Privacy Policy
Last updated 2026-06-23
TapVIN is operated by VeraForge Technologies Corp.
1. Who we are
TapVIN, operated by VeraForge Technologies Corp., is a free VIN lookup tool.
2. What we collect
Google sign-in identity (email, name, avatar) only if you choose to sign in. VINs you scan or type. Commute inputs you enter, meaning one-way distance, days per week, and fuel prices. A salted hash of your IP address, used only for rate limiting. Your theme preference.
3. What we do not collect
No payment information. No accident, title, ownership, or odometer history, because we do not have those data sources. No analytics and no third-party trackers. No addresses, coordinates, or place identifiers for commute. Your raw IP address is never stored.
4. Photos and the camera
The camera stream stays inside your browser. When you capture or upload a VIN photo, metadata and location are stripped on your device, the re-encoded image is sent only to read the VIN, and it is then discarded. Photos are never stored.
5. Where VINs and vehicle data are sent
NHTSA in the United States for vehicle decode, recalls, complaints, and safety ratings. EPA fueleconomy.gov for fuel economy lookup. Transport Canada open data for Canadian recalls. The Lovable AI gateway for plain-language summaries of vehicle and recall data. These calls happen on our server, not from your browser.
6. Sign-in and saved data
If you sign in with Google, we store your saved vehicles and commute comparisons under your account, protected by row-level security so that only you can read them.
7. Cookies and local storage
A session cookie for sign-in. Local storage for your theme preference and a short-lived cache of your last scan result. No advertising or tracking cookies.
8. Where data is processed
Our backend runs on Lovable Cloud, our backend platform provider. Vehicle data lookups go to the providers listed in section 5.
9. Your rights
You have the right to access, correction, deletion, and portability. To exercise any of these, email privacy@tapvin.ca. We will action requests within 30 days.
10. Retention
Saved vehicles and commute comparisons are kept until you delete them or close your account. IP hashes are kept for up to 30 days for abuse prevention. Photos are never retained.
11. Children
TapVIN is not directed to children under 13.
12. Changes
We will update the “Last updated” date when this policy changes.