Privacy Policy

Last Updated: April 29, 2026

1. Introduction

OsintCat ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Service. We are committed to transparency and giving you control over your personal data.

This Privacy Policy complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable data protection laws. By using our Service, you consent to the data practices described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Account Information

When you register for an account, we collect:

  • Email Address: Required for account creation, authentication, password resets, and important service communications
  • Username: Optional display name for your account
  • Account Credentials: Passwords are hashed and never stored in plain text. We cannot retrieve your password.

2.2 Payment Information

For paid subscriptions, we collect:

  • Billing Information: Processed securely through third-party payment processors (Stripe, PayPal, Plisio)
  • Payment Tokens: We receive payment tokens and transaction IDs from payment processors
  • Invoice Records: We maintain records of transactions for accounting and customer service purposes

Important: We do not store complete credit card numbers, CVV codes, or full payment card details on our servers. All payment processing is handled by PCI-DSS compliant third-party processors.

2.3 Usage and Technical Information

To provide and secure our Service, we automatically collect:

  • IP Addresses: Logged for security purposes, abuse prevention, and to detect account sharing violations
  • User Agent Strings: Browser and device information for compatibility and security analysis
  • Geographic Location Data: Derived from IP addresses for security monitoring (country/region level only)
  • Access Timestamps: When you access the Service and API endpoints
  • API Usage Statistics: Aggregate request counts, endpoint usage, and rate limit compliance
  • Search Queries: We log search queries to analyze platform usage, prevent abuse, and detect illegal activities, including searches related to Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). We do not store the results returned by these searches.

2.4 Authentication and Security Data

For account security, we may collect:

  • Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Secrets: Encrypted and stored if you enable 2FA
  • Login History: IP addresses and timestamps of account access
  • Security Events: Records of suspicious activities, failed login attempts, and security violations

2.5 Support and Communication Data

When you contact us or use support features:

  • Support Tickets: Messages, attachments, and related communications
  • Email Communications: Correspondence between you and our support team

3. What We DO NOT Collect

We believe in data minimization. To protect your privacy, we have implemented strict no-logging policies for sensitive activities:

  • Search Results: We DO NOT log or store the results returned from your searches
  • Investigation Data: We DO NOT track what data you are investigating or why
  • Third-Party Data: We DO NOT store data obtained from third-party sources beyond what is necessary for real-time processing

Your investigative activities are processed in-memory and are never written to permanent storage or log files. This privacy-first approach ensures your research remains confidential.

4. How We Use Your Information

4.1 Service Provision

We use your information to:

  • Create and manage your account
  • Process payments and manage subscriptions
  • Provide access to OSINT tools and API endpoints
  • Enforce usage limits and rate restrictions based on your subscription plan
  • Deliver search results and intelligence data

4.2 Security and Abuse Prevention

We use your information to:

  • Detect and prevent account sharing, API key sharing, license key sharing, and unauthorized access (ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY)
  • Monitor IP addresses, usage patterns, and access locations to identify account and key sharing violations
  • Identify and block malicious activities, abuse, and security threats
  • Monitor for suspicious patterns that may indicate fraud, account sharing, or Terms of Service violations
  • Enforce IP whitelisting and access controls
  • Investigate security incidents and policy violations
  • Take immediate enforcement action against detected violations, including permanent account suspension

We actively monitor and log IP addresses, access patterns, and usage data specifically to detect and prevent account sharing and key sharing. Any detected violation will result in immediate and permanent account termination without refund.

4.3 Communication

We use your email address to:

  • Send account verification codes and authentication emails
  • Notify you of important service updates, security alerts, and policy changes
  • Respond to support requests and inquiries
  • Send transactional emails (invoices, payment confirmations, etc.)

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time, but you cannot opt out of essential service communications.

4.4 Service Improvement

We may use aggregated, anonymized data to:

  • Analyze usage patterns and improve service performance
  • Develop new features and enhance existing functionality
  • Monitor system health and optimize infrastructure

5. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

Under GDPR, we process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

  • Contractual Necessity: Processing necessary to fulfill our contract with you (providing the Service)
  • Legitimate Interests: Processing for security, fraud prevention, and service improvement
  • Legal Obligations: Compliance with applicable laws and regulations
  • Consent: Where you have provided explicit consent for specific processing activities

6. Data Sharing and Disclosure

6.1 Third-Party Service Providers

We may share your information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our Service:

  • Payment Processors: Stripe, PayPal, Plisio for payment processing
  • Email Service Providers: For sending transactional and service emails
  • Hosting and Infrastructure: Cloud service providers for hosting our Service
  • Analytics Services: For understanding service usage (anonymized data only)

All third-party service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.

6.2 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or governmental authority, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to:

  • Comply with legal obligations
  • Protect our rights, property, or safety
  • Prevent or investigate fraud or security issues
  • Enforce our Terms of Service

6.3 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the acquiring entity. We will notify you of any such change in ownership or control.

6.4 What We DO NOT Share

We DO NOT:

  • Sell your personal data to third parties
  • Share your search queries or investigation data
  • Provide your information to advertisers or marketing companies
  • Disclose your data except as described in this Privacy Policy

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy:

  • Account Data: Retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period after account closure for legal and accounting purposes
  • Payment Records: Retained as required by law (typically 7 years for tax and accounting purposes)
  • Security Logs: Retained for up to 12 months for security analysis and incident investigation
  • Support Communications: Retained for up to 3 years after ticket resolution

You may request deletion of your account data at any time, subject to legal retention requirements.

8. Your Rights (GDPR and Data Protection)

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Right to 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 personal data ("right to be forgotten")
  • Right to Restrict Processing: Request limitation of how we process your data
  • Right to Data Portability: Request transfer of your data to another service
  • Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
  • Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

To exercise these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to your request within 30 days, as required by GDPR.

9. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information:

  • Encryption: Data in transit is encrypted using TLS/SSL. Sensitive data at rest is encrypted
  • Access Controls: Limited access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
  • Secure Authentication: Support for two-factor authentication (2FA)
  • Regular Security Audits: Ongoing monitoring and assessment of security practices
  • Incident Response: Procedures for detecting, responding to, and notifying about security breaches

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be processed and stored in countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA). When we transfer data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

  • Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission
  • Adequacy decisions by the European Commission
  • Other legally recognized transfer mechanisms

11. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.

12. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

  • Maintain your session and authentication state
  • Remember your preferences and settings
  • Analyze service usage (anonymized)

You can control cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling certain cookies may limit your ability to use some features of the Service.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of material changes by:

  • Posting the updated policy on this page with a new "Last Updated" date
  • Sending an email notification to the address associated with your account
  • Displaying a prominent notice on our platform

Your continued use of the Service after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Email: [email protected]
Legal Notice: View Legal Notice

For GDPR-related inquiries, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

This Privacy Policy is effective as of January 7, 2026.