Privacy notice
Who we are
[company name] (company number [company number], [registered office address]) runs AutoAds and is the controller of the personal data described here. We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office ([ICO registration number]). Contact us about privacy at [privacy email address].
What we collect, and why
| What | Why | Lawful basis |
|---|---|---|
| Seller accounts: name, email, phone numbers, business details and addresses, team members, password (stored only as a one-way code) | To run your account, show your adverts and contact details to buyers, and keep the account secure | Contract |
| Buyer accounts: name, email, password (as a one-way code), postcode and phone if you add them, the vehicles and searches you save, the enquiries you send, and the vehicles you view and searches you make while signed in | To run your account, send the alerts you ask for, show your recently viewed vehicles, and understand how the site is used so we can improve it. News and offers only if you tick the box | Contract; legitimate interests; consent (news and offers) |
| Adverts: vehicle details, registration number, photos, descriptions, prices, and history-check results | To show your adverts and help buyers trust them | Contract |
| Enquiries from buyers: name, email, phone (optional) and message | To pass your message to the seller you contacted, so they can reply. The seller then uses your details as their own controller | Legitimate interests (and your request) |
| Payments: plan, credit and invoice records. Card details go straight to Stripe; we never see them | To take payment and keep accounts | Contract; legal obligation (tax records) |
| Security records: sign-ins, network (IP) addresses, failed attempts, and staff actions | To protect accounts and the site from misuse and fraud | Legitimate interests |
| Emails we send: who to, what kind, and whether it was delivered | To send account, enquiry and billing emails and check they arrive | Contract; legitimate interests |
| Contact form messages | To answer you | Legitimate interests |
| Business contacts for marketing to motor dealers (business name, phone, email, website) | To tell businesses about AutoAds. We stop at once if asked | Legitimate interests |
We do not sell personal data, and we do not use advertising or tracking cookies.
Who we share it with
- Sellers receive the enquiries buyers send them. Buyers see the seller details shown on each advert.
- Service providers who work for us under contract:
- Hostinger (hosting the site and its data)
- Stripe (payments)
- Brevo (sending email)
- the DVLA and Vehicle Data Global (vehicle details from a registration number)
- postcodes.io (turning postcodes into map positions)
- Cloudflare Turnstile (telling people from robots on forms)
- Anthropic (writing draft descriptions and checking photos, when a seller asks; we send vehicle details and photos, not account details)
- The police, regulators or courts when the law requires, or to prevent fraud.
Some of these providers (Stripe, Anthropic, Cloudflare) may handle data outside the UK, including in the United States. Where they do, the transfer is protected by the UK's International Data Transfer Addendum or the UK-US data bridge.
How long we keep it
- Accounts and adverts: while the account is open. Sold vehicles are kept in the seller's private sold-stock archive so they can relist or show their sales history.
- Enquiries: while the seller's account is open; sellers can archive or delete them.
- What buyers view and search while signed in: 24 months, or until you clear it from your account. Saved vehicles and searches: until you remove them or close your account.
- Sign-in history: 90 days. Attempt counters: 24 hours. Password and email links: removed 30 days after they expire.
- Email records and payment notifications from Stripe: 12 months.
- Invoices and payment records: 6 years after the end of the financial year, as UK tax law requires.
- When an account is closed, we keep what the law requires and delete or anonymise the rest when you ask us to.
Your rights
You can ask for a copy of your personal data, or ask us to correct it, delete it, limit how we use it, or send it to you in a portable form. You can object to any use based on our legitimate interests, and to marketing at any time. We reply within one month. If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, please tell us; you can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or on 0303 123 1113.
Security
The site uses HTTPS throughout, and passwords are stored only as one-way codes. Staff sign in with a password and a code from an app, and every staff action is recorded. Access to personal data is limited to the people who need it.
Children
AutoAds is not for anyone under 18, and we do not knowingly collect their data.
Changes
We will update this notice when how we use data changes; the date above shows the latest version.