Privacy policy

1. Who is responsible

The data controller is AJ Wylie, a sole trader in the United Kingdom, trading as Needoh Alert, the service at NeedohAlert.com. That means AJ Wylie decides how and why personal data is used for this service, including for UK, US and Canada accounts.

Privacy requests: Support inside the app. We aim to reply within one month. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk. We would like the chance to put a problem right first.

This policy covers the website, the signed-in app, Home Screen / installed copies of the site, sign-up texts and emails, password-reset emails, stock notifications, Community, and Site Checker. It does not cover retailer websites you open from a checkout link, or public records we look up during a shop check. Those shops and registers have their own policies. A purchase you make on a shop site is with that shop, not with us.

2. What we collect

Account details, if you join:

• username;
• password, stored only as a salted hash, never as the words you type;
• email address, so we can send a password-reset link from [email protected], and so we can send a one-time sign-up code by email if US or Canada text confirmation is not available. New accounts collect this at sign-up. Older accounts can add it in Account;
• mobile number, stored in full so we can text a one-time code and stop the 72-hour / 3-day trial being used twice. UK accounts use a UK number. US and Canada accounts use a US or Canada number when text sign-up is on. We store whether the account is a UK, US or Canada account. The app shows other people, and your own account screen, only the end of the number;
• whether a 72-hour / 3-day trial or a paid plan is active, the plan type, and the dates it runs;
• the time you ticked that you had read and agreed to the terms of service and this privacy policy, so we can show you agreed before creating the account;
• a Stripe customer reference and subscription reference, if you pay. We do not store the card number, expiry or security code;
• a referral code, and the account that invited you if you enter one at sign-up;
• the internet connection address used when the account is created;
• when the checker was last opened, and how many times it was opened in the current 24 hours and the 24 hours before that. A repeat within 2 minutes counts once;
• whether the connection is in the United States when a US account is created, or in Canada when a Canada account is created. We keep that as the account’s country. We do not keep a history of later locations.

Security and messages:

• a sign-in session, kept in a secure cookie on that browser or Home Screen app;
• a short-lived sign-up code. For a UK account this is sent by text. For a US or Canada account it is sent by text through Google Firebase Phone Auth when that is available, or by email if it is not. The code is stored as a hash until it expires or is used;
• a short-lived password-reset token, stored only as a hash until it expires or is used;
• support messages you send, the reply, and the conversation they belong to, with your username and the time. A first reply may be written automatically on servers we operate for this service. We do not send that chat to a public chatbot provider. A person on the team can read the conversation when it is passed to them, and can reply. Their reply is stored with the conversation and shown in Support, under Inbox, on your profile. The automatic reply does not decide a refund, a deletion, or whether your plan stays active;
• a shop website you ask us to consider;
• basic technical logs needed to keep the site up, such as fault traces. We do not run advertising analytics.

Community, if you use Hub:

• your username on posts, chat and direct messages;
• the text and photos you post on the board, in chat, or in a direct message;
• likes, reports, mutes, warnings and moderator actions tied to the account;
• notification choices for Community pings.

Other members can see the username and the public board or chat content you post. Direct messages are for the people in that conversation. Staff can see a report, and can see a conversation if they need it to deal with abuse, a legal request, or a safety issue.

Site Checker:

• the website address you paste, so our servers can open that public site and related public records. We do not keep a history of sites you have checked. Server logs may briefly include the request, as with other pages on the service;
• that you ticked the Site Checker box on that browser (stored only on your device);
• a short rate-limit on how often the same internet address can run a check, so the tool is not overloaded.

Alerts, if you turn Phone alerts on:

• the push address and keys for that phone, so Apple or Google can deliver a notification while the app is closed;
• that phone’s alert choices, such as hidden items, shops, and whether you only want in-stock alerts.

On the phone itself, the app can store your basket, recent alert list, display settings, and the Site Checker tick. Those stay in the browser storage on that device until you clear them. We also keep a simple “tour finished” flag on your account, so the walkthrough does not start again when you sign in on another phone.

We also handle public product names, prices, pictures and links from shop websites, so we can show what they are selling. That is information about products, not about you. Public company and domain records used by Check a shop are the same.

We do not ask for your date of birth, payment card number, home address, or a copy of ID as part of ordinary sign-up.

