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Privacy Policy

How AutoAds™ collects, uses, and protects your personal data.

Effective Date: March 2026
AutoAds™ is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy is drafted in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Data Controller

AutoAds™ is the data controller for personal data collected through the Platform. For any data protection enquiries, please contact us using the details in Section 12.

2. Personal Data We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

When you register or use the Platform, we collect:

  • Name, email address, and password;
  • Business name, company registration number, and VAT number (where applicable);
  • Contact details including phone number, mobile number, and postal address;
  • Postcode (used to determine your geographic location for search and mapping features);
  • Payment information (processed securely by our third-party payment provider — AutoAds™ does not store full card details);
  • Vehicle listing content including descriptions, photographs, and pricing;
  • Communications you send to us, including support requests.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use the Platform, we automatically collect:

  • IP address and device information;
  • Browser type and version;
  • Pages visited and time spent on the Platform;
  • Login history including date, time, and session duration;
  • Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 10).

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third-party services integrated with the Platform, such as vehicle data providers, postcode lookup services, and payment processors.

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

  • To create and manage your account;
  • To process your Subscription and payments;
  • To enable you to create, manage, and publish vehicle Listings;
  • To deliver Leads and enquiries to you;
  • To provide customer support;
  • To send you service-related communications (e.g. payment receipts, account alerts);
  • To send you marketing communications where you have given consent or where we have a legitimate interest — you may opt out at any time;
  • To improve the Platform and develop new features;
  • To comply with legal and regulatory obligations;
  • To detect and prevent fraud and abuse of the Platform.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following legal bases under UK GDPR:

  • Contract — processing necessary to perform our contract with you (e.g. account management, Subscription, Listings);
  • Legitimate Interests — processing necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving the Platform, preventing fraud, and direct marketing to existing customers;
  • Legal Obligation — processing necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory requirement;
  • Consent — where you have given your explicit consent (e.g. marketing emails to new contacts).

5. Geographic Location Data

AutoAds™ collects the postcode you provide during onboarding and uses a postcode lookup service to derive latitude and longitude coordinates. This location data is used to:

  • Display your business or listing location on maps within the Platform;
  • Enable prospective buyers to search for vehicles and sellers by distance;
  • Improve the relevance of search results.

Location data is stored securely and is not shared with third parties for marketing purposes.

6. Sharing Your Personal Data

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data with:

  • Service providers who assist us in operating the Platform (including payment processors, cloud hosting providers, postcode/mapping services, and email delivery providers) — all bound by appropriate data processing agreements;
  • Other Users, where necessary as part of the Platform's core functionality (e.g. your contact details may be included in a Lead delivered to a Seller);
  • Law enforcement or regulatory authorities, where required by law;
  • A successor business in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to standard confidentiality obligations.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period thereafter. Specifically:

  • Account data — retained for the duration of your Subscription and for up to 6 years after termination;
  • Vehicle Listings — removed upon cancellation or expiry, unless retained for legal reasons;
  • Payment records — retained for 7 years in accordance with HMRC requirements;
  • Login history — retained for up to 12 months for security monitoring purposes;
  • Marketing preferences — retained until you withdraw consent.

8. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

Right of Access Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Rectification Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to Erasure Request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to Restrict Processing Request that we limit how we use your data.
Right to Data Portability Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Right to Object Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
Right to Withdraw Consent Withdraw consent at any time where processing is consent-based.
Right to Complain Lodge a complaint with the ICO at ico.org.uk.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the details in Section 12. We will respond within one calendar month.

9. Data Security

AutoAds™ implements appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data. These include:

  • Password hashing using industry-standard algorithms;
  • Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS);
  • Access controls limiting who within AutoAds™ can access personal data;
  • Regular security reviews and monitoring.

No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. While we take all reasonable steps to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Cookies

AutoAds™ uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to operate the Platform. Cookies we use include:

  • Essential cookies — required for the Platform to function (e.g. session management, login state);
  • Analytical cookies — to understand how the Platform is used and to improve it;
  • Preference cookies — to remember your settings.

You can control cookie settings through your browser. Disabling essential cookies may affect Platform functionality. By using the Platform, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with this Policy.

11. International Transfers

AutoAds™ primarily stores and processes data within the UK and the European Economic Area (EEA). Where data is transferred outside the UK or EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with UK GDPR, such as Standard Contractual Clauses or transfers to countries with an adequacy decision.

12. Contact & Complaints

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact:

If you are unsatisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office:

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Where changes are material, we will notify you by email or via the Platform at least 14 days before the changes take effect. The current version will always be available on the AutoAds™ website.