how SearchScout ("SearchScout," "we," "our," "us") — operated by the Company identified in the Company Information section at the end of this Policy — collects, processes, and protects personal information in connection with the SearchScout mobile application (published on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store as "Scout: Deepsearch AI"), our related website at https://searchscout.app, and our web funnel and checkout pages (the "Service").
This policy covers two distinct categories of data:
- User Data: Information collected from you when you register, subscribe, or use the Service
- Public Search Data: Publicly available information about individuals sourced from the open web as part of our AI search service
By accessing or using the Service, you confirm that you have reviewed and accepted this Privacy Policy.
GDPR & CCPA Compliance
If you are located in the European Union, the United Kingdom, or California, your personal data is subject to the rights and protections set forth under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), UK GDPR, and the California Consumer Privacy Act / California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA). These include the right to access, update, delete ("right to be forgotten"), restrict processing, object to processing, and data portability. We are committed to complying with these standards.
Definitions
- User / You: Any person registering with or using the Service
- Data Subject: An individual whose information appears in our search results
- Personal Data: Any information identifying a person directly or indirectly
- Public Data: Information lawfully made available from federal, state, or local government records, public APIs, or widely available media/web sources
1. PROCESSING OF USER DATA (Registered Users)
Data We Collect
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Registration | Email address, name, date of birth, account preferences |
| Subscription | Subscription tier, billing cycle, billing information, payment method |
| Technical | IP address, device type and name, operating system, app version, crash logs |
| Usage | Features accessed, search queries, search history, interactions, timestamps |
| Identifiers | Device advertising identifiers, app installation IDs, session tokens |
| Communications | Messages sent to support |
We do not collect or store full credit card information. Payment processing is handled by Apple, Google, or our payment processor (Stripe).
Purposes of Processing
We process user data for:
- Delivering and improving the Service (including processing your search queries)
- Authenticating your account and processing payments
- Sending service-related communications (account, transaction, security)
- Sending promotional communications (with consent where required)
- Detecting, preventing, and responding to fraud, abuse, or illegal activity
- Marketing and analytics (measuring app usage and campaign performance)
- Complying with legal obligations and enforcing our Terms
2. PROFILE DISCOVERY FEATURE — DATA FLOW
Profile Discovery is an optional, supplementary feature that you enable only after accepting a dedicated in-app consent prompt. It returns a summary indicating where, based on publicly available signals, an individual appears to maintain a public presence across social and online platforms; these results are probabilistic indicators, not confirmed facts.
When you use Profile Discovery, we process additional inputs you provide:
- Target's first name, age range, gender, city
- Optional: Instagram handle, TikTok handle
- Selected platforms to scan
These inputs are processed through our third-party data providers (Section 4) to detect publicly available presence patterns across social and online platforms.
We do not:
- Create or store biometric face templates
- Access private accounts or password-protected content
- Share results with the platforms being analyzed
- Sell or transfer Profile Discovery data to advertisers
We do:
- Process inputs through our data providers
- Apply AI-based analysis to map raw API responses into user-facing summaries
- Cache fetched public profile pictures and follower counts (one-time, immutable per handle)
- Log queries for fraud prevention, audit trail, and service improvement
3. PROCESSING OF PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATA (Search Results)
Our Service functions as a search aggregator that consolidates and summarizes data from publicly available sources on the open web (e.g., social media profiles, public directories, news articles, and public online-presence signals).
- Source of Data: We do not own this data. It is sourced from third-party websites and APIs.
- AI Processing: We use AI to summarize public data for user convenience. AI summaries may be incomplete or inaccurate.
- No Profile Building: Information about subjects is not used to build comprehensive profiles outside the search you conduct, and is not sold or shared with advertisers.
4. SERVICE PROVIDERS AND DATA PARTNERS
To operate the Service, we rely on third-party providers acting as our sub-processors. We do not sell your data to them; they are contractually required to process data only on our instructions and in accordance with applicable law. These providers fall into the following categories:
| Category | Role |
|---|---|
| Public-data & search providers | Supply the publicly available search results, identity-lookup data, and public-presence signals that the Service aggregates and summarizes |
| AI summarization | Converts raw provider responses into readable, user-facing summaries |
| Payment & subscription | Process payments and manage subscriptions (Apple, Google, Stripe, RevenueCat) |
| Product analytics & attribution | Measure app usage and marketing performance |
| Push notifications | Deliver alerts and notifications you have enabled |
| Web analytics & advertising | Behavioral analytics and advertising on our website |
We enter into data-processing agreements with these providers requiring them to handle data in accordance with applicable laws.
