Privacy policy
Last updated
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This policy explains what personal data PlateWise collects, why, how long we keep it and your rights under UK data protection law (the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018). We've tried to keep it short and plain.
Who we are
PlateWise is run by Muhammad Bilal trading as PlateWise (“we”, “us”), Ras Laffan, Qatar. We are the controller of the personal data described here. Our ICO registration number is [ICO registration number].
For anything about your data, email bilal8011727@gmail.com.
The short version
- You can use every check without an account and without giving us your name or email.
- We don't link the registrations you check to you, and we never sell personal data.
- Analytics and advertising cookies are only used if you say yes, and you can change your mind at any time.
- If you contact us, we use your details only to reply.
- If you ask for MOT or tax reminders, we use your email only for those reminders, and unsubscribing deletes it.
What we collect and why
| Data | Why we use it | Lawful basis | How long we keep it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle registrations you enter | To look up records from DVSA and the DVLA and show you the report | Legitimate interests (providing the service you asked for) | Vehicle data is cached for up to 24 hours. We don't store who searched for it. |
| IP address and basic request data (browser, time, page) | Security, preventing abuse and rate limiting, and diagnosing faults | Legitimate interests (keeping the service secure and available) | Held in memory for about a minute for rate limiting; hosting logs for a short period set by our host |
| Contact form details (name, email, message) | To reply to you and keep a record of the conversation | Legitimate interests (responding to enquiries) | Up to 24 months, then deleted |
| MOT and tax reminder sign-ups (email address, registration, make and model, MOT and tax dates) | To send the reminders you asked for, after checking the latest DVSA and DVLA records | Consent (you confirm by clicking the link in our first email) | Until you unsubscribe, which deletes them. Unconfirmed sign-ups are deleted after 7 days |
| Report feedback (thumbs up or down and an optional comment) | To find out whether our reports are useful and improve them. We don't record the registration with it | Legitimate interests (improving the service) | Up to 24 months |
| Full report purchases (Stripe payment reference, registration and amount; only if paid reports are offered) | To deliver the report you bought, handle refunds and keep accounting records | Contract, and legal obligation for accounting records | 6 years, as required for tax records. Card details are handled by Stripe and never reach us |
| Analytics data (pages visited, device type, approximate location) | To understand how the site is used and improve it | Consent | Up to 14 months in Google Analytics |
| Advertising identifiers and cookies | To show, measure and (if you allow) personalise ads | Consent | As set out in Google's policies; see our cookie policy |
| Your cookie choices | To remember whether you've accepted or rejected cookies | Legal obligation (PECR) and legitimate interests | 6 months |
Registrations can sometimes count as personal data when combined with other information. We remove them from page addresses before anything is sent to Google Analytics or Vercel Web Analytics, and we don't combine them with anything that identifies you.
Your light or dark mode preference and your last five searched registrations (shown as “Recent searches” under the search box) are stored only in your own browser and are never sent to us. Use the “Clear” button to remove the searches at any time.
MOT and tax reminders
We don't offer email reminders at the moment, so we aren't collecting email addresses for them. This section describes how they will work when they return.
Reminders use double opt-in: nothing is sent until you click the confirmation link we email you. Once a day we check the latest DVSA and DVLA records for the vehicle, and email you 30 days, 7 days and 1 day before the MOT or tax date. We only email you about that vehicle. Every reminder has a one-click unsubscribe link, and unsubscribing permanently deletes your email address and the vehicle from our list.
Where vehicle data comes from
To produce a report we send the registration you entered to the DVSA MOT History service and the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service. These public bodies return vehicle records, not information about you. Read more on how our data works.
Who we share data with
We use a small number of trusted service providers, who act on our instructions:
- Vercel hosts the website.
- Resend delivers contact form messages and reminder emails.
- Supabase hosts the database that stores reminder sign-ups and report feedback.
- Stripe processes payments if you buy a full report. We never see your card details.
- Google provides analytics (Google Analytics) and advertising (Google AdSense), only if you consent.
- Vercel hosts the site and, if you consent to analytics, counts page views with Vercel Web Analytics, which uses no cookies and can't follow you across other sites or from one day to the next.
If you click a link to one of our partners, such as a paid history check provider, that partner's own privacy policy applies to anything you do on its site. See our affiliate disclosure.
We may also disclose information if the law requires it, for example to the police with a valid request.
International transfers
Some of our providers are based in, or use servers in, the United States. Where personal data leaves the UK, we rely on recognised safeguards, such as the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, so your data stays protected.
Your rights
You have the right to:
- ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- ask us to correct data that's wrong
- ask us to delete your data
- object to, or ask us to restrict, how we use it
- ask for your data in a portable format
- withdraw consent at any time, without affecting anything done before you withdrew it
To exercise any of these rights, email bilal8011727@gmail.com. We'll respond within one month. To change your cookie choices, use .
Complaints
If you're unhappy with how we've handled your data, please tell us first so we can put it right. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
Security
The site is served only over HTTPS. Access to our systems is limited and protected, and we keep the personal data we hold to a minimum.
Children
PlateWise isn't aimed at children, and we don't knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 13.
Changes to this policy
We'll update this page if our practices change, and change the date at the top. Significant changes will be highlighted on the site.