3. Why we use it and the legal reasons

We use this information to:

• create and protect your account, including the text or email code that checks the number or email, and a reset email if you forget the password;
• run the 72-hour / 3-day trial once per number, and provide the stock checker, Hub, Community and Site Checker you asked for;
• take payment, renew a monthly plan, fail or retry a charge, and cancel it when you ask;
• send stock notifications you have switched on, and a reminder when a trial or a plan that is not renewing has about 24 hours, 6 hours, or 1 hour left, and once it has ended;
• read and answer support messages, shop requests and privacy requests;
• host Community content you choose to post, and moderate reports;
• open a public website and public records when you use Site Checker;
• keep the service secure, stop abuse of the 72-hour / 3-day trial, investigate faults, and prevent fraud;
• meet tax and accounting duties for payments;
• tell you, when you next sign in, if a 72-hour / 3-day trial or membership has ended so you can renew.

The legal reasons under UK GDPR are:

• Contract — creating the account, running the 72-hour / 3-day trial or paid plan, showing stock, running Site Checker when you submit a link, hosting Community you use, and taking payment;
• Legitimate interests — keeping a secure alert service, stopping repeat 72-hour / 3-day trials, answering support, moderating Community, and defending a dispute or chargeback. You can object; see section 9;
• Consent — optional phone notifications, and the SMS that checks your number (also covered by PECR). Reset emails are a service message you asked for. You can withdraw notification permission on the phone at any time;
• Legal obligation — keeping payment records for tax and accounting.

We do not use your number or email for marketing. We do not sell your information. We do not use it to build advertising profiles. An automatic support reply is not a decision about your contract, your payment, or your legal rights. Refunds, account deletion, and plan changes are handled by a person.

We also read public shop pages to decide whether a shop might be added later. That is information about shops, not about you, unless you send us a shop yourself.

4. Who we share it with

We use other organisations only to run the service. They act on our instructions as processors, or as independent controllers for their own payment, SMS or push systems, as the law treats them:

• Stripe, to take card payments and manage a subscription;
• Firetext, or another UK SMS gateway we connect, to send the one-time UK sign-up code. We send the number and the code message. We do not send them your password;
• Google Firebase Phone Auth (and Google reCAPTCHA where that flow needs it), to send the one-time US and Canada sign-up code. We send the number so Google can deliver the text. We do not send them your password;
• Resend, to send password-reset emails, and US or Canada sign-up codes when text confirmation is not available, from [email protected]. We send them your email address and the link or code. We do not send them your password, and we do not turn on inbound mail for NeedohAlert.com;
• our database and hosting providers, to store the account and run NeedohAlert.com;
• Apple Push Notification service and Google’s push service (including Firebase/FCM where used by the browser), to deliver a notification to a phone that has Phone alerts on;
• public registers such as Companies House and the domain register, which we query when you run Site Checker. Those bodies already publish that information. We do not send them your account name.

Staff who help operate the service — currently AJ Wylie as operator, and any support login we create — can see what they need to answer a ticket, not your password.

A shop does not receive your Needoh Alert account. If you press checkout, you go to that shop’s own site. What you do there, including any account or payment you make with them, is covered by their policy, not this one.

We can also disclose information if the law, a court, or a regulator requires it, or if we must do so to protect the service or other people’s rights, including to our professional advisers under confidentiality.

5. Where it is stored

We aim to keep account data in a secure database used for this service, on hosting we control for NeedohAlert.com. Stripe, Resend, the SMS gateway, Google (Firebase, reCAPTCHA and push), Apple and public registers may process some of that data outside the UK. Where they do, we rely on the UK rules for international transfers, including adequacy regulations or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement / Addendum to the EU standard contractual clauses, as the provider makes them available.

US and Canada accounts are still controlled from the United Kingdom. Choosing a US or Canada account does not move the controller to the United States or Canada.

