Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 15, 2026

Understicker (understicker.com) is run by TrustGrow LLC, a California limited liability company, doing business as Understicker ("Understicker," "we," "us"). This policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, who else handles it, and what you can ask us to do with it. It covers our website and our email newsletter.

The short version

• You don't need an account to use Understicker. There is no login.
• Our public pages don't set cookies and don't use ad trackers or outside analytics tools.
• We count visits with a one-way code, not with your IP address.
• We only learn your name or email if you fill out one of our forms or write to us.
• We don't sell your information and we don't use it for targeted ads.
• You can ask us what we have about you, and ask us to fix it or delete it.

What we collect

When you read the site

Visit counts. When a page loads, we record which page was viewed and when, along with a one-way code. We make the code from your IP address and your browser's description (the "user agent"), mixed with a secret key. We replace that key every day and delete the old one. Once the key is deleted, no one, including us, can turn the code back into your IP address or connect your visits on different days. We use these records only to count visits and to spot unusual traffic. Our own systems don't store your IP address.

Hosting logs. Our hosting provider, Vercel, receives your IP address and browser details with every request, because that is how a web page gets delivered. Vercel keeps short-term logs under its own policies. We look at these logs only to fix errors and stop attacks.

Contact buttons. When you tap a company's phone number, website, or other contact button, the link passes through our site first so we can count the click. We record which company and which page the click came from, along with the same one-way code we use for visits. We don't know who you are, and we don't see or hear anything you say to the company.

When you fill out a form

We have four forms.

1. Company page request. This form is for people who own or work for a company listed on Understicker. We ask for your name, email address, and a message. Your phone number and the company's dealer or broker license number are optional. We use this information to confirm that you speak for the company and to handle your request.
2. Privacy request. We ask for your name, email address, and a message. Your phone number is optional. We use this information to handle your request and to keep a record that we handled it.
3. Add a company. This form is for people who run a dealership or a brokerage that is not listed on Understicker yet. We ask for the company's name, website, type, and city or neighborhood, and for your name and email address. Your phone number and a message are optional. We use this information to check the company before we list it, and to reply to you.
4. Newsletter. We ask for your email address. We send you a link to confirm, and we don't add you until you click it. We use your address only to send our weekly offer digest and messages about your subscription. Every email has an unsubscribe link.

When you email us

We receive your email address and whatever you write, and we use them to reply.

Information about companies and people listed on Understicker

Company pages are built from what companies publish about themselves and from public business listings we find through web search: the company's own website, public directories of dealers and brokers, and address data from the United States Census geocoder. We do not use California DMV records. This can include the business name, license number, business address, business phone, website, hours, and offers the company publishes on its own website or sends to us.

Some auto brokers do business under their own names, so a company page may show a person's name as a business name. We don't publish home addresses on purpose. If a listed business address is also someone's home, write to us and we will remove it.

We did not ask companies for permission before listing them. Any company can ask us to correct or remove its page. Our Terms of Use explain how.

What we don't collect

• Cookies. Our public pages don't set cookies and don't store data in your browser. The only cookie on our site is a login cookie in our admin area, which only our own staff use.
• Trackers. We don't use ad pixels, social media trackers, or outside analytics services.
• Accounts and passwords. There are none for visitors.
• Payment information. We don't take payments today. Before we do, we will update this policy.
• Sensitive personal information. We don't ask for things like Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, financial account details, precise location, or health information. The license number on our company form means a business's dealer or broker license, not a driver's license. If you put sensitive information in a message anyway, we use it only to answer that message.
• Leads. We have no forms that send your details to dealers or brokers. If you contact a company, you do it directly, and what you share with them is between you and them.

How we use information

We use information to:

• run the site and keep it working and secure;
• count visits and clicks so we know which pages are useful;
• confirm that a person speaks for a company, and handle requests to claim, fix, or remove a page;
• handle privacy requests and keep a record of them;
• send the newsletter to people who confirmed they want it;
• reply to emails;
• follow the law and protect our rights.

We don't use your information to build a profile of you, and we don't use it for advertising.

Who else handles information

These service providers handle information for us so we can run the site:

• Vercel (United States) hosts the site and stores our files.
• Neon (Oregon, United States) runs our database, which holds form submissions and the newsletter list.
• Resend (United States) sends our emails, including confirmations and the newsletter.
• Fastmail (United States) runs our email inbox.

We keep all information in the United States.

We may also disclose information:

• when the law requires it, such as for a valid subpoena or court order;
• when needed to protect the safety or rights of people or of Understicker;
• if Understicker is sold or merged. The new owner would receive the information and would have to follow this policy until it gives notice of changes.

We don't sell or share your information

We don't sell personal information. We don't share it with anyone for targeted advertising ("cross-context behavioral advertising," as California law calls it). We have never done either.

How long we keep information

• Visit and click records: as long as they are useful for statistics. Because the daily key is deleted, these records can't be tied back to you.
• Company page requests: while we handle the request, then 24 months.
• Privacy requests: a record of the request (date, type, how we answered, and when) for 24 months.
• Newsletter: until you unsubscribe. After that we keep only your email address on a do-not-email list, so we never write to you again by mistake.
• Emails to us: up to 24 months after the conversation ends, unless we need them longer for a legal reason.
• Removed companies: if a company asks us to remove its page, we keep its name, license number, and website address on a do-not-list list, so we don't add it back by mistake. We keep this for as long as the company stays removed.
• Backups: deleted information can remain in our backups for a short time until they are overwritten.

Your rights

California's privacy law, the CCPA, gives rights to customers of businesses that meet certain size tests. Understicker doesn't meet those tests today, so the law doesn't require this of us. We give the following rights to everyone anyway, wherever you live:

• Know. Ask what personal information we have about you, where it came from, and who we gave it to.
• Delete. Ask us to delete it.
• Correct. Ask us to fix it if it's wrong.
• Equal treatment. We won't treat you differently for using these rights.

There is no right to opt out of sale or sharing, because we don't sell or share. There is no separate right to limit the use of sensitive personal information, because we don't collect it.

How to ask. Use our privacy request form at understicker.com/ccpa-request or email privacy@understicker.com.

What happens next.

• We email you a confirmation with a request number right away.
• Reply to that email so we know the address is yours. We start once you reply.
• If you ask about information on a company page, we may ask you to show your connection to that company.
• We answer within 45 days. If we need more time, we tell you why and take up to 45 more days.
• Someone else can ask for you if you give them written permission and we can confirm it with you.

What we may keep after a deletion request: the do-not-email and do-not-list lists described above, a record that we handled your request, and anything the law requires us to keep. We will tell you if we keep something and why.

Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control

Some browsers send a "Do Not Track" or "Global Privacy Control" signal. These signals don't change anything on Understicker, because we already don't track you across sites and don't sell or share your information.

California "Shine the Light"

We don't give personal information to other companies for their direct marketing.

Children

Understicker is not meant for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect information from them. If you think a child has sent us information, write to privacy@understicker.com and we will delete it.

Security

The site uses encryption (HTTPS) for all traffic. Only the people who run Understicker can access form submissions and the newsletter list. No system is perfectly secure, and we can't promise that information will never be exposed. If we learn that your information was exposed, we will tell you as the law requires.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we will post the new version here with a new effective date. If a change affects how we use information we already have, we will also say so on the home page or by email before the change takes effect.

Contact

• Privacy requests: privacy@understicker.com
• Legal questions: legal@understicker.com
• Everything else: hello@understicker.com