5. DATA SUBJECT RIGHTS & DATA REMOVAL
If you are a person whose information appears in SearchScout's search results ("Data Subject") and you wish to have this information removed:
- Web form (fastest): https://searchscout.app/data-removal
- Email: info@searchscout.app (subject line: "Data Removal Request")
- Required: Provide your full name and the specific URL or query where the data appears
- Processing time: Within 30 days of verification
We will process your request to block your public data from appearing in our search results, in accordance with applicable laws (GDPR, CCPA, etc.).
6. USER RIGHTS (Registered Users)
You have the right to:
- Access information we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
- Delete your account and personal data
- Restrict processing in specific situations
- Object to certain processing (especially direct marketing)
- Data Portability — receive personal data in a machine-readable format
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
- Lodge a complaint with a regulatory authority
California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)
In addition to the rights above, California residents have:
- Right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose
- Right to opt out of "sale" or "sharing" (we do not sell your data)
- Right to limit use of sensitive personal information
- Right to non-discrimination for exercising these rights
To exercise any of these rights, contact info@searchscout.app.
7. DATA RETENTION
| Category | Retention |
|---|---|
| Account data | Until account deletion |
| Search history (active subscription) | Indefinite, accessible to user |
| Search history (cancelled subscription) | 30 days, then deleted |
| Cached profile pictures and follower counts | Until account deletion or opt-out request |
| Watchlist records and reports (active sub) | Indefinite |
| Watchlist records (cancelled sub) | 30-day grace, then archived; soft-deleted after 90 days |
| Account deletion | Immediate purge (within 30 days) |
| Audit logs | Up to 24 months for security and legal compliance |
When personal data is no longer necessary or the retention period has expired, we will either securely delete or anonymize the data.
8. SHARING OF INFORMATION
Your personal data will not be sold, traded, or otherwise transferred to third parties for commercial purposes. Your data may be transferred for the following reasons:
- Service Providers: With the providers described in Section 4, solely to operate the Service
- Legal Compliance: When required by law, court order, or government request
- Safety and Security: To prevent fraud, abuse, or imminent harm
- Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets (with notice to you)
- With Your Consent: When you direct us to share information with a third party
9. DATA SECURITY & STORAGE
We use industry-standard administrative, technical, and physical safeguards including encryption in transit, access controls, security monitoring, and regular audits. Access to personal data is restricted to authorized personnel.
No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach, we will notify affected users in accordance with applicable laws.
10. CHILDREN'S PRIVACY
The Service is not directed at individuals under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors under 18, and the Service may not be used to search for or profile any individual under 18. We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act ("COPPA"). If you believe we have collected information from a minor, contact info@searchscout.app and we will promptly delete it.
11. INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS
We may transfer information to countries other than your own, including the United States. Where required, we use appropriate safeguards (such as Standard Contractual Clauses) to protect your information.
The Service is unavailable in certain jurisdictions due to legal restrictions. Profile Discovery specifically is unavailable in:
- Illinois, Texas, and Washington (United States)
- European Union member states
- The United Kingdom
- Other jurisdictions as we determine
12. COOKIES & TRACKING (Web)
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies for authentication, analytics, and advertising. We use:
- Technical & Functional Cookies: Essential for the Service to function. Automatically enabled.
- Targeting & Performance Cookies: Used for analytics and personalized advertising. Subject to user consent.
You may control cookies through your browser settings. The mobile app does not use web cookies but uses device identifiers consistent with platform privacy controls (Apple App Tracking Transparency, Google Advertising ID).
13. ADVERTISING & TRACKING PREFERENCES
We partner with analytics and advertising providers to capture how you interact with our Service through behavioral metrics, heatmaps, and session replay.
You may opt out of personalized advertising:
- In-app: Settings → Privacy Settings → Personal data sharing toggle
- Web: Cookie preference center
- iOS: App Tracking Transparency (system setting)
- Android: Reset advertising ID (system setting)
14. THIRD-PARTY LINKS
The Service may contain links to third-party sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites.
15. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY
We may update this Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email or in-app notification. The "Last Modified" date at the top reflects the most recent update.
16. COMPANY INFORMATION, DATA CONTROLLER & CONTACT
"SearchScout" is the brand and application name under which the Service is offered; it does not have a separate legal personality. The Company that operates the Service and acts as the data controller for your personal data depends on your region:
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References to "SearchScout," "we," "our," and "us" in this Policy mean the entity shown above for your region, which acts as the data controller for your personal data.
For purchases made through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, payment and billing data are processed by the relevant store, and Apple or Google act as data controllers for that data under their own terms and privacy policies.
Contact channels:
- Privacy, data requests & general support: info@searchscout.app
- Data removal: https://searchscout.app/data-removal
- Website: https://searchscout.app
If you reside in the EU/EEA/UK, you may also contact us regarding data protection matters at info@searchscout.app or lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.