6. How long we keep it

• Text and email sign-up codes are kept only until they expire or are used, and for a short time after so we can limit repeat attempts.
• Password-reset tokens are kept for up to 30 minutes, then deleted.
• The session cookie ends when you sign out or when the session expires, whichever comes first. A session can last up to 60 days.
• The account is kept while it is open. After it is closed, we keep a limited record for a period so we can deal with a dispute, a chargeback, tax, or a repeat 72-hour / 3-day trial attempt — typically up to 12 months for account identifiers, longer where this section’s payment rule applies.
• Push details are deleted when you turn Phone alerts off on that phone, or when the phone provider tells us the address is no longer valid.
• Support messages, including an automatic reply and a person’s reply, are kept long enough to handle the request and to see repeat problems, then deleted or minimised. A conversation passed to a person is kept until it is dealt with.
• Community posts, photos, chat and direct messages are kept while the account is open, or until the content is removed. We can delete content earlier if it breaks the terms.
• Site Checker does not store a list of URLs you have checked. Ordinary server logs are rotated.
• Payment references are kept for as long as UK tax and accounting rules need, which can be up to 6 years after the payment.
• If an account is created and never signed in, we delete the account after 7 days. An account without a subscription that stays inactive for 21 days is deleted. We do not delete a paid account this way.
• The count of checker openings is kept for 3 days, then deleted.

When a 72-hour / 3-day trial or membership ends we keep the account so you can sign in and renew. Ending access is not the same as deleting the account. To delete it, ask through Support.

On-device basket, settings and the Site Checker tick stay until you clear the site data or remove the Home Screen app’s data.

7. How we protect it

Passwords and sign-up codes are hashed. The session cookie is HTTP-only, so a page script cannot read it, and it is sent on a secure connection where the site is served over HTTPS. The account screen masks the mobile number. Staff access to the inbox is limited to operating the service.

No method of storage is perfect. Please use a password you do not use anywhere else. If we become aware of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a high risk to you, we will tell you and the ICO as UK law requires.

8. Cookies, PECR, SMS and push

We use one essential sign-in cookie so you stay signed in. It is strictly necessary for the service you asked for. It is not an advertising cookie. We do not use analytics or marketing cookies, and we do not drop third-party ad cookies.

The app also uses the phone’s local storage for the basket, hidden items, alert switches, the tour, the Check a shop tick, and a flag that this phone should receive alerts. That storage is required for those features. You can clear it in the browser or by removing the Home Screen icon’s website data. Clearing it can sign you out and empty the basket on that phone.

The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) also cover texts, emails and push notifications. We send an SMS only to confirm the number at sign-up (or to re-check it if we must). We send a password-reset email only if you ask for one and the account has an email on it. We send a US or Canada sign-up email only if text confirmation is not available. We send a push notification only if you have granted permission on that device and switched Phone alerts on. You can withdraw push permission at any time on the phone. Stock alerts, access reminders, and reset emails are service messages you asked for, not marketing.

Google reCAPTCHA may run on US and Canada sign-up so automated sign-ups are harder. That is Google’s service. See Google’s privacy policy for how they use that check.

9. Your rights

Under UK GDPR you can ask us to:

• tell you what we hold about you and give you a copy (access);
• correct it;
• delete it, unless we must keep it for the law or a live dispute;
• restrict or object to certain uses, including where we rely on legitimate interests;
• give you data you provided, in a portable form, where the law requires that;
• withdraw consent for phone alerts, which you can also do on the phone and with the Phone alerts switch;
• not be subject to a solely automated decision with legal or similarly significant effects. We do not do that. Site Checker ratings are information tools, not decisions about your legal rights.

You can change your password in Account. To close the account or ask for a copy of your data, use Support and choose GDPR request. We email the copy to the address on the account. We may ask you to confirm it is your account before we release or delete anything. There is usually no fee. We can refuse or charge for requests that are manifestly unfounded or excessive, as the law allows.

If you are in California, we do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising. You can ask us for a copy or deletion through Support in the same way. If you are in Canada, you can also ask for access or correction through Support.

10. Children

Needoh Alert is a paid alert service for people buying from shops. It is not directed at children under 13, and an account should be opened by someone who is 18 or by a parent. Do not send us a child’s phone number. If we learn we have collected a child’s data without a proper basis, we will delete it.

11. Changes

We will update this page if the service changes what it collects. The date at the top will change. If a change is serious, we will also say so in the app. The current Terms of service explain the contract for using Needoh Alert, including Site Checker and Community.

The operator of NeedohAlert.com is AJ Wylie. That name is shown here, in the Terms of service, and in the footer of every page so it is clear who runs the site.